In prayers today John Gow never thinking what he was doing sang the wrong response. We fortunately backed him up and the School mumbled something.
I was infuriated to hear Circuitt had had the cheek to ask Hobson when he was coming to fetch the cup and Hobson like a fool said Friday instead of saying it had nothing to do with him.
Only Ward, myself, G. G. Williams and E Wood went to the Deanery tonight, Wade had a swollen face and Low was tugging up-fields and meant to come late but was prevented. We gave ourselves tea in the Dining Room and then the Dean came in and gave us what he subsequently described as a ‘peripatetic lecture’, in other words he took us down into the Cloisters and showed the line of the Norman Cloister which he had just had uncovered and how the builders of the later work severed their walls unobtrusively so as to compensate for certain initial difficulties. From thence we went to the new Museum and looked at the Norman Capitals etc.
Wright the Clerk of the Works had joined us and the Dean administered a delightfully gentle snub to him — after thanking him for some plan he had drawn he said ‘You think then so-and-so?’
‘Oh! yes’ says Wright ‘it’s as plain as a pikestaff’
‘Oh! well’ say the Dean ‘but my sight isn’t very good and I can’t always see the pikestaff’!!!
The Dean was very quaint measuring the cloisters by one foot before the other in a wobbly fashion and flourishing a pocket-rule. We then went back to the Deanery and sat down at the table while he showed us various plans illustrating the evolution of the present Deanery and on to the roofs etc. It was extremely interesting and we all enjoyed it.