Friday January 22nd

I am in a disgusting temper tonight, having got thoroughly cold taking Prep tonight, i hae been cold and cross ever since and also over-tired and miserably peevish, flying out at everything and everybody…

This morning Barrington-Ward told me that there was to be a School Case this evening. The case as I understand it is this, a boy called Hallward, a great lanky lout, has given a good deal of trouble lately in the 2nd Game, a day or so ago he did not put his name in the box and also went up and played forward when he was down to play Goal and generally ragged. So after Barrington-Ward has explained this to us and we agreed to convict we had him in and he came in with both hands in his pockets, to my intense disgust, and Barrington-Ward told him the nature of his offence and he swore he put his name in the box and that he had not caused confusion in the game. So we sent him out and after discussion there seemed to be no doubt of the two things alleged against him were true so we again agreed and had him in and Barrington-Ward told him that we didn’t see his excuses held and asked if he wished to lay his case before the Headmaster and he said ‘yes’. So there the matter rests.

As Barrington-Ward said to me afterwards it is a flimsy School Case but at the same time we had to proceed with it…Hobson tells me tonight that the 2nd Game is in a very bad state and the culprit is Clarke who manages it disgracefully and often doesn’t put up the game until long after Hall and there is a good deal of ragging going on. But at the same time I think Hallward has something of a case and may get his appeal.

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Thursday January 21st

In early Prep this morning I made an effort to get the Deb Soc Ledger up to date and got a fair amount done.

We had the first meeting of the Deb Soc this term tonight but I did not speak. The meeting was for ‘Impromptu Debates’ but there was nothing very amusing except just at the end Benvenisti was talking in the flowery way which only Benvenisti can talk, on the subject of Early Prep and was just in the middle of a gorgeous sentence in which a ‘goose pate’ figured (heaven only knows how he brought it in) when the quarter went and Barrington-Ward cut him off short to everybody’s amusement, since by the rules of the Society the Debate may not go on beyond 6.15 unless agreed to by the Members.

Hobson amused himself by studying a drop of his own blood under a microscope and showed me corpuscules and suchlike’ rummy little animals’ as he described some microbes to me! In a few years’ time when he becomes a full-fledged Medical Student he will be unbearable.

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Wednesday January 20th

I have been disgustingly conceited all day. The boards with the ‘Heads of House’ painted on them have been fixed up in Hall at the end over Father’s chair, to the admiration of all beholders. Indeed it was quite funny while waiting for Father at lunch and during lunch all eyes in the room were fixed on one spot, the boards. As I came into Hall, the representative of a great and glorious line of predecessors, I felt several inches taller and prayed that I might be worthy of my great position. My own name, the last on the list is certainly very imposing.

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Tuesday January 19th

Went to Etheridge for the first time this term and I am afraid I was much disgusted to find Circuitt coming there too. I own to secret joy when a napkin was spoken of as a ‘serviette’ by him, though I will say for him that he is the best of an inferior lot, all of them being quite beyond the pale.

After Hall we had a Deb. Soc. Committee meeting in College and settled the Debates for the term and afterwards a Bug Soc. Committee on the question of buying this collection of moths and butterflies they are so keen about. About ┬ú12 has been collected and Wood was anxious to spend all this at once. But the cases have got to be repaired and glass put in the drawers so I ‘struck’ and said it was absurd to go an spend all our money before the cases were prepared and that we ought to lay aside ┬ú3 as a very liberal margin to cover all possible repairs and spend the rest on the moths. I maintained that we ought first to get an estimate for the cases and then and not till then buy the specimens to fill them otherwise we should land ourselves in debt. Barrington-Ward agreed and I carried my point.

Chiswicks were very noisy tonight having a battle on chairs rode astraddle, after standing the bumping for some time I had to go out and stop it, which I did not like doing but did it as pleasantly as possible.

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Monday January 18th

There has been a dreadful tragedy today, John Croxford, the man who tried to kill himself on the Play Supper night (see December 15th 1908) although apparently better and allowed to go to this home in Essex, cut his throat there yesterday or the day before. A dreadful ending to his life, but almost I think better so, for what he could have done I don’t know. But it has given us all rather a shock.

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Saturday January 16th

Wade has got a ┬ú60 Scholarship at Queen’s, I hear Gow was not unamusing on the subject. ‘Eh! Lets have the Scholar or you do a bit Wade’. Wade made mistakes! ‘Eh!’ says Gow ‘they wouldn’t give you ┬ú60 for that !’.

They have put up four pictures in College Hall. I went and looked today, pictures of Lord Keeper Williams, Cyril Jackson, Nicholl (?) and one perhaps of Dolben which was bought at the Dolben Sale but it may be a friend.

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Friday January 15th

Everybody more or less punctual this morning, Gilmour crept in some-what late in felt slippers! I was amused by the new ‘man’ Minchin standing at the door of Hall and darting in when he saw me to announce, presumably, that H. M. Myself was coming! Minchin is a most imposing person, brother in law of Mrs Brind the Cook, he has been butler in various good families (11 years at the German Embassy) and has all the solemn aspect of a butler. The general opinion seems to be as expressed to me by two of the boys ‘very superior’. ..

Spent the first two hours up-Library trying to arrange the seats in Hall, a matter of some arrangement, partly House order, partly Form order and partly from personal observation of who goes with who. I know from my own experience that to sit next to one’s friends in Hall was practically the only opportunity one had of seeing anything of them if they were in different forms to oneself.

Marriott still very subdued (calm before the storm I wonder?), and seems really different. I hope that he has outgrown his awkward stage.

Miles between 9 and 10 produced a dead mouse which had just been caught in Hall and Hobson with eyes which gloated on the poor beast with anticipatory pleasure announced his intention of skinning it. Inner is becoming unbearable with this budding Doctor, first was have human bones now we have skinned mice. Eugh! How disgusting!…

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Thursday January 14th

Lent Term begins

I was down in comparatively good time for breakfast this morning which is more than I can say for most of the house which was disgracefully late. Father made a raid into Big Dormitory and hurried them up a bit! I got down in good time for Abbey and went in with Rawson and Hobson. Saw most of my friends afterwards. Barrington-Ward remarked as he shook hands with me that he had only shaken hands with four Town Boys, all he cared to do, different from former times. He, of course, thoroughly approved of my view of the Marriott question. There has been no earthquake, on the contrary nothing could have been more dignified than Marriott. I am amazed, no word has been uttered, we conversed, Hobson included, with the utmost friendliness at lunch. I sincerely trust that this will last, it is entirely to Marriott’s favour, and no one is more pleased than myself..

The bulge in the ceiling of the big-room up Library which I pointed out to Nall and which the Carpenter said was quite safe, has now been thoroughly examined and pronounced to be very unsafe and all the top story seems to be in a bad condition. ‘Talk about jerry-building now’ says John Sargeaunt ‘look at these old houses!’. The immediate effect is that Tyson and Gow no longer take their forms in the room next the Music Room and quietness reigns supreme overhead!!…

Smurthwaite has not come back having injured himself so what will happen to the fagging of the House I don’t know, I have temporally made the unfortunate Sorley, lag of Hall.

Hobson made me feel distinctly ill by dissecting and skinning a poor little tit which he had shot and we scrutinised various portions of its inside under a microscope. Horrid!…

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Wednesday January 13th

We came up from Oxted by the 4-4 and got to Dean’s Yard about 5 o’clock. The Dean and Chapter having with their usual brilliance chosen this time to relay Dean’s Yard, consequently we had to drive round by way of Great Smith Street.

Frampton (who incidentally has blossomed out into ‘tails’) arrived almost simultaneously with us and from about 6 o’clock onwards there was a fairly continuous stream of arrivals. I employed the meantime (5 to 6) in getting my hair cut and umbrella recovered, paying bills etc. Hobson arrived soon after dinner and together we discussed the Marriott question, whether he ought or ought not to be made a monitor. Both he and I are strongly against it, I consider that it would only lead to constant friction and quite apart from the House I think it would be most undesirable to give more power than is absolutely necessary to the Marriott set in the school. I wrote and asked Gordon Reed’s opinion, his answer was delightfully characteristic, of course I knew he loathes Marriott with an unholy loathing. Eventually we have decided to keep him as he is for another term, but I wonder how bad the earthquake will be tomorrow.

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