mence at the ensuing half year having been politely arranged by Mr. Seymour, the father of one of Stanley's most gentlemanlike associates, he started with a purse sufficiently heavy, but with a heart not perhaps quite sufficiently light.

CHAPTER II.

Stanley at Eton.

THE first person to whom Stanley was introduced on his arrival was Alfred Julian, whose friends were on terms of close intimacy with the Seymours. Alfred, who was a fine high-toned boy-precisely the sort of lad to meet Stanley's views,-undertook to initiate him into all the deep mysteries of the school; but he was most unfortunately himself in the fourth form, and hence could not, by having his friend for a fag nominally, save him from the tyranny of the fifth and sixth. He therefore explained to him at once that he really must make up his mind to become a fag, seeing that all, no matter how high might be the position of their families, were compelled to submit to it, and that it was held to be by no means humiliating or degrading, but in reality a stimulus to exertion, inasmuch as those who took the right view of the matter strove, in consequence, to work their way up as soon as possible.

"All social distinctions here," added Julian, " are in this respect levelled: for example, Joliffe, Villiers, Cleveland, Cholmondeley, and Howard, to whom I shall introduce you, for they are all at our Dame's -are the fags of Frogmorton, although he is a plebeian, while they are connected with the first families in the kingdom. We must not, therefore, feel ourselves degraded when called upon to act like them." "Well, I shall see," returned Stanley. "I'll do as the rest do, if possible." He and Julian accordingly proceeded to Dame Johnson's, where they met with about twenty light-hearted, merry fellows.

He had not, however, been here more than an hour when he was assailed by the older boys with a number of interrogatories which he held to be particularly impertinent. By Dashall, especially, was he persecuted thus,-for Dashall was one of those who, panting to show off their power and importance, made the most of the three days before the arrival of the strapping fellows of the fifth and sixth forms. Stanley did not by any means approve of this practice, and therefore answered rather pettishly, which had the effect of making them persevere the more, for, although they saw something in his general tone and manner, which in a slight degree checked them, they held the process of teazing a new boy to be a right prescriptive and inviolable.

"My good fellow," said Stanley, addressing Dashall, who would not give in, " don't annoy me. I am anxious to make friends of all, and have therefore no desire to quarrel with you."

"What! quarrel with me!" exclaimed the highly-indignant Dashall, with an air of astonishment the most intense. "No desire to quarrel with me! Come, I like that it's cool-very cool for a new one. Perhaps you would like to take it out, old fellow? Do you fancy yourself at all with the gloves ?"

Stanley eyed him with an expression of contempt, although he made no reply; but that terror of the juniors-the mighty Dashall -in a state of extreme ignorance of the chamber-practice Stanley had had with Bob, distinctly intimated to him, and that in terms the most powerful at his command, that if he would only wait until

he had pulled on his boots, he would surely accommodate him then with a turn.

Stanley smiled; but Dashall, whose blood was up, looked very fierce, and gave his opponent such occasional glances as he fancied might wither him, while the juniors, whom the invincible Dashall had awed, really looked with an eye of pity upon Stanley, not, however, unmixed with astonishment at his apparently imperturbable calmness.

"Now, my fine fellow!" cried Dashall, having drawn on his boots. "If I take a little bit of the bounce out of you, it will do you precisely as much good as physic."

Some of the juniors laughed at the sparkling wit of Dashall, while others advised Stanley to have nothing to do with him, he was such a desperate hitter; but Stanley, of course, remained unmoved, and Julian, who was anxious to ascertain what his new friend was made of, did by no means endeavour to dissuade him from accepting the challenge.

"Now then! are you afraid?" cried the imperious Dashall,— for really that desperate young gentleman had become very impatient; and he opened his shoulders and struck at the air, and ascertained the precise firmness of his muscles; but Stanley, who was in no sort of haste, made certain inquiries having reference to the character of his opponent, in order to learn what amount of punishment he should be justified in inflicting.

Julian could not but admire Stanley's coolness; and having inferred hence that there must be some sterling stuff in him, he became nearly as eager for the fray as the fiery Dashall himself. Well, the gloves were produced, and Stanley rose. He buttoned his coat simply; but the mighty Dashall, bent upon doing some tremendous execution, stripped in an instant, and drew on the gloves. "Now," said Stanley, "I have no wish to hurt you; but if you persist in having a turn, you'll have yourself alone to blame."

"You don't wish to hurt me!" cried Dashall. "Good again! Well, I wish I may live! What next? You don't wish to hurt me!" he repeated, for really he was very much amused, and he laughed very loudly, and the juniors joined him very merrily.

Well, come, go to work!" said Julian at length. both sure to win. Possunt, quia posse videntur.'"

"You are

In this particular instance, however, the combatants respectively held Virgil to be wrong; and to prove that he was wrong, they immediately commenced, Dashall striking one of the most imposing attitudes of which he was capable, while Stanley simply held up his guard.

Dashall even at the commencement did not much admire the unflinching firmness of Stanley's eye. He notwithstanding felt quite certain to beat him, and sprang about, and feinted, and performed a great variety of most extraordinary antics, displaying at each spring his agility and science to an extent altogether remarkable. On the other hand, Stanley kept quiet: he felt that by far the best course he could pursue the course calculated to save him a world of trouble in future, was that of allowing the great Dashall to tire himself first, and then to honour him with a few of his straightforward favours, with the view of convincing him firmly of his error. He therefore stood for some considerable time on the defensive, while Dashall was twisting and turning, and tortur

ing himself into all sorts of attitudes, marvelling greatly that every well-meant blow of his should be so very coolly stopped.

"Come--come! you don't appear to be doing much!" observed Stanley, when Dashall, by dint of striking out with desperation, had become nearly exhausted. "I think that it is now my turn to begin," and he gave him a gentle tap over his guard. These taps were always given upon the bridge of the nose; and as even Bob never liked them much, it will be extremely reasonable to infer that the great Dashall did not approve of them at all. Stanley, nevertheless, tapped him again and again, and in a manner so calm that the great man really became a little confused. He could not get even one blow at his opponent, who kept constantly tapping, and tapping, and tapping, until the terror of the fourth absolutely became so enraged that he scarcely knew what to be at. He singularly enough began to feel that he had made a slight mistake in his man. He could do nothing with him. He tried a rush. Stanley stepped aside, and tapped him as he passed. He tried caution again; and again Stanley tapped him. This enraged him far more than would a corresponding number of straightforward blows, and he expressed himself precisely to that effect.

"Why don't you strike out?" he exclaimed, with peculiar indignation, "and not keep on tapping and tapping like that!" "As you please," returned Stanley, who did on the instant strike out, and poor Dashall went down as if he really had been shot. The great man did not like even this. He looked as if it were a thing of which he could not approve-which was very extraordinary, seeing that it was precisely what he had just before solicited, and, while some of the juniors cheered very loudly, others looked very steadily at Stanley, as if lost in admiration of his

prowess.

Dashall, however, stood up again, and Stanley calmly put to him whether he really liked that practice better than the other, but as he replied with a well-intentioned lunge of desperation, Stanley stopped him, and down he went again.

Another cheer burst from the juniors, and Dashall looked at them with an I'll-serve-you-out-when-I-catch-you-alone sort of scowl, which was in the abstract, no doubt, truly awful. He, however, by no means gave in. Stanley urged him to do so; but, no! he wanted only to give one fair hit to be happy. He therefore guarded himself with additional caution, and Stanley, notwithstanding, with additional rapidity kept tapping him precisely upon the bridge of his nose.

This he held to be about the most extraordinary thing in nature. He could not at all understand it. It mattered not a straw how imposing might be his attitude, how excellent his guard, how fiery his eye, or how fierce his general aspect, Stanley still kept on tapping and tapping, while he could do nothing whatever in return, although he plunged, and bucked, and bored, and jumped about in the most remarkable manner possible, and with a facility which was really very admirable in itself.

The interest now became intense. It was perceived that the great man had screwed up his courage to a most ferocious pitch, although Stanley stood as calmly as ever. Dashall made a furious

rush, and Stanley stopped him. This made him stand still for a moment, and look very wild, but on he rushed again. Stanley