ssured from time to time of your welfare, and to
prevent them from being shocked and distressed in future by the crudity
of your communications, I have drawn up a short form of letter for the
use of the lower boys in the second form--which I shall now proceed to
dictate. Of course all boys in the first form, and all in the second
above Bultitude and Jolland, will write as they please, as usual.
Richard, I expect you to take particular pains to write this out neatly.
Are you all ready? Very well then, ... now;" and he read out the
following letter, slowly--

"My dear Parents (or parent according to circumstances) comma" (all of
which several took down most industriously)--"You will be rejoiced to
hear that, having arrived with safety at our destination, we have by
this time fully resumed our customary regular round of earnest work
relieved and sweetened by hearty play. ('Have you all got "hearty play"
down?'" inquired the Doctor rather suspiciously, while Jolland observed
in an undertone that it would take some time to get _that_ down.) "I
hope, I trust I may say without undue conceit, to have made considerable
progress in my school-tasks before I rejoin the family circle for the
Easter vacation, as I think you will admit when I inform you of the
programme we intend" ('D.V. in brackets and capital letters'--as before,
this was taken down verbatim by Jolland, who probably knew very much
better), "intend to work out during the term.

"In Latin, the class of which I am a member propose to thoroughly master
the first book of Virgil's magnificent Epic, need I say I refer to the
soul-moving story of the Pious AEneas?" (Jolland was understood by his
near neighbours to remark that he thought the explanation distinctly
advisable), "whilst, in Greek, we have already commenced the thrilling
account of the 'Anabasis' of Xenophon, that master of strategy! nor
shall we, of course, neglect in either branch of study the syntax and
construction of those two noble languages"--("noble languages," echoed
the writers mechanically, contriving to insinuate a touch of irony into
the words).

"In German under the able tutelage of Herr Stohwasser, who, as I may
possibly have mentioned to you in casual conversation, is a graduate of
the University of Heidelberg" ("and a silly old hass," added Jolland
parenthetically), "we have resigned ourselves to the spell of the
Teutonian Shakespeare" (there was much difference of opinion as to the
manner of