his comment
was for Michael and uttered in a voice of most laryngeal scorn so
audible that the party of New College men involved reddened with dull
fury. "Try and get along, please, sir. You're holding up the whole
river, sir. I say, Michael, this is an absolute novices' competition."

After an hour of this slow progress Lonsdale decided they must go back
to college for tea, an operation which required every resource of
sangfroid to execute successfully. When he had landed his father and
mother and sister, he announced that they must all be quick over tea and
then buzz off at once to see the first division row.

"I think we shall go head to-night," Lonsdale predicted very
confidentially. "I told Tommy Grainger he rowed like a caterpillar
yesterday."

But after all it was not to be the joyful privilege of Lonsdale's people
to see St. Mary's bump New College in front of their own barge, and
afterward to behold the victorious boat row past in triumph with the
westering sun making glow more richly scarlet the cox's blazer and shine
more strangely beautiful the three white lilies in his buttonhole.

"Now you've just got time to catch your train," said Lonsdale, when the
sound of the last pistol-shots and plaudits had died away. And "Phew!"
he sighed, as he and Michael walked slowly down the station-hall, "how
frightfully tiring one's people are when imported in bulk!"

Eights Week came to an end with the scarlet and lilies still second; and
without the heartening effect of a bump-supper the candidates for Pass
Mods applied themselves violently to the matter in hand. At the end of
the examination, which was characterized by Lonsdale as one of the most
low-down exhibitions of in-fighting he had ever witnessed, the
candidates had still a week of idleness to recover from the dastardly
blows they had received below their intellectual belts.

It was the time of the midsummer moon; and the freshmen in this the last
week of their state celebrated the beauty of the season with a good deal
of midsummer madness. Bonfires were lit for the slightest justification,
and rowdy suppers were eaten in college after they had stayed on the
river until midnight, rowdy suppers that demanded a great expense of
energy before going to bed, in order perhaps to stave off indigestion.

On one of these merry nights toward one o'clock somebody suggested that
the hour was a suitable one for the ragging of a certain Smithers who
had made himself obno