y own, and with
whom my only chance of competing successfully would be by the exercise
of indefatigable perseverance and industry. Daylight, therefore (which
at this season did not make its appearance over early), found me book in
hand, and midnight saw me still seated at my desk--sometimes with a wet
towel bound round my head, to cool the throbbing of my heated brow; at
others, with a tea-pot of strong green tea by my side, to arouse and
stimulate my wearied faculties: conventional specifics, of which, by the
way, I very quickly discovered the fallacy.

A fear of completely knocking up, however, induced me to preserve some
little method in my madness. I laid down a rule to walk for a couple
of hours every day, and thus, although I grew pale and thin, no very
dangerous effects appeared likely to ensue from my exertions.

One evening, about a week before the examinations were to begin, I was
taking my usual constitutional after Hall; and, careless which way I
turned my steps, crossed the river at Moore's, and followed the footpath
which led over the fields to the village of Chesterton. There had been a
cattle fair at some place in the neighbourhood, which had drawn together
a number of disreputable characters, and, in the course of my walk, I
passed two or three parties of rather suspicious-looking men. Having
nothing valuable about me, however, I continued my walk. I had advanced
some half mile or more, when I was roused from my meditations by a cry
of "Thieves I thieves! help! hoy! thieves, I say!" accompanied by the
noise of blows. When these sounds first reached me I was close to a
hedge and stile, across which the footpath led, and from the farther
side of which the cries proceeded. It was growing dark, but there still
remained light enough to distinguish objects at a moderate distance. To
bound over the stile and cast my eyes around was the work of a moment,
nor was I much longer in taking part in an affray which was going on.

The person whose cries I had heard was a stout little man, respectably
dressed, who was defending himself vigorously with what seemed in the
twilight a club, but which turned out eventually to be an umbrella,
against the attacks of a tall, strapping fellow, in a rough frieze
coat, who was endeavouring to wrest his weapon from him. A still more
formidable adversary was, however, approaching in the shape of a second
ruffian, who had armed himself with a thick stake out of the hedge,
and was