h, old don, who was for the nonce holding a sort of rude class,
surrounded by a crowd of "undergrads." Never shall I forget that
scene. Forster went forward, with a mixture of gracious dignity and
softness, and was beginning, "Doc-tor L----." Here the turbulent boys
round him interrupted. "Now see here," said the irate Bursar, "it's no
use all of ye's talking together. Sir, I can't attend to you now."
Again Forster began with a gracious bow. "Doctor L----, I have come
over at the invitation of the University, who have been good enough to
offer me an honorary degree, and--"

"Now see here," said the doctor, "there's no use talking to me now. I
can't attend to ye. All of ye come back here in an hour and take the
oath, all together mind."

"I merely wished to state, Doctor L----," began the wondering Forster.

"Sir I tell ye I can't attend to ye now. You must come again," and he
was gone.

I was at the back of the room, when my friend joined me, very
ruminative and serious. "Very odd, all this," he said, "but I suppose
when we _do_ come back, it will be all right?"

"Oh yes, he is noted as an odd man," I said.

"I don't at all understand him, but I suppose it _is_ all right. Well
come along, my dear friend." I then left him for a while. After the
hour's interval I returned. The next thing I saw from the back of the
room was my burly friend in the front row of a number of irreverent
youngsters of juvenile age, some of whom close by me were saying,
"Who's the stout old bloke; what's he doing here?"

"Now," said the Bursar and senior fellow, "take these Testaments on
your hands, all o' ye." And then I saw my venerable friend, for so he
looked in comparison, with three youths sharing his Testament with
them. But he was serious. For here was a most solemn duty before him.
"Now repeat after me. _Ego_," a shout, "_Joannes, Carolus_," as the
case might be "_juro solemniter_," &c. Forster might have been in
church going through a marriage ceremony, so reverently did he repeat
the _formula_. The lads were making a joke of it.

Forster, as I said, was indeed a man of the old fashion of gallantry,
making his approaches where he admired _sans ceremonie_, and advancing
boldly to capture the fort. I remember a dinner, with a young lady who
had a lovely voice, and who sang after the dinner to the general
admiration. Forster had never seen her before, but when she was
pressed to sing again and again, and refused positively, I was