a boating nurse, who looked-up and
trained the young oars, and in this capacity had been in command
of the freshmen's four-oar, in which Tom had been learning his
rudiments. He was a heavy, burly man, naturally awkward in his
movements, but gifted with a steady sort of dogged enthusiasm,
and by dint of hard and constant training, had made himself into
a most useful oar, fit for any place in the middle of the boat.
In the two years of his residence, he had pulled down to Sandford
every day except Sundays, and much farther whenever he could get
anybody to accompany him. He was the most good natured man in the
world, very badly dressed, very short sighted, and called
everybody "old fellow." His name was simple Smith, generally
known as Diogenes Smith, from an eccentric habit which he had of
making an easy chair of his hip bath. Malicious acquaintance
declared that when Smith first came up, and, having paid the
valuation for the furniture in his rooms, came to inspect the
same, the tub in question had been left by chance in the
sitting-room, and that Smith, not having the faintest idea of its
proper use, had by the exercise of his natural reason come to the
conclusion that it could only be meant for a man to sit in, and
so had kept it in his sitting-room, and had taken to it as an
arm-chair. This I have reason to believe was a libel. Certain it
is, however, that in his first term he was discovered sitting
solemnly in the tub, by his fire-side, with his spectacles on,
playing the flute--the only other recreation besides boating in
which he indulged; and no amount of quizzing could get him out of
the habit. When alone, or with only one or two friends in his
room, he still occupied the tub; and declared that it was the
most perfect of seats hitherto invented, and, above all, adapted
for the recreation of a boating man, to whom cushioned seats
should be an abomination. He was naturally a very hospitable man,
and on this night was particularly anxious to make his rooms
pleasant to all comers, as it was a sort of opening for the
boating season. This wine of his was a business matter, in fact,
to which Diogenes had invited officially, as treasurer of the
boat-club, every man who had ever shown the least tendency to
pulling,--many with whom he had scarcely a nodding acquaintance.
For Miller, the coxswain, had come up at last. He had taken his
B.A. degree in the Michaelmas term, and had been very near
starting for a tour in the E