ld the officer that his room was his castle
and that he had no right to come in. The matter was reported
to the Faculty and the musician sent for. Instead of submitting
himself, however, he maintained very sturdily that the visit
of the official to his room was an outrage which he ought
not be asked to endure. He made quite an oration to the Faculty.
Thereupon he was sentenced, more for his contumacy than for
the original offence, to suspension from the college for two
or three months. The class were very indignant and determined
to manifest their indignation in a way that should be understood.
They got a chariot with six white horses which drove up to
his door in Holworthy at midday. Nearly the whole college
assembled to see him off. He came out and took his seat in
solitary state in the chariot. Some eight or ten of the class
on horseback accompanied him as outriders. They drove into
Boston to the front door of the Tremont House in great state.
It was just at the time the Governor-General of Canada, I
think Lord Elgin, was expected in Boston on a great occasion
in the history of the city. The waiters and landlord at the
Tremont House thought the English nobleman had arrived and
hurried down the steps to open the door and meet him. But
he got out of his carriage with his carpet-bag in his hand
and disappeared in a humble fashion round the corner. The
Faculty were very indignant and thought of disciplining severely
the members of the class who had got up the burlesque, especially
the outriders. Edward Everett then had under consideration
the question whether he would accept the Presidency of the
College. It was thought that if a rebellion occurred then
he would decide against undertaking the responsibility. So
they let the whole matter pass.

The principal figure in this scene used to be a thorn in
the flesh of Professor Channing. He used to insert very
pompous and magniloquent sentences in his themes, much to
Channing's disgust. One day Channing took up a theme and
held it up and called out, X. X. came to the chair by the
Professor's side, and the Professor read, in his shrill voice:
"'The sable sons of Afric's burning coast.' You mean negroes,
I suppose." He admitted that he did. The Professor took
his pen and drew a line over the sentence he had read and
substituted the word "negroes" above the line, much to X.'s
mortification.

I was guilty of one practical joke of which I have repented
al