maker, with a
beery, humorous eye and ponderous calves, who lived mostly on his
wife's earnings, stood in a corner of the room, exchanging shots of
the roughest description of repartee with every boy in turn. "Stumps,
you lout, you've had too much beer again to-day." "'Twasn't of your
paying for, then." "Stumps's calves are running down into his ankles;
they want to get to grass." "Better be doing that, than gone
altogether like yours," etc., etc. Very poor stuff it was, but it
served to make time pass; and every now and then Sally arrived in the
middle with a smoking tin of potatoes, which was cleared off in a few
seconds, each boy as he seized his lot running off to the house with
"Put me down two-penn'orth, Sally;" "Put down three penn'orth between
me and Davis," etc. How she ever kept the accounts so straight as she
did, in her head and on her slate, was a perfect wonder.

East and Tom got served at last, and started back for the School-house
just as the locking-up bell began to ring; East on the way recounting
the life and adventures of Stumps, who was a character. Amongst his
other small avocations, he was the hind carrier of a sedan-chair,[5]
the last of its race, in which the Rugby ladies still went out to tea,
and in which, when he was fairly harnessed and carrying a load, it was
the delight of small and mischievous boys to follow him and whip his
calves. This was too much for the temper even of Stumps, and he would
pursue his tormentors in a vindictive and apoplectic manner when
released, but was easily pacified by twopence to buy beer with.

[5] #Sedan-chair#: a kind of covered chair for carrying a
single person, borne on poles by two men.

TEA AND ITS LUXURIES.

The lower-school boys of the School-house, some fifteen in number,
had tea in the lower-fifth school, and were presided over by the old
verger or head-porter. Each boy had a quarter of a loaf of bread and
pat of butter, and as much tea as he pleased; and there was scarcely
one who didn't add to this some further luxury, such as baked
potatoes, a herring, sprats, or something of the sort; but few, at
this period of the half-year, could live up to a pound of Porter's
sausages, and East was in great magnificence upon the strength of
theirs. He had produced a toasting-fork from his study, and set Tom
to toast the sausages, while he mounted guard over their butter and
potatoes; "'cause," as he explained, "you're a new boy, and they'll
play