gly at
Flashman and other boys at the tables.) Then there's fuddling about in
the public-houses, and drinking bad spirits, and punch, and such
wretched stuff. That won't make good drop-kicks or chargers of you,
take my word for it; and drinking isn't fine or manly, whatever some
of you may think of it.

"One other thing I must have a word about. A lot of you think and say,
for I've heard you, 'there's this new Doctor[12] hasn't been here so
long as some of us, and he's changing all the old customs. Rugby, and
the School-house especially, are going to the dogs. Stand up for the
good old ways, and down with the Doctor!' Now, I'm as fond of old
Rugby customs and ways as any of you, and I've been here longer
than any of you, and I'll give you a word of advice in time, for
I shouldn't like to see any of you getting sacked. 'Down with the
Doctor,' is easier said than done. You'll find him pretty tight on his
perch, I take it, and an awkwardish customer to handle in that line.
Besides, now, what customs has he put down? There was the good old
custom of taking the linch-pins out of the farmers' and bagmen's gigs
at the fairs, and a cowardly blackguard custom it was. We all know
what came of it, and no wonder the Doctor objected to it. But, come
now, any of you, name a custom that he has put down."

[12] #Doctor#: Doctor Arnold. He became head-master of Rugby
in 1828. He was a power for good in every direction. He
reconstructed the school system, and put the boys on their
honor, never in any way questioning their word, so that it
came to be a saying in the school, "that it was a shame to
tell Arnold a lie; he always believes one." Perhaps no teacher
in England was so beloved or had such influence.

"The hounds," calls out a fifth-form boy, clad in a green cutaway with
brass buttons and cord trousers, the leader of the sporting interest,
and reputed a great rider and a keen hand generally.

"Well, we had six or seven mangy harriers and beagles[13] belonging to
the house, I'll allow, and had had them for years, and the Doctor put
them down. But what good ever came of them? Only rows with all the
keepers[14] for ten miles round; and big-side Hare and Hounds[15] is
better fun ten times over. What else?"

[13] #Harriers and beagles#: dogs used for hunting hares.

[14] #Keepers#: game-keepers.

[15] #Hare and Hounds#: next to foot-ball, this is the great
sport at Rugby. Several boys