Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-02-26
ALONE IN COLLEGE. AND WHAT
CAME OF 1T.


which shall not parIculartze further than nv
saying that 1t is neither London nor Durham
At the tine or which write I was a newly
elected fellow: extremely young, and, believe
passably good looking
III Was the heart OF the Long Vacation. q;
ieasI, It's heart In one sense; not as being eouI-
9ts Jam rom lts two extremities, for 1t was no
SSpteH5 el, and the Long" would end In three
weeks, Out aS being the point OF time at which
me vacation dullness culmnated Nobody was
up; IN our college, literally no one A score
VI vi sIuulous undergraduates had been allowed
70 occupy their rooms during July and August,
out tney were all gone; the Master was shoot
Ing partrldgeS, the two tutors somewhere ba-
Tween China and Peru, my other colleagues
uottlIg the giooe With every impossible diver
gence or route. On the particular seventeenth
OF september OF which write was in undis-
turbed possession OF the entire range OF col
lege buildings, kitchen aud butlery, hall and
common-roOm: everything but the porters
lodge Crupple5, the porter, maintained his
location there, and had my own rooms, at the
far end OF the third or inner court. Between
Va, as far as human habItatiou went Was a
Wiling wilderness.
felt slightly discomposed when / first real
Yea thl5 TACT. Ii Wa5 imperative that shouId
be In college for few days and had IooEed
forward to my visit there as a perloi OF seci,I~
sion and quiet; but had not anticIpatcd thjs
ABSOLUTE loneliness; It was an ounce or two be
yond the bargain. However, there ,oas Gram
pies 10 fall back upon.
But let 40 man think that because his cir.
cumstance5 are bad he has exhausted the con-
tlngencleS OF their becoming worse. | had
ulneo al HVe, and just settled down to some
colege business when l was Interrupted by
tap at the door. followed by the entrance of my
companion In solitude.
Il hope am not tntruding. STR said Crup-
pies, who prided himself on bis good manners
and education generally.
mo. Crupples, said; '.all right. "Have you
any message for me?"
''Well, sir. no; that Is to say, not precisely,
SIT; very little communication OF any kind GO
Ing on now. Mr.. Burchill. have hardly ex-
changed dozen words with felloH-creature
SiGce this time yesterday"
What Is It, then ?" asked, CHANGING at the
fOho5 Of closely columned accounts out OF which
had to collect the materials for my last terms
"Well, SIR said CruDples, shifting uneasily
FROM one foot TO the other, you see 1t isn't
thing that happens every day. lam quite aware
Ro 50e to hod IN eo 81 hs os that nay yo sne
self and the other gentlemen" {meaniug the
fellows, for Cruppies never called the under
g raGoe by that term feel that you can
NO doubt, Crupples,' said; "but what Is 1t
you have 10 tell me?" Had the college plate
thought, suddenly dIsappeared2
itating, "only something to ask. very great
favor, should esteem 1t, SIR"
"Well, what is it9'
"Only. sir, would you very much mind being
lett alone here tonight? Ms sister is TO be
married In the country tomorrow, too early for
me to get there by train. SO / promised aer
would come over this evening""
'Oh. very well, Cruppl6S. / suppose the
under porter Will sleep In the lodge instead of
your"
why no, sir" said Crupples, that Is lust
the difficulty. l had arranged for Gregory to
come Ia Tor the night aud &c would have been
JUST The same as myself; but only five minutes
ago had message to say that he has met
Win "a pad accident; sprained his ankle, sir.
ara tne doctor says he must not be moved for
some days 1 thought. perhaps, sir-that Is. IL
you thought mean"
Yes, understand what you mean, Crup-
pies bat 1t Is rather serious matter VIII the
college De safer
AS safe as the county jail. sir. The train
doesn't leaVe Tor half an hour, and win put
everything right, and fasten the large gates
before start; and then tt will only be the trOu-
Die, II 1t was not taking too great liberty, sir,
OF your seeing that the wicket was double boiled
On the inside before you go 10 bed. You see it's
my OILY sister, and she would break her heart
If Were not TO come"
There was no parrying this last argument.
ana gave my consent accordingly. A few
minutes later / heard the poIderous gates re-
volVe On their hinges; and, descending to the
wicket, which opened, in the usual way, from
the gate nearest to the lodge, fastened it as
Crurples directed, and returned to my own
room.
For some time nothing occurred: worked
steadily, ana was absorbed In the accounts
before ILe. But then / came to a siand5iill.
one column mad been overlooked In the cooks
entries, ana it was impossible for me to 90 on
unJll had seen him. | locked up the books
and made tea. AS I did so the college clock
struck; a wheezy. asthmatic clock, delivering
Itself OF It's utterances as IL IL had mortal
disease, ana anticipated that each stroke might
be Its last. counted one, two three, until at
bed time. WHAT was / to do with myself? l
am a nan OF cheerful temperam INT, greaa-
rOuSly disposed, and very little inclined for nv
own scciety when can supplemental With that
n
In at this hour; II not, there Was the common
room, or II that were empty. cigars and soda
water would be In consumption elsewhere; thc
cigars were not In my line, but the companion
ship was. How horribly lonely my one te :
cup locked this evening!
However, must not give way; was alone,
out thlnklng ABOUT It would not mend matters
better read, or employ myself In some way. /
took down Tennyson, and the volume opened
or Itself ar 'St. Simeon StyliteS;" the SoIilo-
qules MADE me shudder to the backoone Next
tried writing, and got through one note Sue
cessrully; but IN the middle OF the second I
became conscious OF a desire to look over nv
leIt shoulder; the thing was absurd, Of course
out could not dfVest myself OF the idea that
there was somebody breathing hard 1hlme1i-
ately Behind me. Really, l must be growing
nervous. Better get out somewhere. and shake
lhls on; NOT out or college, OF course, but
might siToll up and down the courts. took
my hat ana did so.
At first the change proved beneficial: 1t was a
me night, and warm for the time OF year, with
bright moon, and enjoyed the exercise. My
own court. the tnnermoSt OF the three had
row OF trees on one side of 1t, which were OBJ
lectlonahie; their shadows and the shimmering
DgnL between the branches, were the EN-.
Document OF melancholy; but court No, was
more cheerful, and / paced It for some time
specuiatinS on the quantity OF Scotch marina.
lade which must be consumed In COLLEGE II
had never struck me before; but being vacation
Time now, and the empty pots being among the
oed-makers' perquisites. they had accumulated
In hundreds, pyramids on pyramids blocking
the stalrcaSes, ana piled uer above tier, behind
the windows; all shapes and all sizes. The
narmalade, too, suggested kindred topic
mat or kidneys. How could the Hon. w,
Prendergast, or any other human being, have
consumed, as upon the showing OF the cook q
book he certainly must have done eleven
hundred and Sixty-three kidneys In thirteen
weeks And what became of all the sheeo
they had been extracted from?
belore | had answered these questions the
CLOCK again struck; ten chimes dealt out In the
same deliberate manner. Then, as IL seemed TO
Me, great hush fell upon the coIst. stiffness
winch made Itself felt; solitude PASSING from a
mere negatton into a visible and objective
shape. Even the N .rmalade pots ceased to coz
nsCI themselves with my previous train of
thougnt, AID grouped TITO weird imagerles:
theH sheeh In the moo hight had something
gnaSlV ABOUT II, and the label flames Keller
q oons, dundee" read like q scroll repeated
over ana over In the carved stoneWork OF a
Gotnlc funeral chamber.
was vexed at this idtocy, but there was no
CouodIIhg II; night was my only chance Use.
tess 10 Nturn 10 nay Own rooms; iet me try the
'front.' court; there, at all events, shouId escane
the marrnalade pots. Chapel library and hail
occupied three sides; on the fourth wac the
gateway, hanked by the DOrtpr'S lodOa ap6 ooroo