The record-union., 1896-07-26

Teddy in terms that endeared me to
her at once, she invited US all to tea and
tennis next afternoon.
They lived across the meadows east
or Oxford, in a sweet old-fa shioned
house, and there were seven sons; Will,
the Trinity stroke. was eldest; Ted the
youngest, and, with the five between,
all were eager over college matters, the
gossip OF the river, the Fights, the Tor
plds, ETC., as only lads living within
SOUND OF Magdalen bells can be.
Such nice boys they were, clean,
straight and healthy mentally as we'll
as physically, all yellow haired young
Saxons. excepting Ted, who, with his
dark eyes and tiny figure, was like a
changeling amid the broad-shouldered
blue-eyed sons of Anak whom he so
zealously initiated. / became great
friends with the boys, as well as with
Mrs Orme, and when we left Oxford
was the recipient of an invitation to
return to them for commemoration
some time, which I firmly intended to
accept. But various happenings inter-
fered; after Grace's marriage any trip
away from home was naturally to Sus-
sex to visit her, and summer after sum-
mer passed without the hOped-for OK
ford holiday
| did not, however, lose sight of the
OTmes during this time; birthday let
ters and Christmas cards We're ex-
changed at the proper seasons, and five
years after my first visit 1 was able to
carry out the long g-talked of plan, and
come up for commemoration. l en-
joyed the visit immensely. OF course
10 70 Oh.
VIII was in Buenos Ayres, Rex was a
curate, in the Isle of Man, think, Harry
was at Merton, more eager over run
ming and jumping, I fancy, than any
thing else. Bob was away at Sandhurst
so Phil, Jack and Ted were the only
sons at home, the two former at Magda-
len School, my little friend having very
desultOry lessons with governess, and
eagerly looking forward to the next
term, when he should Join the others at
school Mrs. Orme was not very eager
about the boys education. She was,
believe, far prOuder of Harry's proWess
oe vaulting than if he had succeeded
in taking his degree, and Ted was al
lowed complete holiday during my
visit, to act as cicerone, an office he filled
to perfection.
He was still very small and slight for
his age, but could manage a boat better
than most people of twice his years, and
many happy hours he and l spent on
the Isis and Cherwell during those long
June days, lying in under a green bank
in dreamy silence, listening to the wash
of the flow against the boat, and to the
faint vibration of the bells, whose voices
float ever down the river from the gray
towers of Oxford; or gliding swiftly
through the checkered gold of sunlight
and shadow, sifted through the green
boughs overhead, past banks starred
with wild-roses, we talked-always on
the same theme, of the legends of Ok
ford, of the deeds done there, whether by
Saxon priest and Norman courtier, by
Cavalier and Roundhead, or modern un-
dergraduate. And, however faulty his
spelling, his knowledge of arithmetic
and many other important items, there
was no Oxford tale or topic with which
Ted was not thoroughly familiar, and
nothing would bring such a color to the
thin little face or make the dark eyes
glow with such brightness, as this talk
of the great and glorious achievements
Of this or that eight or eleven, of Farrar,
of Balliol, or Hewitt of Corpus. His
one great desire was for the time when
he should have left his childhood behind
him and taken his place in the life
which he knew and loved so we'll. To
be in the boat of his house" perhaps
of the University-Rex had rowed
against Cambridge while at Lincoln
was the acme of all Teds ambitions and
dreams.
"But, Teddy" expostu1ated one day
when we had been talking thus, what
if you should not be strong enough?
You don't look as if you would ever
be fit to row in a varsity boat. You
ought rather to determine to make your
mark in different way. Some day I'll
come up to hear you read the prize
Greek verses at the Encaenia, and per-
haps later We'll see you in red robe
shaking hands with the Vice-Chancel-
lor, having a Latin oration read over
you, and all the undergrad's cheering
you, and shouting, Well done, Corpus
or Merton or whatever is the name
of your college; and won't that be equal
to rowing stroke at the head of the
river?'
Ted shook his head.
O0, UOLQln ike II. was the We
hement response "And I'm nearly GER
tain to be big chap, Miss Ray. All
us Ormes are big. I'm very young yet,
don't you know, and can't rightly be
said to have begun growin.' Oh, l
don't care rap for degrees and things.
I'm awfully stupid, 1 suppose. but 1
can't it! I simply must be big and
strong like Harry and Will and Rex, to
be in a winning boat, and see the wet
oars fiashn' out in the sun, to feel the
boat drawin' away from the others, and
then to win and feel you helped in Win
nin.' Even to fail, but feel you did your
level best. Oh, I'd rather have that than
anything else in the whole world! If
somebody was to tell me just now
that l couldn't ever go to college, I'd
feels if l wouldn't want to go on livin',
Miss Ray
And after you've been to college,
and in the winning boat. and all
that I asked, what then?"
Ted laughed. Il don't know" he
said; honestly, 1 don't. ! never get
any further than that in thinking of it.
There doesn't seem to be anything be-
yond, somehow"
His brothers used to tease him about
his ambition. (Which college shall you
you go to?" / asked him one afternoon
when we were all at tea in the gar
den.
Harry was at home, and looked up
laughing. He must go to 'Teddy's
Hail. of course he said referring to
St Edmund's, the smallest college in
Oxford which goes by that name with
the irreverent undergrad. He'd be
lost in any other