Bildungsromans; Blind -- Fiction; Parent and child -- Fiction; Young men -- Fiction
Greene has ordered several chickens’ heads, lights, etc., to be sent up
to White, which we hope will be a nice surprise. It is rather a good
idea.
Have been painting a portrait of Napoleon, cubist and about three foot
square, with B. G., who has got it as a punishment from a new master.
He will soon lose that most refreshing originality. Moreover he said
that B. G. was not to do anything comic, which showed that he was
already beginning to lose it. It just depends how much the others have
instilled into him to see his manner of receiving our glaring
monstrosity.
New phrase I have invented: “To play Keating’s to someone else’s
beetle.” Used with great success on Seymour who is enraged by it.
21 October.
This morning, so I am told, Seymour and B. G. dragged a toy tin motor
car along the pavement on the end of a string. How I wish I had been
there: it is quite unprecedented, and seems to have outraged the
dignity of the whole school, which is excellent.
Seymour created another sensation by quoting his own poetry for
to-day’s saying lesson, which caused much amusement. Everyone who
matters athletically now thinks it is the thing to do to know Seymour,
which is intensely funny, and into the bargain I feel I get a little
reflected glory when I walk with him down the street. The Captain of
the Rugger smiled at me the other day. I nearly spat in his face (but
of course I really smiled my nicest).
Have written to several artists to ask them to talk to the Society.
When we founded it we put in the rules that we must get men down to
speak to it; it is the only way of keeping the thing alive. And I think
if we can get someone down the Society will recover from its present
rather dicky condition.
25 October.
Have just had a letter from the biggest swell I wrote to, saying that
he will come down to the Society on 14 November. It really is too
splendid: he is the most flaming tip-top swell who has written
thousands of books, as well as his drawings, which are very well known
indeed. All these people are so nice and encouraging about the Society,
which is splendid.
31 October.
I am seventeen now--quite aged.
Last night was the gala invitation night of the Society, and was an
_immense_ success, where I had secretly feared failure.
All those invited came--all the boys, all the masters, and all to-day I
have been hearing nothing but how pleased and interested they were. It
was on Post-Impressionism, a subject which had the merit of being one
which the Society knew more about than anyone else present. B. G. made
the most gorgeous speech of pure invective which enthralled everyone.
The Society is now positively booming, even T. R. C. having thawed into
enthusiasm. I think it is a permanency now.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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