Foxholme Hall, and Other TalesKingston, William Henry Giles
General
Foxholme Hall, and Other Tales
Kingston, William Henry Giles
Adventure stories; Boys -- Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction; Children's stories; Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction
His friends laughed. "There are a good many more things which you will
have to learn not yet dreamed of in your philosophy," answered Power.
"I haven't told you anything yet about our games--football, cricket,
running, jumping, steeple-chasing. They are very different from those
at most private schools. It will take you the best part of a year to
learn all the rules of football alone. It will take you nearly as long
before you know all the regulations about boating. However, now, when
Eton is in its glory, is the time of the year to pick up all that sort
of information. We think more of play than lessons, and even the
masters never expect to get more than the regular schoolwork out of the
boys. You'll probably stay on till you have worked your way up to Sixth
Form, which just now perhaps looks at a very unapproachable distance. I
forgot to tell you that the Sixth Form have the power of setting
`poenas;' Collegers sometimes do it, and are thought great `brutes' for
so doing. Oppidans rarely ever use their power. It assists them
somewhat in keeping the Lower boys in order. You'll observe, too, how
particular we are about our costume. Those who wear jackets always keep
to black ties, and those who have taken to tail-coats invariably appear
in white ties. These sorts of customs may appear trifles, but they all
contribute to keep up discipline and order in the school. I, at first,
thought them very nonsensical; I now see their use."
Reginald, when he went to his snug little room that night, thought that
he knew a great deal more about Eton than he did in the morning; and
though he was glad to be there, he felt altogether thankful that he had
not come at an earlier age.
STORY THREE, CHAPTER THREE.
The important day arrived when Reginald was to be examined by his tutor,
that it might be ascertained where he was to be placed in the school.
He got up before the bell rang, soused his head thoroughly in cold
water, and, having sponged himself all over, dressed briskly, and sat
down to look over some of the books he knew. He was pretty well up in
Greek as well as in Latin, though he had not gone very deep into the
intricacies of either language. Mr Nugent, his tutor, had grounded him
well also in mathematics, so that he was in no particular fright as to
the result of his examination. He wanted, however, to be as well placed
as possible, if the truth might be known, to get out of fagging as soon
as he could.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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