College stories; College students -- Fiction; Fathers and sons -- Fiction; Trinity College (University of Cambridge) -- Fiction
So Dr. Toller packed his bag and traveled up to Cambridge by the five
o'clock train. He drove first of all to Corpus, where he had a friend
among the Fellows. He was persuaded to dine in Hall before he set out
on his visit to Mr. Binney, and enjoyed himself exceedingly at the High
Table, and in the Combination room afterwards. He did not disclose his
object in coming up to Cambridge, but heard quite enough about the
extraordinary career of Mr. Binney, who enjoyed considerable notoriety
at the University, to persuade him that his visit of expostulation was
really needed. About nine o'clock he told his host that he wished to
call on an undergraduate, and putting on his clerical cloak and hat, he
went round to Trinity College, where he was directed by the porter to
Mr. Binney's rooms in Jesus Lane.
CHAPTER XIII
MR. BINNEY GETS INTO TROUBLE
Since the dinner at the beginning of the term Mr. Binney had done
nothing further to bring him under the displeasure of the authorities.
Howden, in return for the pecuniary assistance he had received, kept
his noisy friends away from him almost entirely, and so managed it that
none of them considered himself ill-used by the cessation of Mr.
Binney's former hospitalities. He worked very hard, and if the absence
of his previous amusements did make life rather dull to him, the
excitement of the coming Lent races and the probability that the crew
he was steering would give a good account of themselves buoyed him up.
Everything went well, the men were trained to a nicety, and most of
them were confident that their boat would go head of the river. On the
morning of the races Mr. Binney was too nervous to work. He attended
one lecture, but found himself quite incapable of discovering any
meaning in the lecturer's remarks. After that he relinquished the
attempt to turn his mind to anything except boat-racing, and wandered
about the town, with his hands in his pockets, looking the picture of
misery. By-and-bye it occurred to him to pay a visit to his son and to
try and extract some consolation from that experienced oarsman. He
found Lucius engaged over a game of piquet with the ever-cheerful
Dizzy. Lucius looked rather ashamed of himself when his father
entered, but Dizzy was not at all put out.
"Ah, Mr. Binney," he exclaimed, "very pleased to see you. We are just
unbending our great minds a little. All work and no play, you know,
won't do at all."
But reprehensible as card playing at twelve o'clock in the morning
undoubtedly is, Mr. Binney made no comment upon his son's occupation.
"I am terribly nervous, Lucius," he said. "I wish this afternoon was
well over."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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