Produced by Suzanne Shell, Ernest Schaal, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) "PIP" A ROMANCE OF YOUTH "PIP" A ROMANCE OF YOUTH BY IAN HAY [Illustration] BOSTON AND NEW YORK HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY The Riverside Press Cambridge 1917 CONTENTS _BOOK ONE_ "FIRST, THE INFANT ..." I. THE PHILANTHROPISTS 3 II. MR. POCKLINGTON'S 24 III. "HAM" 54 IV. PIP FINDS HIS VOCATION 74 V. LINKLATER 103 VI. PETTICOAT INFLUENCE 155 _BOOK TWO_ THE MAKING OF A MAN VII. A CRICKET WEEK 181 VIII. LIFE AT FIRST-HAND 233 IX. THE PRINCIPAL BOY: AN INTERLUDE 256 _BOOK THREE_ THE JOURNEY'S END X. AN ANCIENT GAME 299 XI. "_NATURAM FURCA EXPELLAS_..." 329 XII. "... _TAMEN USQUE RECURRET_" 351 "PIP" BOOK ONE "FIRST, THE INFANT ..." "PIP" CHAPTER I THE PHILANTHROPISTS IT was to Pipette that the idea originally occurred, but it was upon Pip that parental retribution subsequently fell, Pipette being merely dismissed with a caution. This clemency was due chiefly to the intercession of Cook, who stated, in the rôle of principal witness, that the "poor lamb" (Pipette) "could never have thought of such a thing by herself." This in spite of the poor lamb's indignant protests to the contrary. In this matter, as in many others, Cook showed both personal bias and want of judgment; for Pipette was as sharp as a needle, while Pip, though a willing accomplice and a philosophical scapegoat, was lacking in constructive ability and organising power. But we have somehow begun at the end of the story, so must make a fresh start.