There was more sitting up at night in the summer half year than in the winter, as at that time Præfects were busy preparing for Election Chamber, and Inferiors for “Standing up,” (_v.i._) At that time, we used not only to borrow from the night, but the morning also; and we had a method of calling ourselves which was rather ingenious. It was called “The Scheme,” and was arranged as follows:—The Functior was known to burn at a certain rate—say an inch an hour—if it was lighted at nine o’clock, and we wanted to rise at four, seven inches only were allowed to protrude above the socket, (the rest being cut off,) around which a quantity of paper was arranged, and a string tied, which was carried through a hole in the top of a Junior’s bed; to the end of this string a parcel of books, or a pint-cup of water, was fastened, (if the latter, it was called “a Water Scheme,” and another string connected the bottom of the cup with the canopy of the bed.) When the candle burnt down, it ignited the paper and burnt the string, causing the books (or water) to fall, which roused the subincumbent sleeper, who proceeded to wake the rest. One Scheme was sufficient to wake the whole school if required; for in every other Chamber that contained any boys who wished to rise early, a victim was selected whose toe was secured in a noose of string, the other end of which was tied to the window-bar; so that the original schemer, by walking round Quad and tugging at the different strings, could soon rouse them all. This led to a very amusing incident on a certain occasion. One of the Masters who had lately arrived (and who, not having been educated at Winchester, was not up to the ways of the place) was going round Chambers with a friend, an old Wykehamist, who had been dining with him. While Mr ⸺ went into Third, his friend remained outside. Suddenly catching sight of a string tied to a bar of the window, and knowing well what was at the other end, he took a steady pull at it just as the Master had got to the middle of Chamber; the consequence was, that the unfortunate fish at the other end, who, by the by, was a severe stammerer, dashed out of bed, and, with a shattered howl, plunged past the astonished Master with one foot in the air, till he brought his toe up to the window-sill. This little scene brings to my mind the demoniacal diversion of “Toefitying.” Occasionally some wicked boy would arise in the night, and, gently removing the bedclothes from the feet of an unsuspecting sleeper, endeavour to noose one of his toes with string, when, if successful, the consequence would be similar to that above described. [Illustration: TOEFITYING, AND THE SCHEME.]