"He ain't a very lively picter, is he?" remarked little Mr. Bouncer, with the air of a connoisseur; "peakyish you feel, don't you, now, with a touch of the mulligrubs in your collywobbles? Ah, I know what it is, my boy." It was more than our hero did; and he could only reply that he did not feel very well. "I - I had a glass of claret after some lobster-salad, and I think it disagreed with me." "Not a doubt of it, Verdant," said Charles Larkyns very gravely; "it would have precisely the same effect that the salmon always has at a public dinner, - bring on great hilarity, succeeded by a pleasing delirium, and concluding in a horizontal position, and a demand for soda-water." "I hope," said our hero, rather faintly, "that I did not conduct myself in an unbecoming manner last night; for I am sorry to say that I do not remember all that occurred." "I should think not, Giglamps, You were as drunk as a besom," said little Mr. Bouncer, with a side wink to Mr. Larkyns, to prepare that gentleman for what was to follow. "Why, you got on pretty well till old Slowcoach came in, and then you certainly did go it, and no mistake!" "Mr. Slowcoach!" groaned the freshman. "Good gracious! is it possible that ~he~ saw me? I don't remember it." "And it would be lucky for you if ~he~ didn't," replied Mr, Bouncer. "Why his rooms, you know, are in the same angle of the quad as Smalls'; so, when you came to shy the empty bottles out of Smalls' window at ~his~ window -" "Shy empty bottles! Oh!" gasped the freshman. "Why, of course, you see, he couldn't stand that sort of game, - it wasn't to be expected; so he puts his head out of the bedroom window, - and then, don't you remember crying out, as you pointed to the tassel of his night-cap sticking up straight [AN OXFORD FRESHMAN 81] on end, 'Tally-ho! Unearth'd at last! Look at his brush!' Don't you remember that, Giglamps?" "Oh, oh, no!" groaned Mr. Bouncer's victim; "I can't remember, - oh, what ~could~ have induced me!" "By Jove, you ~must~ have been screwed! Then I daresay you don't remember wanting to have a polka with him, when he came up to Smalls' rooms?" "A polka! Oh dear! Oh no! Oh!" "Or asking him if his mother knew he was out, - and what he'd take for his cap without the tassel; and telling him that he was the joy of your heart, - and that you should never be happy unless he'd smile as he was won't to smile, and would love you then as now, - and saying all sorts of bosh? What, not remember it! 'Oh, what a noble mind is here o'erthrown!' as some cove says in Shakespeare. But how screwed you ~must~ have been, Giglamps!" "And do you think," inquired our hero, after a short but sufficiently painful reflection, - "do you think that Mr. Slowcoach will - oh! - expel me?"