Junior common room, a room in every college, except Christ Church, set apart for the junior members to drink wine in and read the newspapers. N.B. There is but one common room at Christ Church; none but masters of arts and noblemen can be members of it,--the latter but seldom attend. The last who attended was the late Duke of Dorset. All common rooms are regularly furnished with newspapers and magazines. _Curator of the common rooms_.-A senior master of arts, who buys the wine and inspects the accounts. ~137~~ In the centre of the opposite side hung the portrait of an old _scout_, formerly of Brazennose, whose head now forms the admission ticket to the college club. Right and left were disposed the plaster busts of Aristotle and Cicero; the former noseless, and the latter with his eyes painted black, and a huge pair of mustachios annexed. A few volumes of the Latin and Greek classics were thrown into a heap in one corner of the room, while numerous modern sporting publications usurped their places on the book shelves, richly gilt and bound in calf, but not lettered. The hunting cap, whip, and red coat were hung up like a trophy between two foxes' tails, which served the purpose of bell pulls. At this moment, my topographical observations were disturbed by the arrival of the scout with candles, and two strange-looking fellows in smock frocks, bringing in, as I supposed, a piano forte, but which, upon being placed on the table, proved to be a mere case: the top being taken off, the sides and ends let down in opposite directions, and the cloth pulled out straight, displayed an elegant dinner, smoking hot, and arranged in as much form as if the college butler had superintended the feast. "Come, old fellow," said Tom, "turn to--no ceremony. I hope, Jem," addressing his scout, "you took care that no ~138~~ college telegraph{27} was at work while you were smuggling the dinner in." "I made certain sure of that, sir," said Jem; "for I placed Captain Cook{28} sentinel at one corner of the quadrangle, and old Brady at the other, with directions to whistle, as a signal, if they saw any of the _dons_ upon the look out." Finding we were not likely to be interrupted by the _domine_, Tom took the chair. The fellows in the smock frocks threw off their disguises, and proved to be two genteelly dressed waiters from one of the inns. "Close the oak, Jem," said Horace Eglantine, "and take care no one knocks in{29} before we have knocked down the contents of your master's musical melange." "_Punning_ as usual, Eglantine," said the Honourable Mr. Sparkle, a gentleman commoner. "Yes; and _pun_-ishing too, old fellow!" said Horace. "Where's the _cold tankard_,{30} Echo? 27 A college telegraph--A servant of a college, who carries an account of every trifling offence committed, either by gentlemen or servants, to the college officers. 28 Well-known characters in Christ Church.