THE OXFORD CIRCUS [Illustration: “’ULLO, DEARIE!”] THE OXFORD CIRCUS A NOVEL OF OXFORD AND YOUTH by the late ALFRED BUDD Edited with Memoir but no Portrait by HAMISH MILES AND RAYMOND MORTIMER ILLUSTRATED BY JOHN KETTELWELL JOHN LANE THE BODLEY HEAD LIMITED LONDON VIGO STREET W.1. MCMXXII _Printed in Great Britain by_ Butler & Tanner, _Frome and London_. AUTHOR’S NOTE None of the characters in this book are entirely imaginary. CONTENTS CHAP. PAGE ALFRED BUDD: A MEMOIR 3 BOOK I: VORTEX I INTROIT 13 II PLINTH 29 III TOCCATA AND FUGUE 47 IV CIRCEAN 62 V GUERRILLA 76 VI VOYAGE EN CYTHÈRE 90 VII JOSS AND REREDOS 97 VIII HALLALI 121 BOOK II: APEX IX EKLOGOS 137 X OPEN DIAPASON 151 XI SPATE 164 XII FUNAMBULESQUE 181 XIII CHAMPAIGN 198 XIV COLOPHON 222 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS “’Ullo, Dearie!” _Frontis_ FACING PAGE “Dear Mongo!” 42 “Non à tout,” was Gaveston’s answer 134 Spiritual wrestling with young Bob Limber 184 “Bladge!” came the unanimous cry 214 “Renan,” he replied firmly 234 THE OXFORD CIRCUS Alfred Budd: A Memoir Entrusted with the literary remains of the late Alfred Budd, we think it fitting to provide the reading public, however briefly and inadequately, with some particulars of his life. They are, alas, only too few (Fate saw to that), but they may serve to indicate those forces of heredity and environment which worked to produce his remarkable novel, _The Oxford Circus_.