We have mentioned the general services which the fox has to perform, but he has also to suffer at the hands of terrible old Houses. There comes perhaps, a bemossed head from a distant university, in a shockingly broken down condition, something like the student in Hauff's story, who travelled with Satan. Already known by his hero deeds, the moment that he arrives he is received with a jubilee of acclamation. "Würger! thou faithful old House! cry the sons of the Muses, and rush down the steps into his arms. The smokers forget to lay down their long pipes, the billiard-players still hold their cues in their hands. They form a body-guard singularly armed, around the arriver."--_Hauff's Memoirs of Satan_. And now, scarcely has the old House made it understood that his trousers are not the best in the world, or that his boots are no longer waterproof, than it would be taken very ill indeed of a fox should he hesitate to supply his wants to the very best of his power. He must feel himself particularly honoured if he gets back the borrowed garments in a month or two, just in sufficient condition to be able to make a present of them to his shoe-black. For a long time, a terrible swordsman belonged to one of the universities, whose mother resided in the place, and was what the students term a _Frass philister_, or eating philistine, or who in other words kept an eating-house for the students, as is very common in the university cities. Her table could promise very little satisfaction, even to the least delicate and artistical stomachs; in fact, it required a strong dose of active exercise before dinner to enable its frequenters to make an attack upon it, and another as active after dinner to conquer the dyspeptic symptoms that rapidly followed her viands. Yet this table was always crowded. The unhappy foxes had much rather try their teeth on the culinary productions of the mother, than fall under the pitiless sword of the son. The same worthy was also accustomed to borrow ball-dresses, as he by no means approved of swelling the profits of tailors; and, at the end of the season, sent them back to their right owner in a condition fit only at the best to be forwarded to the Jew. In earlier times, the foxes were expected by the old houses to write out their college notes; and hence arose the anecdote, that one of the most terrible of the old houses, observing a blot, which the poor copyist, in utter fear, had made upon the paper, asked grimly, pointing to it, "Is that _Douche_, fox?" To _douchiren_, or _touchiren_, is equivalent in meaning to giving such an offence as will require a challenge. _Douche_ is Indian ink, and perhaps it would be in vain to inquire how Indian ink came to be a synonyme for a challengeable insult; the horrified and innocent youth, however, who understood this meaning, answered with precipitation, "Pardon me, it is ink." That is, not _douche_, or Indian ink, nor any thing meant for offence.