r
or head-porter. Each boy had a quarter of a loaf of bread and pat of
butter, and as much tea as he pleased; and there was scarcely one
who didn't add to this some further luxury, such as baked potatoes, a
herring, sprats, or something of the sort. But few at this period of the
half-year could live up to a pound of Porter's sausages, and East was
in great magnificence upon the strength of theirs. He had produced a
toasting-fork from his study, and set Tom to toast the sausages,
while he mounted guard over their butter and potatoes. "'Cause," as he
explained, "you're a new boy, and they'll play you some trick and get
our butter; but you can toast just as well as I." So Tom, in the midst
of three or four more urchins similarly employed, toasted his face and
the sausages at the same time before the huge fire, till the latter
cracked; when East from his watch-tower shouted that they were done, and
then the feast proceeded, and the festive cups of tea were filled
and emptied, and Tom imparted of the sausages in small bits to many
neighbours, and thought he had never tasted such good potatoes or seen
such jolly boys. They on their parts waived all ceremony, and pegged
away at the sausages and potatoes, and remembering Tom's performance in
goal, voted East's new crony a brick. After tea, and while the things
were being cleared away, they gathered round the fire, and the talk on
the match still went on; and those who had them to show pulled up their
trousers and showed the hacks they had received in the good cause.

They were soon, however, all turned out of the school; and East
conducted Tom up to his bedroom, that he might get on clean things, and
wash himself before singing.

"What's singing?" said Tom, taking his head out of his basin, where he
had been plunging it in cold water.

"Well, you are jolly green," answered his friend, from a neighbouring
basin. "Why, the last six Saturdays of every half we sing of course; and
this is the first of them. No first lesson to do, you know, and lie in
bed to-morrow morning."

"But who sings?"

"Why, everybody, of course; you'll see soon enough. We begin directly
after supper, and sing till bed-time. It ain't such good fun now,
though, as in the summer half; 'cause then we sing in the little fives
court, under the library, you know. We take out tables, and the big boys
sit round and drink beer--double allowance on Saturday nights; and we
cut about the quadrangle between the song