who had the slightest
appreciation of the _dolce far niente_". When, however, they found out
that upon an emergency Harry could excel them all--whatever might be the
nature of the feat to be performed--and that I could cross a country,
pull an oar, or handle a bat with the best of them, they set us down
as a pair of eccentric geniuses, and as such admitted us to a kind of
honorary membership in their worshipful society; and thus, 'twixt
work and play, the first two years of my residence at Cambridge passed
happily enough.

CHAPTER XIII -- CATCHING A SHRIMP

"Give me that boy."
--Shakspeare.

"I was there
From college, visiting the son."
--Princess.

"To bring in, Heaven shield us, a lion among ladies, is a
most dreadful thing."
--Shakspeare.

"A MIGHTY stupid chapter that last!" "True for you, A reader, but how
was it to be avoided? It was necessary to give you that short summary
of my proceedings, the better to enable you to understand all that is to
follow, and so, don't you see?"

"Yes, that will do. Above all things, Master Frank, avoid being prosy;
it is the worst fault an author can fall into."

"Reader, you're very cross!"

It was towards the close of the long vacation that, one morning as I was
sitting at breakfast with my mother and sister, a note was brought to
me. On opening it, it proved to be from Coleman, whose father had lately
taken a country-house near Hillingford, a small town about fifteen miles
from Heathfield, where he was now about to give a grand ball to all the
neighbourhood by way of house-warming. At this ball Freddy (with whom I
had kept up a constant correspondence, though we had never met since I
left Dr. Mildman's) was most anxious I should be present, and his letter
was really a master-piece of ~115~~persuasion: not only should I meet
all the beauty and fashion of the county, but he had for some days
past employed himself in paving the way for me with several of the most
desirable young ladies of his acquaintance, who were now, as he assured
me, actually pining to be introduced to me. Moreover, the Honourable
George Lawless had promised to be there; so we were safe for fun of
some sort, Lawless's tastes and habits being about as congenial to
the atmosphere of a ball-room, as those of a bull to the interior of a
china-shop.

~115~These manifold temptations, together with the desire of again