touchy, which he was not; and stingy, which he
scorned to be, from his contempt for ostentation in any shape. The
rarity of his wine-parties, and his never having other wines produced
than port or sherry, he himself explained to me--"Men would say, it was
easy for me to sport claret and champagne, when I could get them for
nothing." But if an unthinking freshman broke out in praise of the said
excellent port or sherry, (as indeed they might well be pardoned for
doing, considering the quality of what they commonly imbibed,) he would
say at once--"Yes, I believe it is good; I know my father considers it
so, and it has been in bottle above twelve years." There was no shirking
the question for a moment. And excellent wine he got for me from his
father, at a moderate price, at his own offer. Hating then, as he did
undisguisedly, the tuft-hunting and affectation of _haut-ton_, which was
so foreign to his own nature, he felt, perhaps excusably, annoyed at
their palpable existence and apparent success, in a man, whose station,
as he said, ought to have kept him from meanness, if it could not give
him dignity.

At all events, his method of retaliation--"taking down the dean"--as he
called it was most systematic and persevering. He let the matter of the
imposition pass over quietly; was for some months doubly attentive to
all his college duties; carefully avoided all collision with his
adversary; kept out of his way as much as he could; and whenever brought
into contact with him, was as respectful as if he had been the
Vice-chancellor. This had its effect: John began to rise in the dean's
good graces; and when he called upon him in the usual course of
etiquette, to mention that he should be absent the vacation of three
days which intervenes between the two short terms, the meeting, on one
side at least, was almost cordial. A day or two after his return, (he
had been to visit a friend, he said,) we were in his rooms at breakfast
together, when the dean's scout entered with his master's compliments to
request Mr Brown's company to breakfast. Then it was that John's eyes
dilated, and he rubbed his hands, as soon as the door was shut, with an
excitement rather unusual.

"Do you know who breakfasts with the man to-morrow? Do you, Hawthorne?"

"Why, I had a message this morning," said I, "but I don't mean to go. I
shall have a headach or something to-morrow. I have no notion of going
there to eat my own bread and butter, and drink h