he ventured to send back by Robert an
apology, to the effect that the very ancient specimen could not at all
events be his, and a humble request that the dean would endeavour to
ascertain which of his friends whom he had met at breakfast had also
"made a mistake," that official, remembering his happy _debut_ as a
conversationalist, instantly sent for him, and read him a severe lecture
upon impertinence.

Of course we were no sooner fairly landed in the quadrangle, than all
who had any acquaintance with Brown surrounded him with entreaties for
an explanation. What possessed him to make such a dead set at the dean?
How came he to be so well up in the family history? How long had he had
the pleasure of an acquaintance with dear old Mrs Hodgett? And who
introduced him to Mr Mogg?

It turned out that John had made an expedition to Nottingham during the
vacation on purpose; he had called on the old lady, whose address he had
with some difficulty obtained; presented his card, "Mr John Brown, ----
Coll.;" stated that he was a stranger, very desirous to see the lions of
Nottingham, of which he had heard so much; and having the honour of
knowing her son, and the advantage of being at the same college with
him, and having so often heard her name mentioned in their many
conversations, that he almost felt as if she was his intimate
acquaintance, had ventured to intrude upon her with a request that she
would put him in the way of seeing the town and its manufactures to the
best advantage. Much taken, no doubt, by John's polite address, which by
his own recapitulation of it must have been highly insinuating, and
delighted to see any one who could talk to her about her son, and to
learn that she herself was talked about among his grand friends in
Oxford, the worthy Mrs Hodgett begged John Brown to walk in; and finding
that there was nothing high about him, and that he listened with the
greatest interest to all her family details and reminiscences, she took
courage to ask him to eat a bit of dinner with her and her daughter at
two o'clock, after which she promised him the escort of her son-in-law,
Mr Mogg, the principal (that was what they called them up at Nottingham,
just as they did in Oxford, she observed) of the great stocking-house
over the way. Such a man he was! she said; every bit as good as a book
to a stranger; "he knowed every think and every body." John assured her
such universal knowledge was not common among principals