ly cheroot, and besides is getting
tired of not talking. He is too full of his destination to talk about
anything else; and so asks the guard if he knows Rugby.

"Goes through it every day of my life. Twenty minutes before twelve
down--ten o'clock up."

"What sort of a place is it, please?" says Tom.

Guard looks at him with a comical expression. "Werry out-o'-the-way
place, sir, no paving to streets, nor no lighting. 'Mazin' big horse
and cattle fair in autumn--lasts a week--just over now. Takes town a
week to get clean after it. Fairish hunting country. But slow place,
sir, slow place; off the main road, you see--only three coaches a
day, 'an one on 'em a two-oss van,[41] more like a hearse nor[42] a
coach--Regulator[43]--comes from Oxford. Young genl'm'n at school
calls her Pig and Whistle, and goes up to college by her (six miles
an hour) when they goes to enter. Belong to school, sir?"

[41] #Van#: a large light-covered wagon.

[42] #Nor#: than.

[43] #Regulator#: the name of the rival coach.

"Yes," says Tom, not unwilling for a moment that the guard should
think him an old boy; but then having some qualms as to the truth of
the assertion, and seeing that if he were to assume the character of
an old boy he couldn't go on asking the questions he wanted,
added--"that is to say, I'm on my way there. I'm a new boy."

The guard looked as if he knew this quite as well as Tom.

"You're werry late, sir," says the guard; "only six weeks to-day to
the end of the half."[44] Tom assented. "We takes up fine loads this
day six weeks, and Monday and Tuesday arter.[45] Hopes we shall have
the pleasure of carrying you back."

[44] #Half#: the half year.

[45] #Arter#: after.

Tom said he hoped they would; but he thought within himself that his
fate would probably be the Pig and Whistle.[46]

[46] #Pig and Whistle#: as Oxford lies on the direct road
between Rugby and White Horse Vale, Tom would naturally return
by this coach.

PEA-SHOOTERS.

"It pays uncommon cert'nly," continues the guard.

"Werry free with their cash is the young genl'm'n. But, Lor' bless
you, we gets into such rows all 'long the road, what wi' their
pea-shooters,[47] and long whips and hollering, and upsetting every
one as comes by; I'd a sight sooner carry one or two on 'em, sir, as
I may be a carryin' of you now, than a coach-load."

[47] #Pea-shooters#: tin tubes used by boys for blowing peas
at