er#: an old-fashioned man-of-war of the
largest size.

[11] #Incarnation#: embodiment.

The next day Tom was duly placed in the third form, and began his
lessons in a corner of the Big School.[12] He found the work very
easy, as he had been well grounded and knew his grammar by heart; and,
as he had no intimate companion to make him idle (East and his other
School-house friends being in the lower fourth, the form above him),
soon gained golden opinions from his master, who said he was placed
too low, and should be put out at the end of the half-year. So all
went well with him in school, and he wrote the most flourishing
letters home to his mother, full of his own success, and the
unspeakable delights of a public school.

[12] #Big School#: one of the school buildings.

In the house too all went well. The end of the half-year was drawing
near, which kept everybody in a good humor, and the house was ruled
well and strongly by Warner and Brooke. True, the general system was
rough and hard, and there was bullying in nooks and corners, bad signs
for the future; but it never got further, or dared show itself openly,
stalking about the passages and hall and bedrooms, and making the life
of the small boys a continual fear.

HOUSE-FAGGING.

Tom, as a new boy, was of right excused fagging for the first month,
but in his enthusiasm for his new life this privilege hardly pleased
him; and East and others of his young friends discovering this, kindly
allowed him to indulge his fancy, and take their turns at
night-fagging and cleaning studies. These were the principal duties of
the fags in the house. From supper until nine o'clock, three fags
taken in order stood in the passages, and answered any praepostor who
called fag, racing to the door, the last comer having to do the work.
This consisted generally of going to the buttery for beer and bread
and cheese (for the great men did not sup with the rest, but had each
his own allowance, in his study or the fifth-form room), cleaning
candlesticks and putting in new candles, toasting cheese, and carrying
messages about the house; and Tom, in the first blush of his
hero-worship, felt it a high privilege to receive orders from, and be
the bearer of the supper of old Brooke. And besides this night-work
each praepostor had three or four fags specially allotted to him, of
whom he was supposed to be the guide, philosopher, and friend, and who
in return for these good office