wards,) to holding the reins
of the best team that ever was turned out of Oxford.

We reached Oxford just in time to hear the first stroke of "Old Tom." By
the time I joined Leicester in his rooms, supper was ready, and most of
the party assembled. The sport of the day was duly discussed; those who
knew least about such matters being proportionately the most noisy and
positive in giving their opinions. One young hero of eighteen, fresh
from Winchester, in all the importance of a probationary Fellow,
explained for our benefit, by the help of the forks and salt-cellars,
the line which the horses undoubtedly ought to have taken, and which
they did not take; until one of his old schoolfellows, who was present,
was provoked to treat us to an anecdote of the young gentleman's first
appearance in the hunting-field--no longer ago than the last term--when
he mistook the little rough Scotch terrier that always accompanied
----'s pack for the fox, and tally-ho'd him so lustily as to draw upon
himself sundry very energetic, but not very complimentary, remarks from
the well-known master of the hounds. By degrees Leicester recovered his
usual good-humour; and supper passed over, and several songs had been
sung with the usual amount of applause, (except one very sentimental one
which had no chorus,) and we had got pretty deep into punch and
politics, without Hurst's name having once been mentioned by either of
us. A knock at the oak, and in walked Fane.

"So you're come back at last?" said Horace. "Sit down, if you can find
room. Allow me to introduce your left-hand neighbour--Powell of Merton,
Fane, one of our brightest ornaments; quite the _spes gregis_ we
consider him; passed his little-go, and started a pink only last week;
give him a glass of punch. Perhaps you are not aware we've been drinking
your health. But, by the way, Fane, where's our friend Wellington?"

"Who?" said Fane; "what on earth are you talking about?"

"Wellington Hurst; didn't you bring him home with you?"

"Certainly not; didn't _you_ bring him home?"

"No; Miller promised me he should have a seat inside your drag, because
we could not wait for him; did you stay to the play?"

"Yes, and capital fun it was; by the way, the last time I saw your
friend Hurst was mounted up in a red baise place that was railed off for
the patrons and patronesses, as they called them; there he was in the
front row, doing the civil to a very odd-looking old dowager in bright
b