little bird (which unaccountably contrived to stay near me, though I was not aware of his presence) having whispered to him, as it appeared, such minute particulars as gave him room to draw a strong contrast between his own and his nephew's College course. He had attained high honours, and, according to all accounts, fully equalled in steady, plodding industry then, his good-humoured, English-gentleman-like, grave courteousness in after years. Whilst he was living, I scarcely ever took my seat on the mail to the University without my usual share of lecture and pocket-money, accompanied by the old man's blessing. He would have banished ennui by converse with his dead friends around him: I (forgive the confession) felt their society a bore, rather than a pleasure; and had it not been for subsequent penitence, should scarcely have emerged from my classic retirement into the busy world with as much éclat as eventually fell to my share. Seeing, therefore, no prospect of relief at the time of my reverie aforesaid, in reading, and my trou blesome will having contorted itself, like Proteus of old, into every imaginable resolve, seemed at last to have fixed upon a stroll within College precincts, which my disparted crimson curtain showed to be brightened by many a moonbeam. Waiting a little-still intent on my coal-fire-to settle my mind, I set out to indulge my perambulatory fit, just as the dismal toll of the old clock announced the fact that the first hour of the morning had expired.

The bolt of my oak door certainly must have given way that night more easily than I had ever found was the case before. I recollect, whilst I am writing, a couplet familiar to most of my young nursery friends, the converse of which would give a tolerably correct idea of the trouble caused in this respect by this security to my castle:

"As the door on its hinges, so he on his bed

Turns his sides, and his shoulders, and his heavy head ;"

but yet think that the second line, both as to its own heaviness and that of its subject matter, falls short of sufficiently depicting the labour that bolt usually gave me. I considered it one of the greatest of those petty annoyances which things mute and passive in material can sometimes effect. Having turned it, however, with unwonted satisfaction, I descended a flight of steps to the second floor, where were two old doors gaping at each other in silence, than which the sleep of two excellent "chums" of mine, having their respective local habitations at the back of their sentinelling precincts, was scarcely less dead. The moon was pouring in her silvery light through a pointed-arch window, casting a huge shadow on one of the doors, and seeming to double her powers upon the other. The hour was one which possessed not the luxury of lamps to illumine its darkness, and presently I felt their absence much, having, in my downward course, to turn a sharp angle, which brought me to a part of the old building not then in favour with the fair queen of night. I had yet another rather long passage to traverse before I could reach the open air, and began to feel a kind of awe creep over me, inspired by

the perfect stillness around. I thought of the years that had rolled over my College's time-honoured walls, and that had carried with them in their flight all remains of its ancient founders, except those which ought to be most grateful to the recipients of their bountythe impress of their minds on pages that are immortal—and their mute images that, as they fix their stedfast, thought-stampt looks on the beholder, give a foreshadowing of the marble tenement all flesh is heir to-causing a mood, which, as it tends to sober the interest of man in this present world, may give rise to many a beneficial after-moment.

Only those persons who have wandered alone at an hour of such stillness, over a spot so suggestive of a peculiar train of thought as my College is, will be able to understand the feelings-almost amounting to superstition-that crept over me with every onward step. I had opened, by this time a heavy old door, and emerged into the quiet cloisters, rich in quaint memorials of olden time, with here and there a vacant niche in the wall, and an old step worn to a perfect concave by the devotion of those who had long since mingled with their kindred dust. The moon was no longer visible, but had bathed the edges of a dark night-cloud in a fringe of liquid silver, and the wind moaned wildly and monotonously in one part of the cloisters-almost evoking from their secret cells the airy tribes of fancy to people the regions of space with spirits, creating music by their busy revels in their peculiar element. Fancy, ever excursive, could ill be persuaded that the sounds I listened to were only those caused by the wind's passage through the crisp leaves, or the unseen crevices in the masonry.

The reader who is aware of the barring and bolting of College gates at the first approach of night-a proceeding, by the bye, which, however unpleasant to certain adventurous flighty natures, is yet a very necessary evil-will doubtless wonder at that part of my story of which I am now at the threshold. The veteran janitor and his spouse might, for aught I could tell, have been undergoing the round of ceremonies prefatory to their coronation as sovereigns of the realm, or a thousand other vagaries might have engaged their attention; but, strongly secured as seemed the massive portal, whether it were so in reality or not I leave my reader to guess; suffice it to say one jerk sent it grating on its hinges:

"By one, and one, the bolts full easy slide;
The chains lie silent on the foot-worn stones;

The key turns! and the door upon its hinges groans."

It is an acknowledged fact, that, in the breast of every one dwells a silent monitor with reference to all his actions. I fear, however, that on this eventful occasion, it was either troubled with somnolence, or that its warnings were overpowered by those imps of all mischief, hight the unruly passions, breaking forth on their holiday like the imprisoned winds of Æolus. Having frequently felt tantalised at the extreme strictness of College discipline, (a wiser head has been granted me since) the temporary release from

academic restraint, as I found myself in the streets, gave me the highest pleasure.

Thus far, then, had I exceeded my original determination, which, as then being a creature of impulses, was nothing extraordinary in my case. But whatever revels of "giants, genii, or monsters" could have so changed the aspect of everything in the old city that night, I felt at a loss to conjecture. In place of wellpaved flagstones, one level of indigenous mud and large stones "in loco pavimenti" presented itself. Houses of every possible shape and size were ranged on either side of the narrow street, almost appearing as if they were gifted with the vegetative power of growing into each others embrace. At regular intervals along this strange scene, thick ropes had been thrown across the way, from the centre of which, wonderful semi-transparent lamps of glass or horn swung to and fro, suggesting at once the idea of "making darkness visible," rather than of giving any quantum of heaven-born light, which a fitful flickering from within them proved undeniably they at least presumptuously undertook to bestow. There were one or two singular-looking pedestrians, of apparently more than mortal size and importance, moving along the middle of the road. If I were to describe them fully, my readers of Homer and Virgil would immediately have before their eyes a gentleman whose eccentricities in the choice of articles of food, and singularly interesting physiognomy, were a subject of perplexity to two valiant heroes, whom, with their companions, he had invited to "inspect the arrangements of his little farm." To go first to the higher region of intellect,-a broad, coarse, cloud-beset visage, adorned by the usual complement of large, rolling, restless eyes, and a little forest of hair, was guarded from the night atmosphere by a head-covering of very questionable name and shape. A long unkempt beard gave a venerable air to each of these personages, that our fair country-women might have deemed at that time perfectly irresistible, for aught we can tell. A heavy cloak, reaching to the knees, half concealed a buff-coloured undercoat and the whole of a broad rapier save its hilt and point. Ponderous boots, cavalierly broad at top, protected the lower extremities of the quaint figures before our notice. One more article I had nearly forgotten to mention: a horn lanthorn was raised here and there, to enable them to scan my features as I drew near them, which they did with a quiet curiosity that seemed to express wonderment at the sight of so strange an importation into their goodly city. These individuals, then, in all the dignity, methought, of public sentinelship, broke by their heavy foot-fall the all-pervading stillness. When it is said that their persons seemed each equivalent to those of three modern policemen rolled into one, some idea may be formed of the enviable state of those who may ever have fallen under their frown. Light-hearted as my release from the controul of my College "powers that be" had left me, still, even had the goddess of mischief carried me captive, one glance, I think, from those sedate functionaries would have quenched in me any and every undue attempt to distinguish myself. I became bewildered, and

VOL. II.

E

would gladly have sought again my College, from the melancholy state of uncertainty I felt as to my exact whereabouts in the range of creation. In the course of my perambulations, I met with other buildings resembling my College, sleeping in all their classic dignity, and here and there, on looking upward to the windows above me, I thought I could distinguish a glimmering of lights, which I have since conjectured might have shed their feeble lustre over the page of some nightly student. Had it not been that my watchmen friends and my noble self seemed to possess too much flesh and blood between us to reconcile such an idea to my mind, I could have fancied myself at Pompeii. Presently, however, on turning into another street of considerable length, my ears were unmistakeably attracted by sounds of noisy merriment proceeding from a distance. I cannot tell, dear reader, whether or not I am extraordinarily gifted with a spirit of curiosity; but, howsoever this may be, the impulse inciting me to ascertain whence the sounds proceeded was too strong to be withstood. With quickened steps, I arrived, at last, opposite a building of a heavy sombre look, the windows in one part of which appeared to be ambitious of supplying the whole of the city with light. A mingled discord of manly voices, betokening the liveliest possible interest in some amusement in which they were engaged, whereby I felt induced for once to play the dishonourable part of eaves-dropper, broke upon the nocturnal stillness in that part of the city. Here, perhaps, I might have staid somewhat longer than decorum would warrant, quite unaware of being observed, till my attention was arrested by the words

"So ho! friend!"

Now, I had no reasonable cause for hesitation as to the language in which the foregoing ejaculation was uttered; but even had this been otherwise, I could not but see a fellow-countryman in the speaker before me As I turned at the salutation, a round and merry Saxon countenance met my view. The figure was habited in an under-graduate costume, such as was my own-possibly a little more antiquated. Certainly the grave dignity of a College cap seemed slightly at variance with the face it surmounted-rubicund and healthy.

Arrested at once in my intention of proceeding further, and feeling, moreover, almost as much perturbed as though I had been detected in some act of petty stealing, I stammered out an apology for my self-gratification, mentioning my desire of reaching my College, and my inability to attain the fulfilment of so desirable an object.

"Marry, friend, thou art too near cock-crowing now to give thy temples rest: an' thou likest good cheer, here are within a round ring of merry collegers-some of whom, mayhap, are old faces-to greet thee."

So caught was I by the stranger's proffered hospitality—not to mention a strange alloverish feeling that his countenance had somewhere met my gaze before, though at the same time (I felt conscious) under different circumstances-and so far, moreover, did

the impulses of my gregarious nature succeed in drowning the whisperings of expediency-that, after due expression of thanks for so agreeable an opportunity of whiling away the long hours, I silently followed through a pointed-arch gateway to the interior court of the building. Round this were old stone edifices, wearing an appearance more antique than, I fancied, had ever met my gaze; and yet, by their apparent strength, regularity of design, and uninjured masonry, conveying the impression that the hand of Time had been more gentle with them than is its wont. Certainly, the prospect held out of meeting here some of my brother-students somewhat startled and puzzled me; though I must confess it at the same time re-assured me as to the predicament in which I then stood. After having crossed the quadrangle, my new friend and I arrived at a passage, whence, ascending stairs of solid stone, we reached an upper passage brilliantly lit by torch-light, whence arose a strong aromatic, rather proverbially wholesome than pleasant to my olfactory nerves. A door of apparently larger proportions than the others opened into an apartment whence unmistakeably proceeded the sounds of merriment I had first heard. It was the College Hall. Sundry introductions relieved me of my growing embarrasment, and I soon began to chat with one and anothercongratulating myself meanwhile on being so lucky as to have fallen in with company so vastly agreeable and consigning all cares and fears as to the accordance of my presence there with the strictness of university discipline to well, no matter whom.

66

One incident in the scene before me struck me as being decidedly remarkable. It was perfectly true that I could distinguish the faces of many old friends in the goodly company around me; but I can call them such only in a peculiar sense. There are traces in the human countenance bearing evidence of the same personal identity notwithstanding a lapse of long years between the periods of observation. These lineaments have been faithfully transferred by the hand of imitative art to the marble or the can. vass, and the result is, of course, the same. Their owners' lot may have "fallen on a goodly heritage," or theirs may have been a harsher battle in life, but the "vultus"—the OS divinum"-the mirror of the soul and its passions indigenous with almost the first breath of human life, however otherwise marred or, to the first gaze, changed, retains still ineffaceable marks of a previous existence. Thus, however beclouded and obscured by its experiences, it can yet rekindle the torch of memory for those who are beholding it a second time. And I then was beholding many of those before me for the second time; but in bewilderment-unmixed with the smallest leaven of incredulity-for truly a miracle was before me.— Could it be? Could the rust, the dust, the roughness of departed years have proved the chisel so exquisitely true to its task? Could so marvellous a reflux in the tide of life have taken place as to enable me, in the various youthful features active and expressive before me, to trace the calm, thoughtful dignity of the matured eye of those whose images were throned in their respective niches, like