The Argosy — page 44: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

> 34 Our First Term at Oxford. There was one fellow always coming in—a tall dark man with crisp hair; his name Richardson. He had plenty of money and kept dogs and horses, and seemed to go in for every kind of fast life the place afforded. Of work he did none; and report ran that he was being watched by the proctor, with whom he was generally in hot water. Altogether he was not in good odour: and he had a way of mocking at religion as though he were an atheist. “‘T heard a bit about Richardson just now,” cried Whitney, one morning that he had brought his commons in to breakfast with us—and the fields outside were white with snow. ‘ Mayhew says he’s a scamp.” “ Don’t think he’s much else, myself,” said Tod. ‘I say, just taste this butter! It’s shockingly strong. Wonder what it 1s made of ?” ‘“‘ Mayhew says he’s a liar as well as a villain. There’s no speaking after him. Last term a miserable affair occurred in the town ; the authorities could not trace it home to Richardson though they suspected he was the black sheep. Lots of fellows knew he was: but he denied it out-and-out. I think we had better not have much to do with him.” ‘“¢ He entertains jolly well,” said Tod. ‘‘ Johnny, you’ve boiled these eggs too hard. And his funds seem to spring from some perpetual gold mine—— ” ‘The door opened, and two bull-dogs burst in, leaping and howling. Richardson—they were his—followed, with little Ford; the latter a quiet, inoffensive man, who stuck to his work. “Be quiet, you two devils!” cried Richardson, kicking his dogs. ‘Lie down, will you? I say, I’ve got a wine-coach on to-night in my rooms, after Hall. Shall be glad to see you all at it.” Considering the conversation he had broken in upon, none of us had a very ready answer at hand. ‘‘T have heaps of letters to answer to-night, and must do it,” said Whitney. ‘‘ Thank you all the same.” Richardson might have read coolness 1n the tone ; I don’t know ; but he turned the back of his chair on Bill to face Tod. ‘“‘’You have not letters to write, I suppose, Todhetley.” “Not I. I leave letters to Ludlow.” ‘You'll come then.” “Can't,” said Tod candidly. ‘ Don’t mean to go in for wine parties.” “Oh,” said Richardson. “ You'll tell another tale when you’ve been here a bit longer. W7// you be still, you brutes ? ” -“ HopeI shan’t,” said Tod. “‘ Wine plays the very mischief with work, Should never get any done if I went in for it.” ‘“ Do you intend to go up for honours?” went on Richardson. “?Twould be a signal failure if I did. I leave all that to Ludlow —as I said by the letters. See to the dogs, Richardson.” The animals had struck fight. Richard e animals had struck up a fig ichardson secured the one, COLMA (C(O) mn —_)