Tom Brown at Rugby

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Hughes Thomas. Tom Brown at Rugby

PART I

CHAPTER I. THE BROWN FAMILY

THE BROWN CHARACTER

TOM BROWN'S BIRTHPLACE

THE OLD BOY MOURNETH OVER YOUNG ENGLAND

VALES IN GENERAL

THE OLD ROMAN CAMP

BATTLE OF ASHDOWN

THE "SEVEN BARROWS" FARM

THE BLOWING STONE

FARRINGDON AND PUSEY

SQUIRE BROWN AND HIS HOUSEHOLD

THE OLD BOY ABUSETH MOVING ON

THE OLD BOY APPROVETH MOVING ON

CHAPTER II. THE "VEAST."

TOM BROWN'S NURSE

TOM BROWN'S FIRST REBELLION

TOM BROWN'S ABETTORS – NOAH

TOM BROWN'S ABETTORS – BENJY

OUR VEAST

APPROACH OF VEAST-DAY

MORNING OF THE VEAST

THE JINGLING MATCH

THE BACK-SWORDING

JOE AND THE GIPSY

A NEW "OLD GAMESTER."

JOE OUT OF LUCK

THE REVELS ARE OVER

THE OLD BOY MORALIZETH ON VEASTS

ADVICE TO YOUNG SWELLS

CHAPTER III. SUNDRY WARS AND ALLIANCES

BENJY RESORTS TO A "WISE MAN."

THE "WISE MAN'S" SURROUNDINGS

BENJY'S RHEUMATISM

TORYISM OF SQUIRE BROWN

TOM'S WATCH-TOWER BY THE SCHOOL

DEFEAT, CAPTURE, PEACE

PLAY AND WORK

RIDING AND WRESTLING

EARLIEST PLAYMATES

FIRST SCHOOL

OF PRIVATE SCHOOLS

TOM'S FIRST LETTER HOME

THE AMUSEMENTS

THE REPROBATE

CHAPTER IV. THE STAGE COACH

TOM ARRIVES IN TOWN

SQUIRE BROWN'S PARTING WORDS

THE SQUIRE'S MEDITATIONS

THE TALLY-HO

A NOVEMBER RIDE IN OLD TIMES

"PULLING UP."

MORNING SIGHTS AND DOINGS

BREAKFAST

GUARD DISCOURSES ON RUGBY

PEA-SHOOTERS

AN OLD YEOMAN

BLOW-HARD AND HIS YARNS

THE RUNNERS

CHAPTER V. RUGBY AND FOOT-BALL

ARRIVAL AT RUGBY

TOM FINDS A PATRON

INTRODUCTION TO THE MATRON

EAST'S STUDY

"OUR OWN" AND THE USE THEREOF

TOM'S FIRST RUGBY DINNER

WHITE TROUSERS IN NOVEMBER

EAST DISCOURSETH ON FOOT-BALL

CALLING-OVER

"THEY TRUST TO OUR HONOR."

OLD BROOKE'S GENERALSHIP

A SCRUMMAGE

HOW TO GO IN

YOUNG BROOKE'S RUSH

A GOAL

"ARE YOU READY?"

EAST'S CHARGE

TOM'S FIRST EXPLOIT

CHAPTER VI. AFTER THE MATCH

CELEBRATING THE VICTORY

HARROWELL'S

TEA AND ITS LUXURIES

SUPPER

BROOKE'S HONORS

BROOKE DISCOURSETH ON UNION

STANDETH UP FOR "THE DOCTOR."

SCHOOL IDOLATRIES

"THE DOCTOR" AND HIS WORKS

LAST LOYAL STRAINS

PRAYERS

TOSSING

EAST AND TOM DEVOTE THEMSELVES

A BULLY'S REFINEMENTS

CHAPTER VII. SETTLING TO THE COLLAR

WAKING UP; MOVEMENTS OF BOGLE

GETTING UP

THE "CLOSE" BEFORE CHAPEL

MORNING AND AFTERNOON CHAPEL

THE SERMON

THE DOCTOR'S FIRST HOLD

HOUSE-FAGGING

HARE AND HOUNDS

THE MEET AND THE FIRST BURST

THE FIRST CHECK

NO GO

CONSEQUENCES

THEIR RECEPTION

THEIR EXPLANATION

LAST DAYS

OFF

DULCE DOMUM

CHAPTER VIII. THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE

THE LOWER FOURTH

MONTHLY EXAMINATIONS

TRISTE LUPUS

MISRULE AND ITS CAUSES

THE OLD BOY MORALIZETH THEREON

THE SHOE BEGINS TO PINCH

THE EXPLOSION

THE SIEGE

THE REBELS IN COUNCIL

A COUNSELLOR OF THE REBELS

"THE MUCKER."

THE WAR RAGES

THE WEAK TO THE WALL

DIGGS'S BANKRUPTCY

THE DERBY LOTTERY

TOM DRAWS THE FAVORITE

ROASTING A FAG

LAST DAYS OF THE WAR

CHAPTER IX. A CHAPTER OF ACCIDENTS

TOM DISCLOSES NOTHING

RULE BREAKING

THE BRUISED WORM WILL TURN

ACCOUNTS SQUARED WITH FLASHMAN

PENALTIES OF WAR

FATE OF LIBERATORS

THE ISHMAELITES

MISFORTUNE THICKENS

THE AVON

DISPUTED RIGHTS OF FISHING

CHAFFING A KEEPER

THE RETURN MATCH WITH VELVETEENS

VELVETEENS' REVENGE

MORE SCRAPES

THE DOCTOR REIGNING

PART II

CHAPTER I. HOW THE TIDE TURNED

WHO'S COME BACK?

THE SADDLE IS PUT ON TOM

TEA WITH THE DOCTOR

ARTHUR'S DEBUT

LESSON NO. 1

TOM LEARNS HIS LESSON

CHAPTER II. THE NEW BOY

TOM'S RESPONSIBILITIES

EAST'S ADVICE

AN EPISODE

LESSON NO. 2

ARTHUR'S HOME

RESULTS OF LESSON NO. 2

TOM IS STIFF-NECKED

THE BROWN COMPROMISE

CHAPTER III. ARTHUR MAKES A FRIEND

TROUBLES OF A BOY-PHILOSOPHER

THE PHILOSOPHER'S DEN

THE INVITATION

TOM'S WORK

THE SUPPER

VULGUSES

THE SCIENCE OF VERSE-MAKING

MARTIN'S DEN

CHAPTER IV. THE BIRD-FANCIERS

TOM PUT OUT

BIRDS'-NESTING

PECKING

WHAT IS LARCENY?

THE TROUBLESOME DUCK

RUNNING FOR A CONVOY

A DEBATE

LECTURE ON SCHOOL LARCENY

ARTHUR SEALS HIS FRIENDSHIP

CHAPTER V. THE FIGHT

FIGHTING IN GENERAL

HOW THE FIGHT AROSE

THE CHALLENGE

EARLY ROUNDS

HEAD FIGHTING

STEADY ALL

THE RING BROKEN

THE LAST ROUND

THE DOCTOR ARRIVES

EVENING AFTER THE FIGHT

THE SHAKE-HANDS

THE OLD BOY'S RULES

CHAPTER VI. FEVER IN THE SCHOOL

DEATH IN THE SCHOOL

THE DOCTOR'S SERMON

ARTHUR'S ILLNESS

CONVALESCENCE

MEMORIES

MORE LESSONS

TOM'S CONFESSIONS

TOM OUT-GENERALLED

ARTHUR'S FEVER

ARTHUR'S VISION

ARTHUR'S MOTHER

TOM'S REWARDS

CHAPTER VII. HARRY EAST'S DILEMMAS AND DELIVERANCES

TOM SPRINGS HIS MINE

RESULTS OF THE EXPLOSION

THE ENEMY'S DEFENCE

THE TRUCE

ARTHUR GOES HOME

THE SIEGE REOPENS

FRIENDSHIP

FRIENDSHIP TESTED

EAST'S CONFESSIONS

TOM'S PRESCRIPTION

THE EFFECT THEREOF

CHAPTER VIII. TOM BROWN'S LAST MATCH

SCHOOL MEMORIES

THE END OF THE HALF-YEAR

CRICKET-MATCHES

THE MARYLEBONE MATCH

SOME OLD FRIENDS

THEIR TALK

JACK RAGGLES'S INNINGS

THE FINISH

SHUT OUT

HARRY EAST

WORK IN THE WORLD

THE DOCTOR'S WORK

A NEW LIGHT

HERO-WORSHIP

CHAPTER IX. FINIS

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The Browns have become illustrious by the pen of Thackeray and the pencil of Doyle,1 within the memory of the young gentlemen who are now matriculating2 at the universities. Notwithstanding the well-merited but late fame which has now fallen upon them, any one at all acquainted with the family must feel that much has yet to be written and said before the British nation will be properly sensible of how much of its greatness it owes to the Browns. For centuries, in their quiet, dogged, homespun way, they have been subduing the earth in most English counties, and leaving their mark in American forests and Australian uplands. Wherever the fleets and armies of England have won renown, there stalwart sons of the Browns have done yeomen's3 work. With the yew bow and cloth-yard shaft4 at Cressy and Agincourt5– with the brown bill6 and pike under the brave Lord Willoughby – with culverin and demi-culverin7 against Spaniards and Dutchmen – with hand-grenade8 and sabre, and musket and bayonet, under Rodney9 and St. Vincent, Wolfe and Moore, Nelson and Wellington, they have carried their lives in their hands; getting hard knocks and hard work in plenty, which was, on the whole, what they looked for, and the best thing for them; and little praise or pudding, which indeed they, and most of us, are better without. Talbots10 and Stanleys, St. Maurs, and such-like folk have led armies and made laws time out of mind; but those noble families would be somewhat astounded – if the accounts ever came to be fairly taken – to find how small their work for England has been by the side of that of the Browns.

These latter, indeed, have until the present generation rarely been sung by poet, or chronicled by sage. They have wanted their "sacer vates,"11 having been too solid to rise to the top by themselves, and not having been largely gifted with the talent of catching hold of, and holding on tight to, whatever good things happened to be going – the foundation of the fortunes of so many noble families. But the world goes on its way, and the wheel turns, and the wrongs of the Browns, like other wrongs, seem in a fair way to get righted. And this present writer, having for many years of his life been a devout Brown-worshipper, and moreover having the honor of being nearly connected with an eminently respectable branch of the great Brown family, is anxious, so far as in him lies, to help the wheel over, and throw his stone12 on to the pile.

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And now, my boys, you whom I want to get for readers, have you had enough? Will you give in at once, and say you're convinced, and let me begin my story or will you have some more of it? Remember, I've only been over a little bit of the hill-side yet, what you could ride round easily on your ponies in an hour. I'm only just come down into the vale, by Blowing Stone Hill, and if I once begin about the vale, what's to stop me? You'll have to hear all about Wantage, the birthplace of Alfred, and Farringdon, which held out so long for Charles I. (the vale was near Oxford, and dreadfully malignant;75 full of Throgmortons, Puseys, and Pyes, and such like, and their brawny retainers). Did you ever read Thomas Ingoldsby's "Legend of Hamilton Tighe"?76 If you haven't, you ought to have. Well, Farringdon is where he lived, before he went to sea; his real name was Hampden Pye, and the Pyes were the great folk at Farringdon. Then there's Pusey. You've heard of the Pusey horn,77 which King Canute gave to the Puseys of that day, and which the gallant old squire, lately gone to his rest (whom Berkshire freeholders78 turned out of last Parliament, to their eternal disgrace, for voting according to his conscience), used to bring out on high days, holidays, and bonfire nights. And the splendid old Cross church at Uffington, the Uffingas town; how the whole country-side teems with Saxon names and memories! And the old moated grange79 at Compton, nestled close under the hill-side, where twenty Marianas80 may have lived, with its bright water-lilies in the moat, and its yew walk "the cloister walk," and its peerless terraced gardens. There they all are, and twenty things besides, for those who care about them, and have eyes. And these are the sort of things you may find, I believe, every one of you, in any common English country neighborhood.

Will you look for them under your own noses, or will you not? Well, well, I've done what I can to make you, and if you will go gadding over half Europe now every holiday, I can't help it. I was born and bred a west-countryman,81 thank God! a Wessex man, a citizen of the noblest Saxon kingdom of Wessex, a regular "Angular Saxon,"82 the very soul of me "adscriptus glebæ."83 There's nothing like the old country-side for me, and no music like the twang of the real old Saxon tongue, as one gets it fresh from the veritable chaw84 in the White Horse Vale; and I say with "Gaarge Ridler," the old west-country yeoman,

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