any religious sect, or, as I suspect, merely a new punishment of the Proctor's, to keep unruly undergraduates from walking about at night, I could not exactly gather from what he said. I was also glad to hear from him that the sottish custom of wine-parties is greatly on the de. crease, the young men not drinking one quarter so much as they did when he was there. Your father, however, desires me to tell you that yours (the two dozen of port and one of sherry) is on the road by the Hoy. I hope they give you good dinners. Do you carve for yourselves?—or does the head of your college do it for you? And who cleans your shoes? How I should like to see you in your cap and gown! 66 "I had a thousand more things of the utmost importance to say to you, but am unfortunately interrupted by the cook. She (the cook) desires her duty, and begs me to say, with all respect, that a young man whom she kept company with (I must look to this or she will be leaving me) was nearly choked once by trying to swallow a 'college pudding' whole, so hopes, with all humility, Mr. Vincent will be careful of his self at meals.' What strange creatures servants are! "I must now conclude, my dearest boy, by requesting you to be very cautious in the choice of your circle of acquaintance, in which, I dare say, Mr. Rattletone will assist you; and by signing myself, in which your father joins me, "Ever your most affectionate parent, CAROLINE EDEN. "P.S.-Pray write immediately; and don't forget, above all things, to let me know how your new shirts do. Nothing, believe me, can be so interesting to a mother's feelings as anything that concerns her son's welfare." Eden finished the letter, and ventured to indulge a surmise, that if the Reverend Doctor Somebody or other's contemporaries did drink four times as much as the heroes of the last night's symposium had fourd room for, there must assuredly have been "giants in the land in those days," if not drunkards; and then went on to wonder why soci ety is always called a "circle" of acquaintance; which important problem being at length solved to his own satisfaction, by the hypothe sis that it must be because they are always "going round" calling on each other, he proceeded to insert his mother's epistle at the side of the looking-glass which was stationed over the mantel. This custom, by the by, although Eden was not aware of it at the time, is one much adopted in the University, and to be recommended to all undergraduates as a most efficient coadjutor in the diffusion of useful knowledge, and the cause of truth generally, answering, as it does, the twofold purpose of letting people know that you really have friends, and actually are worth writing to; and furthermore, of affording a considerable degree of enlightenment to the scout concerning the names, man |