The College boys and Commoners rose at the same hour, attended chapel, used the school, and went on to Hill’s together; but the latter took their meals and slept in Commoners’, and had not the use of meads, having a field about half a mile distant, to which they went from twelve to one on whole school days, and again, in the afternoon, on holidays.
The rule of seniority, as regarded fagging, was different from that established in College. Commoner Inferiors took precedence according to their standing in the school, not according to the length of time they had been there. It will be seen, from what has been said, that the College juniors had a much harder time of it than the Commoners, as the former were in the proportion of forty-four Fags to eighteen Præfects and seven Candlekeepers, whereas in the latter (supposing the number of the boys to be one hundred and twenty, and twenty to be in senior part the fifth, and exempt from fagging) the proportion would be eighty-seven fags to twelve Præfects and one Coursekeeper. I will, therefore, devote my attention principally to the illustration of the life of the College Fag, which, in fact, combines all the trials and amusements of both.
CHAPTER III.
TREATS OF SOME MANNERS AND CUSTOMS.
A Fag’s Duties—His Respect for Præfects—Præfects’ Responsibilities—Code of Honour—Lying Scouted—Exceptional Anecdote—Certain Things considered Common Property—Slang—Nicknames of Officials and Under-Porter—Whole Holidays—Remedies—Half Holidays—Sundays—Hills.
The duties of a Fag, in the days of which I write, may be more easily described by informing the reader what he had not to do, than by endeavouring to make out a list of his positive duties. I believe when I say that he had not to make the beds, nor to clean shoes, I have exhausted the negative catalogue.
The degree of awe with which we Juniors used to regard the Præfects seems to me, looking back, most mysterious; and it would be impossible to make a stranger realise the peculiar sensation. It was entirely a moral feeling, not being in any way connected with muscular power—many of the Præfects being, in physical strength, inferior to their fags; and it was by no means uncommon to see a small Præfect rising on his toes to reach the proper height for administering an effective “Clow” (box on the ear) to an offending Junior some inches taller, and a stone heavier, than himself. Nor was there the slightest imputation of cowardice on the part of the bigger boy,—I cannot explain it, but it seemed simply impossible to resist.