Part 3 (1/2)

They gave hiht, As ht, For he'd done a deed of daring, And faced that savage steed, And therefore cups of coffee sweet, And everything that was a treat, Were but his right and s, When the fire is blazing bright, When books bestrew the table And o to bed, A struggling, kicking load; We'll talk of Ulfrid Longbow's deed, How, in his brother's utmost need, Back to his aid he fleith speed, And how he faced the fiery steed, And kept the New Croft Road

[Illustration: Exterior of Christ Church]

CHAPTER II

(1850-1860)

Matriculation at Christ Church--Death of Mrs Dodgson--The Great Exhibition--University and College Honours--A wonderful year--A theatrical treat--_Misch-Masch--The Train--College Rhymes_--His _nom de plume_--”Dotheboys Hall”--Alfred Tennyson--Ordination--Serin?”--The Queen visits Oxford

We have traced in the boyhood of Lewis Carroll the beginnings of those characteristic traits which afterwards, uished a position a his contemporaries We now come to a period of his life which is in so We all have to pass through that painful era of self-consciousness which prefaces manhood, that time e feel so deeply, and are so utterly unable to express to others, or even to define clearly to ourselves, what it is we do feel The natural freedom of childhood is dead within us; the conventional freedo to birth, and its efforts are sometimes ludicrous to an unsympathetic observer In Lewis Carroll'sthis critical period there was always a calnity which saved him from these absurdities, an undercurrent of consciousness that what seereat to him was really very little

On May 23, 1850, he e which had nu other illustrious names

A letter from Dr Jelf, one of the canons of Christ Church, to Archdeacon Dodgson, written when the for up to ”the House,” contains the folloords: ”I a of all who remember you at Christ Church when I say that we shall rejoice to see a son of yours worthy to tread in your footsteps”

Lewis Carroll came into residence on January 24, 1851 From that day to the hour of his death--a period of forty-seven years--he belonged to ”the House,” never leaving it for any length of tiine it without hih technically ”in residence,” he had not roo his first term The ”House” was very full; and had it not been for one of the tutors, the Rev J Lew, kindly lending his in the town

The first set of roole, which is annually the scene of a great bonfire on Guy Fawkes' Day, and, generally speaking, is not the best place for a readingin hall were divided into ”messes” Each mess consisted of about half a dozen men, who had a table to themselves Dinner was served at five, and very indifferently served, too; the dishes and plates were of pewter, and the joint was passed round, each son's mess were Philip Pusey, the late Rev G C Woodhouse, and, a others, one who still lives in ”Alice in Wonderland” as the ”Hatter”

Only a few days after terson died suddenly at Croft

The shock was a terrible one to the whole family, and especially to her devoted husband I have cohtful and most characteristic letter from Dr Pusey--a letter full of the kindest and truest sympathy with the Archdeacon in his bereaveive in full:--

[Illustration: Grave of Archdeacon and Mrs Dodgson in Croft Churchyard]

My dear Friend, I hear and see so little and so few persons, that I had not heard of your sorrow until your to-day's letter; and now I but guess what it was: only your language is that of the very deepest I have often thought, since I had to think of this, how, in all adversity, what God takes away He ive us back with increase One cannot think that any holy earthly love will cease, e shall ”be like the Angels of God in Heaven” Love here must shadow our love there, deeper because spiritual, without any alloy from our sinful nature, and in the fulness of the love of God

But as we grow here by God's grace will be our capacity for endless love So, then, if by our very sufferings we are purified, and our hearts enlarged, we shall, in that endless bliss, love more those e loved here, than if we had never had that sorrow, never been parted

Lewis Carroll was summoned home to attend the funeral--a sad interlude ae The Oxford of 1851 was in many ways quite unlike the Oxford of 1898 The position of the undergraduates was much more similar to that of schoolboys than is now the case; they were subject to the saone out of vogue!--and were expected to work, and to work hard

Early rising then was strictly enforced, as the following extract from one of his letters will show:--

I ainI have to record is a very sad incident, na chapel; before, however, you condemn me, you must hear how accidental it was For soetting up, but of being called at a quarter past six, and generallyto be down soon after seven In the present instance I had been up the night before till about half-past twelve, and consequently when I was called I fell asleep again, and was thunderstruck to find on waking that it was ten ht I have had no i about it It is rather vexatious to have happened so soon, as I had intended never to be late

[Illustration: Lewis Carroll, aged 23]

It was therefore obviously his custo to chapel I wonder how eneration follow the same hardy rule! But then no ”ilects chapel altogether