No first lesson to do, you know, and lie in
bed to-morrow morning."
"But who sings?"
"Why, everybody, of course; you'll see soon enough. We begin directly
after supper, and sing till bed-time. It ain't such good fun now,
though, as in the summer half; 'cause then we sing in the little fives
court, under the library, you know. We take out tables, and the big boys
sit round and drink beer--double allowance on Saturday nights; and we
cut about the quadrangle between the songs, and it looks like a lot of
robbers in a cave. And the louts come and pound at the great gates, and
we pound back again, and shout at them. But this half we only sing in
the hall. Come along down to my study."
Their principal employment in the study was to clear out East's table;
removing the drawers and ornaments and tablecloth; for he lived in the
bottom passage, and his table was in requisition for the singing.
Supper came in due course at seven o'clock, consisting of bread and
cheese and beer, which was all saved for the singing; and directly
afterwards the fags went to work to prepare the hall. The School-house
hall, as has been said, is a great long high room, with two large fires
on one side, and two large iron-bound tables, one running down the
middle, and the other along the wall opposite the fireplaces. Around the
upper fire the fags placed the tables in the form of a horse-shoe, and
upon them the jugs with the Saturday night's allowance of beer.
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