He sat next to the Vice-
Master, and Mr. Redmayne treated him to an exhibition of the driest
fireworks on record. Mr. Sandys assented to everything, and the
number of times that he exclaimed "True, true! admirably said!"
exceeded belief. He said to Howard afterwards that the unmixed wine
of intellect had proved a potent beverage. "One must drink it
down," he said, "and trust to assimilating it later. It has been a
glorious week for me, my dear Howard, thanks to you! Quite
rejuvenating indeed! I carry away with me a precious treasure of
thought--just a few notes of suggestive trains of inquiry have been
scribbled down, to be dealt with at leisure. But it is the
atmosphere, the rarefied atmosphere of high thought, which has
braced and invigorated me. It has entirely obliterated from my mind
that odious escapade of Jack's--so judiciously handled! The
kindness of these eminent men, these intellectual giants, is
profoundly touching and inspiring. I must not indeed hope to
trespass on it unduly. Your Master--what a model of self-effacing
courtesy--your Vice-Master--what a fine, rugged, uncompromising
nature; and the rest of your colleagues"--with a wave of his hand--
"what an impression of reserved and restrained force it all gives
one! It will often sustain me," said the good Vicar in a burst of
confidence, "in my simple labours, to think of all this tide of
unaffected intellectual life ebbing and flowing so tranquilly and
so systematically in old alma mater! The way in which you have laid
yourself out to entertain me is indeed gratifying.
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