Ravenshoe. By Henry Kingsley.

184 RAVENSHOE.
uate could know, my lord, that undergraduate's name would be
Ravenshoe of Paul's. But he is young, my lord. And, in consequence, ignorant." His lordship did n't say anything after that.
I have kept this fact in the background rather, hitherto, because
it has not been of any great consequence. It becomes of some
consequence now, for the first time. I enlarged a little on Charles
being a rowing man, because rowing and training had, for good
or for evil, a certain effect on his character. (Whether for good
or for evil, you must determine for yourselves.) And I now
mention the fact of his being a consummate horseman, because a
considerable part of the incidents which follow arise from the
fact.
Don't think for one moment that you are going to be bored by
stable talk. You will have simply none of it. It only amounts
to this, — that Charles, being fond of horses, took up with a certain line of life, and in that line of life met with certain adventures which have made his history worth relating.
When he met the "horsy" man next morning, he was not
dressed like a gentleman. In his store he had some old clothes,
which he used to wear at Ratvnshoe, in the merry old days when
he would be up with daylight to exercise the horses on the moor,
- cord trousers, and so on, which, being now old and worn, made
him look uncommonly like a groom out of place. And what contributed to the delusion was, that for the first time in his life he
wore no shirt-collar, but allowed his blue-spotted nreckcloth to
border on his honest red face, without one single quarter of an
inch of linen. And, if it ever pleases your lordship's noble excellence to look like a blackguard for any reason, allow me to recommend you to wear a dark necktie and no collar. Your success
will be beyond your utmost hopes.
Charles met his new friend in the bar, and touched his hat to
him. His friend laughed, and said, that would do, but asked how
long he thought he could keep that sort of thing going. Charles
said, as long as was necessary; and they went out together.
They walked as far as a street leading out of one of the largest
and best squares (I mean B-lg —e Sq-e, but I don't like to
write it at full length), and stopped at the door of a handsome
shop. Charles knew enough of London to surmise that the first
floor was let to a man of some wealth; and he was right.
The door was opened, and his friend was shown up-stairs, while
he was told to wait in the hall. Now Charles began to perceive,
with considerable amusement, that he was acting a part, - that
he was playing, so to speak, at being something other than what
he really was, - and that he was perhaps overdoing it. In this
house, which yesterday he would have entered as an equal, he
was now playing at being a servant. It was immensely amusing.