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them。 We're away。 God bless Hardcastle。'
'Whoever he may be。'
'He thought he was ing with us。 Sloth； undid him too。 Well； I did tell him ten。 He's a very gloomy man in my college。 He leads a double life。 At least I assume he does。 He couldn't go on being Hardcastle； day and night； always； could he？ … or he'd die of it。 He says he knows my father； which is impossible。'
'Why？'
'No one knows papa。 He's a social leper。 Hadn't you heard？'
'It's a pity neither of us can sing；' I said。
At Swindon we turned off the main road and； as the sun mounted high； we were among dry…stone walls and ashlar houses。 It was about eleven when Sebastian； without warning； turned the car into a cart track and stopped。 It was hot enough now to make us seek the shade。 On a sheep…cropped knoll under a clump of elms we ate the strawberries and drank the wine … as Sebastian promised； they were delicious together … and we lit fat； Turkish cigarettes and lay on our backs； Sebastian's eyes on the leaves above him； mine on his profile； while the blue…grey smoke rose； untroubled by any wind； to the blue…green shadows of foliage'； and the sweet scent of the tobacco； merged with the sweet summer scents around us and the fumes of the sweet golden wine seemed to lift us a finger's breadth above the turf and hold us suspended。
'Just the place to bury a crock of gold； ' said Sebastian。 'I should like to bury something precious in every place where I've been happy and then when I was old and ugly and miserable； …I could e back and dig it up and remember。'
This was my third term since matriculation； but I date my Oxford life from my first meeting with Sebastian； which had happened； by chance； in the middle of the term before。 We were in different colleges and came from different schools； I might well have spent my three or four years in the University and never have met him； but for the chance of his getting drunk one evening in my college and of my having ground…floor rooms in 。the front quadrangle。
I had been warned against the dangers of these rooms by my cousin Jasper； who alone； when I first came up； thought me a suitable subject for detailed guidance。 My father offered me none。 Then； as always； he eschewed serious conversation with me。 It was not until I was within a fortnight of going up that he mentioned the subject at all； then he said； shyly and rather slyly： 'I've been… talking about you。 I met …your future Warden at the Athenaeum。 I wanted to talk about Etruscan notions of immortality； he wanted to talk about extension lectures for the working…class； so we promised and talked about you。 I asked him what your allowance should be。 He said； 〃Three hundred a year； on no account give him more； that's all most men have。〃 I thought that a deplorable answer。 I had more than most men when I was up； and my recollection is that nowhere else in the world and at no other time； do a few hundred pounds； one way or the other； makee so much difference to one's importance； and popularity。 I toyed with the idea of giving you six hundred；' said my father； snuffling a little； as he did when he was amused； 'but I reflected that； should the Warden e to hear of it； it might sound deliberately impolite。 So I shall e you five hundred and fifty。'
I thanked him。
Yes； it's indulgent of me； but it all es out of capital； you know。 I suppose this is the time I should give you advice。 I never had any myself except once from your cousin Alfred。 Do you know； in the summer before I was going up； your cousin Alfred rode over to Boughton especially to give me a piece of advice？ And do you know what the advice was？ 〃Ned；〃 he said； 〃there's one thing I must beg of you。 Always wear a tall hat on Sundays during term。 It is by that； more than anything； that a man is judged。〃 And do you know；' continued my father； snuffling deeply； 'I always did？ Some men did； some didn't。 I never saw any difference between them or heard it mented on； but I always wore mine。 It only shows what effect judicious advice can have； properly delivered at the right moment。 I wish I had some for you； but I haven't。'
My cousin Jasper made good the loss； he was the son of my father's elder brother； to whom he referred more than once； only half facetiously； as 'the Head of the Family'； he was in his fourth year and； the term before； had e within appreciable distance of getting his rowing blue； he was secretary of the Canning and president of the J。C。R。； a considerable person in college。 He called on me formally during my first week and stayed to tea； he ate a very heavy meal of honey…buns； anchovy toast； and Fuller's walnut cake； then he lit his pipe and； lying back in the basketchair； laid down the rules of conduct which I should follow； he covered most subjects； even today I could repeat much of what he said； word for； word。 '。。。You're reading History？ A perfectly respectable school。 The very worst is English literature and the next worst is Modern Greats。 You want either a first or a fourth。 There is no value in anything between。 Time spent on a good second is time thrown away。 You should go to the best lectures Arkwright on Demosthenes for instance … irrespective of whether they are in your school or not。。。Clothes。 Dress as you do in a country house。 Never wear a tweed coat and flannel trousers … always a suit。 And go to a London tailor； you get better cut and longer credit。。。Clubs。 Join the Carlton now and the Grid at the beginning of your second year。 If you want to run for the Union … and it's not a bad thing to do … make your reputation outside first； at the Canning or the Chatham； and begin by speaking on the paper。。。Keep clear of Boar's Hill。。。' The sky over the opposing gables glowed and then darkened； I put more coal on the fire and turned on the light； revealing in their respectability his London…made plus…fours and his Leander tie。。。'Don't treat dons like schoolmasters； treat them as you would the vicar at home。。。You'll find you spend half your second year shaking off the undesirable friends you made in your first。。。Beware of the Anglo…Catholics … they're all sodomites with unpleasant accents。 In fact； steer clear of all the religious groups； they do nothing but harm。。。'
Finally； just as he was going； he said； 'One last point。 Change your rooms' … They were large； with deeply recessed windows and painted； eighteenth…century panelling； I was lucky as a freshman to get them。 'I've seen many a man ruined through having ground…floor rooms in the front quad；' said my cousin with deep gravity。 'People start dropping in。 They leave their； gowns here and e and collect them before hall； you start giving them a sherry。 Before you know where you are； you've opened a free bar for all the undesirables of the college。'
I do not know that I ever； consciously； followed any of this advice。 I certainly never changed my rooms … there were gillyflowers growing below the windows which on summer evenings filled them with fragrance。
It is easy； retrospectively； to endow one's youth with a false precocity or a false innocence； to tamper with the dates marking one's stature on the edge of the door。 I should like to think … indeed I sometimes do think … that I decorated those rooms with Morris stuffs and Arundel prints and that my shelves we're filled with seventeenth…century folios and French novels of the second empire in Russia…leather and watered silk。 But this was not the truth。 On my first afternoon I proudly hung a reproduction of Van Gogh's Sunflowers over the fire and set up a screen； painted by Roger Fry with a Provencal landscape； which I had bought inexpensively when the Omega workshops were sold up。 I displayed also a poster by McKnight Kauffer and Rhyme Sheets from the Poetry Bookshop； and； most painful to recall； a porcelain figure of Polly Peachum which stood between black tapers on the chimney…piece。 My books were meagre and monplace … Roger Fry's Vision and Design； the Medici Press edition of A Shropshire Lad； Eminent Victorians； some volumes of Georgian Poetry； Sinister Street； and South Wind … and my earliest friends fitted well into this background； they were Collins； a Wykehamist； an embryo don； a man of solid reading and childlike humour； and a small circle of college intellectuals； who maintained a middle course of culture between the flamboyant 'aesthetes' and the roletarian scholars who scrambled fiercely for facts in the lodging houses of the Iffley Road and Wellington Square。 It was by this circle that I found myself adopted during my first term； they provided the kind of pany I had enjoyed in the sixth form at school； for which the sixth form had prepared me； but even in the earliest days； when the whole business of living at Oxford； with rooms of my own and my own cheque book； was a source of excitement； I felt at heart that this was not all which Oxford had to offer。
At Sebastian's approach these grey figures seemed quietly to fade into the landscape and vanish； like highland sheep in the misty heather。 Collins had exposed the fallacy of modern aesthetics to me： '。。。the whole argument from Significant Form stands or falls by volume。 If you allow C'ezanne to represent a third dimension on his two…dimensional canvas； then you must allow Landse