witnessed; how I could have sanctioned for a moment such utter violation of the laws of the institution, and every principle of correct habits and a refined taste. Being unaccustomed to such scenes I must have been dazzled, bewildered at what I saw, and the congratulations I heard passing from lip to lip that I was one of their number. How they ever managed so secretly as to carry out their plan successfully without being detected, has always been a mystery. Making no secret of it among themselves, as the champagne was freely passed around the circle the toast to one and another of the Faculty was drunk, boasting of the delicious fowls their granaries had contributed to their bacchanalian feast, and exulting over the depletion of the kitchen larder. Suddenly, as vividly as if she had stood there before me to utter them, the last words of my mother when standing in the doorway to give me her parting benediction occurred to my mind. 'There is no need to caution you against falling into bad habits.'
"I rose instantly from the table, leaving the meal untasted, and hastened to my room. The suddenness of my departure probably stupified their wonder as they made no effort to detain me, or seek an explanation. There I found a letter written in a strange hand, announcing the sudden illness of my mother, who desired my presence immediately. The anxiety of that night and the upbraidings of conscience I will not attempt to describe. To go from such a debasing scene as I had just left, to the death bed of, my beloved mother, seemed like tainting the pure air of heaven with the malarious exhalations of
