gentlemen." Verdant was highly gratified at possessing a real
University dog, and he patted ~Mop~, and said, "Poo dog! poo Mop! poo
fellow then!" and thought what a pet his sisters would make of him
when he took him back home with him for the holi - the Vacation!

~Mop~ was for following Mr. Lucre, who had clumped away up the
street; and his new master had some difficulty in keeping him at his
heels. By Mr. Bouncer's advice, he at once took him over the river
to the field opposite the Christ Church


[90 ADVENTURES OF MR. VERDANT GREEN]

meadows, in order to test his rat-killing powers. How this could be
done out in the open country, our hero was at a loss to know; but he
discreetly held his tongue, for he was gradually becoming aware that
a freshman in Oxford must live to learn, and that, as with most men,
~experientia docet~.

They had just been punted over the river, and ~Mop~ had been restored
to ~terra firma~, when Mr. Bouncer's remark of "There's the cove
that'll do the trick for you!" directed Verdant's
attention to an individual, who, from his general appearance, might
have been first cousin to "Filthy Lucre," only that his live stock
was of a different description. Slung from his shoulders was a large
but shallow wire cage, in which were about a dozen doomed rats, whose
futile endeavours to make their escape by running up the sides of
their prison were regarded with the most intense earnestness by a
group of terriers, who gave way to various phases of excitement. In
his hand he carried a small circular cage, containing two or three