"Oh, certainly, sir; an abundant variety," was his reply to Verdant's
question, if he could show him any patterns that were fashionable in
Oxford. "The greatest stock hout of London, I should say, sir,
decidedly. This is a nice unpretending gentlemanly thing, sir, that
we make up a good deal!" and he spread a shaggy substance before the
freshman's eyes.

"What do you make it up for?" inquired our hero, who thought it more
nearly resembled the hide of his lamented ~Mop~ than any other
substance.

"Oh, morning garments, sir! Reading and walking-coats, for erudition
and the promenade, sir! Looks well with vest of the same material,
sprinkled down with coral currant buttons! We've some sweet things in
vests, sir; and some neat, quiet trouserings, that I'm sure would give
satisfaction." And the tailor and robe-maker, between washings with
the invisible soap, so visibly "soaped" our hero in what is
understood to


[AN OXFORD FRESHMAN 93]

be the shop-sense of the word, and so surrounded him with a perfect
irradiation of aggressive patterns of oriental gorgeousness, that Mr.
Verdant Green became bewildered, and finally made choice
of one of the unpretending gentlemanly ~mop~-like coats, and "vest
and trouserings," of a neat, quiet, plaid-pattern, in red and green,
which, he was informed, were all the rage.

When these had been sent home to him, together with a neck-tie of