he should not be called upon to pay for them until he had taken his
degree. He also decorated the walls of his rooms with choice
specimens of engravings: for the turning over of portfolios at
Ryman's, and Wyatt's, usually leads to the eventual turning over of a
considerable amount of cash; and our hero had not yet become
acquainted with the cheaper circulating-system of pictures, which
gives you a fresh set every term, and passes on your old ones to some
other subscriber. But, in the meantime, it is very delightful, when
you admire any thing, to be able to say, "Send that to my room!" and
to be obsequiously obeyed, "no questions asked," and no payment
demanded; and as for the future, why - as Mr. Larkyns observed, as
they strolled down the High - "I suppose the bills ~will~ come in
some day or other, but the governor will see to them; and though he
may grumble and pull a long face, yet he'll only be too glad you've
got your degree, and, in the fulness of his heart, he will open his
cheque-book. I daresay old Horace gives very good advice when he
says, 'carpe diem'; but when he adds, 'quam minimum credula
postero,'* about 'not giving the least credit to the succeeding day,'
it is clear that he never looked forward to the Oxford tradesmen and
the credit-system. Do you ever read Wordsworth, Verdant?" continued
Mr. Larkyns, as they stopped at the corner of Oriel Street, to look
in at a spacious range of shop-windows, that were crowded with a
costly and glittering profusion of ~papier mache~ articles,
statuettes, bronzes, glass, and every kind of "fancy goods" that
could be classed as "art-workmanship."

"Why, I've not read much of Wordsworth myself," replied

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* Car. i. od. xi.