He also said he never remembered so good a set of men in.  All this is very satisfactory.  I must also add (this is a very boastful letter) that I ought to get the senior scholarship next term....  One thing more I will add, to crown all, and that is, I find I am the next First Class Mathematical Student to Faussett (with the exception of Kitchin who has given up Mathematics), so that I stand next (as Bosanquet is going to leave) for the Lectureship.

On December 18th he took the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and on October 15, 1855, he was made a “Master of the House,” in honour of the appointment of the new Dean (Dr. Liddell) who succeeded Dean Gaisford.  To be made Master of the House means that a man has all the privileges of a Master of Arts within the walls of Christ Church.  But he must be of a certain number of terms’ standing, and be admitted in due form by the Vice-Chancellor, before he is a Master of Arts of the University.  In this wider sense Mr. Dodgson did not take his Master’s degree until 1857.

This is anticipating events, and there is much to tell of the year 1855, which was a very eventful one for him.  On February 15th he was made Sub-Librarian.  “This will add L35 to my income,” he writes, “not much towards independence.”  For he was most anxious to have a sufficient income to make him his own master, that he might enter on the literary and artistic career of which he was already dreaming.  On May 14th he wrote in his Diary:  “The Dean and Canons have been pleased to give me one of the Bostock scholarships, said to be worth L20 a year—­this very nearly raises my income this year to independence.  Courage!”

His college work, during 1855, was chiefly taking private pupils, but he had, in addition, about three and a half hours a day of lecturing during the last term of the year.  He did not, however, work as one of the regular staff of lecturers until the next year.  From that date his work rapidly increased, and he soon had to devote regularly as much as seven hours a day to delivering lectures, to say nothing of the time required for preparing them.

The following extract from his Journal, June 22, 1855, will serve to show his early love for the drama.  The scene is laid at the Princess’ Theatre, then at the height of its glory:—­

The evening began with a capital farce, “Away with Melancholy,” and then came the great play, “Henry VIII.,” the greatest theatrical treat I ever had or ever expect to have.  I had no idea that anything so superb as the scenery and dresses was ever to be seen on the stage.  Kean was magnificent as Cardinal Wolsey, Mrs. Kean a worthy successor to Mrs. Siddons as Queen Catherine, and all the accessories without exception were good—­but oh, that exquisite vision of Queen Catherine’s!  I almost held my breath to watch:  the illusion is perfect, and I felt as if in a dream all the time it lasted.  It was like a delicious reverie, or