Boyishness—by which I mean animal life in its fullest measure, good nature and honest impulses, hatred of injustice and meanness, and thoughtlessness enough to sink a three-decker.

In 1847 Hughes was called to the bar and married Frances Ford. A. Hughes also wrote The Scouring of the White Horse (1859) Tom Brown at Oxford (1861) Religio Laici (1868) Life of Alfred the Great (1869) and the Memoir of a Brother.

It had a lesser-known sequel Tom Brown at Oxford (1861). Thomas Hughes (20 October 1822 – 22 March 1896) was an English lawyer and author. He is most famous for his novel Tom Brown's School Days (1857) a semi-autobiographical work set at Rugby School which Hughes had attended.