A brief power failure darkened Eliot House entries. A through H last night for two hours. It was the house's first blackout of the year.

The problem was serious enough to call an electrician, Thomas F. Pye, a Buildings and Grounds engineer, said last night.

He added that he did not know the cause of the outrage, which left House residents in the dark from 6:44 p.m. to 8:40 p.m.

Residents coped by using candles, reading in stairwells lit by emergency lights, or using flashlights.

David J. Wright '86 read "Paradise Lost" by candlelight for his tutorial at 8 p.m.

Other students had less academic worries. "I'm going to miss The Grinch tonight," said Kenneth B. Blye '84.

Philip C. Haughey Jr. '84 and other A entry students resigned themselves to the dark and lit a fire, drinking wine and waiting until the power returned.