r some months, and
were always good friends, Allan being only eight months younger than
Tom. Allan had much to tell of their plans for enjoyment while Tom was
at Felford, and among other pleasant things, there was to be a village
cricket match, in which Allan was to play.

"And you, too, Tom," he said, for he never doubted his cousin's powers.
"It won't be a very grand match, you see, but it will be capital fun,
and the boys play"--

"Oh, I know!" said Tom.

"All right: that will be capital," said Allan; and Tom, who had never
held a bat in his life, found himself engaged to play in the match.

"But I shall find it quite easy," he thought. "I've seen it played, and
the boys at school seem to find it simple enough."

His uncle was out riding when Tom reached Felford, having had business
to attend to, so the boys at once went out into the garden and inspected
the scene of the future cricket match.

Tom looked at it a moment, then visions of Lords came before him, and he
said decidedly, "It wants rolling dreadfully!"

"Father said it was too dry to roll," said Allan, in rather a melancholy
tone. "You see, if"--

"Oh, I know!" interrupted Tom; "but we might try to roll it ourselves,
don't you know. That would be fun, and it would surprise him. Is there a
roller anywhere?"

"Yes, the small garden-roller; but Father said"--

"Oh, I know!" said Tom impatiently. "Let us fetch it."

Allan said no more. It was clear that Tom did not intend to listen to
anything he had to say.

"Do you know how to use the roller?" asked Allan.

"I should hope so! Any one must know that," said Tom; and away they went
to fetch it.

Now, there is a right way and a wrong way to do everything, and a
garden-roller should be _pulled_ and not _pushed_, but this Tom did not
understand; therefore, he set to work with Allan to push the roller
through the garden towards the field, while Twinkle, the fox-terrier,
followed at their heels.

A garden-roller is an awkward thing to manage if you don't understand
it. The iron handle is heavily weighted, and if pressed down and then
released it springs up with great force, owing to the weight with which
it is balanced.

Tom knew nothing of this; and Allan had never been allowed to touch the
roller, so he was as ignorant as Tom. They had paused to draw breath,
when Twinkle's bark of delight made Allan exclaim, "There's Father!"

At that moment Tom took his arms off the iron handle on which they h