t I always either say what I mean or mean
what I say. Still I can make myself pleasant to a parcel of kids when I
choose; I can let them off some of their little rows, and I can help
them to some better sport than all this tomfoolery about getting up a
crack eleven and winning all the school prizes. Ainger won't like it,
but I fancy I can sail close enough to the wind not to give him a chance
of being down on me. And as for Railsford--the snob--if he interferes,
well, I can take it out of him in a way he don't suspect. What a
hypocrite the fellow must be to do a thing like that, and come here
smiling and talk about making this the crack house of Grandcourt! Bah!"

And the righteous soul of Felgate waxed hot within him, and he set
himself to consider how, with least risk to himself, and most mischief
to everyone else, he could drive a wedge into the project of his
colleagues, and make to himself a party in Railsford's. He passed in
review the various rules of the house, to discover someone on which he
might possibly found a grievance. For your man who sets himself to make
a party must have a grievance. He fancied he had discovered just what
he wanted in the time-honoured rule about compulsory cricket. Every boy
was obliged to show up in the cricket-field three times a week, whether
he liked it or not. There were very few boys in Railsford's, as Felgate
knew, who did not like it; but he fancied for all that he could make
something out of the rule.

He began by breaking it himself. He knew that no one would be
particularly concerned on his account, for he was an indifferent player,
and also a prefect might on a pinch excuse himself. After a week's
abstention, during which, rather to his disappointment, no notice was
taken of his defection, he began to talk about it to one and another of
the more studious boys of the house, boys very keen on winning the
school prizes at the end of the term for which they were entered.
Sherriff of the Fifth was one of these, and, much as he liked cricket,
he was bemoaning one day having to turn out into the fields just when he
wanted to finish a knotty problem in trigonometry.

"Don't go," said Felgate. "Surely no one has a right to spoil your
chance of a scholarship for a musty old school rule that ought to have
been abolished a century ago."

"It's not a bad rule on the whole, I fancy," said Sherriff; "but it
comes a little rough on me just now."

"My dear fellow, we're n