the thought of his own
honesty and solvency. If only everybody in the world paid their debts
as he did, what a happy state of things it would be for the country!

So, as I said, Loman looked forward to the football match in quite good
spirits, just as a man who has been working hard and anxiously for
eleven long months looks forward to his well-earned summer holiday.
Things were looking up with him, and no mistake.

And then, just like his luck, the Doctor had that same day made the
announcement, already referred to, of another scholarship to be competed
for directly after Christmas. It was for Sixth form boys under
seventeen, and he meant to go in for it! True, this scholarship was
only for twenty pounds for a single year, but that was something. As
far as he could see, Wraysford, who would get his move up at Christmas,
would be the only man in against him, if he did go in, and he fancied he
could beat Wraysford. For in the Nightingale exam he had not really
tried his best, but this time he would and astonish everybody.
Greenfield would scarcely go in for this exam, even if he got his move
up; it was safe to conclude his recent exploit would suffice him in the
way of exams, for some time to come.

And then, what could be more opportune than its coming off just after
Christmas, at the precise time when Cripps would be looking for a final
settlement of his account, or whatever little of it remained still to
pay! Oh, dear! oh, dear! What a thing it is to be straight and honest!
Everything prospers with a man when he goes in for being honest! Why,
Loman was positively being bathed in luck at the present time!

The Saturday came at last. Stansfield had drilled his men as well as he
could during the interval, and devoutly hoped that he had got a
respectable team to cope with the Landfield fellows. If he could only
have been sure of his half-back he would have been quite happy; and
never a practice passed without his growling louder than ever at the
disgraceful custom of sending useful behind-scrimmage men to Coventry.
At the last moment he decided to give the responsible post to Loman,
rather than move forward Wraysford from his position at "back"; and
Loman's usual place at quarter-back was filled up by young Forrester of
the Fourth, greatly to that young gentleman's trepidation and to the
exultation of the Fourth Senior as a body, who felt terrifically puffed
up to have one of their men actually in the first f