ought off a marvellous
one-handed catch, while Gordon stumped Felsted in his third over. After
an hour's play seven men were out for about ninety. The scorers were at
variance, so the exact score could not be discovered. There seemed a
reasonable chance of winning. And to his dying day Gordon will maintain
that they would have won but for that silly ass of an umpire,
FitzMorris. Bridges, the Buller's wicket-keep, was run out by yards;
there was no doubt about it. Everyone saw it. But long hours at the
laboratory had made it very hard for FitzMorris to concentrate his brain
on anything for a long time; he was happily dreaming, let us hope, of
carbon bisulphate, when the roar, "How's that?" woke him up. He had to
give the man "not out"; there was nothing else to do. Twenty minutes
later, with a scandalous scythe-stroke, Bridges made the winning hit.

"Never mind, your men put up a good fight; the luck was all on our
side," said "the Bull" to Caruthers. "Let's see, it's Sunday to-morrow,
isn't it? Well, on Monday, then, come round to the nets; you want to
practise getting that left foot across. Look here, just get your bat and
I'll toss you up one or two now at the nets!"

That night "the Bull," talking over the game with his side in the
dormitories, said: "That Caruthers, you know, he's a good man; sort of
fellow we want in the school. Can fight an uphill game. Got grit. He'll
make a lot of runs for the school some day."

On Monday Gordon saw his name down for nets with the Colts Eleven. Life
was good just then. If only Jeffries were there too....

CHAPTER VI: CLARKE

"Ferguson, the House is getting jolly slack; something's got to be
done."

Ferguson sat up in his chair. Clarke had been quiet nearly the whole of
hall; there was obviously something up.

"Oh, I don't know. Why, only a quarter of an hour ago I came across
Collins and Brown playing stump cricket in the cloisters instead of
studying Thucydides. That's what I call keenness."

"What did you say to them?"

"Oh, I've forgotten now, but it was something rather brilliant. I know
it was quite lost on them. The Shell can't appreciate epigram. They
ought to read more Wilde. Great book _Intentions_. Ever read it, Clarke?

"Oh, confound your Wildes and Shaws; that's just what I object to. Here
are these kids, who ought to be working, simply wasting their time,
thinking of nothing but games. Why, I was up in the House tutor's room
last night and was gl