had his fingers on the
pedestal of fame, and he intended never to loose his grasp. His position
had been obtained by brilliant football, and if he had been able to
retain it in the same way all would have been well. But the gods willed
it otherwise.

It was generally admitted that the House stood no chance of winning the
Two Cock, and when the House agreed on its own defeat, prospects were
certainly very gloomy. So Gordon only interested himself in his own
performances. He began to wonder if there was any chance of his getting
a place in the Three Cock. Simonds was undoubtedly pleased with him, and
Henry, the only forward senior to him, had been doing rather badly
lately. In the trial games he played with a mad enthusiasm. On the
Friday evening the Two Cock side was posted. He was above Lovelace and
Richards. Henry was only one above him.

Just before lunch on the day of the match Mansell came up to him.

"I say, I have got some good news for you."

"What is it?" Gordon was feverish with impatience.

"Well, I don't think I had better tell you."

"Oh, I say, do; don't be a swine."

"No, I don't think I shall; it would make you too bucked with life."
Mansell smiled at him kindly. Gordon was rather annoyed.

But on the way down to hall, he overheard Mansell talking to Tester in
the door of the changing-room.

"Simonds is going to play Caruthers in the Three Cock instead of Henry,
if he plays at all decently to-day," Mansell was saying.

"Oh, I am glad of that," Tester answered. "He's a good kid."

The earth swayed dizzily as Gordon made his way down to hall. He did not
feel at all nervous. He was quite certain of himself. The day was bound
to end with him a member of the House Fifteen. All he had to do was to
play his average game. Mansell had said so.

As he stepped on to the field, he was perfectly aware of his own
personality. He did not feel a sort of spectator, as he had done in the
Thirds. It was all so clear. He even smiled at Tester as he lined up.

But a Two Cock is very different from a Thirds. Men from Christy's were
playing who were shining lights on Senior Leagues, and who would easily
have got their Seconds if they had tried, but who, because they were in
Christy's, did not take the trouble. Christy's should have beaten
Buller's, but they were too slack to go into proper training, and in
spite of the brilliance of Dyke and Pemberton, Buller's won by six
points after being ten points behind at