December came with its dark mornings and steadily falling
rains. The First Fifteen matches were over. Dulbridge and Tonford had
both been beaten handsomely; Mansell had got his Firsts. The Colts drew
at Limborne, and finished their season with an overwhelming victory over
Weybridge. House games began again, and the Thirds and Two Cock became
the only possible topics of conversation. During the first half of the
term Hazelton, as was inevitable, had had to spend nearly all his time
in First Fifteen puntabouts and upper ground games. The House had seen
little of him. But now, with all the big matches over, and only the old
Fernhurstians' match to come on the last Saturday of the term, he had
time to devote all his energies to the training of house sides. If he
had not talked so much he would have been one of the strong, silent
Englishmen. For to all outward appearances he was taciturn,
unimaginative, self-willed. But he had a very nasty tongue, and never
hesitated to use it at the expense of his enemies. As a house captain he
was a distinct success. He knew the game well, and was able to inspire a
keenness that was not jingoistic. He also had the rare virtue of knowing
where to stop. He never made sides play on till they were speechless
with fatigue, as some over-enthusiastic house captains had been known to
do. He was very popular with his sides.

Every evening before hall there congregated in Gordon's study all the
old faces of his first year, with one or two new ones. Nowhere so easily
as at a Public School does one find oneself drifting apart from an old
acquaintance; not for any real reason, not for any quarrel, but merely
because circumstances seem to will it so. But when the thought of House
matches returned, the old lot came back together to fight their battles
over again, and to dream of the silver cups glittering below the statue
of Edward VI. They were all there: Hunter, who had seemed to pass almost
out of Gordon's life since he had begun to play in the Fifteen;
Mansell, who now spent much of his time with Hazelton; Betteridge, who
was more often than not with Harding. No. 1 Study was very convenient.
Roll was held just outside, and when the prefect's voice was heard
calling the first name the door would be flung open, and still reclining
in arm-chairs they shouted out the immemorial "sum." About five minutes
before the hour of roll-call juniors from the day-room and the farther
studies would begin to collect r