disappointments to many an enthusiastic and deserving cricketer.

Our heroes, being juniors, were of course out of it, and they warmly
adopted the indignation of the Den against the gross tyranny of
excluding the rising generation from taking part in the great school
event.

But Dick was not a youth whose inmost soul could be satisfied with mere
indignation. If a thing struck him as unjust, the desire to rid himself
of the injustice took possession of him at the same time.

"Georgie," said he to Heathcote, the day before the match, "it's all
rot! We _must_ go, I tell you."

"How can we? We should get bowled out, to a certainty, before we
started."

"But, Georgie, it's no end of a day, fellows say; you get put up like
lords at Grandcourt, and the spread afterwards is something
scrumptious."

"Yes, but what chance should we stand of that when every one will know
we're mitching?"

"Oh, they wouldn't say anything if once we got there. I tell you, old
man, I'd risk a good bit to do it. Think of the crow we'd have at the
next Den."

"How should we get over, though?"

"Oh, I know some of the Fourth. They might smuggle us into their trap,
or we could hang on somehow. Bless you! the fellows will be too festive
to notice us. What do you say?"

"All right; I'm on to try it," said Heathcote, not feeling very
sanguine.

"Right you are. Keep it quiet, I say, and come down to 'Tub' early to-
morrow."

Which being arranged, the two dissemblers went down and addressed a
monster meeting of the Den, denouncing everybody and vowing vengeance on
the oppressor.

At "Tub time" next morning, Dick met his friend with a radiant face.

"It's all right," said he; "I've been over to the Mews and had a look at
the traps, and one of them's got a bar underneath we can easily hang on
to."

"Rather a grind hanging on to a bar for two hours!" suggested Heathcote.

"Bless you! that won't hurt. Besides, we might get a lift further on;
in fact, one of the coachmen said for five bob he'd stow us away in the
boot."

"That would be less dusty," said Heathcote; "but--"

"Look here," said Dick eagerly, as he and his friend stood side by side
on the spring-board ready for a plunge, "what howling asses we are! Of
course all the fellows will go on the top of the omnibuses, so if we cut
round to the stables directly after breakfast, we can stow ourselves
away inside one, under the seat, and then we shall have it all to
ourselves.