good a stand as the Grandcourt
captain, and began to lay down the law to his hearers as to how this man
should have taken one ball and that man "drawn" another, till he became
quite amusing, and was recognised for the first time by several of his
schoolfellows.

However, the general interest in the match was still too keen to give
him the notoriety his indiscretion deserved; and lulled by his apparent
immunity and the luxury of his present circumstances, he, like Dick,
quite forgot he had no right to be where he was, and even expostulated
with Duffield for squashing him and interfering with his view.

Grandcourt went out for a miserable 80; of which 30 had been put on by
one man. Of course they had to follow on, and as the time was short, it
was agreed to curtail the usual interval, and finish up the match
straight away.

So Grandcourt went in again, and although it fared somewhat better, was
still unable to stem the tide of defeat. With 135 to get in order to
avoid a single innings defeat, it was only natural they did not settle
down to their task very cheerfully or hopefully. Pledge still sent down
a ruthless fire from one end; and seemed even to improve with exercise.
Nor was he badly backed up at the other end by Cresswell; while
Mansfield, at the wicket, and Ponty, at point, seemed, as it were, to
help themselves to the ball off the end of the bat, whenever they liked.
By painful, plodding hard work, Grandcourt put up their hundred, and it
spoke well for the chivalry of the victorious seventy, that they cheered
the three figures as loudly as any one.

It was uphill work trying to hold out for the remaining 35 runs. But
the losers were Englishmen, and long odds brought out their good
qualities. With solemn, almost ferocious, faces, the two last men in
clung to their bats, and blocked, blocked, blocked, stealing now a bye,
pilfering now a run out of the slips, and once or twice getting on the
right side of a lob with a swipe that drew the hearts of Templeton into
their mouths.

A score of runs did those two add on to their hundred, and the seventy
groaned as the chances of a single innings victory dwindled run by run.

"Most frightful soak if they do us," said Dick, addressing the audience
generally. "Why don't they try Mansfield?"

"Shut up. Lie down under the seat, and don't talk to me," said Hooker,
flushed with excitement.

"Pledge has bowled four maidens running," said Heathcote, determined
that