But he never dreamed of resigning on that account; he
had undertaken these duties, and would go on with them without
grumbling. Perhaps he had the feeling which energetic folk who are
accustomed to other people leaning on them are naturally apt to acquire,
that things would get into a muddle without him. However he had got in
the subscriptions, docketed his papers, and prepared everything for the
meeting that evening, and the last finishing stroke being put, he locked
all up in the japanned box which he kept in his room, with "Weston
Cricket Club" neatly painted on it in white letters, changed his clothes
for flannels, and ran out to the football field.

He had not been gone a quarter of an hour before Saurin and Edwards
approached the house on their visit to Gould, who was also an inmate of
Dr Jolliffe's. They had chosen that time in order to find him alone,
for he had had a slight sprain of the ankle--not enough to lay him up
altogether, but sufficient to prevent his playing at football; and as he
was rather glad than otherwise of an excuse to sit in with a novel, the
chances were that he was now so occupied. It was a fine March day, with
a bright sun and a cold east wind--not high enough to be unpleasant
though, unless you dawdled about. When they came to the side-door which
led to the boys' part of the house, which was a separate block of
buildings from the doctor's residence, though joined to and
communicating with it, Saurin stopped and said: "I think perhaps you had
better wait here for me; I shall get on better with him alone."

"All right!" replied Edwards with a feeling of relief, for he dreaded
the interview with Gould beyond measure. It is nervous work to ask
anyone to lend you money, unless you are quite hardened. Saurin felt
that too; it was a bitter pill for his pride to swallow, with the
prospect on one side of a refusal and on the other of being subjected to
insolent airs of superiority, for Gould was not the fellow to grant a
favour graciously. But he had a stronger will than Edwards, and the
situation made extreme measures necessary.

He entered the passage alone, then, and mounted the staircase, not
meeting anyone. Dead stillness pervaded the house except for the trills
of a canary at the far end of the second landing. Crawley's door was
open as he passed, and he saw his clothes strewn about over a couple of
chairs and the japanned box standing in a corner by his bureau. Saurin
passed