to silence that villain Slam, and I will go and see him
the first chance. It will be all right if you only hold your tongue.
And now look sharp and let us change and go and play football; there's
lots of time."

They had reached their own rooms by this, and Edwards did what Saurin
told him, wondering, but partly reassured; and in a few minutes they
were on their way to the football field, where they were hailed by their
own house and paired off on different sides.

Saurin had sulkily retired from all the school sports for some time, and
the boys wondered at the energy with which he now rushed into the game.
The fact was he felt the necessity for violent exertion to escape
reflection and drown thought in fatigue. He could not do it, but he
succeeded in regaining the mastery over his nerves, his looks, his
speech. As for Edwards, he played more listlessly than usual; and the
thought occurred to several that afternoon that if Saurin would only
take up regular practice again he would be a greater source of strength
to the house team than Edwards. And they wanted to be as strong as
possible, for the match with the doctor's house was approaching, and
they feared that they were a little overmatched.

That evening a good many boys were assembled in Dr Jolliffe's pupil-
room to hear the reports concerning the cricket and football clubs,
which were really one, as the same subscribers belonged to both, and it
was only for clearness and to avoid confusion of accounts that they were
treated separately; besides that, one boy could not always be found to
undertake, like Crawley, the management of both. There were the
committees, and besides them a sprinkling of the curious, who did not
care to listen to the debit and credit accounts, but had the Anglo-Saxon
instinct for attending public meetings of any kind, so that the room,
though not half full, contained a respectable audience, when Crawley
with his japanned box in his hand entered, and went to the place
reserved for him at the head of the table.

"I have not a long story to tell you," he said, producing his keys and
inserting one in the lock of the box. "Fellows have paid up pretty
well, and we are rather in funds. The principal expense has been a new
roller which we were obliged to have, the old one being quite worn out,
and besides, as many of you have often observed, not heavy enough.
Indeed the committee have been blamed rather severely by enthusiastic
cricketers on