And Robarts raised his bat, prepared for a good swipe if the
ball came within reach, which he did not much expect.

Buller measured his distance, took a short run, and sent the ball in
with the energy begotten of long mugging at algebra on a fine afternoon.
Every muscle in his body seemed to long for violent exertion; the pent-
up strength in him, like steam, demanded an outlet, and, with his hand
rather higher than the shoulder, he sent the ball in with a will.

"By Jove! that was straight enough, and a hot one too!" exclaimed
Robarts, who had only just managed to block it. "It made my hands
tingle."

The two others delivered their balls, which were hit away right and
left, and then Buller came again with another which had to be blocked.
The other bowlers who had been playing, and were going in again
presently, were glad to stop and leave Buller to work away alone, which
he did in a deliberate, determined manner, proving that his first
attempts were not chance shots. Twice he sent the wickets down, and
once, when the ball was driven back to him, he caught it with the left
hand, high up.

"Well," said Robarts when he was called away to go and field, "and you
are the fellow they called a duffer! Why, it is like magic! Were you
playing dark last year, or what?"

"No; but I have been practising."

"You have practised to some purpose, then. If you could only vary your
bowling a little more you would be very dangerous. You see, if you
always send the same sort of ball, a fellow knows how to meet it after a
bit."

Robarts as an all-round player was only reckoned inferior to Crawley,
and his words of approval were very gratifying to Buller, who felt
himself a step nearer one particular goal. He did not indulge in
daydreams, however, not being of an imaginative disposition. The actual
difficulty which he had to master at the time took up all his thoughts
and energies, and the distant object to be attained, though never
absolutely lost sight of, was never dwelt upon or brooded over.

He at once looked about for someone else to bowl for, and found his
particular chum, Penryhn, who, after fagging out through the heat of the
day, had gone to the wicket with the sun in his eyes, and been clean
bowled the first ball.

"Will you really bowl for me?" he said eagerly in reply to Buller's
offer. "What a good fellow you are!"

"Why? for doing what I want? That is laying in a stock of good works
cheap. You won't mi