corner of the
noble Marquess to prevent him from falling, fiddled about with the
ornaments a little, and then started washing herself. After putting on
her clothes she ate some bread-and-butter, swallowed a dishful of cold
tea, and went out into the street.

She saw some boys playing cricket and went up to them.

'Let me ply,' she said.

'Arright, Liza,' cried half a dozen of them in delight; and the
captain added: 'You go an' scout over by the lamp-post.'

'Go an' scout my eye!' said Liza, indignantly. 'When I ply cricket I
does the battin'.'

'Na, you're not goin' ter bat all the time. 'Oo are you gettin' at?'
replied the captain, who had taken advantage of his position to put
himself in first, and was still at the wicket.

'Well, then I shan't ply,' answered Liza.

'Garn, Ernie, let 'er go in!' shouted two or three members of the
team.

'Well, I'm busted!' remarked the captain, as she took his bat. 'You
won't sty in long, I lay,' he said, as he sent the old bowler fielding
and took the ball himself. He was a young gentleman who did not suffer
from excessive backwardness.

'Aht!' shouted a dozen voices as the ball went past Liza's bat and
landed in the pile of coats which formed the wicket. The captain came
forward to resume his innings, but Liza held the bat away from him.

'Garn!' she said; 'thet was only a trial.'

'You never said trial,' answered the captain indignantly.

'Yus, I did,' said Liza; 'I said it just as the ball was comin'--under
my breath.'

'Well, I am busted!' repeated the captain.

Just then Liza saw Tom among the lookers-on, and as she felt very
kindly disposed to the world in general that morning, she called out
to him:

''Ulloa, Tom!' she said. 'Come an' give us a ball; this chap can't
bowl.'

'Well, I got yer aht, any'ow,' said that person.

'Ah, yer wouldn't 'ave got me aht plyin' square. But a trial
ball--well, one don't ever know wot a trial ball's goin' ter do.'

Tom began bowling very slowly and easily, so that Liza could swing her
bat round and hit mightily; she ran well, too, and pantingly brought
up her score to twenty. Then the fielders interposed.

'I sy, look 'ere, 'e's only givin' 'er lobs; 'e's not tryin' ter git
'er aht.'

'You're spoilin' our gime.'

'I don't care; I've got twenty runs--thet's more than you could do.
I'll go aht now of my own accord, so there! Come on, Tom.'

Tom joined her, and as the captain at last resumed his bat and the
game w