icket to come
back with a "duck's egg," as we called it. Then Hodson went in and made
a stand, but a quarter of an hour later, the boy who faced him was
caught, and Burr major walked up to the tent, disappeared, and came out
again all in white, with a brand-new bat over his shoulder.

Just then Mercer, who had been round to the scorers, came back, and
stood watching Burr major as he marched off.

"Oh, I say," he said, "don't you wish you were in it, Frank?"

"Yes," I said, with a sigh. Then--"How's the game now?"

"We're a hundred behind 'em, and our fellows can't stand their bowling.
If Eely and Hodson don't make a big stand, we shall have a horrid
licking. Better?"

"Yes, a little," I said faintly, and then I lay watching the game, while
Mercer walked about--now going up to the empty tent where the boys'
clothes were, now coming back to me to talk about the game. Once he
went and lay down near the tent. Another time he went by it out of
sight, but he was soon back to see how I was, and off in the other
direction, this time to go right round the field and come back by the
tent, and throw himself down by my side.

"What do you think of it now? Oh, look! Hooray! hooray! Run! run!
run!" he roared, and then joined in the hand-clapping, for Hodson had
made a splendid leg hit, which brought us in four, and two more from an
overthrow.

This excited Tom Mercer to such an extent that he could not lie still,
but went off again in the direction of the tent, while I began to know
that I was better, from the interest I was able to take in the game.

Then, after seeing Burr major and Hodson make hit after hit, for they
were now well in, and punishing the bowling to a tremendous extent, I
began to think about how good-companion-like it had been of Mercer to
spoil his own pleasure so as to stay with me, and I lay there resting on
my elbow, watching him for a few minutes, as he stood close up to the
tent.

"Well, Burr junior, how's the head?" cried Mr Hasnip, strolling up with
Mr Rebble.

"A good deal better, sir," I replied, "but very far from well."

"You'll have to take a long night's rest before it will be quite right,"
said Mr Rebble. "By the way, Mrs Browne said I was to report how you
were, so that she could send you something to take if you did not seem
better."

"Oh, I'm ever so much better, sir!" I cried hastily, for I had a keen
recollection of one of the good lady's doses which she had prescribed,