omething," I
took my place mechanically, and lost my wicket to the first ball. We
made a wretched score, and the strangers went in exultingly. In spite of
Hanmer's steady bowling, they got runs pretty fast; and an easy catch
came into my hands just as Clara appeared on the ground, and I lost all
consciousness of what I was about. Again the same opportunity offered,
and again my eyes were wandering among the tents. Hanmer got annoyed,
and said something not over civil: I was vexed myself that my
carelessness should be the cause of disappointment twice, and yet more
than half-inclined to quarrel with Branling, whom I overheard muttering
about my "cursed awkwardness." We were left in a fearful minority at
the close of the first innings, when we retired to dinner. The Glyndewi
party and their friends were evidently disappointed. I tried to avoid
Clara; but could not keep far from her. At last she came up with one of
her brothers, spoke and shook hands with me, said that her brother had
told her I was not well, and that she feared I ought not to have played
at all. "I wish you could have beat them, Mr Hawthorne--I had bet that
you would; perhaps you will feel better after dinner; those kind of
headaches soon wear off," she added with a smile and a kind look, which
I understood as she meant it. I walked into the tent where we were to
dine: I sat next a little man on the opposite side, an Englishman, one
of their best players, as active as a monkey, who had caught out three
of our men in succession. He talked big about his play, criticised
Willingham's batting, which was really pretty, and ended by discussing
Clara Phillips, who was, he said, "a demned fine girl, but too much of
her." I disliked his flippancy before, but now my disgust to him was
supreme. I asked the odds against us, and took them freely. There was
champagne before me, and I drank it in tumblers. I did what even in my
undergraduate days was rarely my habit--I drank till I was considerably
excited. Hanmer saw it, and got the match resumed at once to save me, as
he afterwards said, "from making a fool of myself." I insisted, in
spite of his advice, "to cool myself," upon going in first. My flippant
acquaintance of the dinner-table stood _point_, and I knew, if I could
but see the ball, and not see more than one, that I could occasionally
"hit square" to some purpose. I had the luck to catch the first ball
just on the rise, and it cut my friend _point_ off his legs