u all know, there has been no love lost. But in
all the dreary business I have been the utter cad and Bourne the other
thing. He brought upon himself any amount of bad feeling because he
would not give me my 'footer' cap. I did not deserve it"--some one here
said "rot!" emphatically--"not because I wasn't good enough a player,
but for another reason, which, much as I should shy at telling you, I
would tell, only Bourne begged me not to. It is his and Carr's and
another fellow's secret as much as mine, so I feel I had better not say
it. But, believe me, in the business I was an utter cad, and instead of
bringing all that row about my cap upon Bourne's head, I ought to have
burned my boots, and never kicked a football again. There's another
matter, this time strictly between Bourne and self, in which I did him
as big an injury as one fellow can do another. He gave me a sound
thrashing for it on the morning that you fellows went away last term,
and Carr and Vercoe here assisted us in our little mill. No one ever
deserved a thrashing as I deserved that one, and now I'm glad I got it.
It was Bourne's only score against me. Fact is," said Acton, with a grim
smile, "I'd rather meet another Jarvis than Bourne."

The fellows opened their eyes, and wondered what next.

"This term I've worked the whole school, and especially you monitors,
against Bourne, to make his chance of getting the captaincy a very rocky
one. And I think I pretty well succeeded. You all liked Bourne before I
appeared on the scene, with good reason, and I do hope you will all give
him your votes, for, and I say it absolutely sure of its truth, the best
fellow in St. Amory's is Bourne. That is all I can say."

Mivart got up before the fellows had time to recover from their
astonishment, and said--

"I have great pleasure in seconding Acton's proposal. I, too, consider
Bourne out and out the best fellow to take Carr's place. Whilst Phil was
under a cloud I was willing to stand for captain, but since we all know
now that he stands where he did, the only proper thing to do is to give
him the unanimous vote, for I do not mean to stand at all."

The fellows blankly voted for Bourne, and, as Grim would be sure to say,
"the proposition was carried _nem. con_."

That evening Corker confirmed Phil's appointment, and I spent as happy
an evening as I can remember. Acton said he should not come back to St.
Amory's again, as his record was too black to be used as a co