ound it an expensive amusement and became extremely
unpopular with the tenants of the neighbouring pitch.

He never sulked if he were 'knocked off,' an unusual trait in a house
captain and a cause of popularity with his team. And the fielders knew
that he only pretended to mind when catches were dropped: Martin was
incapable of being ruffled by a mere game. As a result the eleven
played keenly and with efficiency. Though Berney's had only one man,
Rayner, in the school eleven they succeeded in reaching the final of
the Cock House matches. They were to play, just before the end of
term, their old enemy, Randall's.

Martin now became thoroughly engrossed in cricket. He neglected to
work for one or two school prizes, but he knew that he could get a
leaving scholarship without difficulty. Thus he became a more
prominent figure in the house and was, on the whole, much happier than
in the days of reading and thinking. He abandoned Wells the social
theorist for Wells the fantastic romancer and combined _Wisden's
Almanac_ with Arnold Bennett for his literature in prep-time. He knew
now that he couldn't bowl googlies at all: on the house pitches it
depended on the lie of the land which way the ball broke. But he kept
up the fraud for his own amusement, and continued to take the wickets
to which his confidence entitled him.

The school were laying five to one on Randall's, who had far the better
record and were as usual a hard-hitting, level, ugly lot. Berney's won
the toss and only made a hundred and thirty on a good wicket. Martin's
first ball bumped a little and he poked it into slip's hands: Rayner
made twelve and was run out. The runs were made by Martin's small
proteges, who scored by fluky shots over and through the slips. It was
a disgraceful display. Randall's knocked up two hundred and fifty.
Martin was bowling unusually well and consequently never looked like
taking a wicket. The batsmen played forward correctly and stayed for
hours. Even when in despair he tossed up the most tempting
half-volleys, they were content to play him along the ground for one.
Randall's never risked anything when a cup was at stake.

In the second innings Rayner put up a fine century and Martin made a
pleasing thirty: had he resisted the temptation to cut "the
uncuttable," he would have stayed in and served his house better. But
Martin could not play cricket in that spirit. The rest did little this
time and Randall's was