only able
but would have been most willing to solve his difficulty, but he
dreaded the inevitable confession of his ignorance. They would be kind
enough, he was sure of that, but would they make game of his ignorance
afterwards? Would they _talk_?

He was pretty sure they would.

Eloquent hated talk. Grantly and Buz Ffolliot had each recognised and
admired that quality in him, and it is possible that he had vaguely
discerned a kindred reticence in these feather-brained boys.

He distrusted all his political allies in Marlehouse in this matter of
the kick-off.

Why then should Grantly Ffolliot occur to him as a person able and
likely to help him in this dilemma?

He was pretty sure that Grantly played football. Soldiers did these
things, and Grantly was going to be a soldier. A soldier, in
Eloquent's mind, epitomised all that was useless, idle, luxurious, and
destructive. Mr Gallup and his friends had disapproved of the
Transvaal War; our reverses did not affect them personally, for they
had no friends at the front, and our long-deferred victories left them
cold. The flame of Eloquent's enthusiasm was fanned at school, only to
be quenched at home by the wet blanket of his father's disapproval.
Sturdy Miss Gallup snapped at them both, and knitted helmets and
mittens and sent socks and handkerchiefs and cocoa to the Redmarley men
in South Africa; and her brother gave her the socks and handkerchiefs
out of stock, but under protest.

Eloquent knew no soldiers, either officers or in the ranks. He had
been taught to look upon the private as almost always drawn from the
less reputable of the working classes, and although he acknowledged
that officers might, some of them, be hard-working and intelligent, he
was inclined to regard them with suspicion.

Suppose he did ask Grantly Ffolliot about this ridiculous kick-off, and
Grantly went about making fun of him afterwards?

"Then I shall know," he said to himself. All the same it appeared to
him that Grantly Ffolliot was the only possible person _to_ ask.

It came about quite easily. One morning he was coming down the steps
of the bank in Marlehouse and saw Grantly on horseback waiting at the
curb till someone should turn up to hold his horse while he went in.
He had ridden in to cash a cheque for his mother. The main street was
very empty and no available loafer was to be seen.

As Grantly caught sight of Eloquent descending the steps he smiled his
charming