Even Parson, sitting lazily in the stern, listening to
the Sixth Form gossip of the two rowers, forgot about his Caesar and
French verbs, and felt rather glad he had turned out after all.

The chief object of the present expedition was not pleasure by any means
as far as Bloomfield and Game were concerned. It was one of a series of
training practices in anticipation of the school regatta, which was to
come off on the second of June, in which the rival four-oars of the
three houses were to compete for the championship of the river. The
second of June was far enough ahead at present, but an old hand like
Bloomfield knew well that the time was all too short to lick his crew
into shape. Parrett's boat, by all ordinary calculation, ought to win,
for they had a specially good lot of men this year; and now Wyndham had
left, the schoolhouse boat would be quite an orphan. Bloomfield himself
was far away the best oar left in Willoughby, and if he could only get
Game to work off a little of his extra fat, and bully Tipper into
reaching better forward, and break Ashley of his trick of feathering
under water, he had a crew at his back which it would be hard indeed to
beat. This morning he was taking Game in hand, and that substantial
athlete was beginning to find out that "working off one's extra fat" in
a tub-pair on a warm summer morning is not all sport.

"I wonder if Tipper and Ashley will show, up," said Bloomfield, who was
rowing bow for the sake of keeping a better watch on his pupil. "They
promised they would. Ashley, you know--(do keep it up, Game, you're
surely not blowed yet)--Ashley's about as much too light as you are too
fat--(try a little burst round the corner now; keep us well out, young
'un)--but if he'll only keep his blade square till he's out of the
water--(there you go again! Of course you're hot; that's what I brought
you out for. How do you suppose you're to boil down to the proper
weight unless you do perspire a bit?)--he'll make a very decent bow.
Ah, there are Porter and Fairbairn in the schoolhouse tub--(you needn't
stop rowing, Game; keep it up, man; show them how you can spurt). I
never thought they'd try Porter in their boat. They might as well try
Riddell. Just shows how hard-up they must be for men. How are you?" he
cried, as the schoolhouse tub went clumsily past, both rowers looking
decidedly nervous under the critical eye of the captain of Parrett's.

Poor Game, who had been kept h