wrong?" he exclaimed, as he
observed his friend's dejected looks.

"I've been a turn on the river," replied Riddell, making a desperate
effort to recover his wits and look cheerful.

"You look every bit as if you were just starting there to drown
yourself," said Fairbairn; "but, I say, I've got a message for you."

"From whom?" inquired Riddell, who had had quite enough "messages"
during the last few days to last him for the rest of the term.

"You'd scarcely guess--from Bloomfield. The thing is, he has two places
yet to fill up in the eleven for Saturday, and he wants you to play for
one."

Despite his trouble, Riddell could hardly conceal a smile of pleasure at
this honour, which, though not exactly unexpected, he had hardly
realised till now.

"Oh, I say," said he, "I'm certain there are lots of better fellows."

"You may be quite sure if there had been Bloomfield would have picked
them up," said Fairbairn. "As it happens, we want a slip, and I heard
Bloomfield say himself that you are awfully good there. You seem to
have hidden your light under a bushel, old man, while in the
schoolhouse."

"I may have been lucky while Bloomfield was watching," said Riddell.

"All gammon. You needn't fancy he's doing this to compliment you, old
man. Game and that lot are awfully down on him about it. They'd like
to make up the team entirely of Parretts, but it seems they can't do
without us for once! Of course you'll play."

"Oh, yes," said Riddell; "he's captain of the eleven; I must."

"Hurrah. Well, you'll have to turn up at the Big practices, of course,
during the next three days. There's one at three this afternoon and
another at 6:30, and if you like to come down for an hour after first
school I'll give you some balls at the nets."

This was Tuesday. The Rockshire match was to come off on Saturday, and
between now and then, as Riddell well knew, every spare moment he could
call his own would have to be devoted to cricket.

Personally, with the burden of the secret of young Wyndham's knife upon
him, he would have been glad enough of some excuse for avoiding the
honour even of a place in the first eleven. But there was no such
excuse. On the contrary, his duty pointed clearly to his making the
best of the opportunity. As captain of the school, even a humble place
in the first eleven would be an undoubted gain to his influence; while
to Welch's--demoralised Welch's--the knowledge that once more one of