, as if those three runs had settled
the fate of Willoughby. But his sigh was abruptly turned into a cheer
when next moment the Rockshire man's wicket tumbled all of a heap, and
one of the foe was out for three.

Willoughby began to breathe again. When they had seen those two
portentous heroes go in, the prospect of their ever going out had seemed
fearfully remote. But now, if one man was got rid of for only three
runs, why should not ten men go for only thirty? At which arithmetical
discovery the school immediately leapt from the depths of despondency to
the heights of confidence, and considered the match as good as won
before it was fairly begun.

However, during the next half-hour they had time to seek the happy mean
between the two extremes. The newcomer was a tough customer, and should
certainly have gone in first. For he was one of those aggravating
batsmen who keep a steady bat at everything, who never aspire to a slog,
never walk out to a slow, never step back to a yorker, are never too
soon for a lob, or too late for a shooter--in fact, who play the safe
plodding game in the face of all temptation.

The one comfort was, he did not make many runs. Still, this sort of
business is demoralising for bowlers and slow for the field, and a
change of bowlers was consequently decided upon after about half an
hour's play, when the score was at twenty-one.

Game and Porter were the two new hands, the latter being the first to
officiate with a very neat maiden over, loudly cheered from the school
tent. Game who followed, was not so fortunate. The Rockshire man who
had gone in first cut him hard for three on his second ball--the first
hard hit of the match. And this the steady man followed up with a quiet
two neatly placed between point and mid-off. Then came another ball,
which the same player turned off sharply into the slips.

It was a fairly difficult ball to field, but Riddell picked it up
smartly and returned it to the wickets in time to prevent a run being
made.

"Well fielded indeed, sir!" cried Wyndham's voice from the tent. Little
thought he how strangely those words of encouragement missed their mark.
Riddell had just been forgetting his trouble and warming up to the
game, and now they came once more to remind him of that hated knife and
Tom the boat-boy's story.

The next ball the Rockshire man also "slipped," but this time, though it
was within easier reach, and for a first-rate fielder was e