What I mean to know is, do they any of them appreciate the
distinction between a Whig (or, as Mr Riddell terms it, a Liberal)--"

Riddell winced.

"--Between a Whig and a Radical?"

"Oh, certainly not," replied Bloomfield, wildly. "And yet you say that
they decidedly attached a true importance to the issue of the contest?
That is very extraordinary!"

And Mrs Patrick rose majestically to take her seat at the table,
leaving Bloomfield writhing and turned mentally inside out, to recover
as best he could from this interesting political discussion!

"The Rockshire match was a great triumph," said the doctor, cheerily, as
the company established itself at the festive board--"and a surprise
too, surely--was it not?"

"Yes, sir," said Fairbairn, who, seeing that Bloomfield was not yet in a
condition to discourse, felt it incumbent on him to reply--"we never
expected to win by so much."

"It was quite an event," said the doctor, "the heads of the three houses
all playing together in the same eleven."

"Yes, sir," replied Fairbairn, "Bloomfield here was most impartial."

Bloomfield said something which sounded like "Not at all."

"I was especially glad to see the Welchers coming out again," said the
doctor, with a friendly nod to Riddell.

"Yes," said Fairbairn, who appeared to be alarmingly at his ease; "and
Welch's did good service too; that catch of Riddell's saved us a wicket
or two, didn't it, Bloomfield?"

"Yes," replied Bloomfield.

"Was Rockshire a specially weak team this year?" asked the doctor.

"I don't think so, sir," replied Fairbairn, politely handing the toast
to Miss Stringer as he spoke; "but they evidently weren't so well
together as our men."

"And what, Mr Fairbairn," asked Miss Stringer at this point, in her
most stately tones--"what, pray, is the exact meaning of the expression
`well together,' as applied to a company of youths?"

Bloomfield and Riddell groaned inwardly for their comrade. They had
seen what was coming, and had marked his rash approach to the mouth of
the volcano with growing apprehension. They had been helpless to hold
him back, and now his turn was come--he had met his fate.

So, at least, they imagined. What, then, was their amazement when he
turned not a hair at the question, but replied, stirring his tea
complacently as he did so, "You see, each of the Rockshire men may have
been a good cricketer, and yet if they had not been used to playing
together, as our fe