ther boys at once stepped into the circle as
competitors, and threw off their jackets.

"You must go in for this, Walter," said Henderson. "You're sure to get
it."

"Not I. I won't go in, Flip," said Walter, who was naturally in a
desponding mood, as he looked round on those four hundred faces, and saw
among them all scarcely one sympathising glance. "_You_ go in and win.
And never mind talking to me up here, Henderson; it can't be pleasant
for you, I know, when all the other fellows are cutting me."

"Pooh! Walter. _They're_ in the wrong box; not you and I. `Athanasius
contra mundum,' as Power says. Do go in for the prize."

Walter shook his head gloomily. "I don't like to, before all these
fellows. They'd hiss me or something."

"Well, if _you_ won't, _I_ won't; that's flat."

"O do, Henderson. I'm sure you'd get it. Don't ask me to go in, that's
a good fellow."

"None but these four going in for the little jump? What, only four?"
said one of the young athletes, who carried little blue flags, and
arranged the preliminaries. "Come in some more of you."

"Here are two more," said Henderson; "stick down our names--Henderson
and Evson"; and pulling Walter forward with him inside the circle, he
sat down and began to take off his shoes, that he might run and jump
more easily on the turf.

Thus prominently mentioned, Walter could hardly draw back, so putting
the best face on it he could, he, too, flung off his jacket and shoes.

The movable spar of wood over which the boys jumped was first put at a
height of three feet, which they could all easily manage, and the six,
one after another, cleared it lightly. Even then, however, it was
pretty easy to judge by their action which was the best jumper, and the
connoisseurs on the field at once decided that the chance lay between
Henderson and Walter; Walter was by far the most active and graceful
jumper, but Henderson had the advantage of being a little the taller of
the two.

The spar was raised half an inch each time, and when it had attained the
height of three feet and a half, two of the candidates failed to clear
it after three trials.

Bliss was the next to break down. His awkward jumps had excited a great
deal of laughter, and when he finally failed, Henderson found time even
then to begin a line or two of his monody on Blissidas, which was a
standing joke against poor Bliss, who always met it by the same
invariable observation of "I'll lick you