s, sir."

"You are wearing gym shoes? Are you not aware that gym shoes are not the
proper things to come to school in? Why are you wearing gym shoes?"

The form, leaning back against the next row of desks, settled itself
comfortably for the address from the throne.

"I have lost one of my shoes, sir."

A kind of gulp escaped from Mr. Downing's lips. He stared at Mike for a
moment in silence. Then, turning to Stone, he told him to start
translating.

Stone, who had been expecting at least ten minutes' respite, was taken
unawares. When he found the place in his book and began to construe, he
floundered hopelessly. But, to his growing surprise and satisfaction,
the form master appeared to notice nothing wrong. He said "Yes, yes,"
mechanically, and finally, "That will do," whereupon Stone resumed his
seat with the feeling that the age of miracles had returned.

Mr. Downing's mind was in a whirl. His case was complete. Mike's
appearance in gym shoes, with the explanation that he had lost a shoe,
completed the chain. As Columbus must have felt when his ship ran into
harbor, and the first American interviewer, jumping on board, said,
"Wal, sir, and what are your impressions of our glorious country?" so
did Mr. Downing feel at that moment.

When the bell rang at a quarter to eleven, he gathered up his gown and
sped to the headmaster.

24

THE ADAIR METHOD

It was during the interval that day that Stone and Robinson, discussing
the subject of cricket over a bun and ginger beer at the school shop,
came to a momentous decision, to wit, that they were fed up with the
Adair administration and meant to strike. The immediate cause of revolt
was early-morning fielding practice, that searching test of cricket
keenness. Mike himself, to whom cricket was the great and serious
interest in life, had shirked early-morning fielding practice in his
first term at Wrykyn. And Stone and Robinson had but a lukewarm
attachment to the game, compared with Mike's.

As a rule, Adair had contented himself with practice in the afternoon
after school, which nobody objects to; and no strain, consequently, had
been put upon Stone's and Robinson's allegiance. In view of the M.C.C.
match on the Wednesday, however, he had now added to this an extra dose
to be taken before breakfast. Stone and Robinson had left their
comfortable beds that day at six o'clock, yawning and heavy-eyed, and
had caught catches and fielded drives which, in the cool