ork; but Mr. Blake understood the cause, and set the same
lessons over again for Monday.

It was the first real match most of the players had taken part in, and
as they stood on the ground waiting for their opponents to arrive, every
one was trembling with excitement. The only exception was the
goal-keeper, who leaned with his back against the wall, cracking nuts,
and remarking that he "wished they'd hurry up and not keep us waiting
all day." At length there was a sound of voices in the lane, and
the next moment the enemy entered the field, headed by their
under-master, Mr. Fox. Young Noaks and Hogson pounced down at once upon
the practice ball, and began kicking it about with great energy,
shouting at the top of their voices, and evidently wishing to make an
impression on the spectators before the game began.

"I say," muttered Jacobs, "they're awfully big."

"Well, what does that matter?" answered Diggory, cracking another nut
and spitting out the shell. "They aren't going to eat us; and as for
that chap Noaks, he's all noise--look how he muffed that kick."

Mr. Blake tossed up. "Now, you fellows," he said, coming up to his
followers, "we play towards the road; get to your places, and remember
what I told you."

With young Noaks as centre forward, Hogson and Bernard on his right and
left, and other big fellows to complete the line of hostile forwards,
the home team seemed to stand no chance against their opponents.
The visitors bowled them over like ninepins, and rushed through their
first line of defence as though it never existed. But Mr. Blake stood
firm, and kept his ground like the English squares at Waterloo.
Attack after attack swept down upon him only to break up like waves on a
rock, and the ball came flying back with a shout of "Now, then! Get
away, Birches!" Twice the Horace House wing men got round Shaw, and put
in good shots; but Diggory saved them both, and was seen a moment later
calmly rewarding himself with another nut. Gradually, as the time
slipped away and no score was made, the Birchites began to realize that
being able to charge wasn't everything, and that their opponents could
do more with their shoulders than with their feet, and soon lost control
of the ball when bothered by the "halves." The play of the home eleven
became bolder--the forwards managed a run or two; and though the
Philistines had certainly the upper hand, yet it soon became obvious to
them that it was no mere "wa