,
Did the dying so refuse to die,
Or the winning so hardly win."

"My dear Jonathan, I'm delighted to see you. You know my father, I
think?" It was the Caterpillar that spoke.

John shook hands with Colonel Egerton.

The three were standing in the Members' Enclosure at Lord's. The
Caterpillar, gorgeous in frock-coat, with three corn-flowers[1] in the
lapel of it, was about as great a buck as his sire, quite as conspicuous,
and, seemingly, as cool. It happened to be a blazing hot day, but heat
seldom affected Colonel Egerton.

"By Jove," he said to John, "I'm told it's a certainty this year, and
I've come early, too early for me, to see a glorious victory. There's
civil war raging on the top of the Trent coach, I give you my word."

"We've won the toss," said John.

"Ah, there's Charles Desmond, an early bird too."

He bustled away, leaving John and the Caterpillar together. The great
ground in front of them was being cleared. One could see, through the
few people scattered here and there, the wickets pitched in the middle of
that vast expanse of lawn, and the umpires in their long white coats.
Upon the top of the steps, in the middle of the pavilion, the Eton
captain was collecting his Eleven. The Duffer, who had got his Flannels
at the last moment, came up and joined John and the Caterpillar.

"The Manor's well to the front," said the Caterpillar. "By Jove! I
never thought to see Fluff in the Eleven."

"Fluff came on tremendously this term," the Duffer replied.

"Of course the Kinlochs are a cricketing family."

"Good joke the brothers playing against each other," said John.

"Warde," the Duffer nodded in the direction of Warde, who was talking
with Charles Desmond and Colonel Egerton, "has worked like a slave. He
made a cricketer out of Fluff and a scholar out of Jonathan. He's so mad
keen to see us win, that he's given me the jumps."

"You must keep cool," the Caterpillar murmured. "I've just come from the
Trent coach. Fluff has it from the brother who is playing that the Eton
bowling is weak. But Strathpeffer, the eldest son, tells me the batsmen
are stronger than last year. He seemed anxious to bet; so we have a
fiver about it. They're taking the field."

The Eton Eleven walked towards the wicket, loudly cheered. Caesar came
up in his pads, carrying his bat and gloves. He shook hands with the
Caterpillar, and said, with a groan, that he had to take the first ball.

"Keep