heir straws--[those were the Denhamby
colours]--and two big London fellows. The schoolboys won the toss, and
the fair one served first. He put in a very hot service just over the
net, which broke sharp as it fell, and bothered the Londoners
completely. The dark hand-in played close up to the net, and was very
neat in the way he picked up balls and smashed them over."

Harry paused and looked doubtfully at me for a moment, and then went on.

"The schoolboys pulled off the first three games, and then the Londoners
scored a game, owing to the wind. A large crowd collected to see the
match, and shouts of `Well put over!' greeted the schoolboys on every
hand. The Londoners didn't score another game in the first set, and
scored nothing in the second.

"The crowd became thicker and thicker every moment. In the last game
the fair schoolboy spun a ball into the far left-hand corner, which the
Londoner could not reach, and the match ended in a glorious victory for
the two schoolboys, who, apparently unaware of the cheers of the crowd,
walked home arm-in-arm as if nothing had happened.

"On their way they met a runaway horse, and loud cries of `Take care!'
`Get out of the way!' met them on all sides. A nursemaid was wheeling a
child across the road at that moment, and quick as thought the fair boy
sprang at the horse and brought him to a standstill just in time. The
crowd seeing it, rushed with a great cheer to the young hero, but he
seeing it, took his friend's arm and walked on as if nothing had
happened.

"`What are you so pale for?' asked his friend.

"`Oh, nothing very much. I have broken my arm; but it really doesn't
matter much.'

"While he spoke he fainted, and if it had not been for his friend, might
have fallen.

"Meanwhile the baby, left to herself in the perambulator in the middle
of the road, began to cry, which attracted the notice of Vixen, who,
seeing she was a nice child, went and lifted her out of her
perambulator, and put her in her cradle on her organ while nobody was
looking, and took her to her home."

"`Whose home?' I asked.

Harry did not condescend to notice this interruption. He may have
guessed I was jealous. All that about the heroic fair boy had been
taking an unfair advantage of me, and I think he knew it. For I was of
a dark complexion! His narrative went on to describe a fight in the
organ-grinder's lodgings, and a burglary, followed by a fire at the
residence of the paren