e--and Phil--from our promise of secrecy regarding the football-match
accident. His reply comforted me, and I knew that, come what might, I
had a thunderbolt in my pocket in Aspinall's letter, which could knock
Acton off the Captain's chair if he tried for that blissful seat.

I told him so, to save trouble later on, and he heard me out with a far
from pretty sneer, which, however, did not quite conceal his chagrin.
But though I made sure of his being out of the hunt, I could not make
sure of Phil being elected, and in a short time Mivart was mentioned
casually as the likeliest fellow to take my place. I have nothing
whatever to say against Mivart; he was a good fellow, but he was not
quite up to Phil's level.

Phil knew of these subterranean workings of his enemy, but he was too
proud a fellow to try and make any headway against the mining.

"If they elect Mivart they will elect a good man, that is all, though
I'd give a lot, old man, to take your place."

Thus things went on until Lord's came and ended in the usual draw.
Phil's selection of the Eleven was in every way satisfactory, and his
score for first wicket had made St. Amory's safe from defeat, but,
despite all, his unpopularity was pronounced.

The election was going to take place in a week, and Mivart, thanks to
Acton's careful "nursing," was evidently going to romp home in the
election with something like a sixteen to four majority. Vercoe
determined to propose Phil, and Baines was only too delighted to second
it; but Phil's cronies had no more hope of his success than Phil had
himself.

CHAPTER XXIX

WHY BIFFEN'S LOST

After the Lord's match there were two burning subjects of conversation:
Who should be captain in my place? and which house should be the cock
house at cricket? Every house captain looked with dread upon the house
of Corker, great alike at cricket and footer, and it was agreed that
very probably Phil Bourne would once more lead his men on to victory.
Biffen's house did not stand much chance, for there was no superlative
Acton at cricket; but it was, indeed, mainly through his efforts that
Biffen's was as good as it was. You may remember that Acton had taken
under his patronage those dark-skinned dervishes, Singh Ram and Runjit
Mehtah. They were unquestionably the best pair of fellows in the school
in strictly gymnastic work; and when summer came they showed that they
would, sooner or later, do something startling with the bat.