George's day of pleasure commenced. He hammered and chopped and
sawed like any workman toiling for his bread till eight o'clock, which
was the hour for breakfast, when, being somewhat hot and tired, he was
not very sorry to hear the summons to a good plateful of bread and
butter, and a fine sweet draught of new milk. Young spirits are soon
refreshed, and George did not sit long at his breakfast; the meal was
soon despatched, and George again was out of doors and in his toolhouse.
Hither Ellen had accompanied him for a few minutes to see the wickets
completed, and, when finished, she had left him, longing to make one of
the party who were now assembling to their play, and with whom she left
him to return into the house, and join her mother in the drawing-room.

[Illustration: _Hither Ellen accompanied him to see the wickets
completed.--Page 186._]

The boys soon began to play, and for some time the game went on very
well--all was high good humour; but George was the least of the party,
and not having played so frequently, and not being so strong, did not
get as many notches as many of his companions. At school he had been
more accustomed to play with less boys, and perhaps with boys even less
than himself, where he was the best player of the set, and he could not
help feeling mortified now that he found himself the worst player, and
not being able to keep in at all against boys who played with so much
more skill than he did. Sometimes he would not have minded this, but the
day was very hot, George had risen early, began to be tired, and, as the
truth must be told on these occasions, rather cross and pettish. Several
games had been played, all of which had been won by the set of boys of
the side opposite to that of George, for as four of the lads with whom
he played were good players, and the fifth, Tom Fletcher, a much better
player than George, the consequence was that Tom and his two companions
were always on the successful side. One of the best players, Charles
Wilson, then proposed to make an alteration in the sides; he asked
George to come over to him and his companions, and let Tom Fletcher take
his place; 'And then we shall see,' he added, 'which plays the best, you
or Tom.'

'Oh, you think you know already,' said George, not in the best of
humours, and throwing down his bat. 'I don't want to play at all, and I
know I go for nothing.'

'The young man is up,' said Wilson's companion, Stevens. 'Never mind,
let h