and I pressed it quite heartily. It was no good
gloating over a man when he was down.

After this ceremony all waited for Salome to clinch proceedings,
which he did as offensively as possible by saying:

"Ee, bless me, my man, don't stand there idling all day. Go out at
once and establish order."

I went slowly down the stairs to the entrance, and, facing the
crowd, was greeted with a fire of questions: "Did you do it?" "What
did he say?" "How did he take it?" "Didn't you do it?"

"No," I said, and there was a temporary silence.

"Why not? Why not?"

"Because it wasn't the thing."

While no more eloquence came to my lips, plenty flowed from those of
the boys before me. For a moment their execration seemed likely to
turn upon me. At last I made myself heard.

"You see," I shouted, "only cads dispute the decision of the
referee."

"Yes, but there are exceptions to every rule," said Penny's voice.

And here I sipped the sweets of authority.

"Well, there isn't going to be any exception in this case," I said.

The crowd detected something humorous in my high-handed sentence and
laughed sarcastically. So, giving up all attempts to be persuasive,
I said bluntly:

"Look here, Salome's upstairs, and he's made me a prefect and sent
me down to establish order."

There were elements of greatness in Pennybet. He willingly
acknowledged that the _coup d'etat_ was not his but Salome's, and
the riot must inevitably crumble away. So he made a point of leading
the cheers that greeted my announcement, and, coming forward, was
the first to congratulate me. His example was extensively followed,
while he looked on approvingly, as though it had all been his doing,
and chirruped every now and then: "This is the jolliest day I've
spent at Kensingtowe."

CHAPTER XI

THE GREAT MATCH

Sec.1

The next year was 1914. It found Pennybet at Sandhurst; Doe
brilliantly high in the Sixth Form, and, since he was a classical
scholar and a poet, first favourite for the Horace Prize. In the
cricket annals of Kensingtowe it was a remarkable year. Throughout
the Summer Term victory followed victory. The M.C.C., having heard
of Kensingtowe's super-batsmen, sent a strong team against us, which
went under, amid cheering that lasted from 6 to 6.30 p.m. The
_Sportsman_ spoke of our fast bowler and captain as the "Coming
Man." We called him "Honion," partly because his head, being
perfectly bald, resembled that vegetable, and partly