although he told himself that he was an ungenerous beast and cad not to
sympathize with his pal.

And before the boys got back to the Manor, Caesar said, not without a
blush, that he had learned to play bridge.

"I shall teach you, Jonathan."

"No."

"I say--yes."

"You're not going to play with Lovell and that beast Beaumont-Greene?"

"The Demon says no cards this term, when lock-up's late. And look here,
Jonathan, I've made the Demon promise to make the peace between Lovell
and you. You'll play for the House, of course, and we must all pull
together, as Warde says."

John might have smiled at this opportune mention of Warde, but sense of
humour was swamped in apprehension. Desmond went on to talk about
Scaife.

"He'll make 'em sit up, you see! The 'pro.' we had is the finest
cover-point in England. I never saw such a chap. He dashes at the ball.
Hit it as hard as you please, he runs in, picks it up, and snaps it back
to the wicket-keeper as easy as if he was playing pitch and toss. And,
by Jove! the Demon can do it. You wait. I never saw any fellow like him.
He's only just sixteen, and he'll get his Flannels. You needn't shake
your old head, I know he will. And we must work like blazes to get ours
next summer."

John discounted much of this talk, but he soon found out that Caesar had
not overestimated the Demon's activity. The draw at Lord's in the
previous summer had been attributed, by such experts as Webbe and
Hornby, to bad fielding. The Demon told John, with his hateful, derisive
smile, that he had remembered this when he selected a "pro." Not for the
first time, John realized Scaife's overpowering ability to achieve his
own ends. Who, but Scaife, would have made fielding the principal object
of his holiday practice?

Within a fortnight, Scaife was put into the Sixth Form game. Desmond
found himself--thanks to Scaife--playing in the First Fifth game; but
John was placed in Second Fifth Beta. Fortunately, he found an ally in
Warde, who had a private pitch in the small park surrounding the Manor,
where he coached the weaker players of his House. John told himself that
he ought to get his "cap"; but, as the weeks slipped by, despite several
creditable performances, he became aware that the "cap" was withheld,
although it had been given to Fluff. There were five vacancies in the
House Eleven, but, according to precedent, these need not be filled up
till after the last House-match, and possibly not even