et a look
at Hal and his precious friend Dodds?"

"Hal would be awfully angry if he saw us," said Drusie. "I don't think
we should go."

But the hesitating tone in which she spoke showed that she was open to
persuasion; and when Jim added his word to Helen's, and said that he
thought there would be no harm in just going up and having a look over,
she gave way. They soon reached the five-barred gate on which Hal had
found Dodds sitting.

Neither of them was there, now, however; and so Helen proposed that
they should climb over, and go down the grassy glade, which would bring
them on to a small knoll, from whence they could command a view of the
house and the wide lawn that lay in front of it.

The temptation to see Hal and his friend together was too strong for
them to remember that they would be trespassing, and, scrambling over
the gate, they made their way cautiously through the wood.

It was as well that they went cautiously, for the two boys were much
closer to them than they had expected. To the left of the wood was a
big level field, and it was here, and not on the lawn, that they were
playing. The sound of a voice calling impatiently to Hal to hurry up
with that ball, and not to be all night about it, was what first drew
their attention to his whereabouts; and feeling rather astonished that
any one should venture to address him in that imperious way, they crept
up to the edge of the wood, and became silent spectators of what was
going on.

The wicket was pitched in the middle of the field. Dodds was batting,
but as his back was toward them, the children could not see his face.
But they could hear his voice, and a very imperious, commanding voice
it was. Hal was bowling and fielding as well, and as Dodds sent his
balls flying to all parts of the field, Hal had plenty of work to do.
And while he raced about in all directions Dodds lay luxuriously on the
grass and shouted to him to hurry up. Presently Hal bowled a ball that
very nearly knocked the middle stump flat on its back, and Drusie
softly clapped her hands, and said "Bravo" under her breath.

[Illustration: Dodds laying on grass]

"That was a very good ball indeed," they heard Dodds say approvingly.
"Send a few more like that."

Hal flushed with pride and pleasure at this praise, but the others
thought that he looked a shade disappointed as his friend placed
himself again in front of the wicket.

But he continued to bowl for other ten minu