tes; then Dodds remarked
that the light was getting bad, and that they might as well stop.

"I would bowl a bit for you," he said. "It is too dark to see the ball
properly; I hope you don't mind. I really did mean to let you have
some batting to-day."

"Oh, it does not matter," Hal said hurriedly. "Any time will do. I
don't mind a bit."

"Still, I don't like to be selfish," said Dodds, whose conscience
appeared to be pricking him. The unseen listeners among the bushes
thought it might have pricked him a little earlier in the day, for they
soon learned that neither on this occasion nor on any other had Hal
been permitted to bat. He had merely bowled and fielded for Dodds.
When they recovered from their astonishment at this, they could hardly
help laughing. It was really rather funny, after all Hal's bragging,
to find that he was only made use of in the way that he made use of
them.

And the curious part of it was that Hal raised no objection, although
it was easy to see that he was feeling a little disappointed this
evening. On the other hand, he was so flattered at being allowed to
associate, even on these unequal terms, with a boy so much older than
himself, that he took care to smother his discontent.

"What about to-morrow?" said Dodds carelessly. "Can you be here pretty
early?"

Hal hesitated for a minute before replying. In spite of Helen's
assertions to the contrary, he had not forgotten that to-morrow was the
day of the storming of the fort.

Several times, as he had hastened to and from the Greys', he had heard
them at work there, and had known perfectly well what they were doing.
He had even overheard a conversation, in which they discussed the
likelihood of his taking part in the fight.

And at the time Hal, touched to see how much they wanted him, had
resolved that he would spend the whole of his birthday with them.

"Yes," Dodds went on; "come as soon after breakfast as you can--it is
cooler then--and we will have a regular good go in. I want to make a
big score at that match next week. You are coming over to see it,
aren't you?"

"Y-yes," Hal stammered. Though Dodds had not mentioned that cricket
match during the last few days, Hal had not forgotten his promise to
get him included in it if possible. Consequently, Dodds's careless
inquiry as to whether he intended to come over as a mere spectator
disconcerted him very much. However, he swallowed his disappointment,
and said that