s he entered, "isn't it
prime, Riddell? Bloomfield's going to try me in the second-eleven, he
says. You know I've been grinding at cricket like a horse lately, and
he came down and watched me this afternoon, and I was in, and made no
end of a lucky score off Dobson's bowling. And then Bloomfield said
he'd bowl me an over. My eye! what a funk I was in. I could hardly
hold the bat. But I straightened up somehow, and his first ball went
by. The next was frightfully swift, and dead on, but it broke a bit to
the leg, and I was just in time to get at it and send it right away
between long-leg and long-stop in the elms--a safe five if we'd been
running. And old Bloomfield laughed and said he couldn't wait till the
ball was sent up, and said I could turn up at the second-eleven Big
practice to-morrow and see how I got on there. I say, isn't it prime,
Riddell? I tell you, I shall stand on my head if I get into the team."

Riddell had only partially heard this jubilant speech, for at that
moment Tom the boat-boy was more in his thoughts even than Wyndham the
Limpet. However, he had heard enough to gather from it that his young
_protege_ was in a vast state of joy and content, and as usual he was
ready with any amount of sympathy.

"It will be splendid if you do get in," said he.

"Yes. They've only got eight places actually fixed, I hear, so I've
three chances. I say, Riddell, I like Bloomfield, do you know? I think
he's an awfully good captain."

Riddell could not help smiling at this artless outburst from the young
candidate for cricket honours, and replied, "I like him too, for he came
and watched our practice too, here at Welch's."

"Did he bowl you any balls?" demanded Wyndham.

"No, happily," said Riddell; "but some one told me he told somebody else
that I might possibly squeeze into the eleven against Rockshire if I
practised hard."

"What!" exclaimed Wyndham, in most uncomplimentary astonishment. "_You_
in the first eleven! I say, it must be a mistake."

"I'm afraid they'll think it a mistake," said Riddell, laughing; "but I
certainly have heard something of the sort."

"Why, you usen't to play at all in our house," said Wyndham.

"No more I did; but since I came here I've been going in for it rather
more, though I never dreamt of such rapid promotion."

"Well," said Wyndham, quite patronisingly, "I'm jolly glad to hear it;
but I wish you were in the schoolhouse instead of Welch's. By the way,