mself.

At any rate, he gave deep offence now to Game and Ashley, who retired in
high dudgeon and greatly crestfallen to proclaim their wrongs to a small
and sympathetic knot of admirers.

Perhaps the most serious blow these officious young gentlemen had
received--hardly second to their snubbing by the Parretts' captain--had
been the mutiny of their own juniors, on whose cooperation they had
calculated to a dead certainty.

To find Parson, Bosher, King, and Co. standing up in defence of Riddell
against _them_ was a phenomenon so wonderful, when they came to think of
it, that they were inclined to imagine they themselves were the only
sane boys left out of a house of lunatics. And this was the only
consolation that mixed with the affair at all.

As to these juniors, they had far more to think about. In three days
the match with Welch's would be upon them, and a panic ensued on the
discovery.

They had been contemptuously confident of their superior prowess, and it
was not until one or two of them had actually been down to inspect the
play of the rival team, and Bloomfield had come down to one of their own
practices and declared publicly that they were safe to be beaten hollow,
that they regarded the coming contest seriously.

Then they went to work in grim earnest. Having broken with Game, on
whom they had usually depended for "instruction and reproof," they
boldly claimed the services of Bloomfield, and even pressed the willing
Mr Parrett into the service.

Mr Parrett pulled a very long face the first afternoon he came down to
look at them. He had been coaching the Welchers for a week or two past,
and therefore knew pretty well what their opponents ought to be. And he
was bound to admit that the young Parretts were very much below the
mark.

They had a few good men. Parson was a fair bat, and King bowled
moderately; but the "tail" of the eleven was in a shocking condition.
Everything that could be done during the next few days was done. But
cricket is not a study which can be "crammed" up, like Virgil or Euclid;
and, despite the united efforts of Bloomfield and Mr Parrett, and a few
other authorities, the team was pronounced to be a "shady" one at best
as it took its place on the field of battle.

Riddell had kept his men steadily at it to the last. With a generosity
very few appreciated, he forbore to claim Mr Parrett's assistance at
all during the last few days of practice, but he got Fairbairn and