The Head of Kay's

e down what I say from time to time in note-books, as you ought to do, you'll remember that I offered to give anyone odds that Kay's would out us in the final. I always said

conversations were quite an institution at Blackburn's. The labours of the day were over, and the time for preparation for the morrow had not yet come. It would be time to be thinking of that in another hour. Meanw

ugh may sometimes fall before a one-man side. Blackburn's had the three last men on the list of the first eleven, Silver, Kennedy, and Challis, and at least nine of its representatives had the reputation of being able to knock up a useful twenty or thirty at any time. Kay's, on the other hand, had one man, Fenn. After him the tail started. But Fenn was such an exceptional all-round man that, as Silver had said, he was as good as half-a-dozen of the Blackburn's team, equally formidable wh

ves still more. It was perfectly obvious to everyone that, if only you could get Fenn out for under ten, Kay's total for that innings would be nearer twenty than forty. They were an appalling side.

act of grappling with the remnant of a pot of jam belong

ged, an empty jam-pot. Kennedy saw that there was still a strawberry (or it may have been a section of a strawberry) at the extreme end, and he meant to have that coy vegetable if he had to squeeze the pot to get at it. To take another instance, all the afternoon of the previous day he had bowled patiently at Fenn

he said, bringing the spoon to the surface at last with the section of st

Jimmy Silver. "By James, I'v

was on one of these occasions-when he had assumed at a moment's notice the role of the "Baffled Despot", in an argument with Kennedy in his study on th

make seventy-nin

t eleven man, was readi

they ought to be able to knock off seventy-nine. But I was saying that the pot ought to go to Fenn. Lot the rest of the team had to do with it. Blackburn's, first innings, hundred and fifty-one; Fenn, eight for forty-

the purpose of playing his one tune-a cake-walk, of which, through constan

by getting your people to send brother Billy to Kay's. If he hadn't

orderly and perfect a house as Blackburn's, has enough worries without being saddled with a small brother. And on the previous afternoon young Billy Silver, going in eighth wicket for Kay's, had put a solid bat in front of ev

"We Silvers, you know, can't help making runs. Come

ise which it afforded. Williams made up for his failure to do justice to the former by a keen appreciation of the latter. He played the piece through a

d Challis. "You're awfully good, you know,

e at the concert," said William

ket, but a sufficiently sound performer for his age, considering that he had not ma

m the specimens you see crawling about in Kay caps. I wish I'd known my people were sending young Billy ther

o Blackburn's, only there wasn't room that particular term. Bad luck, wasn't it? I don't think he found it so bad before he became head of t

ughtfully, "if that's why he bowls

of Blackburn's had received two of Fenn's speediest on the same spot just abov

t attempt to win the cricket cup single-handed-that Kennedy, going out into the road for a breather before the rest of the

strolled towards the school buildings

after a minute had p

l, w

t's

lists are fond of call

" he said; "I'm si

hool gate. There was no mistake about it. Fenn certainly did look bad. His face al

" asked

. S

t ab

like. Then you'd understand. At present I don't suppose you've an idea of it

he bee

nd. But I'm not. Whenever I try and keep order and stop things a bit, out springs the man Kay from nowhere, and takes the job out of my hands, makes a ghastly mess of everything, and retires purring. Once in every thre