Head of Kay's

u fellows take down what I say from time totime in note-books, as you ought to do, you'll remember that I offeredto give anyone odds that Kay's would out us i

wastheir custom, lingered on to finish the meal at their leisure. Theseafter-tea conversations were quite an institution at Blackburn's. Thelabours of the day were ove

ummer term, andall necessity for working after tea had ce

secup, and--on paper--getting decidedly the worst of it. After riding intriumph over the School House, Bedell's, and Mulholland's, Black

of how a team of averagemerit all through

h an exceptional all-round man that,as Silver had said, he was as good as half-a-dozen of the Blackburn'steam, equally formidable whether batting or bowling--he headed theschool averages at both. He was one of those batsmen who seem to knowexactly what sort of ball you are going to bowl before it leaves yourh

proves still more. It was perfectly obvious to everyone that, if onlyyou could get Fenn out for under ten, Kay's total for that inningswould be nearer twenty than forty. They were an appalling sid

he act ofgrappling with the remnant of a pot of jam belon

gaged, an emptyjam-pot. Kennedy saw that there was still a strawberry (or it may havebeen a section of a strawberry) at the extreme end, and he meant tohave that coy vegetable if he had to squeeze the pot to get at it. Totake another instance, all the afternoon of the previous day he hadbowled patiently at Fenn

my Silver. "By James, I've put a manto sleep for less."It was one of his amusements to express himself from time to time in amelodramatic fashion, sometimes accompanying his words with suitablegestures. It was on one of these occasions--when he had assum

make seventy-nin

st eleven man, was readi

he pot ought to go to Fenn. Lotthe rest of the team had to do with it. Blackburn's, first innings,hundred and fifty-one; Fenn, eight for forty-nine. Kay's, two hundredand one; Fenn, a hundred and sixty-four not out. Second innings,Blackburn's hundred and twenty-eight; Fenn ten for eighty. B

ongly urged upon his father the necessity ofplacing him in some house other than Blackburn's. He felt that a headof a house, even of so orderly and perfect a house as Blackburn's, hasenough worries without being saddled with a small brother. And on theprevious afternoon young Billy Silver,

lled "The Coon BandContest", remarkable partly for a taking melody, partly for the vastpossibilities of noise which it afforded. Williams made up for hisfailure to do justice to the former by a keen ap

d, you know, Williams, but he might do it better still.""Get him to play i

icket, but a sufficiently sound performer for his age,considering that he had not m

said Kennedy, "that being inKay's had spoiled his whole time at the school. He always wanted tocome to Blackburn's, only there wasn't room that particular term. Badluck, wasn't it? I don't think he found it so bad before he becamehead of the house. He didn't come into contact with Kay so much. Butnow he finds that he can't do a thing without Kay buzzing r

eat attempt towin the cricket cup single-handed--that Kennedy, going out into theroad for a breather before the rest of th

y strolled towards the schoolbuilding

, after a minute had p

laughed what novelists are fon

y by the light of the lampover the school gate. There was no mistake about it. Fenn certainlydid loo

d?" aske

a bit just to seewhat it's like. Then you'd understand. At present I don't

busy even if I were alloweda free hand. But I'm not. Whenever I try and keep order and stopthings a bit, out springs the man Kay from nowhere, and takes the jobout of my hands, makes a ghastly mess of everything, and retirespurring.