The Head of Kay's

had not been very numerous up to the present, but the misfortunes of his friends always troubled him exceedingly. When anything happened to him personally, he found the

l," he said, bre

said Fenn

s anything. You can do anything you like with him if you lift a cup. I should have thought Kay would have be

lau

he's got the remotest idea that we are in the final at all, or,

rence on the part of a house-master respecting the fortunes of his house seemed

doesn't show it. He's not like Blackburn. I wish he was. Her

or, called upon to sum up Mr Kay at a glance, would probably have said that he suffered from nerves, which would have been a perfectly correct diagnosis, though none of the members of his house put his manners and customs down to that cause. They considered that the methods he pursued in the management of the house were the outcome of a

nd Kennedy at the gate, a

h an abruptness which brought a flush to the l

n in the house of Kay. He tried to imagine Blackburn speaking in that way to Jimmy Silver or himself, but his imagination was unequal to the task. Between Mr Blackburn and his prefects there existe

e fresh air before loc

ot allow you to be outside the hous

scene, but Fenn too

t, Kennedy

," said

iled painfully. Then he tur

rently still unsatisfied. He dire

Kennedy. You have no busi

Mr Kay might do as he pleased with his own house, b

use-master, sir," he s

ay s

htly emphasising the first word, "knows that I always

ces a pacific man, had one touchy point-his house. He resented any interference with its management, and was in the habit of saying so. Mr Kay remembered one painful scene in the Masters' Common Room, w

and Kennedy, having watched him v

e backs of camels only. Eight weeks' holiday, with plenty of cricket, would brace him up for another term. And he had been invited to play for the county against Middlesex four days after the holidays began. That should have been a soothing thought. But it really seemed to make matters

re was a noise going on in the fags' room. There always was at Kay's. It was not a particularly noisy noise-considering; but it had better

on the morrow to lift the cricket-cup. There were a good many books flying about, and not a few slippers. There was a confused mass rolling in combat on the floor, and the table was occupied by a scarlet-faced individual, who passed t

signal for a temporary s

is all this row ab

e or two of the weaker spirits even went so far as to sit down and begin to read. All would ha

observed this genial spir

o knock off the runs against Blackburn's tomorrow off his own bat. Also, he had taken eighteen wickets in the final house-match. Obviously Fenn was a person deserving of all encouragement

were echoing through the room in various keys, that a small and energetic form brushed

as M

re Mr Kay could make himself heard. But after a couple of minutes t

two hundred lines by tomorrow evening. It is abominable, Fenn." He wheeled round towards the head of the house. "Fenn, I am surprised at you

procession made its way to the house-masters' study. It had been

ound as he reach

l, F

aid no

hing you wish

ht have something

understand

to apologise for slangin

nce the last straw will make i

ou forget whom it is

realises that the time has come to close the conversation.

you needn't have done it before a roomful of fags. How do you t

to end the interview abruptl

er in the house, Fen

am not inte

, Fenn," said Mr Kay, thereby scoring another point. In th

himself, Mr Kay was in his study, and there

enn that he had not shown up to advantage in the recen