The Head of Kay's

shouted

et as if he had had

amatic by the abruptness with which he had exploded h

anything. Naturally he doesn't see the point of handing you over to Kay. But the Old Man insisted, so h

or of all the duties of li

I'll do it when I get back. But what's it all about? Wh

d trying to put me off with an inferior article, because I won't have it. It must be somebody who's been trained from youth up by Silver.' 'Then,' says the Old Man, reflectively, 'you can't do better than take Kennedy. I happen to know that Silver has spent years in showing him the straight and narrow path. You take Kennedy.

's wrong

ot much! Fenn made a ripping fifty against Kent in the holidays-I saw him do it-but they don't count that. It's a wonder they didn't ask him to leave. Of course, I think it's jolly rough on Fenn, but I don't see that you can blame them. Not the Old M

oubt

said you might. I wonder if Kay means to gi

as he used to with Fenn, he'll want to

ggested themselves to him. "If he brings in somebody to improve on you, and then somebody else to improve on

h if it wasn't for that. I wonder how he'll take it! Do you think he knows about it yet? He didn't enjoy being head,

uld make any difference. To us, I mean. What I mean to say is, I don't see why we shouldn't see each other just

iked Kennedy better than anyone he knew, and hated to show his feelin

said Kenned

e going to see wild life in Kay's. Don't forget that I'm always at home in

ll remember. I suppose I'd bet

to try and conceal his feelings as much as possible in his interview with Kennedy, but the latter understood as plainly as if his house-master had burst into a flow of abuse and complaint.

ou are to desert us this term? It is a great pity. We shall all be very sorry to lose you. I don't look forward to seeing you bowl us all o

had made him realise the completeness of his exile so keenly as this remark of Mr Blackburn's about hi

the reasons that have led to this change. You must know that you are being sent to pull Mr Kay's house together. This is strictly between ourselves, of course. I think you have a difficult task before you, but I don't fancy that you will find it too much

t, sir," s

gain. And in a sense this was so. He would probably visit Blackburn's tomorrow afternoon, but it would not be the same. Jimmy Silver would greet him like a brother, and he would brew in the same study in

felt more than ever how entirely his school life had been bound up in his house. From his first day at Eckleton he had been taught the simple cr

ast place in front of Challis on the strength of a tremendous catch for the house second in a scratch game two days before the house-matche

dured leaving all this when his time at school was up, for that would have been the natural result of the passing of years. But to be transplanted abruptly and with a wrench fro

rning Mr Kay and his wicked works, and, when the operation was concluded, helped Kennedy carry his

, a severe lady, whose faith in human nature had been terribly shaken by five years of office in Kay's, showed him his dormitory and study with a lack of geniality which added

books and photographs in the study which had been Wayburn's. He had nothing to find fault with in the stud

ed him the more than unpleasant task of introducing himself to its inmates. He knew from experience the disconcerting way in which a dormitory gree

he matron had told the housemaids; the housemaids had handed it on to their ally, the boot boy; the

his first appearance in the ranks of the Eckleton eleven. He went to his bed and began to undress without a word, feeling rather than seeing the eyes that were peering at him. When he had completed the performance of disrobing, he blew out the candle and got into bed. The silence was brok

er outbreak of gigglin

d Kennedy, to the

iggler appeared to be rap

at row," sa

ggling

fell asleep fearing that he was going to have troub