'Never mind, Mary, it is only to give papa the opportunity of improving his pupil, while you exchange confidence with your bosom friend. I shall be gone in another month, and there will be nothing to prevent the perfect fusion of families.'
No one was sorry that the evening here came to an end.
'I hope,' said Dr. May at the Sunday's dinner, 'that the cricket match has not done for that boy; I did not see him among the boys.'
'No,' said Mary, 'but he has met with some accident, and has the most terrible bruised face. Ave can't make out how he did it. Do you know, Aubrey?'
The Doctor and his two sons burst out laughing.
'I thought,' said Ethel, rather grieved, 'that those things had gone out of fashion.'
'So Ethel's protege, or prodigy, which is it?' said Tom, 'is turning out a muscular Christian on her hands.'
'Is a muscular Christian one who has muscles, or one who trusts in muscles?' asked Ethel.
'Or a better cricketer than an Etonian?' added the Doctor.
Tom and Aubrey returned demonstrations that Eton's glory was untarnished, and the defeat solely owing to 'such a set of sticks.'