Grace, indeed, I am glad to state, took an entirely different view of my behaviour. Never had I seen her face so brightly eloquent as when she laid down her coffee-cup and looked at me.
“Dimmy,” said she, “you’re a good sort, that’s what you are—a ripping good sort. Dimmy, you’re A 1!”
Her tone implied that she meant it, too. And really it was decidedly consoling to feel that we stood together facing scorn and disfavour on every hand. But it seemed that the tactful Grace knew how, when, and where to be generous. Or, no, I’m quite sure her generosity was not studied at all. It was just unaided nature!
“Look here, you men,” said she; “as Dimmy’s such a good sort, he’s not going to be such a good sort, do you see? No, I don’t mean that exactly; I mean——”
“If it’s sheer cheek that you mean, which we’ve every reason to fear that it is,” said Toddles, “we shall be very grateful if you’ll be content to consider it said. If we have any more before lunch I’m thinking that some of the batting won’t be of a very high order at Tonbridge on Monday.”
“That’ll do, Toddles,” said Grace. “Have a rest now, there’s a good little man. What was I saying? Oh, as Dimmy’s done the right thing, I’m going to do the right thing, too. Father, will you stand to-day, please?”
A rousing cheer greeted this announcement.
“I’ve always said,” remarked George, “that more can be done by the kindness method in the treatment of these wild natures than cruelty, firearms, and that sort of thing. Here’s Grace lying down now, apparently as tame and docile as a kitten, without the use of red-hot irons or anything of the kind. And it’s so much better than burning her fur, don’t you know.”
The Rector consenting to stand, the affair terminated. Biffin, for that day at least, had to be content with the humbler functions of the scorer.
Breakfast over, we trooped out into the sun. And as we did so I am free to confess that my attire was a trifle irregular. Carteret being the most medium-built man amongst us, except in the matter of girth, and, therefore, the most resembling me, had very kindly lent me his buckskins; Charlie lent me one of his shirts, which, to my infinite pleasure, he assured me was the one he wore in the ’Varsity match, when he got so many Oxford wickets, and paid so very little for them; while Archie subscribed the identical pair of unmentionables in which he made his record score against Sussex at Brighton last year. In passing, it should be noted that record scores have quite a habit of getting themselves made against Sussex at Brighton. It is probably the sea air.