‘I am glad you came to me,’ said the head-master; ‘I strongly object to fighting, but in this instance I think it may be overlooked. Send Rakes to me when you go out.’
‘Please, sir,’ said Edgar, and hesitated. ‘I hope you will not punish Rakes; I gave it him severely this afternoon.’
Dr. Hook smiled as he said:
‘No, I will not punish Rakes; I merely wish to speak to him about his conduct. You may go.’
‘That lad will get on in the world,’ thought Dr. Hook, when the door closed behind Edgar. ‘I’m glad he thrashed Rakes; it will do him good.’
Bully Rakes got a very different reception to Edgar Foster, and as he left the room he vowed he would have his revenge upon Edgar for ‘sneaking’ to the head-master.
CHAPTER II.
IN THE CRICKET-FIELD.
The thrashing of Bully Rakes gave Edgar Foster a hold over the affections of his schoolfellows, and he never lost it. In twelve months he became captain of the eleven, and led them to victory on many occasions. Edgar worked hard, both at lessons and play. He found it much easier to study when his body was in good order, and his athletic exercises helped to make his school tasks the easier. He could not be called a brilliant scholar by any means, but he was endowed with an amount of perseverance that generally pulled him through.
‘It’s got to be done, and I’ll do it,’ Edgar thought to himself when pondering over a difficult task, and he generally succeeded.
The Redbank lads took a defeat from their great opponents, the eleven of Fairfield College, with a very bad grace. Not that they allowed their successful opponents to see their chagrin, they were too manly for that, but they felt the defeat keenly.