‘I mean to try,’ said Edgar, ‘and I feel very fit.’
‘Muriel will be terribly disappointed if you make less than a hundred,’ said Doris.
‘That is rather a large order,’ laughed Edgar, ‘but I must do my best to execute it.’
Late hours were not kept that night. Robert Foster packed them off in good time.
‘You shall have a night of it when the match is over,’ he said to Will Murch. ‘Win or lose, you must come here to celebrate the event. Remember I am equally interested in both sides.’
As Edgar bade Muriel good-night, she said:
‘I am quite anxious about you, Edgar. I feel sure you will succeed. I shall be terribly excited during the first over, but when you are firmly set and making a score, it will be glorious.’
CHAPTER XXV.
THE SCENE AT LORD’S.
An enormous crowd assembled on the famous cricket-ground at Lord’s to witness the final battle between England and Australia. The record attendance was registered for the opening day of a match, and it was with difficulty that the crowd could be kept within bounds. It reminded old race-goers of a Derby Day to see so many vehicles driving in the direction of the ground. Although the sky was dull and threatening, this did not damp the ardour of the spectators. The members’ pavilion was thronged, and also the reserved stands and enclosure. A dense mass of people filled every available standing and sitting place in the cheaper portion of the ground. No sooner were the doors opened than a rush commenced for the best seats, which were secured by those who had been patiently waiting from an early hour in the morning.
Outside the high walls it was more like a fair than anything else. Itinerant vendors of a variety of eatables did a good trade, and evaded the attentions of the police with remarkable skill. No sooner did the man in blue move a coster on than he ‘bobbed up serenely’ in a different place. Portraits of the cricketers were hawked about, though the celebrities depicted would have had some difficulty in recognising their own faces. The excitement over the match was tremendous. The bus-drivers discussed the chances of success with the passengers nearest to them, and many of the cabmen wore the English colours on their whips. Morning editions of the evening papers met with a ready sale, and every scrap of news anent the great match was pounced upon with avidity.