“What’s the matter with his head?” asked Rodney.
“Hurt it yesterday. Got an awful crack, they say. It was after you went. He was down and out for five minutes. Are you all fixed? Let’s start along, then.”
“I’m going to put you with the kindergarteners to-day, Merrill,” announced Mr. Cotting when Rodney reported. “I guess you won’t stay there long. Don’t try to overdo it to-day. Save your muscles. Gordon, will you take charge of Merrill, please? By the way, you might give me your name and so on first.” And the coach drew out his memorandum book and Rodney supplied answers to the questions he put. Then he trailed off with Gordon, who was fullback on the first team, and joined a group of tyros at the further side of the field. Most of them were Fourth Form boys, although there were three or four older youths in the squad. Gordon was extremely patient, but it wasn’t difficult to see that he didn’t love his task. Teaching the rudiments to a group of beginners is rather uninteresting work. Rodney passed the ball, caught it, fell on it, practised starts, and went through the usual programme that afternoon. In comparison with the performance of the others in the squad his efforts were almost brilliant and Gordon viewed him with hopeful interest. Once when the ball had eluded him and dribbled its way to the sideline, Rodney, rescuing it, heard his name spoken, and looked up to discover the twins standing nearby.
“You’re doing beautifully!” called Matty with enthusiasm. “We’re awfully proud of you, Rodney, aren’t we, May?”
“Awfully,” agreed May, calmly emphatic. “And we were sure all the time that you could play, Rodney!”
“This isn’t playing,” scoffed Rodney. “Anyone can do this sort of thing!”
He was glad when it was finally over and he could retire to a bench under one of the stands, draw a blanket around him, and watch the first and second squads trot about the field in signal work. On the other side the twins were still looking on, Tad Mudge and Warren Hoyt in attendance. The twins were not the only representatives of their sex present, for amongst the spectators from outside the school Rodney saw quite a number of girls. Later Rodney joined the twins and Tad—Warren Hoyt had taken himself off—and walked to the gymnasium steps with them.
“How did it go?” asked Tad with a grin.
Rodney shrugged. “All right. I’ve been through it before. I’m sort of weak in the knees, though.”
“We thought you played very nicely indeed,” said Matty. “We watched you all the time. You did much better than those other boys.”