“I fancied Ainger had knocked you two over the boundary a little while ago. I heard someone say, by the way, if you two could be thrown into one, and taught to hold your bat straight and not hit everything across the wicket, you could be spared to play substitute in Wickford Infant School eleven at their next treat. I said I fancied not, but they’re going to try you, for the sake of getting rid of you for half a day.”
“Get along. You needn’t bowl any of your mild lobs down to us. By the way, is it true you’ve been stuck in the choir?”
“Yes; awful sell. I tried to scratch, but Parks said they were hard up for a good contralto; so I had to go in the team. I’m to be third man up in the anthem to-morrow—got half a line of solo.”
“All serene,” said Arthur, “we’ll look out for squalls. Tip us one of your low A’s, and we’ll sky it from our pew. Who’s there?”
It was Simson, also infected with the fever, although with him, being of the weak-minded order, it took the form of a craze for “sport” generally. For Simson, as we have mentioned, once tipped a ball to leg for two, and consequently was entitled to be regarded as an authority on every subject pertaining to the turf generally.
He looked very important at present, as he began:
“I say, you chaps, I’ve got something to tell you—private, you know. You know Mills? His father’s brother-in-law lives at Epsom, and so gets all the tips for the races; and Mills says he’s put his father up to no end of a straight tip for the Derby. And Mills says he wants to get up a little sweep on the quiet. No blanks, you know. Each fellow draws one horse, and the one that wins gets the lot. Jolly good score, too.”
“Oh yes,” said Arthur, “I know all about that! I once put a sixpence in a sweep, and never saw it again. Catch me fielding in that little game.”
“Oh, but Mills says it’s not to be for money, for that’s not allowed. He suggested postage-stamps, and then whoever won would be able to write lots of letters home, you know.”
“Who wants to write lots of letters home?” said Dig, whose correspondence rarely exceeded two letters a term.