There are moments when a sort of panic seizes a bowler. This happened now with Mr. Downing. He suddenly abandoned science and ran amok. His run lost its stateliness and increased its vigour. He charged up to the wicket as a wounded buffalo sometimes charges a gun. His whole idea now was to bowl fast. When a slow bowler starts to bowl fast, it is usually as well to be batting, if you can manage it. By the time the over was finished, Mike’s score had been increased by sixteen, and the total of his side, in addition, by three wides. And a shrill small voice, from the neighbourhood of the pavilion, uttered with painful distinctness the words, “Take him off!” That was how the most sensational day’s cricket began that Sedleigh had known. A description of the details of the morning’s play would be monotonous. It is enough to say that they ran on much the same lines as the third and fourth overs of the match. Mr. Downing bowled one more over, off which Mike helped himself to sixteen runs, and then retired moodily to cover-point, where, in Adair’s fifth over, he missed Barnes--the first occasion since the game began on which that mild batsman had attempted to score more than a single. Scared by this escape, Outwood’s captain shrank back into his shell, sat on the splice like a limpet, and, offering no more chances, was not out at lunch time with a score of eleven. Mike had then made a hundred and three. * * * * * As Mike was taking off his pads in the pavilion, Adair came up. “Why did you say you didn’t play cricket?” he asked abruptly. [Illustration: “WHY DID YOU SAY YOU DIDN’T PLAY CRICKET?” HE ASKED] When one has been bowling the whole morning, and bowling well, without the slightest success, one is inclined to be abrupt. Mike finished unfastening an obstinate strap. Then he looked up. “I didn’t say anything of the kind. I said I wasn’t going to play here. There’s a difference. As a matter of fact, I was in the Wrykyn team before I came here. Three years.” Adair was silent for a moment. “Will you play for us against the Old Sedleighans to-morrow?” he said at length. Mike tossed his pads into his bag and got up. “No, thanks.” There was a silence. “Above it, I suppose?” “Not a bit. Not up to it. I shall want a lot of coaching at that end net of yours before I’m fit to play for Sedleigh.” There was another pause. “Then you won’t play?” asked Adair. “I’m not keeping you, am I?” said Mike, politely.