"Ah, you may learn many a lesson from cricket, Kenyon," said C. J. "And when you have learnt to play the game--pluckily--unselfishly--as well as you can--then you've learnt how to live too!" He was only saying what he has been preaching to his school ever since; but now he says that no one has ever attended to him as Kenyon did. Kenyon looked up with wet, pleading eyes. "Then--you will have me at St. Crispin's?" But C. J. only ruffled the boy's brown hair. III A variety of hindrances prevented Forrester from revisiting Kenyon's father until August in the following year, when he arrived in the grey evening of a repulsive day. As before, he came straight from the Nottingham match; he had started his school, but was getting as much cricket as he could in the holidays. It was raining heavily when he jumped out of the carriage which had been sent to meet him. Mr. Harwood shook his hand in the cold twilight of the hall. House and host seemed silent and depressed. Forrester looked for Kenyon--for his hat, for some sign of him--as one searches for a break in the clouds. "Where's the boy?" was his first question. "Where's Kenyon?" "Kenyon? In bed." "Since when?" "The beginning of last month." Forrester looked horrified; his manner seemed to irritate Mr. Harwood. "Surely I wrote and told you; have you forgotten? I wrote to say he couldn't come last term, that he had fallen off during the winter, and was limping badly. Didn't you get the letter? But you did; you answered it." "Yes, yes. I know all that," said Forrester, still bewildered. "I answered, and you never answered me. Then the term came on, and you don't know what it was. I had all my time taken up, every moment. And I have been playing cricket ever since we broke up. But--the truth is, I've been having the most cheerful letters from Kenyon all the time!" "That's it; he _is_ cheerful." "He never said he was in bed." "You weren't to know of it on any account. But I thought you would be prepared for it." "Not with those letters. I can hardly believe it. Will he--won't he be able----" "No, never; but you will find him as keen about it as ever, and as mad on cricket. He tells me, by the way, you've been doing great things yesterday--in fact I read him the report--and he's wild with delight about it. Come up and see him. You'll get another ovation."