"I can't make it out," said Kennedy. "You're sure you put up the right time?" asked Jimmy Silver. "Yes, quite." It certainly could not be said that Kay's had had any room for doubt as to the time of the match, for it had appeared in large figures on both notices. A quarter to five sounded from the college clock. "We must begin soon," said Mr Blackburn, "or there will not be light enough even for two twenty-fives." Kennedy felt wretched. Apart from the fact that he was frozen to an icicle and drenched by the rain, he felt responsible for his team, and he could see that Blackburn's men were growing irritated at the delay, though they did their best to conceal it. "Can't we lend them some subs?" suggested Challis, hopefully. "All right--if you can raise eleven subs," said Silver. "They've only got four men on the field at present." Challis subsided. "Look here," said Kennedy, "I'm going back to the house to see what's up. I'll be back as soon as I can. They must have mistaken the time or something after all." He rushed back to the house, and flung open the door of the senior dayroom. It was empty. Kennedy had expected to find his missing men huddled in a semicircle round the fire, waiting for some one to come and tell them that Blackburn's had taken the field, and that they could come out now without any fear of having to wait in the rain for the match to begin. This, he thought, would have been the unselfish policy of Kay's senior dayroom. But to find nobody was extraordinary. The thought occurred to him that the team might be changing in their dormitories. He ran upstairs. But all the dormitories were locked, as he might have known they would have been. Coming downstairs again he met his fag, Spencer. Spencer replied to his inquiry that he had only just come in. He did not know where the team had got to. No, he had not seen any of them. "Oh, yes, though," he added, as an afterthought, "I met Walton just now. He looked as if he was going down town." Walton had once licked Spencer, and that vindictive youth thought that this might be a chance of getting back at him. "Oh," said Kennedy, quietly, "Walton? Did you? Thanks." Spencer was disappointed at his lack of excitement. His news did not seem to interest him. Kennedy went back to the football field to inform Jimmy Silver of the result of his investigations. XII KENNEDY INTERVIEWS WALTON "I'm very sorry," he said, when he rejoined the shivering group, "but I'm afraid we shall have to call this match off. There seems to have been a mistake. None of my team are anywhere about. I'm awfully sorry, sir," he added, to Mr Blackburn, "to have given you all this trouble for nothing." "Not at all, Kennedy. We must try another day."