Allardyce, while thoroughly agreeing with this opinion, did his best to conceal the fact from the rest of the team. He had certainly done his duty by them. Every day for the past fortnight the forwards and outsides had turned out to run and pass, and on the Saturdays there had been matches with Corpus, Oxford, and the Cambridge Old Wrykinians. In both games the school had been beaten. In fact, it seemed as if they could only perform really well when they had no opponents. To see the three-quarters racing down the field (at practice) and scoring innumerable (imaginary) tries, one was apt to be misled into considering them a fine quartette. But when there was a match, all the beautiful dash and precision of the passing faded away, and the last thing they did was to run straight. Barry was the only one of the four who played the game properly. But, as regarded condition, there was nothing wrong with the team. Even Trevor could not have made them train harder; and Allardyce in his more sanguine moments had a shadowy hope that the Ripton score might, with care, be kept in the teens. Barry had bought a _Sportsman_ at the station, and he unfolded it as the train began to move. Searching the left-hand column of the middle page, as we all do when we buy the _Sportsman_ on Saturday--to see how our names look in print, and what sort of a team the enemy has got--he made a remarkable discovery. At the same moment Drummond, on the other side of the carriage, did the same. "I say," he said, "they must have had a big clear-out at Ripton. Have you seen the team they've got out today?" "I was just looking at it," said Barry. "What's up with it?" inquired Allardyce. "Let's have a look." "They've only got about half their proper team. They've got a different back--Grey isn't playing." "Both their centres are, though," said Drummond. "More fun for us, Drum., old chap," said Attell. "I'm going home again. Stop the train." Drummond said nothing. He hated Attell most when he tried to be facetious. "Dunn isn't playing, nor is Waite," said Barry, "so they haven't got either of their proper halves. I say, we might have a chance of doing something today." "Of course we shall," said Allardyce. "You've only got to buck up and we've got them on toast."