“You don’t come over me like that,” said I. “Must have something definite. If I made myself into a county man, would you give me a show?” “Oh, anything, anything,” said Grace, “so long as you’ll let me pass!” “Of course, I’ve not much to offer you, you know,” said I, reduced to the coarse expedient. “Only that crack to cover, you know, and a pretty decent forward stroke. And, Grace, I’m developing ever such a prime late cut, and I’ve great hopes of my leg glance. When I get my eye in and the pace o’ the ground, I can turn length balls off my leg and middle.” It gladdened me to think that she was softening visibly. “I should like to see all these fine things for myself,” said she. “Must confess I haven’t seen ’em yet. I’ll come and watch you play these strokes against a bit of class bowling.” All at once an idea hit me in the middle of the waistcoat. “Grace,” said I breathlessly, palpitatingly, “s’pose you play me to-morrow under Rectory rules on the lawn at single wicket. Then you can test my cricket yourself, don’t you know. What awful good fun! Isn’t that a big idea?” “Dimmy, if you _don’t_ let me go, I’m certain that I shall be obliged to be rude,” said Grace, still reining herself in nobly. “You’d see me at work against a bit o’ class bowling, you know,” said I. “S’pose I should,” she said, pondering. “And we might arrange it like this,” said I, “just to lend a little interest to the thing. If you beat me at single wicket on the Rectory lawn to-morrow, I’m plucked, wiped out, clean done. On the other hand, if I beat you, you undertake to give my claims very serious consideration.” “Oh, anything, anything,” said Grace, “if you’ll just let me go. Dimmy, I’m certain that if I didn’t know otherwise, I should think you were a Harrow boy, your behaviour’s that abominably crude. Oh, I _am_ in a wax!” “Look here, Grace,” said I, “I merely require your promise that you’ll play me to-morrow on these conditions, and then you are at liberty to go.” “You’ve got my promise,” said she, with an off-hand haste that was by no means reassuring. Thereupon I opened the door for the hot, angry, and impatient Grace, and she slipped past me in a flash, fearing no doubt that I should repent, and close the door once more upon her. “Dimmy,” said she, as we repaired together to the boys, “I shall give you a most awful licking to-morrow, you know. By Jove, Dimmy, I wouldn’t be in your shoes! I _will_ give you beans; I _will_ take it out of you for this.” “_Per_-haps,” said I saucily. “But, Grace, I shall go all the time, I can promise you. I mayn’t be a county man, but I’m not in the habit of letting girls walk over me with impunity.”