“Oh, I daresay,” said Grace cuttingly. “I should judge that girls are just about your weight. If you played your best, you might play very well indeed against girls. But there’s one thing, Dimmy, that I happen to know of your cricket. _You can’t bowl for nuts._ And I _can_ let daylight into downright rubbish. Why, Toddles is actually better than you at bowling, and I hit him most horribly. Toddles funks me now. Oh, I shall enjoy myself to-morrow. I’ll pay you out for to-night’s disgusting behaviour. If I can’t knock the cover off your stuff, Dimmy, I’ll never touch a bat again, so there!” Alas! that my miserable bowling should deserve every word she said about it. My heart sank. CHAPTER XVII A Few of its Consequences I REGRET to state that when Grace and I came to “the boys” in the dining-room, we discovered seven gentlemen seated round the dining-room table, engaged in a game called baccarat. It was reassuring to find, however, that they were playing for nominal stakes, and that it was being conducted under evident difficulties. “Didn’t father say he positively wouldn’t have it!” cried Miss Grace. “Oh, there will be a row if he catches you at it. Do drop it, there’s good men.” “He’ll put up with anything to-night,” said Toddles brazenly, “now that Tom’s got a trial with the county.” “I’ll tell you a piece of prime news, if you’ll just drop it, boys,” said Grace coaxingly. But the amount of restraint she practised to hold back the prime news in question must have been wonderful. I suppose it is that women have such remarkable powers of diplomacy. “Has that demoralising little Ranjy got another two hundred?” cried Number Three in the batting averages apprehensively. “Because if he has, I shall just chuck up the sponge; I can’t hope to catch him.” “Better than that, Archie,” said his sister darkly, “_ever_ so much better than that. _Can’t_ you guess?” Grace, on her own part, however, spared him the trouble. She was no longer able to suppress her eagerness. Impulsively straightening the telegram that was crushed in her hands she read out its contents at the top of a victorious voice. Baccarat was forgotten. Led by Grace herself, the company gave three rousing cheers for Stoddart, then another three for Charlie. Then, on the suggestion of the Rev. Mr. Elphinstone, another three for the bearer of the news, which was, of course, Miss Grace. Then, on the suggestion of Miss Grace, there were three for the Rev. Mr. Elphinstone, though why nobody knew exactly; and in the end everybody was cheering everybody else, and generally kicking up the most horrible noise it was possible to make. The redoubtable Toddles, who scaled a little over nine stones himself, was endeavouring to carry fourteen stones ten pounds, in the person of Charlie, round the room by his own force of character, when the Rector appeared from his study with a look not all pleasure upon his face.