Let 'em once get their eye in, and
either of 'em is good enough for a hundred."
The two young Biffenites found the faithful Grim holding the fort in the
front bench of the pavilion against the ardent assaults of some
Taylorian juniors, who could not see what Grim wanted with three seats.
The fellows of the two houses were rapidly lining up for the match, and
Dick Worcester had sent to Biffen's making affectionate inquiries for
the dervishes. By-and-by, word was brought to Worcester that the two
were not to be found in the neighbourhood; and a further hurried search
by anxious Biffenites, headed by Rogers and Wilson, had a like result.
"Isn't it awful, Grimmy?" said Rogers. "Where can the idiots be?"
Worcester and Acton had a consultation. "If they don't turn up in time
we'll have to make a start without 'em."
"If we have to go in we may give 'em up. We can't bat substitutes."
"No fear!" said Dick. "Cotton isn't likely to hear of that, and,
besides, it's just like the rotten thing you might expect from those
niggers."
Acton smiled. "All right, old chap. Put in Grim and Rogers in their
place. The little beggars will be as keen as mustard."
So Grim and Rogers had the honour of representing their house, since the
dervishes did not turn up. Rogers, when he shut the door on Todd, did
not guess that he had shut up Biffen's crack bats too. That Biffen's
lost the match, and made no sort of show against Cotton's bowling, may
also, perhaps, be attributed to the inadvertent imprisonment of Mehtah
and "Lamb.
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