Curiously enough, it was shortly after this that the junior dayroomceased almost entirely to trouble the head of the house. Not that theyturned over new leaves, and modelled their conduct on that of the heroof the Sunday-school story. They were still disorderly, but in alesser degree; and ragging became a matter of private enterprise amongthe fags instead of being, as it had threatened to be, an organisedrevolt against the new head. When a Kay's fag rioted now, he did sowith the air of one endeavouring to amuse himself, not as if he werecarrying on a holy war against the oppressor.
Kennedy's difficulties were considerably diminished by this change. Ahead of a house expects the juniors of his house to rag. It is whatthey are put into the world to do, and there is no difficulty inkeeping the thing within decent limits. A revolution is another casealtogether. Kennedy was grateful for the change, for it gave him moretime to keep an eye on the other members of the house, but he had noidea what had brought it about. As a matter of fact, he had BillySilver to thank for it. The chief organiser of the movement againstKennedy in the junior dayroom had been the red-haired Wren, whopreached war to his fellow fags, partly because he loved to create adisturbance, and partly because Walton, who hated Kennedy, had toldhim to. Between Wren and Billy Silver a feud had existed since theirfirst meeting. The unsatisfactory conclusion to their encounter incamp had given another lease of life to the feud, and Billy had comeback to Kay's with the fixed intention of smiting his auburn-hairedfoe hip and thigh at the earliest opportunity. Wren's attitude withrespect to Kennedy gave him a decent excuse. He had no particularregard for Kennedy. The fact that he was a friend of his brother's wasno recommendation. There existed between the two Silvers that feelingwhich generally exists between an elder and a much younger brother atthe same school. Each thought the other a bit of an idiot, and thoughequal to tolerating him personally, was hanged if he was going to dothe same by his friends. In Billy's circle of acquaintances, Jimmy'sfriends were looked upon with cold suspicion as officious meddlers whowould give them lines if they found them out of bounds. Thearistocrats with whom Jimmy foregathered barely recognised theexistence of Billy's companions. Kennedy's claim to Billy's goodoffices rested on the fact that they both objected to Wren.
So that, when Wren lifted up his voice in the junior dayroom, andexhorted the fags to go and make a row in the passage outsideKennedy's study, and--from a safe distance, and having previouslyensured a means of rapid escape--to fling boots at his door, Billydamped the popular enthusiasm which had been excited by the proposalby kicking Wren with some violence, and begging him not to be an ass.
Whereupon they resumed their battle at the point at which it had beeninterrupted at camp. And when, some five minutes later, Billy, fromhis seat on his adversary's chest, offered to go through the sameperformance with anybody else who wished, the junior dayroom came tothe conclusion that his feelings with regard to the new head of thehouse, however foolish and unpatriotic, had better be respected. Andthe revolution of the fags had fizzled out from that moment.
In the senior dayroom, however, the flag of battle was still unfurled.
It was so obvious that Kennedy had been put into the house as areformer, and the seniors of Kay's had such an objection to beingreformed, that trouble was only to be expected. It was the custom inmost houses for the head of the house, by right of that position, tobe also captain of football. The senior dayroom was aggrieved atKennedy's taking this post from Fenn. Fenn was in his second year inthe school fifteen, and he was the three-quarter who scored mostfrequently for Eckleton, whereas Kennedy, though practically acertainty for one of the six vacant places in the school scrum, was atpresent entitled to wear only a second fifteen cap. The claims of Fennto be captain of Kay's football were strong, Kennedy had begged him tocontinue in that position more than once. Fenn's persistent refusalhad helped to increase the coolness between them, and it had also madethings more difficult for Kennedy in the house.
It was on the Monday of the third week of term that Kennedy, at JimmySilver's request, arranged a "friendly" between Kay's and Blackburn's.
There could be no doubt as to which was the better team (forBlackburn's had been runners up for the Cup the season before), butthe better one's opponents the better the practice. Kennedy wrote outthe list and fixed it on the notice board. The match was to be playedon the following afternoon.
A football team must generally be made up of the biggest men at thecaptain's disposal, so it happened that Walton, Perry, Callingham, andthe other leaders of dissension in Kay's all figured on the list. Theconsequence was that the list came in for a good deal of comment inthe senior dayroom. There were games every Saturday and Wednesday, andit annoyed Walton and friends that they should have to turn out on anafternoon that was not a half holiday. It was trouble enough playingfootball on the days when it was compulsory. As for patriotism, nomember of the house even pretended to care whether Kay's put a goodteam into the field or not. The senior dayroom sat talking over thematter till lights-out. When Kennedy came down next morning, he foundhis list scribbled over with blue pencil, while across it in boldletters ran the single word,ROT.
He went to his study, wrote out a fresh copy, and pinned it up inplace of the old one. He had been early in coming down that morning,and the majority of the Kayites had not seen the defaced notice. Thematch was fixed for half-past four. At four a thin rain was falling.
The weather had been bad for some days, but on this particularafternoon it readied the limit. In addition to being wet, it was alsocold, and Kennedy, as he walked over to the grounds, felt that hewould be glad when the game was over. He hoped that Blackburn's wouldbe punctual, and congratulated himself on his foresight in securing MrBlackburn as referee. Some of the staff, when they consented to holdthe whistle in a scratch game, invariably kept the teams waiting onthe field for half an hour before turning up. Mr Blackburn, an theother hand, was always punctual. He came out of his house just asKennedy turned in at the school gates.
"Well, Kennedy," he said from the depths of his ulster, the collar ofwhich he had turned up over his ears with a prudence which Kennedy,having come out with only a blazer on over his football clothes,distinctly envied, "I hope your men are not going to be late. I don'tthink I ever saw a worse day for football. How long were you thinkingof playing? Two twenty-fives would be enough for a day like this, Ithink."Kennedy consulted with Jimmy Silver, who came up at this moment, andthey agreed without argument that twenty-five minutes each way wouldbe the very thing.
"Where are your men?" asked Jimmy. "I've got all our chaps out here,bar Challis, who'll be out in a few minutes. I left him almostchanged."Challis appeared a little later, and joined the rest of Blackburn'steam, who were putting in the time and trying to keep warm by runningand passing and dropping desultory goals. But, with the exception ofFenn, who stood brooding by himself in the centre of the field,wrapped to the eyes in a huge overcoat, and two other house prefectsof Kay's, who strolled up and down looking as if they wished they werein their studies, there was no sign of the missing team.
"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 doubtas to the time of the match, for it had appeared in large figures onboth notices.
A quarter to five sounded from the college clock.
"We must begin soon," said Mr Blackburn, "or there will not be lightenough even for two twenty-fives."Kennedy felt wretched. Apart from the fact that he was frozen to anicicle and drenched by the rain, he felt responsible for his team, andhe 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 onlygot four men on the field at present."Challis subsided.
"Look here," said Kennedy, "I'm going back to the house to see what'sup. I'll be back as soon as I can. They must have mistaken the time orsomething after all."He rushed back to the house, and flung open the door of the seniordayroom. It was empty.
Kennedy had expected to find his missing men huddled in a semicircleround the fire, waiting for some one to come and tell them thatBlackburn's had taken the field, and that they could come out nowwithout 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 seniordayroom.
But to find nobody was extraordinary.
The thought occurred to him that the team might be changing in theirdormitories. He ran upstairs. But all the dormitories were locked, ashe might have known they would have been. Coming downstairs again hemet his fag, Spencer.
Spencer replied to his inquiry that he had only just come in. He didnot 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 justnow. He looked as if he was going down town."Walton had once licked Spencer, and that vindictive youth thought thatthis 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 notseem to interest him.
Kennedy went back to the football field to inform Jimmy Silver of theresult of his investigations.
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