“What do you want to look at it for?” he demanded. “Only to see if I knew whose it was once.”
“Well, I ain’t a-goin’ to let yer see it unless you lay a half-a-crown down on that there seat. There! I ain’t a-going to be done by you or any of your scholars.”
Riddell gladly put down the money and had the satisfaction at last of seeing Tom fumble in his pockets for the precious weapon.
It was a long time coming to light, and meanwhile the boy kept a suspicious eye on the money, evidently not quite sure whether, after all, he was safe.
At length from the deepest depth of his trouser pocket his hand emerged, bringing with it the knife.
Had Tom not been so intent on the half-crown which lay on the seat he would have been amazed at the sudden pallor which overspread the captain’s face and the half-suppressed gasp which he gave as his eyes fell on—young Wyndham’s knife!
There was no mistaking it. Riddell knew it well. Wyndham when first he possessed it was never tired of flourishing it proudly before all his acquaintances, and finding some pretext for using it or lending it every five minutes of the day.
Riddell had often had it pressed upon him. Yes, and now, with a shock that was almost sickening, he recollected that he had had it in his hand that very night before the boat-race.
And with the thought there rushed in upon him the whole memory of that evening. How excited, how restless the boy had been, how impossible he had found it to work, how wildly he had talked about the coming race, and how he had set his mind on the schoolhouse boat winning. Riddell remembered every word of it now, and how Wyndham’s excitement had baulked him of his desire for a serious talk that evening. And then he remembered how abruptly the boy had left him, returning hurriedly a moment after for his knife — this very knife which less than two hours afterwards had been dropped on the boat-house floor in the culprit’s hurried retreat by the window!
Riddell felt literally sick as it all rushed through his mind at the sight of the knife in Tom’s hand.
“Have you seen it enough?” demanded the youth, still eyeing the half-crown.
“Yes,” murmured Riddell. And surely he never uttered a truer word.
Tom, startled by his voice, looked up.
“Hullo,” said he, “what’s up? One would think you’d never saw a knife afore!”
Riddell tried feebly to smile and recover himself.
“Tell you what,” said Tom, struck with a brilliant idea—“tell you what, governor. You lay another two bob on the top of that there half-a-crown and it’s your’s. Come!”
Riddell mechanically took out his purse and produced the florin. It was almost the last coin that remained of his pocket-money for that term, but he was too miserable even to think of that.
Tom grabbed at the money eagerly, and deposited the knife in Riddell’s hand in exchange.
Then, with a load on his heart such as he had never felt before, the captain turned the boat’s head and rowed slowly back to Willoughby.
Chapter Twenty Four
The Rockshire Match
Riddell was not destined to have much leisure during the next few days for indulging his misery or making up his mind in what direction his duty lay.
As he reached the school after his memorable excursion on the river, he was met by Fairbairn, who had evidently been on the lookout for him.
“Why, where have you been? and what’s wrong?” he exclaimed, as he observed his friend’s dejected looks.
“I’ve been a turn on the river,” replied Riddell, making a desperate effort to recover his wits and look cheerful.
“You look every bit as if you were just starting there to drown yourself,” said Fairbairn; “but, I say, I’ve got a message for you.”
“From whom?” inquired Riddell, who had had quite enough “messages” during the last few days to last him for the rest of the term.
“You’d scarcely guess — from Bloomfield. The thing is, he has two places yet to fill up in the eleven for Saturday, and he wants you to play for one.”
Despite his trouble, Riddell could hardly conceal a smile of pleasure at this honour, which, though not exactly unexpected, he had hardly realised till now.
“Oh, I say,” said he, “I’m certain there are lots of better fellows.”
“You may be quite sure if there had been Bloomfield would have picked them up,” said Fairbairn. “As it happens, we want a slip, and I heard Bloomfield say himself that you are awfully good there. You seem to have hidden your light under a bushel, old man, while in the schoolhouse.”
“I may have been lucky while Bloomfield was watching,” said Riddell.
“All gammon. You needn’t fancy he’s doing this to compliment you, old man. Game and that lot are awfully down on him about it. They’d like to make up the team entirely of Parretts, but it seems they can’t do without us for once! Of course you’ll play.”
“Oh, yes,” said Riddell; “he’s captain of the eleven; I must.”
“Hurrah. Well, you’ll have to turn up at the Big practices, of course, during the next three days. There’s one at three this afternoon and another at 6:30, and if you like to come down for an hour after first school I’ll give you some balls at the nets.”
This was Tuesday. The Rockshire match was to come off on Saturday, and between now and then, as Riddell well knew, every spare moment he could call his own would have to be devoted to cricket.
Personally, with the burden of the secret of young Wyndham’s knife upon him, he would have been glad enough of some excuse for avoiding the honour even of a place in the first eleven. But there was no such excuse. On the contrary, his duty pointed clearly to his making the best of the opportunity. As captain of the school, even a humble place in the first eleven would be an undoubted gain to his influence; while to Welch’s — demoralised Welch’s — the knowledge that once more one of their number was “playing for the school” might be of real service.
Till Saturday, at any rate, he must try to banish the hideous nightmare from his mind, and give himself up wholly to the calls of cricket.
It is easier to resolve to give up one’s mind to a pursuit than it is to do it, and for the first day or two Riddell found himself but a halfhearted cricketer. However, as the eventful day drew near things grew more serious, not to say critical.
It was a nervous occasion for the captain the first time he presented himself at a Big practice, and he could not help feeling that the eyes which watched his performance were more than ordinarily critical, and many of them less than ordinarily friendly.
Still he managed not to disgrace himself, and on the next occasion, having partially recovered his presence of mind, he was able to do himself even more justice. Every one had to admit that Riddell was a long way off being a fine cricketer — he would have been the first to admit it himself — but for all that, what with a quick eye, and much perseverance, and sound judgment, he possessed more than one of the qualities which go to make up a useful member of any team.
“He ought to do,” said Bloomfield to Game on the Friday evening after the last of the practices. “He stood up to Fairbairn’s bowling not at all badly.”
“Shouldn’t wonder,” said Game, whose prejudice was stronger than his judgment, “if Fairbairn bowled down easy to him on purpose; they’re awfully thick, you know.”
“But I didn’t bowl down to him easy,” replied Bloomfield; “and he cut me for two twice running.”
Game could not answer this argument, and was bound to admit a worse man might have been put into the odd place.
“It’s a pity, though; they’ll be so jolly cocky, all that set, there’ll be no enduring it. I only hope our fellows will do most of the scoring to-morrow, and not leave them a chance of saying they won the match for us.”