Page:Hornung - Fathers of Men.djvu/199

 "Have either of you been in yet?"

"I had one ball, sir. It was the last of the innings," said the brazen Sprawson. "The Sixth are just going in, and we expect to have Cave there all the afternoon."

"I'm afraid he can't go in first," said Heriot; "and you'll have to find a substitute to field for you, Sprawson. Or rather I'll see the two captains myself, and explain about you both. That'll save time and you can start at once. You can't do these doughty deeds behind my back and not expect to find them fame, you know."

"But, surely, sir, this is a most high-handed demand of the Major's?"

Charles Cave had never been known to display such heat.

"He's the Chief Constable, and Chief Constables are high-handed people," said Heriot, preparing to sign the orders. "I shouldn't advise either of you to disappoint Major Mangles, much less when he's paying you a compliment as the pair who specially distinguished themselves in the night of battle. He wants you to tell him all about it. There's no reason why that should take long, and if you drive both ways you might be back before any wickets have fallen. But you must see that when a house is entered by common burglars it's a matter for the police and not for us, and as police witnesses you're in their hands and out of ours. To make matters easy for you, however, the Major has very kindly sent his carriage, which I think you'll find waiting for you now outside the quad. If I were you I should go just as you are, and make no more bones about it."

And Heriot sat down to attend to the daily detachment with orders on the tradesmen requiring his signature, while the rest of the house streamed out of the