Page:Hornung - Fathers of Men.djvu/262

 him. I don't think you know what a fine bat Evan is."

"Well, I'm only too ready to learn. He's got the term before him, like all the lot of us."

"Yes, but he's the sort to put in early, Rutter; you take my word for it. He has more nerves in his little finger than you and I in our whole bodies."

"I know him," said Jan, rather tickled at having Evan of all people expounded to him.

"Then you must know that he's not the fellow to do himself justice till he gets his colours." "Well, I can't give him them till he does, can I?"

"I don't know. You might if you'd seen him playing those professors. And then you're a friend of his, aren't you, Rutter?"

"Well, I can't give him his colours for that!"

"Nobody said you could; but you might give him a chance," returned Sandham, sharply.

"I might," Jan agreed, "even without you telling me, Sandham!"

And they parted company with mutual displeasure; for Jan resented the suggestion that he was not going to give his own friend a fair chance, even more than the strong hint to favour him as such; and Sandham, who had expected a rough dog like Rutter to be rather flattered by his confidential advice, went about warning the others that they had to deal with a Jack-in-office who wouldn't listen to a word from any of them.

Nevertheless Evan played in the first two matches, made 5, and 1, and was not given a place against the M.C.C. Jan perhaps unwisely sent him a note of very real regret, which Evan acknowledged with a sneer when they met on the Upper.

Jan had even said in his note, in a purple patch of