A DISAPPOINTMENT 113 



who does not remember the Three Trees in the vicinity of 

 which fierce strife used to be waged when Big Side or 

 House matches were played ? The school buildings at the 

 back of the school goal had one particular feature, and that 

 was the entrance-door to the staircase up which you used 

 to go to the Doctor's room, when wanted but all these 

 things are familiar to thousands besides myself, only to me 

 they come out of a past that had been half-forgotten. 



I see that I was in our House Football Twenty that 

 winter of 1867, and evidently thought much of it. 



Thus, on I7th November of that year : 



On Tuesday we have a house-match which will decide whether 

 we are to be one of the two best houses, so it will be rather exciting. 

 . . . Only fancy how delightful it will be if we are one of the two 

 football houses ! The Twenty will be photographed in " costume, "- 

 and I shall probably get my flannels, which is being allowed to 

 wear flannel trousers instead of ducks a great comfort, in more 

 ways than one. 



Pride, however, went before a fall in this matter, for 

 a few days later, on 24th November, I wrote : 



A most peculiarly aggravating thing happened yesterday. We 

 had to play the Evanites (ist Twenty) in the morning at 12.15. 

 About 10 o'clock Haslam (our Captain) asked to speak to me, 

 and I went to his study. There he said : " I've not put you in 

 the first Twenty this match, not through any fault of yours, for 

 I know that, as far as play goes, you are fully worth it ; but the 

 Evanites are very heavy, and we shall want for this match weight. 

 So as Stuart Wortley is a great deal heavier and stronger-made 

 than you, I have put him in instead. We must have weight for 

 this match." This was certainly unpleasant, though, of course, 

 it was some consolation to feel that it was not my fault and that 

 I retired with honour, beng unable to grow heavy. 



But it was disagreeable to watch the match and not play in it ; 

 and, of course, the generality of fellows, not in our house, did not 

 know that it was not for bad play that I was dismissed. Even 

 the old Doctor, when I went to him to have some Copies looked 

 over, during the match, exclaimed with surprise : " Why ! how's 

 this ? I didn't expect to see you here ; why aren't you playing ? '' 

 However, our House got the best of it though not sufficiently so 

 to decide the game which will have to go on another day. I was 

 in no amiable humour. 



