There are situations in life which are beyond one. The sensible manrealises this, and slides out of such situations, admitting imselfbeaten. Others try to grapple with them, but it never does any good.

　　When affairs get into a real tangle, it is best to sit still and letthem straighten themselves out. Or, if one does not do that, simply tothink no more about them. This is Philosophy. The true philosopher isthe man who says "All right," and goes to sleep in his arm-chair.

　　One's attitude towards Life's Little Difficulties should be that ofthe gentleman in the fable, who sat down on an acorn one day, andhappened to doze. The warmth of his body caused the acorn togerminate, and it grew so rapidly that, when he awoke, he foundhimself sitting in the fork of an oak, sixty feet from the ground. Hethought he would go home, but, finding this impossible, he altered hisplans. "Well, well," he said, "if I cannot compel circumstances to mywill, I can at least adapt my will to circumstances. I decide toremain here." Which he did, and had a not unpleasant time. The oaklacked some of the comforts of home, but the air was splendid and theview excellent.

　　To-day's Great Thought for Young Readers. Imitate this man.

　　Bob should have done so, but he had not the necessary amount ofphilosophy. He still clung to the idea that he and Burgess, incouncil, might find some way of making things right for everybody.

　　Though, at the moment, he did not see how eleven caps were to bedivided amongst twelve candidates in such a way that each should haveone.

　　And Burgess, consulted on the point, confessed to the same inabilityto solve the problem. It took Bob at least a quarter of an hour to getthe facts of the case into the captain's head, but at last Burgessgrasped the idea of the thing. At which period he remarked that it wasa rum business.

　　"Very rum," Bob agreed. "Still, what you say doesn't help us out much,seeing that the point is, what's to be done?""Why do anything?"Burgess was a philosopher, and took the line of least resistance, likethe man in the oak-tree.

　　"But I must do something," said Bob. "Can't you see how rotten it isfor me?""I don't see why. It's not your fault. Very sporting of your brotherand all that, of course, though I'm blowed if I'd have done it myself;but why should you do anything? You're all right. Your brother stoodout of the team to let you in it, and here you _are_, in it.

　　What's he got to grumble about?""He's not grumbling. It's me.""What's the matter with you? Don't you want your first?""Not like this. Can't you see what a rotten position it is for me?""Don't you worry. You simply keep on saying you're all right. Besides,what do you want me to do? Alter the list?"But for the thought of those unspeakable outsiders, Lionel Tremayneand his headmaster, Bob might have answered this question in theaffirmative; but he had the public-school boy's terror of seeming topose or do anything theatrical. He would have done a good deal to putmatters right, but he could _not_ do the self-sacrificing younghero business. It would not be in the picture. These things, if theyare to be done at school, have to be carried through stealthily, afterMike's fashion.

　　"I suppose you can't very well, now it's up. Tell you what, though, Idon't see why I shouldn't stand out of the team for the Ripton match.

　　I could easily fake up some excuse.""I do. I don't know if it's occurred to you, but the idea is rather towin the Ripton match, if possible. So that I'm a lot keen on puttingthe best team into the field. Sorry if it upsets your arrangements inany way.""You know perfectly well Mike's every bit as good as me.""He isn't so keen.""What do you mean?""Fielding. He's a young slacker."When Burgess had once labelled a man as that, he did not readily letthe idea out of his mind.

　　"Slacker? What rot! He's as keen as anything.""Anyhow, his keenness isn't enough to make him turn out forhouse-fielding. If you really want to know, that's why you'vegot your first instead of............