Mike woke next morning with a confused memory of having listened to agreat deal of incoherent conversation from Jellicoe, and a painfullyvivid recollection of handing over the bulk of his worldly wealth tohim. The thought depressed him, though it seemed to please Jellicoe,for the latter carolled in a gay undertone as he dressed, till Psmith,who had a sensitive ear, asked as a favour that these farm-yardimitations might cease until he was out of the room.

　　There were other things to make Mike low-spirited that morning. Tobegin with, he was in detention, which in itself is enough to spoil aday. It was a particularly fine day, which made the matter worse. Inaddition to this, he had never felt stiffer in his life. It seemed tohim that the creaking of his joints as he walked must be audible toevery one within a radius of several yards. Finally, there was theinterview with Mr. Downing to come. That would probably be unpleasant.

　　As Psmith had said, Mr. Downing was the sort of master who would belikely to make trouble. The great match had not been an ordinarymatch. Mr. Downing was a curious man in many ways, but he did not makea fuss on ordinary occasions when his bowling proved expensive.

　　Yesterday's performance, however, stood in a class by itself. It stoodforth without disguise as a deliberate rag. One side does not keepanother in the field the whole day in a one-day match except as agrisly kind of practical joke. And Mr. Downing and his house realisedthis. The house's way of signifying its comprehension of the fact wasto be cold and distant as far as the seniors were concerned, andabusive and pugnacious as regards the juniors. Young blood had beenshed overnight, and more flowed during the eleven o'clock intervalthat morning to avenge the insult.

　　Mr. Downing's methods of retaliation would have to be, of necessity,more elusive; but Mike did not doubt that in some way or other hisform-master would endeavour to get a bit of his own back.

　　As events turned out, he was perfectly right. When a master has gothis knife into a boy, especially a master who allows himself to beinfluenced by his likes and dislikes, he is inclined to single him outin times of stress, and savage him as if he were the officialrepresentative of the evildoers. Just as, at sea, the skipper, when hehas trouble with the crew, works it off on the boy.

　　Mr. Downing was in a sarcastic mood when he met Mike. That is to say,he began in a sarcastic strain. But this sort of thing is difficult tokeep up. By the time he had reached his peroration, the rapier hadgiven place to the bludgeon. For sarcasm to be effective, the user ofit must be met half-way. His hearer must appear to be conscious of thesarcasm and moved by it. Mike, when masters waxed sarcastic towardshim, always assumed an air of stolid stupidity, which was as a suit ofmail against satire.

　　So Mr. Downing came down from the heights with a run, and began toexpress himself with a simple strength which it did his form good tolisten to. Veterans who had been in the form for terms said afterwardsthat there had been nothing to touch it, in their experience of theorator, since the glorious day when Dunster, that prince of raggers,who had left at Christmas to go to a crammer's, had introduced threelively grass-snakes into the room during a Latin lesson.

　　"You are surrounded," concluded Mr. Downing, snapping his pencil intwo in his emotion, "by an impenetrable mass of conceit and vanity andselfishness. It does not occur to you to admit your capabilities as acricketer in an open, straight............