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Young Jackson looks as if he was in for a century." "You ass," said Berridge. "Don't say that, or he's certain to get out." Berridge was one of those who are skilled in cricket superstitions. But Mike did not get out. He took seven off de Freece's next over by means of two cuts and a drive.
Bob had jumped out at one of de Freece's slows, as Ellerby had done, and had nearly met the same fate. The wicket-keeper, however, had fumbled the ball. "That's the way I was had," said Ellerby. "That man's keeping such a jolly good length that you don't know whether to stay in your ground or go out at them. If only somebody would knock him off his length, I believe we might win yet."
There were still seven runs between them and victory, but nobody appeared to recognise this fact as important. Mike had got the bowling, and the bowling was not de Freece's. It seemed almost an anti-climax when a four to leg and two two's through the slips settled the thing. Devenish was caught and bowled in de Freece's next over; but the Wrykyn total was one hundred and seventy-two.
At de Freece's he had been kept waiting in the ante-room for two hours in the midst of a bevy of Sparkling Comediennes of pronounced peroxidity and blue-chinned men in dusty bowler-hats, who told each other how they had gone with a bang at Oakham and John o'Groats, and had then gone away in despair. On the following day, deeply offended, he had withdrawn his troops from the country.
And when Ellerby not only survived the destructive de Freece's second over, but actually lifted a loose ball on to the roof of the scoring-hut, the cloud began perceptibly to lift. A no-ball in the same over sent up the first ten. Ten for two was not good; but it was considerably better than one for two. With the score at thirty, Ellerby was missed in the slips off de Freece.
Mike watched Ashe shape with a sinking heart. The wicket-keeper looked like a man who feels that his hour has come. Mike could see him licking his lips. There was nervousness written all over him. He was not kept long in suspense. De Freece's first ball made a hideous wreck of his wicket. "Over," said the umpire. Mike felt that the school's one chance now lay in his keeping the bowling.
A bye brought Henfrey to the batting end again, and de Freece's pet googly, which had not been much in evidence hitherto, led to his snicking an easy catch into short-slip's hands. A hundred and twenty-seven for seven against a total of a hundred and sixty-six gives the impression that the batting side has the advantage.
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