to regard the manners and

"'An abnormal proficiency at games has apparently destroyed all desirein him to realise the more serious issues of life.' There is more tothe same effect."Mr. Appleby was a master with very definite ideas as to whatconstituted a public-school master's duties. As a man he wasdistinctly pro-Mike. He understood cricket, and some of Mike's shotson the off gave him thrills of pure aesthetic joy; but as a master healways made it his habit to regard the manners and customs of the boysin his form with an unbiased eye, and to an unbiased eye Mike in aform-room was about as near the extreme edge as a boy could be, andMr. Appleby said as much in a clear firm hand. 　　"You remember what I said to you about your report at Christmas,Mike?" said Mr. Jackson, folding the lethal document and replacing itin its envelope. 　　Mike said nothing; there was a sinking feeling in his interior. 　　"I shall abide by what I said."Mike's heart thumped. 　　"You will not go back to Wrykyn next term."Somewhere in the world the sun was shining, birds were twittering;somewhere in the world lambkins frisked and peasants sang blithely attheir toil (flat, perhaps, but still blithely), but to Mike at thatmoment the sky was black, and an icy wind blew over the face of theearth. 　　The tragedy had happened, and there was an end of it. He made noattempt to appeal against the sentence. He knew it would be useless,his father, when he made up his mind, having all the unbendingtenacity of the normally easy-going man. 　　Mr. Jackson was sorry for Mike. He understood him, and for that reasonhe said very little now. 　　"I am sending you to Sedleigh," was his next remark. 　　Sedleigh! Mike sat up with a jerk. He knew Sedleigh by name--one ofthose schools with about a hundred fellows which you never hear ofexcept when they send up their gymnasium pair to Aldershot, or theirEight to Bisley. Mike's outlook on life was that of a cricketer, pureand simple. What had Sedleigh ever done? What were they ever likely todo? Whom did they play? What Old Sedleighan had ever done anything atcricket? Perhaps they didn't even _play_ cricket! 　　"But it's an awful hole," he said blankly.