The captain had evidently been among the latter; as, on the notice board that morning, among the names of the fifteen who were to play the first match for the new clubs on Saturday against Penchurch, was that of Rollitt.

The excitement caused by this discovery almost put into the shade for the time the equally remarkable fact that Clapperton and Brinkman were included in the same team.
Where Rollitt had been, and what he had been doing, remained a mystery.
It was, of coarse, out of the question to ask him.

Conjecture was rife, and was greatly assisted by the juniors, who hazarded all sorts of plausible explanations for the general benefit.
"Think he's been to Land's End ?" said Wally.

"I hear you can do it in a week--sharp walking." "You can get to America in that time," said Lickford.
"Yes--he does seem to have rather a twang on him.

Perhaps that's where he's been to," remarked D'Arcy.
"Penny bank coal-mine's only fifty miles away," said Percy.