He hadn't been in the room since dinner, nor had Riddell.
Cusack was very curious to know what the letter was about concerning which the captain seemed so much excited; but Riddell declined to gratify him on this point, and put the paper away in his pocket and returned to his work.
"No," said he to himself, "if it's a hoax there's no object in making it public property, and still less reason if there's anything in it." Of one thing he was determined--he must go down to-morrow morning and have an interview with Tom the boat-boy.

The thing _might_ all be a hoax, but if there was the remotest chance of its being otherwise it was clearly his duty to do what he could to find out the miscreant who had brought such disgrace upon Willoughby.

So he spent a somewhat uneasy evening, and even appeared absent-minded when young Wyndham, now a constant visitor to his study, paid his usual evening call.
"I say," said the boy, with beaming face, as he entered, "isn't it prime, Riddell?
Bloomfield's going to try me in the second-eleven, he says.

You know I've been grinding at cricket like a horse lately, and he came down and watched me this afternoon, and I was in, and made no end of a lucky score off Dobson's bowling.

And then Bloomfield said he'd bowl me an over.