it's the off-side rule and, etc."

Taylor delivered himself of a little homily on the subject of refereeing.
He was enthusiastic almost to the point of forgetting his neuralgia, and
Todd got quite interested in the theme so earnestly handled. He had not
thought there was much fun in it until the house-master unfolded its
possibilities, but he took over the whistle fairly sanguine.

"I'll do my best, sir," said Gus, in conclusion; "and if they stone me
off the Acres----"

"I'll bury my reputation as a prophet under the missiles."

In one thing Todd was certainly right. When he found Hargon's _v_.
Sharpe's pitch and told the assembled twenty-two--rather diffidently, I
must own--that he was the deputy referee, they did gasp.

"Show us your whistle, Gus," said Higgins, Hargon's captain, doubtfully.

Gus held it up, with a genial and childlike smile.

"Got the rules in your pocket, too, I suppose."

"I have," said Todd--"for reference. But I know _now_, Higgins, that
goal-keepers cannot take more than two steps with the ball, and----"

Sharpe's lot guffawed at Todd's neat little thrust at Higgins's little
failing as a goal-keeper.

"But don't you worry, Hig; I'll see you through all right. Three-quarter