1 " she said. 
"Mr. Sydney has arranged that after playing the first 



856 MT WIFE AND I 

games as a trial the four best players shall be elected to 
play a match game, two on each side.'' 

"I think it will vary the usual monotony of croquet," 
said I. 

"Hear him," she said gayly, "talk of the usual monot- 
ony of croquet! For my part, I think there is a constant 
variety to it, no two games are ever alike." 

"To me," I said, "it seems that after a certain amount 
of practice the result is likely to be the same , game 
after game." 

"Girls," she said, "I perceive that Mr. Henderson is 
used to carrying all before him. He is probably a cham- 
pion player who will walk through all the wickets as a 
matter of course." 

"Not at all," I said. "On the contrary, I shouldn't 
 if I should * booby ' hopelessly at the very first 
wicket." 

"And none the worse for that," said Sydney. "I've 
boobied three times running, in the first of a game, and yet 
beaten; it gets one's blood up