Jennings and His Friends

was going to give them a good game, but also because they usually gave them a good tea after the game.

At two o'clock in the afternoon they arrived at Bracebridge School. The team went to a dormitory to change. The linesman had nothing to change and Darbishire was shown into an empty classroom to wait for his friends. He sat down in the back row and began to look around the classroom.

Soon the door opened and a lot of Brace-bridge boys in grey suits came in. They looked at Darbishire in surprise.

'I've been told to wait here,' Darbishire explained to a round-faced boy with large ears, who came and sat on the desk near him. 'I'm Linbury linesman and photographer.'

'Oh! Then I advise you to get out of here before Old Fox comes.'

'Who is Old Fox?'

'You'll soon find out if you stay here.'

Darbishire decided to leave the classroom quickly. He took his camera and his flag and stood up.

'Sit down, that boy,' he heard a voice and saw that a man with bushy eyebrows was sitting at the teacher's desk.

That was Old Fox! The teacher was looking at a book on his desk and did not see Darbishire. Darbishire decided to explain.

'Excuse me, sir...' he began.

'Don't talk, that boy!' The teacher was still looking at his book. 'One more word from any boy, and you will all be back here this evening.'

'But sir...'

'All right! You will all come back here after tea!'

Darbishire sat down and put up his hand. 'Put that hand down!' said the teacher. He was still looking at his book, and did not see whose hand it was.

At that moment Darbishire heard a whistle from the football field. 'The game has started,' thought Darbishire. 'And nobody has come to take me to the football field.' Time passed and Darbishire knew that it was a detention class. He decided to ask the round-faced boy about it. But when he opened his mouth he heard: 'Stop talking there in the back row!'

This time the teacher looked at Darbishire at last.

'I don't remember your face. May I ask you what you are doing here, boy?'

'Please, sir, I've come with the Linbury football team, and...'

'Too bad, too bad! Of course, it's very easy to get into my detention class, but it is very difficult to leave it. Are you sure you don't want to stay with us?'

'Yes, sir, I'm sure I don't want to stay here! Thank you, sir.'

'All right, all right. And if you want to visit us we'll be very happy to see you any time you like. And now you may go.'

Darbishire ran out of the classroom and hurried to the football field.

But it was too late. When Darbishire arrived the winning goal had already, been scored by Temple, and that was the only goal in the game.

It was a good, fast game, too fast for Darbishire to use the camera. Because when the ball was near his touchline he had no time to use the camera, and when the ball was on the other side of the field the players were far away.

Jennings found this out on the train going home and was very angry with his friend.

Darbishire tried not to look at Jennings. lie turned away and put his head out of the open window.

'There's notice for people like you over the door,' said Atkinson. 'Can't you read?'

Darbishire looked at the notice, 'It is Dangerous for Passengers to Put their Heads out of the Window,' he read.

'I didn't put my heads out,' he said. 'I've only got one head to put out. That notice is nonsense. They had to say - No passenger must put his own head out.'

'Very good!' said Bromwich. 'That means that we can put somebody else's head out. Whose head shall we put out?'

'Darbishire's, of course,- he is only the linesman,' said Atkinson.

Jennings decided to help his friend.

'What they meant to say is: All passengers' must not put his, her or its head out, respectively.'

'You can't put your head out respectively,' said Temple.

'Stop talking nonsense,' said Mr Carter. 'The train is coming into Dunhambury Station. Don't leave anything in the carriage. Have you got your gloves, Jennings?'

'I think so, sir. One is in my pocket, and the other is somewhere here, sir.'

'Where are your football boots, Venables?'

'In my bag, sir. I wrapped them in my clean towel because they were very muddy, sir.'

'What?' asked Mr Carter in surprise.

But at that moment the train stopped and Venables had no time to answer Mr Carter's question.

Mr Carter and the boys got out of one carriage, and Mr Wilkins and the other boys got out of the next.

'The bus to Linbury is leaving any minute,' Mr Carter said to Mr Wilkins. 'I'll hurry and ask the driver to wait and you, please, look after the boys.'

'Come along, boys, come along,' said Mr Wilkins in a voice that every football player of the Linbury team could hear very well.

Chapter Fifteen Jennings loses and finds his glove

Jennings and Darbishire hurried to the bus stop behind all the other boys. Suddenly Jennings stopped. He dropped his bag and put his hands into his raincoat pockets.

'What's the matter?' asked Darbishire.

'My glove! I've lost it! I think I've left it in the train.'

'Are you sure?'

'Yes. I've got this glove in my pocket look, but I can't find the other one. Let's run back to the carriage and see if we can find it. We'll soon catch the others up, if we run.'

The boys ran back to the carriage when Mr Wilkins with the other boys disappeared behind the station.

They could not find their carriage at once.

'It must be this one,' said Darbishire, because it has that notice about passengers putting their heads out of the windows.

'They've all got these notices,' said Jennings, 'our carriage is much farther on.'

At last they found their carriage. They lumped in and began to look for Jennings' glove. They found an old newspaper, a teacup, and a comb, but there was no sign of the glove.

'It must be somewhere here. Look!' said Jennings.

'I am looking, but I can't see your glove. Let's get off now. The train may start any minute.'

And at that moment the train really started. Jennings and Darbishire ran to the carriage door. But it was too late. Jennings put his head out of the window and shouted for help.

'Nobody will hear you, Jen,' said Darbishire. 'And it's dangerous to put your head out: the notice says so.'

Jennings came from the window and sat down.

'Don't worry, Darbi,' he said. 'We'll have to stay where we are. And when we arrive .it the next station we'll walk back.'

'But how do we know the train is going lo stop at the next station? It may be an express.'

'I'm sure it isn't an express,' said Jennings. 'Don't worry, Darbi. The trouble is that Mr Carter has got our tickets, so it will be difficult to leave the platform.'