Mr. Allnutt laughed loudly, and Mr. Brett, greatly put out, omitted to return the Head's lead, with the result that his opponents made four odd tricks.
"Game!" announced Mr. Allnutt, quite superfluously. "Thank you, partner. Pretty work!"
"It was a pity you did not return my diamond, Brett," remarked the Head mildly. He was counted one of the great Headmasters of his time, but he was as human as the rest of us where lost tricks were concerned. "I had the game in my hand."
Mr. Brett stiffly expressed regret, and continued:
"Would you mind giving me the names of the boys you saw? I simply can't understand it. I think there must be some mistake. No boy in my House--"
"As a matter of fact," said Haydock,--he was the acknowledged peacemaker and mediator of the Staff,--"it is very difficult to get boys to wear their greatcoats. I can't help sympathising with them. They usually don't require them at all, for they run straight up to their game and straight down again. But when, as sometimes happens, they find an exciting match going on on Big Side, they can't resist the temptation of waiting for a minute or two--"
Mr. Allnutt interrupted. Listening to other people was not a foible of his.
"Nonsense!" he said with great gusto, as the Head began to deal the next hand. "You can't tether healthy boys with red tape. Always disregard red tape--that's my motto!" (By red tape Mr. Allnutt meant instructions from headquarters which did not happen to meet with his approval.) "Now, _my_ boys--"
"Shall I play to a spade, partner?" asked Mr. Haydock.
"Certainly, so far as I am concerned," said Mr. Allnutt. "Glad to be out of it!"
Mr. Brett, whose hand contained four aces, flung his cards upon the table and glared at his superior.
"Very sorry, Brett," said the Head, "but it had to be done. I had nothing above a nine in my hand. I was afraid they would double anything you declared. My cut, I think, Haydock."
For the next ten minutes, fortunately, Mr. Brett was too much chagrined to speak, and the topic of the overcoats was allowed to drop.
The game continued for another few rounds, with the luck fairly evenly divided and the scoring low. Presently the Head, who usually contrived to achieve a good deal of quiet legislation during these social evenings, remarked:--