He had not a great deal of pride in his composition, but the thought of the ignominious role that Hargate was sketching out for him stirred what he had to its shallow bottom. He was wrapped in thought. So thought the major as he approached her and shook her hand, with some well-turned compliment upon his lips. We believe that something might even be done by borrowing from hockey the principle of the semi-circle, outside of which a goal may not be shot. This game requires careful planning and precise shot execution. Yet other sources indicate that a variant of a ball-and-mallet game evolved into Billiards. He listened attentively while Lord Dreever explained at some length the principles that govern the game of picquet. They began playing. Lord Dreever, as was only to be expected in a contest between teacher and student, won the first two hands. Hargate won the next. Hargate vehemently. Jimmy's prohibition against billiards had hit him hard. In a long hole of over four hundred yards, the golfer need not bother his head about strength for the first two strokes; he has to hit both these as hard as he can-there is no nice calculation of less or more.

Some holes are in a sort of pot, which, though small just where the hole is, nevertheless has widely expanding sides, and you probably will find your ball dead if you get it into it at all from any distance; but another is on a table-land, where the chief difficulty is not to get the ball on the table-land but to keep it there. There may safely be holes of great length to call forth the utmost strength of the youth to reach in two strokes; there may be others where, however you play them, it is impossible to reach the hole without a skilful loft. To form a steady habit of bowling, the nerves and muscles being a very delicate machinery, you must be careful to use them in one way, and one way only; for then they will come to serve you truly and mechanically: but, even a few hours spent in loose play-in bowling with few steps or many, or with a new mode of delivery-will often establish conflicting habits, or call into action a new set of muscles, to interfere with the muscles on which you mainly depend. ‘I will go, certainly. Thirdly, revolve the hoop as you bowl it, not against but in the line of its flight, and you will have its tendency to bound expended in an increased quickness forward.

If you choose a violent and laborious style, you will certainly become tired of it: but a style within your strength will be so delightful that you will be always practising. Couples who have left their youth behind them have their own little romance quite as much as their juniors, and it is occasionally the more heartfelt of the two. A look almost of awe came into Hargate's face, the look of one who sees a miracle performed before his eyes. At this moment Louise came up to the family group, now increased by the arrival of the two Hulot children and little Wenceslas to see if their grandmother's pockets did not contain some sweetmeats. As he crossed the big room, he came upon his father-in-law. When they were together in their room, and he was helping to take off her wet things, ‘Well, Jacquetta, what do you say? To prove how much nerve is the first, second, and third necessity in putting, you may take a man of thirty years old who has been and perhaps still is a good cricketer, what is billiards and has a good eye for games generally. It was too much happiness.

It showed, he reflected philosophically, how out of evil cometh good. There is a perennial agitation in the croquet world for a law prohibiting the player from pegging out his opponent’s ball. He knew that it was possible for a poor player to lose four hundred points in a twenty minutes' game, and usual for him to lose two hundred. Twenty minutes later, Hargate was looking somewhat ruefully at the score-sheet. Hargate nodded again, this time without looking up. He had shown Hargate the stuff there was in him. "Oh, every thing. Latitude and longitude, noon every day; and how many miles we made last twenty-four hours; and all the domino-games I beat, and horse-billiards; and whales and sharks and porpoises; and the text of the sermon, Sundays; (because that’ll tell at home, you know,) and the ships we saluted and what nation they were; and which way the wind was, and whether there was a heavy sea, and what sail we carried, though we don’t ever carry any, principally, going against a head wind always-wonder what is the reason of that? Yes; he paid me, last evening, fifteen dollars on account.