CHAPTER XXVII
THE RIPTON MATCH
Mike got an answer from his father on the morning of the Ripton match. A letter from Wyatt also lay on his plate when he came down to breakfast.
Mr. Jackson's letter was short, but to the point. He said he would go and see Wyatt early in the next week. He added that being expelled from a public school was not the only qualification for success as a sheep-farmer, but that, if Mike's friend added to this a general intelligence and amiability, and a skill for picking off cats with an air-pistol and bull's-eyes with a Lee-Enfield, there was no reason why something should not be done for him. In any case he would buy him a lunch, so that Wyatt would extract at least some profit from his visit. He said that he hoped something could be managed. It was a pity that a boy accustomed to shoot cats should be condemned for the rest of his life to shoot nothing more exciting than his cuffs.
Wyatt's letter was longer. It might have been published under the title "My First Day in a Bank, by a Beginner." His advent had apparently caused little sensation. He had first had a brief conversation with the manager, which had run as follow
"Mr. Wyatt?"
"Yes, sir."
"H'm.… Sportsman?"
"Yes, sir."
"Cricketer?"
"Yes, sir."
"Play football?"
"Yes sir."
"H'm.… Racquets?"
"Yes, sir."
"Everything?"
"Yes, sir."
"H'm.… Well, you won't get any more of it now."
