Out-door Games: Cricket and Golf/Chapter Q0

I don’t object to them. Pockets: Carom billiards tables do not have pockets at all, as the game does not involve potting balls but rather focuses on hitting object balls in a specific manner. Formerly this might be done by leaving the next player’s ball in such a position that either a hoop or a peg lay between it and all the other balls ("wiring"), or so near to a hoop or peg that there was no room for a proper stroke to be taken in the required direction. Then there flashed across his mind certain reasons against this move. And then we must drop out a day-lose a day out of our lives, a day never to be found again. It was none of your ordinary ones, made out of green wood with pewter joints, but a regular first-class article, and would do for trout or perch or jack, or any mortal fish you could think of. I rather disapprove of his wearing a check suit on a Sunday, and I think he ought to have gone to church this morning; but he said he was tired after yesterday's journey, so I refrained from any remark on the subject We had a bottle of port for dinner, and drank dear Willie's dealth.

August 4.-The first post brought a nice letter from our dear son Willie, acknowledging a trifling present which Carrie sent him, the day before yesterday being his twentieth birthday. And he did it all in such a pleasant, frank way that the young gentlemen quite fell in love with him, and entrusted their cash to him with as much confidence as if he were the Bank of England. Tacky. Gladiators are much better. I always like to oblige where I can; besides, you would do as much for me, what is billiards I’ll wager. I’ll wager you’ll make top score every time you use it. It was a beautiful afternoon, and Loman paddled lazily and luxuriously up, giving ample time to Stephen, if so inclined, to admire the wooded banks and picturesque windings of the Shar. "Well, my time ain’t so very valuable, and I’d like to oblige you over this little affair. Omar Khayyam stretched over five of the most comfortable chairs in the library," returned Confucius; "and when I ventured to remonstrate with him he lost his temper, and said I’d spoiled the whole second volume of the Rubáiyát. Stephen promptly pulled out one of his five shillings of pocket-money in answer to this appeal, and felt rather ashamed to appear "comfortable off" in the presence of this patriarch.

It was well for Stephen that Mr. Cripps junior turned up at this juncture, or the entire five shillings might have made its way into the old man’s pouch. Mr. Cripps junior had the rod. In short, Cripps was a blackguard by practice, whatever he was by profession. Cripps was the son of the old man whom Loman had addressed as Jeff. Look here, young gentleman," continued Cripps confidentially; "I’ve taken a fancy to you. He always managed to know of something that young gentlemen had a fancy for. I will say, however, that these details were mixed and incoherent until I came to know the science of evolution. And you were not at your Club: no, I know that. Celestine," said Hortense to her sister-in-law, who had complained that in such fine weather her husband should be kept at the Chamber, "I think you do not fully appreciate your happiness. "A fine old institution," the Consul admitted. "Yas; he be inside or somewheres, maister," replied the old lock-keeper.

He almost cried at the sight of this destitute, tottering honest old man, and before the latter could get farther in his lament another shilling was in his palsied old hand, and the grey old forelock was enduring another tug. As a very little child, even, I had a feeling, in the midst of the horror of my dreaming, that if I could find but one man, only one human, I should be saved from my dreaming, that I should be surrounded no more by haunting terrors. I paused. The idea was a new one to me. One would scarcely believe he was Carrie's son. "I want you to run up to Gusset Weir," said he to his fag, "to fetch me a rod the keeper’s son is getting for me. It may be that I was getting nervous. But you may as well have the use of the bat now.