The sun shone in through the window. It was going to be a wonderful afternoon for a match. Elizabeth swallowed a lump in her throat. It was all very well to be big and brave and give up something because you thought it was right-but it didn’t make the disappointment any less. Joan saw her face and squeezed her hand.
“Cheer up!” she said. So Elizabeth tried to cheer up and smile. And then she noticed something going on at the next table. People were getting up and talking- what was happening?
“it’s Peter! He doesn’t feel well,” said Joan. “Isn’t he white? I believe he’s going to he sick. I didn’t think he looked very well at breakfast this morning.” Peter went out of the room, with Harry helping him. He did look very green. Mr. Johns went out too. Mr. Warlow looked at his watch. He hoped Peter would soon recover-because the coach was coming to fetch the team in twenty minutes.
Mr. Johns came back in five minutes’ time. He spoke to Mr. Warlow, who looked disappointed. “What’s happened to Peter?” asked John, who was at the same table. “Is he better?” “He’s got one of his tummy upsets,” said Mr. Johns. “Very bad luck. Matron is putting him to bed in the sanatorium.” “Golly!” said John. “Won’t he be able to play in the match then?” “No,” said Mr. Warlow. “It’s bad luck for our team. Peter was one of the best. We must choose someone else.” The news spread round the tables, and everyone was sorry about Peter. He really was such a good player. And then one by one the children called out something: “Let Elizabeth play!” “What about Elizabeth?” “Can’t Elizabeth play? She gave up her place to Robert!” “We1l–” said Mr. Warlow, looking at his notebook, “I had planned to get someone else next time-but as Elizabeth really deserves a trial, she shall play!” Elizabeth’s heart jumped for joy. She could hardly believe the good news. Her face went bright red and her eyes danced. She was sorry for Peter-but after all Peter had played in dozens of matches, and would again, Oh, she was really. really going to play after all! “Good for you, Elizabeth!” called her friends, all pleased to see her shining face, The whole School knew, of course, that Elizabeth had given up her place in the match to Roberts and now they were really glad that she had her reward so unexpectedly.
Elizabeth sat happily in her place. Joan clapped her on the back, and Jenny grinned at her, “Things always happen to you, don’t they, Elizabeth?” said Jenny. “Well, you deserve this piece of luck!” “Elizabeth! I’m so glad!” called Robert from the end of the table. “We shall be playing in our first match together! That’ll be fun!” Elizabeth couldn’t eat anything more, She pushed her pudding-plate away. “I shall feel sick, like Peter, if I eat any more,” she said, “Well for goodness’ sake, don’t then!” cried Nora. “We can’t have another player going sick at the very last moment!” Elizabeth rushed off to change with the others into her gym things. She found time to peep into the San. with a book for Peter. “I’m sorry, Peter, old thing,” she said. “I hope you’ll soon be all right. I’ll come and tell you about the match when it’s over.” “Play up!” said Peter, who still looked rather green. “Shoot a few goals! Good-bye and good luck!” Elizabeth shot off, her heart singing. It was too marvellous for words. Everyone laughed at her face and everyone was glad for her, She found Robert and took his arm.
“Sit next to me in the coach,” she said, “We are the only ones who have never played in a match before- and oh, Robert, though I’m awfully happy, I feel a bit nervous!” “You nervous!” said Robert, with a laugh. “I can’t believe it. A fierce person like you can’t be nervous!” But Elizabeth was! She was so very anxious to do her best in the match, to do her best for Whyteleafe School. Suppose she played badly! Suppose she didn’t catch the ball but kept dropping it! It would be dreadful.
“Still, there won’t be anyone from Whyteleafe watching to see if I play badly,” she comforted herself. She looked at Robert as he sat beside her in the coach, looking burly and stolid and not a bit nervous, It was nice to be playing with him after all.
“I simply can’t imagine how I hated him so much,” thought Elizabeth, “It seems to me that if we dislike people, we see all the worst side of them because we make them show that to us-but if we like them, then they smile at us and show their best side. I really must try to give people a chance and begin by liking them, so that they show their best side at once,” The coach soon arrived at Uphill School, which, as its name showed, was at the top of a steep hill, It was a much bigger school than Whyteleafe, and bad the choice of far more children for its lacrosse team than Whyteleafe had. The Whyteleafe children looked at the opposing team and thought that they seemed very big and strong.
The teams lined up in their places. The whistle blew, and the game began. The Uphill team were certainly strong but there were some fine runners in the Whyteleafe team. They missed Peter, who was the finest runner of all-but both Robert and Elizabeth seemed to have wings on their feet that afternoon. They had never run so fast in their lives before! Both children felt honoured to play in the match, and were determined to do their very best. Elizabeth’s nervousness went as soon as the game began. She forgot all about herself and thought only of the match.
She and Robert often threw the ball to one another. Both children had practised their catching every day for some weeks, and were very good at it. Neither of them dropped the ball, but passed it beautifully.
“Good, Robert! Good, Elizabeth!” cried Mr. War-low, who was with the team. “Keep it up! Shoot, Elizabeth!” Elizabeth saw the goal not far off, She shot the ball at it with all her might. It flew straight at the goal-but the goalkeeper was on guard and shot the ball out again at once.
“Well tried, Elizabeth!” cried Mr. Warlow.
Then the Uphill team got the ball and sped off towards the other goal, passing gracefully to one another-and then the captain shot hard, The ball roiled right into the goal, though Eileen, who was goal-keeper, did her best to stop it.
“One goal to Uphill!” said the umpire, and the whistle blew, The game began again, and both Robert and Elizabeth were determined not to let the Uphill team get the ball if they could help it.
Elizabeth got the ball in her lacrosse net and sped away with it. She was about to pass it to Robert, who was keeping near her, when another player ran straight at her, Elizabeth tripped over and fell. She was up again in a trice-but the ball had been taken by the Uphill girl. Down to the goal sped the girl, and passed the ball to someone else.
“Shoot!” yelled all the watching Uphill girls, and the ball was shot towards the goal. It rolled inside before Eileen could throw it out.
“Two goals to Uphill!” called the umpire. He blew the whistle for half-time, and the girls and boys greedily sucked the half-lemons that were brought out to them, Oh, how lovely and sour they tasted! “Now play up, Whyteleafe,” said Mr. Warlow, coming out onto the field to talk to his team. “Robert, keep near Elizabeth-and, Elizabeth, pass more quickly to Robert when you are attacked. You two are running like the wind to-day. Shoot at goal whenever there’s a chance.
Nora, feed Elizabeth with the ball when you can-she may perhaps be quick enough to outpace the Uphill girl marking her.” Tire children listened eagerly. The Whyteleafe team were feeling a little down-hearted. Two goals to none! The whistle blew. The match began again. Nora got the ball and passed it at once to Elizabeth, remembering what Mr. Warlow had said. Robert kept near to her and caught it when she passed it to him, He passed it back again, and the girl sped towards the goal.
She flung the ba1~ with all her might. The goal-keeper put out her lacrosse net quickly-but the ball bounced off it and rolled into the goal.
“One goal to Whyteleafe!” said the umpire. “Two to one.” Elizabeth was thrilled, She couldn’t keep still but danced up and down even when the ball was nowhere near her, Nora got the ball. She passed to Robert, Robert passed back, and Nora ran for goal. She shot-and once more the ball rolled right in! It was too good to be true! “Two goals to Whyteleafe!” said the umpire, “Two all, and ten minutes so play!” The Uphill children, who were all watching the match eagerly, began to shout: “Play up, Uphill! Shoot, Uphill! Go on, Uphill!” And the Uphill team heard and played harder than ever. They got the ball-they raced for goal. They shot- and Eileen caught the ball neatly and threw it out again! Thank goodness for that! Two goals all, and three minutes to play. Play up Uphill! Play up, Whyteleafe! Three minutes left-only three minutes! THE END OF THE MATCH ‘TWO minutes, Robert!” panted Elizabeth. “For goodness’ sake, let’s play up. Oh, how I hope that Uphill School don’t shoot another goal !” The ball flew from one player to another. Elizabeth ran to tackle one of the Uphill girls, who was a very fast runner. She hit the girl’s lacrosse stick and made the ball leap up into the air, Elizabeth tried to catch it but the ball fell to the ground. She picked it up in her lacrosse net, and tore off with it.