"Really, he might be following some disgraceful calling, by the
mystery you make of it!" he exclaimed. "And for that matter I
call first-class cricket a disgraceful calling, when it's followed
by men who ought to be gentlemen, but are really professionals in
gentlemanly clothing. The present craze for gladiatorial
athleticism I regard as one of the great evils of the age; but the
thinly veiled professionalism of the so-called amateur is the
greatest evil of that craze. Men play for the gentlemen and are
paid more than the players who walk out of another gate. In my
time there was none of that. Amateurs were amateurs and sport was
sport; there were no Raffleses in first-class cricket then. I had
forgotten Raffles was a modern first-class cricketer: that explains
him. Rather than see my son such another, do you know what I'd
prefer to see him?"
I neither knew nor cared: yet a wretched premonitory fascination
held me breathless till I was told!.
"I'd prefer to see him a thief!" said Nasmyth savagely; and when
his eyes were done with me, he turned upon his heel.
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