and pearl necklaces. Oh, dash it! I'll drop another!'
'In that case,' Alexander pointed out, 'you will, of course, under the
rules governing match-play, lose the hole.'
'All right, then. I'll give up the hole.'
'Then that, I think, makes me one up on the first nine,' said
Alexander. 'Excellent! A very pleasant, even game.'
'Pleasant! On second thoughts I don't believe the Greens Committee let
the wretched caddies get any of the loot. They hang round behind trees
till the deal's concluded, and then sneak out and choke it out of
them!'
I saw Alexander raise his eyebrows. He walked up the hill to the next
tee with me.
'Rather a quick-tempered young fellow, Holmes!' he said, thoughtfully.
'I should never have suspected it. It just shows how little one can
know of a man, only meeting him in business hours.'
I tried to defend the poor lad.
'He has an excellent heart, Alexander. But the fact is--we are such old
friends that I know you will forgive my mentioning it--your style of
play gets, I fancy, a little on his nerves.'
'My style of play? What's wrong with my style of play?'
'Nothing is actually wrong with it, but to a young and ardent spirit
there is apt to be something a trifle upsetting in being, compelled to
watch a man play quite so slowly as you do. Come now, Alexander, as one
friend to another, is it necessary to take two practice-swings before
you putt?'
'Dear, dear!' said Alexander. 'You really mean to say that that upsets
him? Well, I'm afraid I am too old to change my methods now.'
I had nothing more to say.
As we reached the tenth tee, I saw that we were in for a few minutes'
wait. Suddenly I felt a hand on my arm. Millicent was standing beside
me, dejection written on her face. Alexander and young Mitchell were
some distance away from us.
'Mitchell doesn't want me to come round the rest of the way with him,'
she said, despondently. 'He says I make him nervous.'
I shook my head.
'That's bad! I was looking on you as a steadying influence.'
'I thought I was, too. But Mitchell says no. He says my being there
keeps him from concentrating.'
'Then perhaps it would be better for you to remain in the club-house
till we return. There is, I fear, dirty work ahead.'
A choking sob escaped the unhappy girl.
'I'm afraid so. There is an apple tree near the thirteenth hole, and
Mitchell's caddie is sure to start eating apples. I am thinking of what
Mitchell will do when he hears the crunching when he is addressing his
ball.'
'That is true.'
'Our only hope,' she said, holding out Professor Rollitt's book, 'is
this. Will you please read him extracts when you see him getting
nervous? We went through the book last night and marked all the
passages in blue pencil which might prove helpful. You will see notes
