The fact that James and Peter, lying side by side in the same bunker, had played respectively one and six shots, might have induced an unthinking observer to fancy the chances of the former. And no doubt, had he not taken seven strokes to extricate himself from the pit, while his opponent, by some act of G.o.d, contrived to get out in two, James"s chances might have been extremely rosy. As it was, the two men staggered out on to the fairway again with a score of eight apiece.
Once past the bunker and round the bend of the road, the hole becomes simple. A judicious use of the cleek put Peter on the green in fourteen, while James, with a Braid iron, reached it in twelve. Peter was down in seventeen, and James contrived to halve. It was only as he was leaving the hole that the latter discovered that he had been putting with his niblick, which cannot have failed to exercise a prejudicial effect on his game. These little incidents are bound to happen when one is in a nervous and highly-strung condition.
The fifth and sixth holes produced no unusual features. Peter won the fifth in eleven, and James the sixth in ten. The short seventh they halved in nine. The eighth, always a tricky hole, they took no liberties with, James, sinking a long putt with his twenty-third, just managing to halve. A ding-dong race up the hill for the ninth found James first at the pin, and they finished the first nine with James one up.
As they left the green James looked a little furtively at his companion.
"You might be strolling on to the tenth," he said. "I want to get a few b.a.l.l.s at the shop. And my mashie wants fixing up. I sha"n"t be long."
"I"ll come with you," said Peter.
"Don"t bother," said James. "You go on and hold our place at the tee."
I regret to say that James was lying. His mashie was in excellent repair, and he still had a dozen b.a.l.l.s in his bag, it being his prudent practice always to start out with eighteen. No! What he had said was mere subterfuge. He wanted to go to his locker and s.n.a.t.c.h a few minutes with Sandy MacBean"s "How to Become a Scratch Man". He felt sure that one more glance at the photograph of Mr. MacBean driving would give him the mastery of the stroke and so enable him to win the match. In this I think he was a little sanguine. The difficulty about Sandy MacBean"s method of tuition was that he laid great stress on the fact that the ball should be directly in a line with a point exactly in the centre of the back of the player"s neck; and so far James"s efforts to keep his eye on the ball and on the back of his neck simultaneously had produced no satisfactory results.
It seemed to James, when he joined Peter on the tenth tee, that the latter"s manner was strange. He was pale. There was a curious look in his eye.
"James, old man," he said.
"Yes?" said James.
"While you were away I have been thinking. James, old man, do you really love this girl?"
James stared. A spasm of pain twisted Peter"s face.
"Suppose," he said in a low voice, "she were not all you--we--think she is!"
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing, nothing."
"Miss Forrester is an angel."
"Yes, yes. Quite so."
"I know what it is," said James, pa.s.sionately. "You"re trying to put me off my stroke. You know that the least thing makes me lose my form."
"No, no!"
"You hope that you can take my mind off the game and make me go to pieces, and then you"ll win the match."
"On the contrary," said Peter. "I intend to forfeit the match."
James reeled.
"What!"
"I give up."
"But--but----" James shook with emotion. His voice quavered. "Ah!" he cried. "I see now: I understand! You are doing this for me because I am your pal. Peter, this is n.o.ble! This is the sort of thing you read about in books. I"ve seen it in the movies. But I can"t accept the sacrifice."
"You must!"
"No, no!"
"I insist!"
"Do you mean this?"
"I give her up, James, old man. I--I hope you will be happy."
"But I don"t know what to say. How can I thank you?"
"Don"t thank me."
"But, Peter, do you fully realize what you are doing? True, I am one up, but there are nine holes to go, and I am not right on my game today. You might easily beat me. Have you forgotten that I once took forty-seven at the dog-leg hole? This may be one of my bad days. Do you understand that if you insist on giving up I shall go to Miss Forrester tonight and propose to her?"
"I understand."
"And yet you stick to it that you are through?"
"I do. And, but the way, there"s no need for you to wait till tonight.
I saw Miss Forrester just now outside the tennis court. She"s alone."
James turned crimson.
"Then I think perhaps----"
"You"d better go to her at once."
"I will." James extended his hand. "Peter, old man, I shall never forget this."
"That"s all right."
"What are you going to do?"
"Now, do you mean? Oh, I shall potter round the second nine. If you want me, you"ll find me somewhere about."
"You"ll come to the wedding, Peter?" said James, wistfully.
"Of course," said Peter. "Good luck."
He spoke cheerily, but, when the other had turned to go, he stood looking after him thoughtfully. Then he sighed a heavy sigh.
James approached Miss Forrester with a beating heart. She made a charming picture as she stood there in the sunlight, one hand on her hip, the other swaying a tennis racket.