"Yes, yes—but there's your Mother. She's so set against Magic of any kind. I really don't know what I'm to say to her."
"Well," said Clarence, "I should hope, Guv'nor, you wouldn't be such a jay as to say anything."
"It might be only distressing her unnecessarily," said the King.
"Sidney!" exclaimed the Queen when they met, "I can see by your face that you've been beaten after all!"
"Not at all, my love, not at all. Far from it!"
"Then you've won?"
"Well—er—not exactly won, my dear. We—we finished up all square."
"Considering how long you've been learning, that's as bad as if you'd lost. Now, mind what I say, Sidney, you must never attempt to play golf again after this. I cannot have you making yourself ridiculous!"
"I think you're right, my dear," he said meekly. "In fact, I had already decided to give it up."
Clarence clung to his Golf as long as he could, but he found it dreary work going round the course alone. None of the Courtiers could be induced to learn the game, and he felt a natural reluctance to take on the Marshal as an antagonist, even if the latter had continued to be keen. But he had conceived a strong distaste for the game, and it was rumoured that there had been a stormy interview between him and the Astrologer Royal, who kept his bed for several days afterwards.