“Hurrah, hurrah” cried Mr. Withersquash from the socierty part, and the King and Queen stood up to have a better look and the crowd roared and the brothers Majpottel fell on each others necks and cried very loud and wet for joy they were so glad and in fact it was a proper sight you never saw the like of [148] ]until at last Selia threw up her tennis bat in the air and cried very loud:
“Have you had enough?”
And the two lady players on the other side of the net and the one lady partner who had also been beaten although a partner said all together: “Yes!” and casting down the medals from off their dishonorable bosoms they slunk away and were seen no more and Selia was left triumphant on the field which was a neat little plot of green amidst all the cheering multitude, and the Queen bekoned and she went back up into the socierty part, hanging her head with modesty.
“Cheers” said the King kindly as she strode up, and the Queen took her hand and patted it and said “You are made of good stuff my dear and will make a good man happy” at which she made a meaning sign to Mr. Withersq.
With a deep blush Selia slopped into his [149] ]arms and he placed a kiss on her lip at which all present cried aloud and smiled and were delited to see a romance of the kind.
“I hereby announce that my Head Poet and his young lady Selia are engaged” then said the King stroking his beard and he was the first to shake hands with the honorable and lucky Harold.
Just then a page boy stepped up with a great bouquet in his hands which he laid at Selia’s feet. So Mr. Withersq gave him a bob and on the bouquet was a little label saying “With all good wishes from the boys” so Selia knew she had not been forgot by her old friends.
And now let us take leave of Mr. Withersq with his Selia in his arms surrounded by royalty and the flower of England’s socierty, he the Head Poet and she the Queen of Sport. For what more could their hearts desire?
Transcriber’s Note
Spelling has been left as printed, except that the sole instance of “Mr. Withers” has been amended to read “Mr. Withersq”; a handful of opening quotation marks have been adjusted for clarity.