Even as Clint’s informant ended there came a burst of handclapping and Harry Westcott, who was umpiring, announced:  “The games are 5—­3.  Holt leads.”

Amy had the service and secured two aces at once, Holt returning twice into the net.  Then a double fault put the score 30—­15.  Holt got the next service and lobbed.  Amy ran up and smashed it safe into the further corner of the court.  Again Holt tried lobbing, and this time he got away with it, for Amy drove the ball out.  With the score 40—­30, Amy served a sizzling ball that Holt failed to handle and the games were 5—­4.  The boy beside Clint chuckled.

“He’s getting down to work now,” he said.

But Amy’s hope of making it five—­all died quickly.  Holt won on his first service and although Amy returned the next he missed the back line by an inch.  Holt doubled and the score was 30—­15.  Amy tried to draw Holt to the net and pass him across court, but Holt secured applause by a difficult back-hand return that just trickled over the net and left Amy standing.  The set ended a minute later when Amy drove the service squarely into the net.

“Holt wins the first set,” proclaimed Westcott, “six games to four.”

The adversaries changed courts and the second set started.  Again Amy won on his service and again lost on Holt’s.  There were several good rallies and Amy secured a round of hearty applause by a long chase down the court and a high back-hand lob that Holt failed to get.  Amy was playing more carefully now, using easier strokes and paying more attention to placing.  But Holt was a hard man to fool, and time and again Amy’s efforts to put the ball out of his reach failed.  The set worked back and forth to 4-all, with little apparent favor to either side.  Then Amy suddenly dropped his caution and let himself out with a vengeance.  The ninth game went to forty-love before Holt succeeded in handling one of the sizzling serves that Amy put across.  Then he returned to the back of the court and Amy banged the ball into the net.  A double fault brought the score to 40-30, but on the next serve Amy again skimmed one over that Holt failed with and the games were 5-4.

“I hope he gets this,” murmured Clint.

“Hope he doesn’t,” replied his neighbour.  “I want to see a deuce set.”

So, apparently, did Holt, but he was too anxious and his serves broke high and Amy killed two at the start.  Then came a rally with both boys racing up and down the court like mad and the white ball dodging back and forth over the net from one side to the other.  Holt finally secured the ace by dropping the ball just over the canvas.  Amy, although he ran hard and reached the ball, failed to play it.  Another serve was returned low and hard to the left of the court, came back in a high lob almost to the back line, sailed again across the canvas with barely an inch to spare and finally landed in the net.  Holt looked worried then.  If he lost the next