With
the greater part of the sports over, and a lead of five points to
their name, Dencroft's could feel more comfortable. The hurdle-race
was productive of some discomfort. Fenn should have won it, as being
blessed with twice the pace of any of his opponents. But Maybury, the
jumper, made up for lack of pace by the scientific way in which he
took his hurdles, and won off him by a couple of feet. Smith,
Dencroft's second string, finished third, thus leaving the totals
unaltered by the race.
By this time the public had become alive to the fact that Dencroft's
were making a great fight for the cup. They had noticed that
Dencroft's colours always seemed to be coming in near the head of the
procession, but the School House had made the cup so much their own,
that it took some time for the school to realise that another
house--especially the late Kay's--was running them hard for first
place. Then, just before the hurdle-race, fellows with "correct cards"
hastily totted up the points each house had won up-to-date. To the
general amazement it was found that, while the School House had
fourteen, Dencroft's had reached nineteen, and, barring the long run
to be decided on the Monday, there was nothing now that the School
House must win without dispute.
A house that will persist in winning a cup year after year has to pay
for it when challenged by a rival.
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