The tournament was to the South what baseball is to the nation; it was intensely exciting and picturesque, and, by reason of the guerdon won, poetic, investing an ordinary mortal with such power as Paris exercised when he gave the golden apple to Venus. It had spice of peril to make it attractive, if "danger's self is lure alone." Fine horsemanship, a steady hand, and sure eye were essentials. "Liberty Lost" won, and the mourning knight laid his laurels at the feet of a beautiful girl who has since reigned as a social queen in a Northern home. The coronation took place in the mansion that evening. After a flowery address, each knight knelt and offered a crown to his fair one. The symbols of royalty were wreaths of artificial flowers, the queen's shaped like a coronet, with sprays forming points. Her majesty wore a gown that had belonged to her great-grandmother; very rich silk in a bayadere pattern, that served as becoming sheath for her slim blonde loveliness. After the coronation, the knights led their fair ones out in the "Royal Set" which opened the ball. Perhaps it is better to say that George Walker, the negro fiddler, opened the ball. He was the most famous man of his craft in the Piedmont region. There he was that night in all his glory at the head of his band of banjoists, violinists and violincellist; he was grandeur and gloss personified when he made preliminary bow and flourish, held his bow aloft, and set the ball in motion! "Honour yo' pardners!" "And didn't we do as George told us to do!" Matoaca says. "Such dance-provoking melodies followed as almost bewitched one's feet. 'Life on the Ocean Wave,' 'Down-town Girls Won't You Come Out Tonight and Dance by the Light of the Moon!' 'Fisher's Horn-Pipe' and 'Ole Zip Coon' were some of them. Not high-sounding to folks of today, but didn't they make feet twinkle! People did what was called 'taking steps' in those days. I can almost hear George's fiddle now, and hear him calling: 'Ladies to the right! Gents to the right! Ladies to the center! Gents to the center! Hands all 'roun' an' promenade all!' Who could yell 'Do se do!' and 'Sashay all!' with such a swing?" About one o'clock all marched in to supper, the queen and her knights and maidens leading. It was hard times in Virginia, but the table groaned under such things as folks then thought ought to adorn a festal board. There was not lacking the mighty saddle-o'-mutton, roast pig with apple in his mouth, Smithfield ham, roast turkey, and due accompaniments. The company marched back to the ball-room, and presently marched again to a second supper embracing sweets of all descriptions.