Possible Clues:

• Merit in Paris of introduction in court?
• Merit extremely desirable present
• Merit low exam grades -- start playing tennis!
• Merit (something)
• Severe Don working but not on merit
• Be entitled to take back food given to?
• Merit being severed somehow
• Justify Edward returning first tennis shot
• Merit being Severed, perhaps, like Iris Murdoch's Head
• Some alchemist's alembic, or crucible, recalls this Massachusetts town