Betty had proposed the
out-of-door club, and had started a tennis-court, and devoted much time
to it; but nobody knew how to play very well yet, except Harry Foster
and Julia Picknell, and they were the most difficult ones to catch for
an idle afternoon. George Max could play, and one or two others could
stumble through a game and like it pretty well; but as for Mary Beck,
her shoes were too small for much agility, and she liked to wear her
clothes so tight that she was very clumsy with a racket. Betty's light
little gowns looked prim and plain to the Tideshead girls, who thought
their colors very strange, to begin with, and had not the sense to be
envious when their wearer went by, as light-footed and graceful as they
were awkward. They could not understand the simplicity that was natural
to Betty, but everybody liked her, and felt as much interested as if she
were an altogether new variety of human being. Perhaps we shall
understand the situation better if we read a letter which our heroine
wrote just then:--

MY DEAR PAPA,--This is from your Betty, who
intended to take a long walk with Mary Beck this
afternoon, but is now prevented by a
thunder-shower. It makes me wonder what you do
when you get wet, and who sees that you take off
your wet clothes and tries not to let you have a
cold. Isn't it almost time for you to come home
now, papa? I do miss taking care of you so very
much. You will be tired hearing about Mary Beck,
and you can't stop it, can you? as if you laughed
and then talked about something else when we were
walking together. You must remember that you said
we must be always fighting an enemy in ourselves,
and my enemy just now is making little funs of
Mary, and seeing that she doesn't know so much as
she thinks she does. I like too well to show her
that she is mistaken when she tells about things;
but it makes me sorry afterward, because, in spite
of myself, I like her better than I do anybody. I
truly love her, papa; indeed, I do, but I like to
tease her better than to help her, when she puts
on airs about the very places where I have been
and things I have done. Aunt Barbara speaks of her
manners, and wishes I would "play with" Nelly
Foster and the mini