rty of the winners. Though Rodenhurst usually did fairly well, it
had not been able to compete with some of the boarding schools in the
district, and at each successive tournament had been obliged to see
others bearing away the coveted honours. Last time the Radcaster High
School had come off victorious, a circumstance particularly annoying
to Rodenhurst, as they felt they had been beaten by day girls like
themselves.

"Boarding schools get more time to practise, and have always more
courts in proportion than we have," so they grumbled. "One expects a
boarding school to have an advantage, but we mustn't let the Radcaster
High score over us again."

The tournament always occupied a whole Saturday, and was held at the
Stedburgh Pavilion Gardens, an excellent place for the purpose, for
not only could the best-kept courts in the county be hired, but there
was plenty of accommodation for spectators, and refreshments could be
obtained at the restaurant, a consideration for those schools which
came from a distance. It was necessary for entries to be sent in at
once, and when, as Bessie Manners had suggested, Olga Hunter and Gwen
Gascoyne were appointed champions, all Rodenhurst joined in approval
of the choice.

"But it's to-morrow week!" quavered Gwen.

"You'll just have to practise like billy-ho!" said Betty Brierley, who
was addicted to slang.

Nobody dared to indulge in any very particular hopes. It was one thing
to gain a Form trophy, but quite another to win the shield of the
league.

"I hear Miss Crawford's girls are in good form this year," said Rachel
Hunter, who had a cousin at a school at the other side of Stedburgh.
"Nell says they're pretty confident."

"They won't beat those twins from Appleton House. Their serves were
ripping," returned Betty. "I forget their names, but I sometimes see
them on the Parade."

"Unless they've gone off in their play."

"Yes, of course--people occasionally do. One can never tell from year
to year. Do you remember Freda Harmon? She swept everything before
her, and then she grew too fat and was a dismal failure."

"Would you like me to bant in case of accidents?" laughed Gwen.
"You'd better weigh me daily, like they do jockeys."

"There's a great deal in luck," said Charlotte Perry. "If you draw the
crack school you may be done for straight away."

Gwen practised her utmost during the brief week before the tournament,
and congratulated herself that her play improved. Sh