The girls at Aireyholme did not go in for cricket, but concentrated the whole of their summer energies upon tennis. They practised constantly, and prided themselves upon their play. Dorrie Vernon was Games secretary, and calculated that she knew the exact capabilities of every girl in the school. Tournaments were the order of the term, sometimes--with handicaps--between different forms, sometimes "School versus Mistresses", for Miss Spencer and Miss Andrews were good players; and occasionally, when Mrs. Franklin entertained friends, a match was arranged for "Visitors versus Aireyholme". There were few schools in the neighbourhood against whom they could try their skill, but they had received an invitation to take part in a tournament at Carford Girls' College, and with Mrs. Franklin's sanction proposed to send two representatives. The choice of these champions was a subject of the very deepest importance. Dorrie went about the matter in a thoroughly business-like manner. She kept a tennis notebook, and carefully entered every girl's score, day by day, balancing the totals weekly. The results were discussed at the monitresses' meeting. "Gladwin's play is fearfully off, this term," announced Dorrie. "Nan's a regular slacker, Tita is unequal--you never know whether she'll be brilliant or a dead failure. Coralie and Ellaline keep fairly well up to the mark; Hilda has improved simply immensely; our own record is satisfactory." "May I see the notebook? Who has scored highest altogether?" asked Diana. "Well--Katrine Marsden, by absolute points," admitted Dorrie, rather unwillingly. The three monitresses scanned the book, and looked somewhat blank. It was an unpalatable truth that the new-comer had beaten the record. Katrine's swift serves were baffling; there was no doubt that she was an excellent player. "It puts us in rather an awkward position," faltered Dorrie, wrinkling her brows. "Not at all!" snapped Viola. "Katrine Marsden's out of the running for a championship." "Well, I don't know----" "But I do know! She doesn't consider herself an ordinary pupil here, only what she chooses to call a 'parlour boarder'. Therefore she certainly can't represent the school--that's flat!" "She played for Aireyholme against Visitors, though," objected Diana. "Oh, well! That was different, of course. Miss Andrews played for Aireyholme too, but we couldn't choose her for a champion." This was rather a convincing argument. Diana's face cleared. She was always ready to follow Viola's lead. "We don't want Katrine, if we can help it," she agreed obediently. "And yet we want to be sporting," vacillated Dorrie, who prided herself on strictest impartiality and fair dealing. "Every committee has to have its rules. The school ought to be represented by its pupils." "And that's the point. Is Katrine a pupil, or is she not?" "Katrine says 'no'." "But Mrs. Franklin says decidedly 'yes'."