Katharine's reserve having yielded to admiration for the playing
of these two girls, who returned her swiftest balls with the
precision born of long practice. As the bell rang for dinner, she
dropped her racket and held out a hand to each, saying, with the
winning grace she knew how to assume at her pleasure,--

"I never saw better players in my life. We shall have to try a
series of match games this fall, West against the East."

"They do play pretty well, don't they?" inquired Alan from the
rear, with a tone of conscious pride. "I've coached them both, and
they can play every bit as well as I can."

"That's modesty," said Polly, laughing. "Alan wouldn't play, just
because he was afraid you'd beat him. We play five here, quite
often."

"How do you arrange it?" asked Katharine.

"Put in an extra one on the weak side," answered Polly, stooping
to pick up a ball she had dropped. "It isn't quite as much fun,
but there are just five of us, and it gives us all a chance," she
added, as they entered the dining-room and she took her place
between Alan and Jessie.

"How do you like it, Kit?" asked Jessie, when they were in their
room that night.

"Like what?" inquired Katharine, with a sleepy yawn.