To himself Frank confessed that he had never before seen a girl who could serve so perfectly, or who ran up on her service so quickly. It seemed impossible to take her off her guard.
Frank had started out with a half-formed fancy to let her win, but it was not long before he discovered she was an opponent worthy of his best efforts.
And now, as he prepared to serve, the score stood “games all,” with one “advantage game” to Mabel’s credit. If she could win again, Frank would be defeated.
If possible, Frank resolved to keep her from winning that time, just to make it interesting.
But, on this occasion, Frank was to discover it was not such an easy thing to keep a determined girl and a good tennis player from defeating him.
With as much freshness and vigor as if she had not been so long at work, Mabel received the ball, returning it with a smashing stroke, upon which she risked everything.
Frank was not looking for such a play at the very start, and it took him slightly off his guard. He got the ball on the bound, but drove it out of bounds, and lost the first point with surprising quickness.
“He’s going to lose the set!” muttered Hodge, disconsolately.
Fanny Darling laughed merrily.
“Of course he is!” she cried. “Why, he isn’t in it!”