The two sets of twins took their places.
“Awfully sorry about your arm!” Bess said with patronizing kindness as she passed Janet.
Janet nodded her thanks. Her arm did hurt, in spite of the way she had joked about it, and she could not help thinking of the Archery contest next day. She looked ruefully at her bandaged wrist as she took her place.
The Red Twins served first. Bess sent a tricky drop to Phyllis but her racket was waiting for it and she sent it back, just dribbling it over the net.
The old wing shouted with delight, and Bess stormed.
“Why don’t you stand into the net? You know that’s one of her tricks,” she said angrily.
“Oh, keep still,” May muttered.
“Love—15,” Gwen called.
With more feeling of assurance, Bess served again. This time to Janet. She chanced the first ball and tried a new cut. It fell the wrong side of the net, but she tossed up the second undaunted.
Janet ran forward to meet it, and sent it back easily, to the extreme right hand corner of the court.