“Now you may go out,” said the guardian. “We must get the girls ready. I will let you know as soon as we have finished.”
George promptly stepped outside. In front of the tent stood Charlie Mabie on guard. George directed him to permit no one to come near the tent until the guardian had notified him they were ready, and then only the friends of the party. There was little left to be done in the dressing. They took off their muddy shoes, putting on tennis shoes in place of the others.
There was but little talking in the dressing tent, but outside a great wave of conversation rose, reaching the tent in a confused murmur. The girls were rather pale, but this might be the result of the trying night through which they had passed. Harriet pulled herself together and began a series of cheerful remarks. She soon had her companions laughing, and by the time they had finished their preparations the color had returned to their faces and each had found her voice.
Mr. Disbrow was their first caller. He turned Harriet toward the light that shone through the tent opening and gazed quizzically down into her eyes.
“Just a wee bit nervous, eh? You will get over that when you get to work. It is perfectly natural. Everyone feels nervous before going into a tournament. Why, when I am going into a match I am so nervous that I can’t talk without breaking down, but the moment I feel the grip of the racquet in my hand and see the net before me I want to shout for joy. Ah, life is worth while when you are facing a hard-hitter across the net, and there leaps into your heart a savage determination to drive him from the court, a defeated man. Of course, it doesn’t always work out that way. Sometimes you are the fellow who gets driven off, but it is the spirit, almost as much as the skill, that wins games. No one with a faint heart ever won anything except defeat.”
“Have you theen that beautiful cup thith morning?” questioned Tommy eagerly.
“No, I did not come over that way,” answered P. E. laughingly.
“I hope it ith thtill there,” was the little girl’s anxious remark.
“You may depend upon it. Later in the day it will be brought over to the grounds so that it may serve as an encouragement to the contestants. Don’t lose yourself gazing at it while you are playing,” he warned jokingly.
“Have you seen the other teams?” asked the guardian.