She was playing in a petulant mood, and she fairly gave that last game to Nan.
"Game and set!" cried Nan, and a frenzy of cheering broke from the crowd of girls.
Nan ventured a word of caution to Kate as they passed each other in changing courts.
"Don't let yourself get mad," she said, in a low tone. "It's spoiling your game."
"You let my game alone!" snapped Kate. "The sun was in my eyes, that's what was the matter! I'll beat you this time or know the reason why!"
Nan shrugged her shoulders and flexed her racket.
"Try and do it!" was her challenge, for Nan was once more sure of herself.
The first game justified her confidence.
Unlike Nan, who was at her best when losing, Kate, when losing, was at her worst. As one of the girls had remarked about her once:
"It's mighty hard to get Kate running down hill in a tennis game, but when you do, she seems in an all-fired hurry to reach the bottom!"