"She played for Aireyholme against Visitors, though," objected Diana.
"Oh, well! That was different, of course. Miss Andrews played for Aireyholme too, but we couldn"t choose her for a champion."
This was rather a convincing argument. Diana"s face cleared. She was always ready to follow Viola"s lead.
"We don"t want Katrine, if we can help it," she agreed obediently.
"And yet we want to be sporting," vacillated Dorrie, who prided herself on strictest impartiality and fair dealing.
"Every committee has to have its rules. The school ought to be represented by its pupils."
"And that"s the point. Is Katrine a pupil, or is she not?"
"Katrine says "no"."
"But Mrs. Franklin says decidedly "yes"."
"I think it"s beyond argument," frowned Viola, "and, after all, I"m Captain, and final referee."
"Oh! if you put it that way, of course----"
"I do put it that way. I consider it"s only justice. If Katrine Marsden won"t acknowledge herself on the same level with everyone else, she doesn"t deserve to have our privileges. It can"t be all take and no give on her part. There"s no need for us to be so very tender about her feelings, I"m sure."
"Not the slightest need," echoed Diana. "It won"t do her any harm to be pa.s.sed over--good for her, in fact."
"We may as well pose as philanthropists while we"re about it," twinkled Viola, suddenly seeing the humour of the situation. The three girls laughed.
"All the same, you"re only looking at the matter from one side,"
contended Dorrie. "We"ve got the credit of the school to think about.
The question is, who"s likely to score highest for Aireyholme at the Tournament? We mayn"t call Katrine an ideal champion, but we mustn"t let ourselves be biased by private prejudice."
"I hope I"m above such a low motive as that," Viola answered stiffly.
"No one could have the interests of the school more thoroughly at heart than I. For this very reason it seems to me folly to trust the championship to a girl who really hasn"t much concern whether Aireyholme wins or not."
"Oh, surely she"d play up?"
"I don"t know about that. If she were in one of her dreamy moods, perhaps she wouldn"t. Better not risk it."
"Hadn"t we better put the matter to the vote?" suggested Diana.
"By all means. I propose that Katrine Marsden is not eligible for the championship." Viola"s tone was decisive, even slightly aggressive.
"I make a counter-proposition, to place her at least on the list of eligibles," returned Dorrie, stolidly keeping her temper.
Diana had the casting vote. She promptly plumped for Viola, partly from real conviction, and partly because she was chums with the Captain.
"So be it!" said Dorrie, shrugging her shoulders. She could not agree with the decision, but she did not take the matter much to heart. "You two will have to brace up, and practise for all you"re worth. We mustn"t let Carford beat us."
When the result of the monitresses" meeting became known, the school took it in various ways. Some girls sympathized with Viola, others hotly espoused Katrine"s cause. The affair was very much discussed, and there were many lively arguments over the justice of the p.r.o.nouncement.
Katrine herself accepted it callously.
"I"m sure I don"t want to be champion, thanks!" she responded to her sympathizers. "It would be an awful bore to go and play Carford. I"d rather stop in the studio and paint."
In spite of her a.s.sumed indifference, Katrine was rather piqued. She knew her play was good, and that it was mainly jealousy on Viola"s part which caused her to be thus set aside. Although she had adopted a superior att.i.tude, Katrine nevertheless rather liked to shine in the school. She had played tennis in a dilettante fashion before, just to amuse herself; now, in a spirit of opposition, she began to train. For once she would let these girls see what she was capable of. There were only five days before the tournament; she would devote them to tennis.
Having arrived at this decision, she temporarily threw art to the winds.
The studio knew her presence no more out of cla.s.s hours: the whole of her spare time was given up to the courts. She had an immense advantage over the monitresses, for they were studying hard for their matriculation, and had very little recreation, while she had a double portion of leisure. Her play, good as it was before, improved by leaps and bounds. Soon not a girl in the school could compete with her upon equal terms, and win. Her handicaps were raised continually. There was a growing feeling that it was both unwise and unfair to exclude her.
"Someone ought to speak to the monitresses about it," said Jill Barton.
"It would be precious little use," returned Rose Randall. "Viola is so pigheaded, if once she says a thing, she"ll stick to it."
"But is it fair that she should settle everything?"
"Well, she"s Captain, and Dorrie"s Games secretary; they have the authority between them."
"Dorrie has been overruled by Viola."
"No doubt; but I don"t see what we can do, except call a ma.s.s meeting, and appeal."
"Um--that"s rather a desperate measure. I hate upsets in a school. We ought all to pull together harmoniously if we can. Let us try and put the screw on privately, but don"t have open ructions. Viola is a decent sort. We don"t want to quarrel with her for Katrine"s sake."
Most of the girls shared Jill"s opinion. They might not agree with their Captain"s views, but they liked her too well to proceed to extremities.
After all, Katrine was a new-comer, and Viola was the bulwark of Aireyholme traditions. They tried to manage the matter by finesse. They understood their leader well enough to know that any alteration must be proposed by herself. She was not fond of entertaining other people"s suggestions. So they forbore to revolt openly, and confined themselves to desperate hints and innuendoes. Viola was perfectly well aware of what was going on, and she ignored the hints. The situation amounted to a duel between herself and Katrine, and she trusted to her influence as Captain to come off conqueror. It was impossible not to acknowledge the superiority of Katrine"s play, and Viola really stuck to her guns out of sheer obstinacy. Everybody wondered what was going to happen, and whether the difficulty could be solved without a quarrel. The time was painfully short.
It was now the very day before the tournament. The question must be settled that evening. The results of the scoring-notes were posted up by Dorrie on the notice board: Katrine headed the list by an overwhelming majority; Viola followed; Dorrie was only a few points behind, and Diana and Hilda, bracketed equal, came next. If Katrine were ruled out of compet.i.tion, then the championship must fall to Viola and Dorrie. The strain waxed acute. Little groups of girls stood about in the hall and pa.s.sages, discussing the pros and cons. It was evident that something must be done; the ferment of feeling was almost at effervescing point.
At this crisis Miss Spencer issued from the head mistress"s study. She walked to the notice board, pinned up a paper, and marched away without a word. Everyone crowded round to read the notice. It was brief, but to the point, and in the Princ.i.p.al"s own handwriting.
"In view of the forthcoming tournament, Mrs. Franklin requests that the Games Committee choose as champions girls who are not entered for the matriculation. No examination candidate will be allowed leave of absence to-morrow."
This was indeed a cutting of the Gordian knot. Viola, Dorrie, and Diana were absolutely disqualified. It was a totally unexpected _denouement_, and for the moment they were utterly taken aback. As befitted monitresses, however, they pulled themselves together, and bore their disappointment with Spartan heroism. Perhaps they realized the cleverness of Mrs. Franklin"s generalship. It was certainly a safe way out of an awkward predicament. Viola was an intelligent girl, and had the sense to climb down gracefully.
"Diana and Dorrie and I are out of it," she at once announced, "so I suggest Katrine and Hilda as champions. There has been some little doubt as to whether Katrine is eligible to represent the school, but I beg to propose that any disqualifying clause should be set aside in this emergency, and that she be requested to play for Aireyholme to-morrow.
I"m sure she"ll do us credit. All in favour of this proposition please say "Aye"."
Such a universal chorus of a.s.sent rose from the a.s.sembled girls that Katrine, who had been inclined to refuse the proffered honour, was obliged to accede. Both she and Viola had saved their dignity, and in consequence each felt a more friendly disposition towards the other.
They discussed the coming tournament quite amicably; and Viola even offered to lend her racket, which was superior to Katrine"s own. Hilda was all smiles. With such a partner she hoped to do great things.
"Mrs. Franklin is a modern Solomon!" whispered Nan to Gladwin.
Katrine was secretly much gratified at being chosen champion after all, though she was far too proud to show it. Her affected carelessness, however, deceived n.o.body.
"She"s as pleased as Punch!" was the unanimous verdict of the school.
Everybody sympathized, for each one would have been only too delighted if the happy lot had been hers. The two champions were the centres of congratulation. The various points of their play were eagerly discussed; they were the one topic of conversation.
In addition to the pair who were to take part in the tournament, twelve girls had been invited to Carford College as spectators. Those whose scores came next on the tennis list were chosen, and Gwethyn and Rose Randall were among the lucky number. They were to be escorted by Miss Andrews, whose athletic tendencies made her as keen as anybody on the event. Fourteen smiling girls stood ready on the following morning, all in immaculate white silk blouses, with their school ties and hats.
Katrine and Hilda wore rosettes of pink, brown, and green--the Aireyholme colours--to distinguish them as champions, and most of the others sported patriotic badges. The school a.s.sembled on the drive to see them off, and they departed amid a chorus of good wishes. Some of the juniors even began to shout hoorays, but Mrs. Franklin suppressed them.