she remarked. "I'd put that sov. down as a
bad debt. Better late than never. We're quits now, Gwen Gascoyne."

"Not altogether," returned Gwen. "I've set my part straight, but
you've still got the credit for my essay. You haven't put that to
rights."

"Catch me telling!" laughed Netta. "No, my good Gwen, that's a little
too much to ask. Don't expect more than you're likely to get, and then
you won't be disappointed. I'm afraid I must still consider Mr. Thomas
Carlyle my special property. You really can't eat your cake and have
it."

"That's exactly what you're doing," retorted Gwen. "You took my essay,
and now you've got the sovereign as well."

"But I helped you out of a temporary difficulty. You forget that, and
don't show as much gratitude as you might."

"Not much cause for gratitude," grunted Gwen.

"This is what comes of being too philanthropic. I won't help anybody
out of scrapes again. One never gets thanked for it."

"Not when you give your help on such terms."

It was no use arguing with Netta, so Gwen turned away, glad to have
closed the transaction, even though she had been decidedly the loser.
There were plenty of other matters to occupy her mind, as this
afternoon the tennis trials were to take place as a preliminary to
playing for the Form trophy, and later for the County shield. Gwen had
given in her name to Moira Thompson, the head of the games committee,
and expected that she would be accepted at least for the trials. Nor
was she mistaken, for when, at two o'clock, Moira pinned her paper on
the notice board, the fourth couple down for singles were Gwen
Gascoyne against Geraldine French. All the school was assembled to
watch the play, since on this afternoon's victories would largely
depend the future choice of champions.

"Here's my new racket. Do use it--it's a perfect beauty," whispered
Lesbia, edging through the crowd, and pushing her treasured possession
into her sister's hand. "It will just make all the difference to your
play."

Gwen accepted the loan thankfully. Her old racket had been her
greatest impediment, and she had not liked to borrow often from her
classmates. As Lesbia had prophesied, it made all the difference to
her serves, and she played up in a way that astonished everybody.
Geraldine French, who was considered almost invincible by the Sixth,
had not taken Gwen seriously, and was therefore most electrified and
disgusted to find herself beaten by a Fifth Form girl of no