Second Form at Malory Towers (12 page)

I'm sure I didn't,” she said at last “Oh, how sickening it is. Can you lend me some money, Daphne?”

“Yes. I've got my purse in my pocket,” said Daphne. “Anyway I owe yon some. I meant to have paid you before. I got some money yesterday from my uncle.”

She felt in her pocket and men looked up, a dismayed expression on her face. It's gone! There's a hole in my pocket! Blow! Wherever can I have dropped it?”

“Well, I must say you're a pretty pair!” said Alicia. “Both of you losing your purses—just when they are full of money too! You're as bad as Irene or Belinda!”

Belinda had lost a half-crown only the day before, and had crawled all over the form-floor looking for it, much to Mam'zelle's amazement. She hadn't found it and had demanded her games subscription back from Jean. She hadn't got it, however, for Jean maintained that once the money had gone into her box, it was no longer the giver's—it belonged to the Games” secretary, or the school, or whatever fund it was meant for.

The two purses didn't turn up. It was annoying and rather mysterious.
Two
purses - full of money. Gwendoline looked at Daphne and lowered her voice. “You don't think somebody's taken them, do you? Surely there couldn't be anyone in our form that would do a thing like that!”

Alicia was very curious about the purses. Into her mind slid the memory of Ellen going through the mistress's desk in the second-form room. Why should she do that? She had said she had lost her fountain pen—but she hadn't, because Alicia bad seen her using it at the very next lesson. Well, then...

Alicia determined to keep an eye on Ellen. If she was doing anything dishonest or underhand it ought to be reported to Sally. It was tiresome to think that Sally would have the right to hear about it and settle whether or not it should go before Miss Parker. Alicia felt the usual stab of jealousy when she thought of Sally as head-girl.

Ellen didn't know that Alicia was keeping an eye on her, but she did know that she was suddenly finding it very difficult to be alone, or to go into either Miss Parker's room, or Miss Potts” room, or even the form-room when nobody else was there. Alicia always seemed to pop up and say:

“Hallo. Ellen! Looking for somebody? Can I help you?”

Daphne borrowed as usual from somebody, but Gwendoline didn't. Gwendoline had been taught not to borrow, and she had written to ask her people to send her some more money to get on with. Daphne borrowed some from Mary-Lou and then offered half of it to Gwendoline.

“Oh
no
,” said Gwendoline, a little shocked. “You can't lend other people's money to me, Daphne! I know you borrowed that from Mary-Lou. Why don't you do as I'm doing and wait till you get some more from your people? That's the worst of being as rich as you are—I suppose you just simply don't understand the value of money!”

Daphne looked a little surprised, for this was the first time she had ever had any kind of criticism, even slight, from her faithful Gwendoline. Then she slipped her arm through her friend's.

“I expect you're right!” she said. I've always had as much money as I wanted—don't really know the value of it It's the way I've been brought up. Don't be cross, Gwen.”

“I don't know what would happen to you if you were ever in real need of money!” said Gwendoline. “You would be miserable without your yacht and your cars and your servants and your beautiful house! How I wish I could see them all!”

But Daphne did not say, as Gwen always hoped she would, “Well, come and stay with me for the holidays!” It rather looked as if Gwendoline would not be seeing her grand friend during the Christmas holidays, or attending parties and pantomimes with her. It rather looked as if she would have to put up with her own home and adoring mother and worshipping governess!

It was the day before the tests were to begin. Some of the girls were swotting up hard, feeling rather guilty because they hadn't paid as much attention to their work as they ought to have done. Betty Hill was poring over her books. So was Gwendoline. And, as usual, poor Ellen had her nose between the pages of a book, trying to cram into a short time what could only be learnt slowly and in peace.

Miss Parker was quite worried about Ellen. The girl gave her a strained attention in class, and yet her work was only fair. It wasn't for lack of trying. Miss Parker knew. She supposed it must be that Ellen was not very fit after her illness.

Ellen knew that the test papers were ready. She had heard Miss Parker talking about them. As for Mam'zelle, in her usual tantalizing manner she had shaken her test-paper in front of the class, and cried, “Ah, you would like to know what I have set you, would you not! You would like to know what are these difficult questions! Now the first one is
...
”

But she never did say what the first one was, and the class laughed. Anyway, Mam'zelle Dupont was never so strict over tests as Mam'zelle Rougier, who set the most difficult questions and expected them to be answered perfectly—and then groaned and grumbled because nearly all the girls failed to get high marks!

It was Ellen's last chance that day to try to see the papers. If only that irritating Alicia wouldn't always keep hanging around! The thought occurred to Ellen that Alicia might be spying on her—but she dismissed it at once. Why should she? Nobody in the world save Ellen herself knew that she wanted to see the test papers.

She hung about in the passage outside Miss Parker's room for a long time that evening. But there was never any chance of going in without being seen. Somebody always seemed to be going by. It was astonishing how many girls went this way and that way past Miss Parker's door.

Then, most annoyingly, the only time that the passage was really empty was when Miss Parker herself was in the room. She was mete with Miss Potts. Ellen could quite well hear what they were saying.

She bent down by the door as if she was re-tying her shoelace.

“The second form haven't done too badly this term,” she heard Miss Parker say to Miss Potts.

“They seem to have benefited by the year they spent with you! Most of them can use their brains, which is something!”

“Well, I hope they do well in the tests.” said Miss Potts. “I always take an interest in their first tests when they go up to the second form for the first time. Having bad the girls for three or four terms I can't lose my interest in them quickly. I suppose Alicia or Irene or Darrell will be top. They've all got good brains.”

“Have a look at the questions,” said Miss Parker, and Ellen actually heard the rustling of the test papers being handed over to Miss Potts. How she longed to see them!

There was a silence as Miss Potts read them. “Yes. A bit stiff, one or two of them—but if the girls have paid attention, they ought to do them all quite well. What about the French papers?”

“Mam'zelle's got them in her room,” said Miss Parker. “I'll take these along to her and give them to her. She takes the second form first thing tomorrow and can take the papers with her.”

Ellen's heart leapt. Now she knew where the papers would be that night! In Mam'zelle's room. And that was not very tar from the dormy. Could she—dare she—get up in the night and go and peep at them?

A girl came round the corner and almost knocked Ellen over. It was Alicia.

“Gracious, it's you. Ellen! You were lounging about here when I came up—and now I come down and you're still here! What on earth are you doing?”

“It's no business of yours!” said Ellen, and walked off. She went to the common room and sat down. She had to work things out. Dare she creep out in the middle of the night and hunt for the papers? It was a very, very wrong thing to do. But oh, if only she had been well all the term, and had been able to work and use her brains properly, she could easily have been top or near the top. It wasn't her fault that she would be near the bottom.

So she sat and reasoned with herself, trying to persuade herself that what she was doing wasn't really so bad as it looked. She was doing it to save her parents from being so disappointed. She couldn't let them down. Poor Ellen! She didn't stop to think that her parents would much rather see her honestly at the bottom, than dishonestly at the top!

Alicia was growing quite certain that it was Ellen who had taken the money. If not, why in the world was she always sneaking about by herself, listening outside doors, and doing such peculiar things? Neither of the purses had turned up. Nor had Belinda's half-crown. Another purse and more missing money had not been traced either, and Emily had reported that her gold bar brooch, which her godmother had given her the term before, had also gone.

Emily was very tidy and careful and never lost things like Belinda or Irene. When Alicia heard her talking about her lost brooch in the common room, she made up her mind to tell the others what she thought. Ellen, as usual, was not there. “Out sneaking round somebody's door, I expect!” thought Alicia.

“I say,” she said, raising her voice a little. “Sally! I've got something to say about all these mysterious disappearances. I don't exactly want to accuse anyone - but I've been watching somebody lately, and they've been doing rather peculiar things.”

Everyone looked up in surprise. Sally looked round the common room. “Are we all here?” she said. “Yes - wait though—Ellen isn't. We'll get her.”

“No don't,” said Alicia. “It would be as well not to.”

“What do you mean?” said Sally, puzzled. Then her eyes widened. “Oh—you don't mean—no, Alicia, you don't mean that it's Ellen you've been watching! What has she been doing that's so peculiar?”

Alicia told how she had watched Ellen and seen her sneaking about in the passages, apparently waiting for a room to be empty. She related how she had found her going through Miss Barker's desk. Everyone listened, amazed.

“I wouldn't have thought it of her!” said Daphne, in a disgusted voice. “What a thing to do! I never did like her. There's no doubt she took my purse and Gwen's—and Emily's brooch, and goodness knows how many things besides.”

“You're not to say that till we've proved something,” said Sally, sharply. “We've no definite proof yet—and only Alicia, apparently, has seen Ellen sneaking about.”

“Well,” said Darrell, reluctantly, “Sally, I noticed something once too. I found Ellen in Miss Potts” room, going through some things on her desk.”

“How dreadful!” said Daphne, and Gwen echoed her. Jean said nothing. She had been more friendly with Ellen than anyone else, though she had never been able to like her very much—but it seemed to her that Ellen was not quits the type of girl to become a thief. A thief! How terrible it sounded, Jean frowned. Surely Ellen couldn't be that!

“I don't think I believe it,” she said, slowly, in her clear Scots voice. “She's a queer girl—but I don't think she's queer in that way.”

“Well, I bet she never gave you her games subscription!” said Alicia, remembering how Ellen had refused to go and get it.

“She did, the next time I asked her,” said Jean.

“Yes—and I bet it was after one of the purses had disappeared!” exclaimed Betty, Jean was silent. Yes, mat was true. Ellen had not given up her subscription until the purses had gone. Things looked very black for Ellen.

“What are we to do?” said Darrell, helplessly. “Sally, you're head-girl. What are you going to do?”

“I'll have to think about it.” said Sally. “I can't decide this very minute.”

“There's nothing to decide!” said Alicia, with scorn in her voice. “She's a thief. We'll, tackle her with it and make her confess! If you don't, I shall!”

“No, you mustn't,” said Sally at once. “I tell you, we've none of us got real proof—and it's a bad, wicked thing to do to accuse somebody without definite proof. You are not to say a word, Alicia. As head-girl I forbid you.”

Alicia's eyes sparkled wickedly. “We'll see!” she said, and at that very moment who should come into the room but Ellen! She sensed hostility as soon as she came in and looked round, half-scared.

The girls stared at her silently, rather taken-aback at her sudden appearance. Then Sally began to talk to Darrell and Jean turned to Emily. But Alicia was not going to change the subject, or to obey Sally either!

“Ellen,” she said, in a loud clear voice, “What do you find when you go sneaking about in empty rooms and looking through desks?”

Ellen went pale. She stood perfectly still, her eyes glued on Alicia. “What—what do you mean?” she stammered at last. Surely, surely nobody had guessed that she was looking for the exam papers!

“Shut up, Alicia!” said Sally, peremptorily. “You know what I said.”

Alicia took no notice. “You know jolly well what I mean, don't you?” she said to Ellen, in a hard voice. “You know what you take when you creep into an empty room or go through somebody's desk or locker or drawer! Don't you?”

“I've never taken anything!” cried Ellen, a hunted look on her face. “What should I take?”

“Oh—perhaps purses with money in—or a gold brooch or two,” drawled Alicia. “Come on—own up, Ellen, You look as guilty as can be, so why deny it?”

Ellen stared as if she could not believe her eyes. She looked round at the quiet girls. Some of them could not look at her. Mary-Lou was crying, for she hated scenes of this kind. Sally looked angrily and hopelessly at Alicia. It was no good stopping things now. They had gone too far. How dared Alicia defy her like this!

Darrell was angry, too, but her anger was partly directed at Ellen, whom she too thought looked exceedingly guilty. She was angry mat Alicia had defied Sally, the head-girl—but after all—if Ellen was guilty, it was surely better that it should all be cleared up immediately?

“Do you mean that—that you think I've been stealing your things?” asked Ellen at last, with a great effort. “You can't mean that!”

“We do,” said Alicia, grimly. “Why else should you snoop round as you do? And why go through Miss Barker's desk? Can you give us a good explanation of that?”

No. Ellen couldn't. How could she say mat she was hunting for the exam papers because she wanted to cheat Oh, if once you started doing something wrong there was no end to it! She put her hands up to her face.