Second Form at Malory Towers (3 page)

“Gwendoline says that Daphne's father is practically a millionaire,” said Darrell. “She had a nurse, a governess
and
her own maid before she came here.”

“Oh—so that's why dear Gwendoline is sucking up to her!” said Sally. I thought there must be something. Hey, Irene—You've still got your hat on! Do you particularly want to wear it at supper?”

“Oh, gosh!” said Irene, putting her hand up to her head. “Have I forgotten to take it off? Belinda, you might have told me!”

Belinda grinned. I don't know that I noticed h,” she said. “So many things strike me as odd here, at the moment. Wearing a hat to supper didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary.”

“What a pair you'll make!” said Sally. “Come on. Darrell, come on, Mary-Lou. We shan't get any supper if we don't hurry.”

All the girls were tired that night, and the second-formers were very glad to tumble into bed. Gwendoline had chosen the bed next to Daphne. “If you feel homesick, just tell me,” she said to Daphne, who looked really charming in blue pyjamas, her curly hair all about her shoulders in a golden mass. Gwendoline's hair, too, was golden, but it was straight. She envied Daphne her curls.

“I expect I shall feel rather queer.” said Daphne, getting into bed. “You see, I'm so used to lots of people round me—Mummy coming to kiss me good night—and my governess popping in to see if I'm all right—and my maid folding all my things. I shall...” “No more talking.” said Sally, suddenly. Gwendoline sat up. “You're not head of form
or
dormy. Sally,” she said. “Don't give orders, then!” “I'm not.” said Sally. “You know the rules, Gwendoline. I'm just reminding you of them, that's all.”

Gwendoline lay down. Presently the whispering began again. Sally got cross.

“Shut up, Gwendoline. It's long past time to stop talking. We all want to go to sleep.”

“Wait till you're head and I'll obey you, but not till then!” said Gwendoline, rather anxious to show off in front of her grand new friend. “We'll know tomorrow who's head.”

“Well, it won't be you” said Alicia's malicious voice from down the room.

“Shhhht” said Darrell, hearing a footstep. It was Matron. She came in quietly, saw the wakeful girls, and spoke kindly to them. “Not asleep yet? Hurry up! No more talking now, of course. Good night.”

She went out. Gwendoline debated whether or not to begin whispering to Daphne again. But a tiny snore from Daphne showed that she was asleep. So it wouldn't be any good to defy Sally—Daphne wouldn't be able to whisper back!

Soon all the girls were fast asleep. They didn't bear Miss Potts peep into the room and shut the door quietly. They didn't even hear the sixth-formers trooping upstairs later on. They were all tired out.

The dressing-bell awoke everyone with a jump.

Sally sat straight up, startled. “Oh—it's only the school bell,” she said, and laughed. “I couldn't think what it was for a moment.”

The first day was always fun. No real lessons were done, though classes were held Tests were given to see what the new girls knew. New books.” pencils and so on were given out. A list of various duties was compiled, each girl taking her torn at them, week by week.

The new girls all had to go to see Miss Grayling, the quiet, low-voiced Head Mistress. She told the girls exactly the same as she had told Darrell the year before. “You will all get a lot out of your years at Malory Towers. See that you give a lot back! Be just and responsible, kind and hardworking. I count as our successes those who leave here as young women good-hearted and kind, sensible and trustable, good sound people that the world can lean on. Our failures are those who do not learn these things in the years they are here.”

Daphne, Ellen, Belinda and all the other new girls in various forms, heard these words that morning. All of them listened, impressed. Some remembered the words and never forgot them. They would be the successes. All three new girls in the second form seemed to be listening earnestly and sincerely, especially Daphne. Miss Grayling glanced at her, looking at her closely without appearing to. She knew quite a lot about Daphne Millicent Turner.

Daphne looked back, putting all her soul into her eyes. She wanted badly to make a good impression on Miss Grayling. She smiled her charming smile, but the Head Mistress did not return it. She spoke a few more serious words and then dismissed the girls. They went silently out of the room.

“Isn't she wonderful?” said Daphne, fervently. “Gwendoline said she'd make a real impression on me, and she has.”

Nobody appeared to care whether any impression had been made on Daphne or not. They separated and went their different ways.

This term Darrell and Sally made their way to the second-form room. They passed the door of the first-formers, the room where they themselves had sat for many terms. The door was open. A tangled crowd of small girls were choosing desks and bagging seats.

“Babies!” said Darrell loftily. “Just inky-fingered kids who probably don't know their twelve-times table yet.”

Two old second-formers, now third-formers, passed them in the passage. “Hallo, kids!” said one of the third-formers, condescendingly. “Look out for old Nosey! She's hard on people who make too many spelling mistakes!”

Nosey was the popular name for Miss Parker, the second-form mistress. She had rather a large nose, which, so the girls said, she kept putting into things that was no concern of hers. Certainly she was a most inquisitive person when she suspected any mischief was going on, and did not rest till she had got to the bottom of it.

She was strict but sometimes she had dreamy fits when she seemed to forget the class and sit gazing into the distance. The class lived for these rare moments and then made the most of them. Darrell was sure she would not like Miss Parker nearly as much as she had liked Potty, the mistress who had taught her in the first form.

Belinda and Ellen seemed to be very keen to know all the details about the various teachers. Darrell and Sally were pleased to supply them. Daphne, of course, went to Gwendoline for information.

“You've got to be careful of both Mam'zelles.” said Darrell. “But most of all of Mam'zelle Rougier, the tall thin one. They've both got tempers—but Mam'zelle Dupont's temper is just a short, hot one, and Mam'zelle Rougier's is a real
bad
one!”

“And look out for Miss Carton, the history mistress, because, if you don't like history, shell sharpen her tongue on you!” said Alicia. I do like it, so I'm all right. But if you don't, took out!”

The first day passed pleasantly and interestingly. The new girls were taken to see the various parts of the big school buildings, the tennis courts, and the gardens. They marvelled at the great swimming pool hollowed out from the rocks continually filled with fresh water each tide.

“I suppose you can swim very well.” said Daphne to Gwendoline. Gwendoline hesitated and looked round. She had been boasting quite a lot to Daphne, but not in the hearing of the others. Now Darrell was too near for her to make any untruthful statement about her swimming.

“Well—not so well as the others,” she said. “I bet you swim the best,” said Daphne, warmly. “You're too modest!”

Darrell giggled. No one could call Gwendoline modest, surely! She was the worst boaster in the school, and sometimes could not draw the line between stupid boasting and real untruth.

Ellen said she could not swim. “I've never had much time for games.” she said. “But I'd like to play them well. I've had to work so hard always.”

“You must be jolly clever,” said Mary-Lou, “You won the only scholarship offered that would take you to Malory Towers, didn't you?”

“Yes. But I don't believe I'm
really
clever,” said Ellen, the little line deepening on her forehead and giving her a worried look. “I mean—I can work and work and work, and remember things all right—but I'm not brilliant like some girls. Some don't need to work hard at all—they're top because they're so clever, and they can't help it. I have had to work for everything. Still—I badly wanted to come to Malory Towers, and here I am, so the hard work was worth it!”

“Well, you try being good at games as well as at work,” said Sally, who was very keen on all games herself. “You know what they say ‘All work and no play...’”

“Makes Jack a dull boy—and Ellen a dull girl!” said Ellen, with a small laugh. “I'm afraid that's what I am, too—dull!”

Belinda loved everything about Malory Towers. Irene, who seemed to have taken her as much in tow as Gwendoline had taken Daphne, was delighted with Belinda's rapturous admiration of everything.

“Oh, the views!” cried Belinda. “Look at that sea! Look at the colours in that swimming pool! Where's my paint-box, quick!”

It was men that for the first time the girls discovered Belinda's talent. She could draw and paint marvellously well. Best of all, or so the girls thought, she could caricature anyone in a bold pencil or charcoal drawing, producing a comic exaggerated likeness that sent everyone into peals of laughter.

“We'll have some fun with you, Belinda!” said Irene. “You can draw Nosey Parker—and Mam'zelle—both Mam'zelles, in fact—and Matron—and everyone. I'm glad you came. We'll certainly have some fun with you!”

On the first day of the term Miss Parker announced who the head-girl of the form was to be. The class was all agog to hear her, and sat like mice whilst she rustled her papers and looked for her pencil.

“I am sure you all want to know who has been chosen for head-girl this term,” she said. “Well, I will not keep you in suspense long. After a short discussion at the staff meeting we decided on—Sally Hope.”

The girls clapped and Sally blushed red. She was very pleased indeed. Miss Parker went on, glancing at her notes as she spoke.

“You may perhaps like to know what girls were in the running for the position. Darrell Rivers was, Jean MacDonald was another. Winnie Toms was a third.”

Everyone expected to hear Alicia's name mentioned, or Irene's. But Miss Parker did not give any more names at all. Irene didn't mind. She knew she was a scatterbrain and she didn't in the least want to be head of the form. So long as she had her music she was happy. Being head of the form might rob her of some of her practice time.

But Alicia did mind. She had been top of the form last term. She had a fine brain and an excellent memory, and although she never needed to work hard because she had these to help her, still she certainly had done well last term.

And yet she wasn't even in the running for the position of head-girl! She bit her lips and wished she could stop herself going red.

There's too much favouritism!” she told herself, fiercely. “Just because I play the fool sometimes and upset the mistresses, they won't even consider me as head!”

But Alicia was not altogether right. It was not playing the fool that made the staff pass over her name, but something else. It was Alicia's hardness to those she didn't like, her sneers at those less clever than herself, who needed help, not taunts. Often the staff laughed privately over Alicia's ridiculous tricks, and enjoyed them—but nobody liked her wild and unruly tongue, and the sharp things it could say.

“She'll get a lot of admiration and envy but she won't get much love or real friendship from others,” Miss Grayling had said at the staff meeting. “As for Betty, her friend, she is clever too, but a little empty-head, compared with Alicia, who really has it in her to make good if she tried. It isn't Alicia's brain that is at fault, it's her heart!”

And so the choice had been made—Sally Hope, the steady, loyal, kindly, sensible Sally. Darrell's best friend. Sally might not be top of the form, but she would always listen to anyone in difficulty. Sally would not do brilliantly in exams, as Alicia would—but she would always help a younger girl at games or lessons. She would be completely fair and just as head-girl of the form, and she wouldn't stand any nonsense.

Everyone in the form knew that a good choice had been made, although some of them would have welcomed a bad choice, for they didn't like Sally! Gwendoline was furious. So was Betty, who had hoped that Alicia would have been chosen. So were one or two of Betty's friends, not in Sally's dormy.

Darrell squeezed Sally's arm. “Jolly good!” she said. “I'm glad. Won't your mother be pleased? You'll be head of our dormy too, Sally. Sucks for Gwendoline!”

It certainly was most annoying for Gwendoline that night in bed, when Sally took command. Sally did not mean to use her new power too much or too soon, but she knew that if Gwendoline began to be silly again, she would have to make a stand at once. Gwendoline didn't understand leniency, but took advantage of it. So, as soon as the whispering began again, after lights out, Sally spoke up.

“Shut up, Gwendoline. I told you that last night I wasn't head of dormy then. But I am now. So shut up when I tell you.”

“Poor Daphne's homesick,” began Gwendoline. “It won't make her any better if you whisper stuff and nonsense into her ear.” said Sally.

There was a short silence. Then Belinda's voice cut through the darkness, asking a question.

“Sally! What happens if we disobey and go on whispering when the head-girl has said we're not to?” “Nobody ever does,” said Sally, grimly. “But I believe there is an unwritten law at Malory Towers that if anyone makes herself a nuisance at night a nice big hair-brush is chosen and a few slaps given.”

“Oh!” said Belinda, and snuggled down in bed, grinning to think of what Gwendoline would feel now. Would she whisper again or not?

Gwendoline had opened her mouth to continue her conversation with Daphne, but when she heard Belinda's question and its answer, she shut it again, shocked. How dare Sally hint such a thing to a second-former! She debated whether or not Sally was just saying it to scare her. But remembering Sally's grim voice, she decided she wouldn't risk it. It would be too humiliating if Sally really did carry out her threat. Daphne would never respect her again.

So there was peace in the dormy, and when Matron came silently to the door, there was only the regular breathing of ten girls to be heard. Eight were fast asleep. But two were awake.