3 first day of term.
this, of course, was a silly way to introduce any new girl, especially as every listening girlimmediately felt that anyone likely to be gwendoline's favourite was not at all likely to be theirs!
they smiled politely at die new gilt taking her in from top to bottom.
she was very pretty. her golden hair curled about her forehead, and her blue eyes were much bluerthan gwendoline's large pale ones, but they were set nearer together than gwendoline's, giving herrather a sly look. she had beautiful white teeth, and a very charm-tag smile.
she used it now. 'tm so pleased to come to malory towers," she said. i've never been to a schoolbefore."
that's one thing we had in common!" said gwendoline, in a pleased voice. "i didn't go to schoolbefore i came here either."
"it would have been better for you if you had," said alicia. "you wanted a lot of licking into shape.
gwendoline. i suppose, as usual, you were waited on hand and foot at home these hols., with yourold governess and your mother telling you that you were the most wonderful girl in the world!”
gwendoline looked annoyed. "you don't need to be rude immediately you see me, alicia." she said.
"come along, daphne, i’ll show you what to do. you are in our dormy. which will be very nice. i canshow you round quite a lot. i know how i felt when i first got here and didn't know anyone." daphneseemed very grateful. she had very good
manners, and thanked everyone nicely whenever they showed her or told her anything. she certainlywas very pretty and graceful it was dear that for some reason gwendoline had quite made up hermind to be her friend and helper.
"i told you she'd have to be silly about somebody." said sally to darrell, as they went downstairs totheir sapper. "well, she's welcome to daphne. she's got too many airs and graces for me!”
"gwendoline says that daphne's father is practically a millionaire," said darrell. "she had a nurse, agoverness 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 besomething. 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, youmight have told me!"
belinda grinned. i don't know that i noticed h," she said. "so many things strike me as odd here, atthe 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 anysupper if we don't hurry."
all the girls were tired that night, and the second- formers were very glad to tumble into bed.
gwendoline bad chosen the bed next to daphne. "if you feel homesick, just tell me," she said todaphne, who looked really charming in blue pyjamas, her curly hair all about her shoulders in agolden 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 ofpeople round me—mummy coming to kiss me good night—and my governess popping in to see ifi'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 roles, 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 showoff in front of her grand new friend. "well 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 tinysnore from daphne showed that she was asleep. so it wouldn't be any good to defy sally—daphnewouldn'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 doorquietly. 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 theschool bell," she said, and laughed. "i couldn't thinkwhat it was for a moment."
the first day was always fun. no real lessons weredone, though classes were held tests were given to see what the new girls knew. new books.' pencilsand so on were given out. a list of various duties was com* piled, 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 thegirls exactly the same as she had told darrell the year before. "you will all get a lot out of your yearsat malory towers. see that you give a lot back! be just and responsible, kind and hardworking. icount as our successes those who leave here as young women good* hearted and kind, sensible andtrustable, good sound people that the world can lean on. our failures are those who do not leant thesethings 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 bethe 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. sheknew quite a lot about daphne millicent turner.
daphne looked back, putting all her soul into her eyes. she wanted badly to make a good impressionon miss grayling. she smiled her charming smile, but the head mistress did not return it. she spokea 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 separatedand went their different ways.
this term darrell and salty made their way to the second-form room. they passed the door of thetirst-formers, the room where they themselves had sat for many terms. the door was open. a tangledcrowd of small girls were choosing desks and bagging seats.
"babies!” said darrell. loftily. "just inky-fingered kids who probably don't know their twelve-timestable yet."
two old second-formers, now third-formers, passed them in the passage. "hallo, kids!" said one ofthe third-formers, condescendingly. "look out for old nosey! she's hard on people who make toomany 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 amost inquisitive person when she suspected any mischief was going on. and did not rest till she hadgot to the bottom of it.
she was strict but sometimes she had dreamy fits when she seemed to forget the class and sit gazinginto the distance. the class lived for these rare moments and then made the most of them. darrell wassure she would not like miss parker nearly as much as she had liked potty, the mistress who hadtaught her in the first form.
belinda and ellen seemed to be very keen to know all the details about the various teachers. darrelland 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 oat for miss carton, the history mistress, because, if you don't like history, shell sharpenher 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 ofthe 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 lookedround. she had been boasting quite a lot to daphne, but not in the hearing of the others. now darrellwas 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'retoo modest!”
darrell giggled. no one could call gwendoline modest, surely! she was the worst boaster in theschool, 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 playthem 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 takeyou 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 andgiving her a worried look. "i mean—i can work and work and work, and remember things all right—but fm not brilliant like some girls. some don't need to work hard at all—they're top because they'reso clever, and they can’t help it. i have had to work for everything. still—i badly wanted to come tomalory 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 gamesherself. "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 whati am, too—dull!"
belinda loved everything about malory towers. irene, who seemed to have taken her as much in towas 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 paintmarvellously well. best of all, or so the girls thought, she could caricature anyone in a bold pencil orcharcoal drawing, producing a comic exaggerated likeness that sent everyone into peals of laughter.
"well 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. well certainly havesome fun with you!"
