04 The Head Girl of the Chalet School (14 page)

“Yes, Madame. ‘Tis the truth she has told you.”

“I am very sorry for you, dear. And yet, I am glad in this. I think you will learn a very terrible lesson from this – how far your temper can take you when you give way to it. Will you try to think about it? I don’t think you will ever again let yourself bear malice or carry on a feud with anyone as you have done this time. It has ended too awfully for that. But remember that the girls are not to know if we can help it. It must lie between Grizel and yourself, and me. Miss Maynard knows, and I think we must tell Mademoiselle. But no one else is to learn it if we can manage it. Do you understand, dear?”

“The – the the Robin knows,” said Deira with a catch in her voice.

“Yes; but I shall tell her she is to say nothing. I am sorry she does know, but I suppose you couldn’t help it.

I don’t want the girls to guess that you had anything to do with it. I don’t believe, in the excitement of the moment, that they knew who threw the stone. I am going to ask you to e as much your usual self as possible.

That will keep them from guessing. If they have missed you, they will only think that you were upset because you and Grizel had been on bad terms, and you were very sorry you hadn’t made it up. You are very tired now, so I am going to send you to bed. You look as if you had cried yourself into a headache, and you will be better alone for the present. Go and undress yourself, and lie down. Try to sleep, and, when you join the others, remember I have forbidden you to tell them anything about it.”

Deira nodded and got up. She was worn out with the force of her emotions, and Madge had been right when she guessed at a headache. Her head was beginning to throb badly. She got to bed, and was there for the rest of the day. No one came near her, for they were still very anxious about Grizel, who had never recovered consciousness, but still lay in a state of coma. The others decided, as Mrs. Russell had said, that Deira was upset by the thought that she had refused to make friends, and now she couldn’t.

“Poor old thing! I bet she feels rotten!” said JoBettany to her own particular clan.

“I guess she’s mad with herself all right,” agreed Evadne Lannis, an American child, famed in the school for her extensive slang vocabulary, which after three years was as unique as ever it had been, though she managed to curb her tongue a little during term-time. “I’d feel a skunk if I were her!”

“She must be very unhappy,” sighed Frieda Mensch.

“Is – is Grizel going to
die
?” asked Simone in awed tones. The next minute she was sorry she had spoken, for Joey rounded on her with startling vehemence.

“For pity’s sake, Simone, dry up! Of course she isn’t! If you can’t be more cheerful, just be quiet! You’re a regular Job’s comforter!”

What Simone might have replied to this tirade nobody ever knew, for just then Paula von Rothenfels announced that Dr. Jem was coming up the path, and Jo darted out of the room to welcome him. She got little satisfaction, for Madge had been watching the path eagerly for the last hour, and was already in the passage, and sent her young sister back to the forrn-room post-haste.

Jo went, but she felt rebellious. She had been anxious to pour out h
er
views on the subject to him, and now there would be no chance of it. She retired to the others with a very ill-used expression on her face, and proceeded to snap at them till they sheered off and left her to her own devices. Evadne left the room in the wake of the rest, declaring that she was “fed to the teeth with other people who lot other people get their goats for nothing!” – an involved sentence that brought down on her own head the wrath of Miss Wilson, who chanced to overhear it.

It was after seven that evening before the doctor left Grizel’s bedside, and then he went to see Deira. Mrs.

Russell, however, came down to tell the anxious girls that it was all right. Grizel had come to herself, and had murmured something about a “rotten head” before she dropped off into natural sleep. She would be in bed for the next few days, but she would soon be herself again. The girls were overjoyed at this news. It had seemed such a terrible thing that their jolly snow-fight should have ended in this way. The older ones, at any rate, realised that there might have been a tragedy, though no one yet knew what had caused it all. The general idea was that the ball which it was supposed had been flung at Grizel had got frozen – this was Joey’s ingenious idea – and had been harder than the others. As for the stone, only one other person besides Deira and Grizel herself had known what the missile was, and that was Gertrud, and she would say nothing.

For one thing, she had not seen who had flung it. In the excitement of the battle, and when so many people were throwing snowballs, it would have been hard for any of the combatants to say who had hurled which.

The school went to bed that night happy once more, and Vanna even took the trouble to peep into Deira’s cubicle to see if she were awake, so that she might hear the good news. Deira, however, was asleep, exhausted by pain, repentance, and excitement, so the Italian girl went on to her own domain, and the dormitory undressed in silence.

Grizel slept for most of the next two days, sleeping herself well again, as Dr. Jem had prophesied she would. He went off to the Sonnalpe the next day, leaving his wife behind, for the path would be very difficult, since the snow was still falling, and also she was anxious to see Grizel out of bed before she left her.

It was not till four days after the affair that Grizel asked anything about the other girls. Then, one afternoon, when Madge was sitting knitting by her side, she spoke. “Madame, will Deira come and see me, do you think?”

“I’ll send her up after
Kaffee
,” answered Mrs. Russell, without any further comment. She had wondered how much Grizel knew of the accident, and if she was aware that the Irish girl was to blame for it. It was impossible to tell from the head-girl’s manner if this was so, but it looked rather like it. She had lain back on her pillows with a satisfied air, and said no more on the subject. Instead, she demanded to know when she might get up.

“I
loathe
bed!” she remarked. “It’s all very well at the proper time, but I hate it when you’ve got to stay there!”

The Head laughed. “Bed in the early mornings is very desirable, I suppose,” she said.

“Rather! But I’ve had enough of it now. Can I get up tomorrow, Madame?”

“We’ll wait till Dr. Jem comes and sees you again,” said Madge cautiously.

Grizel heaved a deep sigh, but the bell ringing for
Kaffee
precluded what she might have had to say, and Mrs. Russell went off to join the others, leaving her in Matron’s charge with a mischievous smile.

Five o’clock brought Deira to the room. A shame-faced Deira she was, with a scared look in her eyes, for she guessed that Grizel knew all there was to know about the accident.

Matron tucked some more wood into the stove, warned the visitor against exciting the invalid, and then went out, leaving them alone together.

When she had gone Grizel held out her hand. “Will you shake now?” she asked.

Deira took it. “Do you know?” she said.

“Know what? About that stone? Yes; but you never meant it.”

“I didn’t,” said Deira. “It was just – temper. I’d have chucked a – a
log
at your head just then.”

“Let’s he thankful there wasn’t one handy! ” said Grizel with a grin. “Half a brick’s good enough for me, thank you!” She gave Deira’s hand a friendly grip.

“I’m sorry,” said Deira.

“Righto! It was my own fault as much as yours! I’ve a beastly tongue, and you’ve a beastly temper, so we’d better cry quits on it, I think!”

Deira suddenly bent down and kissed Grizel. “You’re jolly forgiving,” she said; “’tis meself will remember that.”

And so the feud was ended, and when Matron came half an hour later they were discussing the absolute awfulness of their last French translation-book.

AFTER ALL THE excitements told in the last few chapters, the girls of the Chalet School settled down for a while to work and dancing. Games – outdoor ones, at least – they were unable to have, for the snow fell steadily for a week. Hansi, the boy-of-all-work, was kept hard at it, shovelling it away from the sides of the doors during the brief moments when it cleared off. But at the end of the week both chalets and the big hall were banked up on all sides with snow, which kept the houses warm, if it did darken the lower windows.

While it was still fairly soft, everyone was turned out, and they all shovelled away till the windows were free once more. It was a sight to see them, for they wore their gym. knickers over two pairs of ordinary ones, jumpers, shawls tied crosswise over their breasts, mitts, and woollen scarfs knotted round their heads. They all had on two pairs of stockings and their thickest boots, and they worked till they were in a fine glow with their labours. It took the whole of one morning, and then they were all sent to lie down in the afternoon, with their books if they wished to read. Most of the middles went to sleep, and a good many of the seniors too. As for the juniors, though they had done more play than work, they were all safely off ten minutes after Mademoiselle and Miss Durrant had tucked the last one in, and retired to their own rooms for a siesta.

Mrs. Russell had set off that morning as soon as ever it was light enough. Dr. Jem and Eigen had come for her; and while the girls and the staff were slumbering sweetly through the afternoon, she was wandering round her pretty home beyond the Sonnalpe, putting things to rights, and making it as home-like as possible.

She had been obliged to stay down in Briesau till the snow stopped, and for many things she had been glad.

She had resumed all her old classes, and had been the Head for a delightful eight days. Now she was glad to be at home once more.

“I think they will have peace for the rest of the term,” she said to her husband when he came in from his visit to the sanatorium. “Deira seems to have had a shock that will last for her life, and Grizel has learnt a lesson too. Jo is immersed in a new tale, and the others are working hard at their dancing and the Hobbies Club. They mean to have a sale of work at the end of this term in aid of the free ward here, so they have their work cut out if they are to have enough ready by that time. We shall be into February soon, and Easter comes early this year, so they will break up at the end of March. I advised Elise to give them only a fortnight, and break up early in July for the summer holidays. The weather is better then, and the Lannises are talking of going over to New York for July and August. Also, there will be Gisela’s and Wanda’s weddings that month, and it would mean giving holidays to all who are asked.”

“Well, Gisela will be married in Innsbruck, so I imagine the whole school will be expected to attend,” said Dr. Jem, as he filled his pipe. “Aren’t Joey and the Robin and Frieda to be bridesmaids?”

“Gisela wants it, and, of course, Maria will be, in any case. There will be Marie’s wedding at Easter, too.

She wants our children there, I know, and I’ve partly promised her that they shall go to the dancing as well.”

“What – all of them? The baby as well?”

“Yes; I don’t think it will hurt her for once. What do you think?”

“It all depends on how she is. However, that’s not for three months yet. We can think about it nearer the time. What I’m thankful about is that Marie will still he here. It’s a good thing she decided to fall in love with my own servant. Andreas will make her a good husband. It was a brainwave of yours to have those extra rooms built on at the end. And, luckily, there seems to be a never-ending stream of little Pfeiffens coming on who can come and help. How many are there?”

“Seven more, besides Luise and Hansi, at the school. Rosa, the next girl, is nearly fourteen now, and will be ready to come to us after Easter. Jem!”

“Well – what?”

“Do you think we might have Grizel here for Easter, instead of letting her go with the others to the Schwarzwald? You see, she leaves us this year, and I want her to be with us as much as possible till then.

We can’t have her in the summer. Jo and the Robin are off to Belsornia with Juliet – I hope she’ll be all right, travelling all that distance by herself – and it seems the only chance I shall have.”

“Please yourself,” said the doctor. “You needn’t worry about Juliet. That young woman has her head screwed on the right way, and, after all, it’s a straight journey from Paris. Have Grizel with the kids if you like, Honey. I sha’n't object.”

Marie Pfeiffen, formerly maid at the Chalet School, but, since her young mistress’s marriage, head of the domestic staff at the chalet beyond the Sonnalpe, brought in
Kaffee
at this moment, so the talk ceased; and after the meal was at an end, Dr. Jem had to go back to the sanatorium to see a patient who was very ill, and Madge settled down to arrears of mending.

Down at the school the girls were lounging about their rooms, thankful that all prep. had been excused for the night.

“Ouf! I’m stiff!” yawned JoBettany, stretching her arms above her head. “It was fun this morning, but one does pay up for things like that!”

“It’s a mercy Mademoiselle cut prep.,” said Mary Burnett, looking up from her raffia work for a moment.

“I couldn’t have settled down to French and trig. tonight. My brain wouldn’t have taken it in!”

“My arms ache so,” grumbled Margia Stevens. “It’s to be hoped it stops before tomorrow, or Herr Anserl will have something to say! I couldn’t play a scale tonight, let alone that awful Schumann
Nachstuck
that we always fight over!”

“I’ll come and rub you with embrocation if you like,” offered Grizel. “If you have a hot bath, and some of that rubbed in, you’ll be all right tomorrow.”

“Don’t worry! Matie said she was coming to rub me when we went to bed,” said Margia.

“I suppose she remembered Herr Anserl and his wrath,” laughed the head-girl. “He went completely off the deep end last week. I thought he was going to fling the music at my head before we were through!”