First Term at Malory Towers (12 page)

SOON the big drive in front of Malory Towers was crowded with cars of all shapes and sizes. Parents climbed out of them and looked for their girls. There were shrieks of delighted welcome all over the place.

“Mummy! Daddy! I'm so glad you've come early!”

“Mother! I didn't expect you soon! Oh, it's lovely to see you again!”

Darrell was watching for her father and mother, too She soon saw her father's plain black car, which he drove himself. And there was mother sitting beside him, looking pretty in a new dress, and excited because she would so soon see Darrell.

Darrell shot out of the doorway and down the drive like an arrow, nearly knocking over Gwendoline, who was waiting impatiently for her own mother. She flung herself on her parents. “Mother! I've been waiting and waiting! Oh, it's lovely to see you again! Hallo, Daddy—did you drive all the way down?”

“Hallo, darling,” said her mother and looked at her in pleasure. Darrell was brown and glowing with colour. Her warm brown eyes were filled with delighted love. She looked happy and “on top of the world” as her father put it to himself. Both her parents were pleased.

Darrell took them into the school, chattering at the top of her voice. “You must see my dormy. You must see the very bed I sleep in—and I
must
show you the view out of our dormy window. It's super!”

In her intense excitement she had forgotten all about Emily, waiting patiently nearby. She suddenly saw her, and stopped.

“Oh—Emily! Mother, you said I could choose some one to come out with us—and here she is. This is Emily Lake, a girl in my form.”

Mrs. Rivers looked at Emily and was surprised. She had not expected a quiet sober little girl like this to be Darrell's chosen friend. She did not know that as yet Darrell had no definite friend. She shook hands with Emily, and said she was pleased she was coming out with them.

After that Emily tagged along behind them, listening to Darrell's excited chatter, and her parents” amused replies. She liked Darrell's parents. Her mother was pretty and amusing, and sensible too—and as for her father, well, any one would trust him at sight, thought Emily, gazing at his determined, good-looking face with its big dark eyes and intensely black eyebrows, just like Darrell's but bigger and shaggier.

Darrell was proud of her parents. She wanted to show them off. She saw Gwendoline with two women—one obviously her mother, with bright golden hair like Gwendoline's and a rather babyish, empty face. The other must be Miss Winter, the governess, thought Darrell. What an awful person!

Poor Miss Winter was not really awful. She was plain and poor and always eager to agree with everyone. She adored Gwendoline because she was pretty and graceful, and did not seem to see the selfishness and spoilt ways of the silly little girl.

Mary-Lou was with them, trying to smile, but really very unhappy. She didn't like either Mrs. Lacey or Miss Winter and she was beginning to feel horrified at some of the fibs that she had heard Gwendoline tell them.

“I'm almost the best at tennis in our form,” she heard Gwendoline say. I shouldn't be surprised if I'm put into a match-team, Mother!”

“Oh, darling—how clever you are!” said Mrs. Lacey, fondly. Mary-Lou stared at Gwendoline in surprise. Why, everyone knew Gwendoline was a real muff at all games!

“And Mam'zelle is very pleased with my French,” went on Gwendoline. “I believe I might be top in that. She says I have a splendid accent.”

Miss Winter glowed. “Oh, Gwen darling! Isn't that lovely now? I did my best with you, of course, but I was always afraid it was rather a
poor
best, because I've never been to France.”

Mary-Lou longed to say that Gwendoline was always bottom in the French class, but she did not dare to. How
could
Gwendoline stuff her people up with such a lot of lies? And how
could
they believe them?

“Are you going to go in for the swimming-match this afternoon?” asked Mrs. Lacey, looking fondly at Gwendoline, who today had her shining golden hair loose down her back, and looked, so her mother thought, like a real angel.

“No, I thought I wouldn't, Mother,” said Gwendoline. “It's best to give the others a chance. After all, I've done well at so many things.”

“There's my sweet, unselfish girl!” said Mrs. Lacey, and squeezed Gwendoline's arm. Mary-Lou felt slightly sick.

Then Darrell spoilt it all! She passed by with her mother and father, and Mrs. Lacey was struck by her good looks and happy smile.

“
There's
a nice girl, dear!” she said to Gwendoline. “Is she one of your friends? Let us speak to her.”

“Oh no, she's not a friend of mine,” began Gwendoline, but Mary-Lou, delighted at this praise of Darrell, was calling to her. “Darrell! Darrell! Mrs. Lacey wants to speak to you.”

Darrell went over to Mrs. Lacey and was introduced by a glowering Gwendoline. “And are you going to go in for the swimming-sports?” asked Mrs. Lacey, graciously. “I hear dear Gwendoline is not, bless her.”

“Gwendoline! Oh, she can't swim a stroke!” said Darrell. “We always yell at her because she takes five minutes putting one toe into the water. Don't we, Gwendoline?”

This was all said in good humour and fun—but Gwendoline could willingly have pushed Darrell over the cliff at that moment! She went very red.

Mrs. Lacey really thought that Darrell was joking. She laughed the tinkling laugh which she thought was so pretty. “I suppose if Gwendoline entered she'd beat you all!” she said. “As she does at tennis—and lessons, I suppose.”

Darrell looked in astonishment at Gwendoline, who was glaring at her, crimson in the face. “Gwendoline's been stuffing you up, I expect!” she said with a laugh, and went off to join her own party.

“What a very outspoken, blunt sort of girl,” said Miss Winter, puzzled and worried.

Gwendoline recovered herself. “Oh, she's not a nice girl,” she said. “Nobody likes her. She hasn't got any friend of her own at all—and you can see why. She's always running other people down. Jealous, I suppose. Don't you take any notice of her, Mother. Mary-Lou here will tell you I'm first- rate at tennis and the rest!”

But that was beyond even timid Mary-Lou! She just looked more scared than ever, and murmured something about going to speak to Mam'zelle—and off she went, glad to escape from the Lacey family for a few minutes.

On the way to the car, after Darrell had shown her parents every single thing she could think of, from the view up in North Tower, to the inside of her very well-tidied desk, the Rivers family saw Sally Hope.

“Why, isn't that Sally Hope?” said Mrs. Rivers, stopping. “I'm sure it is. There was a very good photograph of her in her mother's drawing-room, when I went to tea there the other day.”

“Yes. That's Sally,” said Darrell. “Do you want to speak to her, Mother?”

“Well, I have a message for her from her mother,” said Mrs. Rivers. So Darrell raised her clear voice and called, “Sally! Sally Hope! Come here a minute, will you?”

Sally must have heard Darrell, for everyone around did. But if so, she took no notice at all. She plunged down into a path that led through some bushes in the drive and disappeared.

“Blow her!” said Darrell. “I should have thought she would have heard my yell. I asked her to come out with us, Mother, but she wouldn't.”

“Come along,” said her father, opening the door of the car. “We'll go along the cliff and then take an exciting road I've found that leads right down to a lonely little cove. We'll have our lunch there.”

Darrell and Emily got in. Emily was enjoying herself. Mrs. Rivers was so nice, and asked her so many questions about herself. Usually people found Emily dull, and left her alone. But Mrs. Rivers, thinking that Emily was Darrell's chosen friend, was very anxious to know her well.

She soon learnt that Emily was very fond of sewing. Darrell listened to her chattering in astonishment. She had never heard Emily talk so much before! Gracious, hark at her describing the cushion-cover she was making—the colours, the stitches and everything!

“It's always been a disappointment to me that Darrell never took any interest in embroidery,” said Mrs. Rivers to Emily. “I'm very fond of it too. I've done the seats of six of our chairs at home, in tapestry work.”

“Oh,
have
you!” exclaimed Emily. “I've done some too— but only two so far. I loved that work.”

“Perhaps you will able to interest Darrell in sewing!” said Mrs. Rivers, laughing. “It's as much as I can do at home to get her to do a simple darn!”

“Well, I'll teach Darrell to darn, if she likes,” said Emily, eager to please this nice Mrs. Rivers.

Darrell was horrified. Gracious, she hadn't brought Emily out to have her planning with her mother to teach her darning! She changed the subject at once, and told them about Gwendoline and how she had been boasting to her mother and governess.

Soon they were down on the beach, eating the most gorgeous lunch Darrell had had that term. Cold chicken and pickles—
pickles!
There was never a pickle to be seen at school. Little cardboard containers full of fresh salad and mayonnaise sauce. Delicious! Jam-tarts and slabs of chocolate ice cream. What a lunch!

“And ginger beer to wash it down,” said Mrs. Rivers, filling up the glasses. “More chicken, Darrell? There's plenty.”

After lunch it was time to go back for the sports. Emily was not in the swimming, so she said she would find Darrell's parents good places to watch from. Darrell left them in her care when she got back to Malory Towers to change.

It was such a happy day. Everyone seemed in a good temper, and jokes flew about everywhere. Even the two Mam'zelles went about arm-in-arm, a thing that they had not done at all that term.

The swimming-sports were exciting. Mrs. Rivers was delighted with Darrell's strong swimming, graceful diving, and fearlessness. She was one of the best of the small girls. Some of the big girls were extremely clever in their diving, especially Marilyn, the sixth-form games-captain. Everyone cheered her as she did a graceful swallow-dive from the topmost board.

“And can you do all these things, darling?” Darrell heard

Mrs. Lacey ask Gwendoline. Gwendoline, who was near Darrell and a few others, looked round warily, wishing her mother wouldn't ask such awkward questions in public.

“Well—not quite all,” she said, and Miss Winter patted her fondly on the shoulder.

“Always so modest,” she said, and Darrell could hardly stop herself laughing outright at the thought of Gwendoline being called modest. She looked scornfully at little Mary- Lou sitting near Gwendoline, wondering how she could possibly listen to all the bigger girl's boasting and yet say nothing.

At teatime Darrell and Emily kept the plates of the grown-ups (and their own!) well supplied with strawberries and cream, and fetched ice creams in plenty. What a lunch they had had—and now, what a tea! Besides the strawberries and ice creams, there were little buns and cakes and biscuits of every kind. Malory Towers knew how to do things well!

“Mother! There's Sally Hope again!” said Darrell suddenly, catching sight of Sally's head in the distance. “I'll get her in a minute. By the way, you never told me how that mistake about Sally's baby sister happened—the one you said she had got, and hasn't.”

“But Darrell dear—she
has
got a baby sister!” said her mother in surprise. “I've seen her!”

“Well—whatever
does
Sally mean!” said Darrell. “I really must get her and find out!”

BUT Sally was not easy to find. She seemed to have completely disappeared again. It occurred to Darrell to wonder if Sally was avoiding her—but no, why should she? There would be no reason for that.

She hunted everywhere for Sally. Nobody knew where she was. It was peculiar. Darrell went back to her parents, anxious not to lose any more of their company, for time was precious now.

“Well, I can't find Sally,” she said. “She's completely vanished. Anyway, I'll give her her mother's message. What was it, Mother?”

“Oh, her mother seemed a little worried about Sally, because it's her first term at boarding school, and Sally writes such funny wooden little letters,” said Mrs. Rivers. “I showed Mrs. Hope some of
your
letters, darling. I knew you wouldn't mind; and she said she did wish Sally would write more news to her, and send her letters like yours. She said she seemed to have lost touch with her completely. She was really very worried. She wanted me to speak to Sally and tell her she sent her fondest love, and was so sorry she couldn't come and see her this half-term. And she said her baby sister sent her hugs and kisses.”

“I'll tell her,” said Darrell, very puzzled. “But Mother dear, Sally's awfully funny about things. She truly and honestly did tell me she hadn't got a sister, and she was furious with me for talking about her mother. She said I was interfering and all sorts of things.”

“Well—perhaps she was joking,” said Mrs. Rivers, also rather puzzled. “Sally
does
know she's got a baby sister at home. For one thing, that was why she was sent to boarding school, so that the baby who is rather delicate could have all Mrs. Hope's care. It's a dear little thing.”

“Been losing your temper yet?” asked Darrell's father, with a twinkle in his eye. Darnell went red.

“Well—I did once,” she said. “And after I'd made up my mind I wouldn't too!”

“Oh, Darrell—you didn't lose it badly, I hope,” said her mother anxiously.

Emily answered for Darrell. “Oh, she just gave a most exasperating girl some jolly good slaps in the pool! You could almost hear them up at the Towers!”

“
Darrell
?” said her mother, shocked. Darrell grinned.

“I know. Awful of me, wasn't it. I shan't do it again. I've got my temper well in hand now.”

“We've all
wanted
to do a bit of slapping where that particular girl is concerned,” said Emily, 'so secretly we were rather pleased!”

They all laughed. Darrell felt so happy that she was sure she would never lose her temper again in her life! What a pity a day like this had to come to an end!