Second Form at Malory Towers (16 page)

A rope was let down to Mary-Lou, slipped right over her head, and tightened over arms and shoulders. Another one looped tightly round her waist. Daphne got up thankfully, her legs almost asleep, and Miss Parker caught hold of her. “Steady now! Hold on to me!”

Mary-Lou was pulled up safely by a hefty gardener. She lay on the ground, crying with relief. The gardener undid the ropes and lifted her up. “I'll carry her,” he said. “Give her a drink. Mam, she's freezing!”

Both girls felt glad of the hot cocoa. Then, holding on to Miss Parker, Daphne staggered back to school, followed by the gardener carrying Mary-Lou, and then by the rest of the party.

“Put both girls to bed,” Miss Grayling said to Matron. “They've had a terrible experience. I only hope they don't get pneumonia now I Daphne, you saved little Mary-Lou's life, there's no doubt about that. I am very proud of you!”

Daphne said nothing at all, but, to Miss Grayling's surprise, hung her head and turned away. She had no time to puzzle over this, but helped Matron to get Mary-Lou undressed and into bed. Both girls were soon in warm beds, with hot food and drink inside them. They each felt extremely sleepy, and went off to sleep quite suddenly.

The second-formers were in bed, worried and sleepless. Gwen had told them about Mary-Lou going off, and Daphne following her to see if she could find her. They knew that a search party had gone out. All kinds of horrible pictures came into their minds as they lay in bed and listened to the wind.

They talked long after lights out. Sally did not forbid them. This was not a usual night—it was a night of anxiety, and talking helped.

Then, after a long time, they heard Miss Parker's quick footsteps coming along the corridor. News! They all sat up at once.

She switched on the light and looked round at the seven waiting girls. Then she told them the story of how Mary-Lou and Daphne had been found, and how Daphne, by her ingenious idea, had saved Mary-Lou. She described how she had laid herself down on the wet ground, her feet curled round the gorse bush stem, and had held the belts down to Mary-Lou until help came.

“Daphne's a heroine!” cried Darrell. “I never liked her—but, Miss Parker, she's been marvellous, hasn't she! She's a real heroine!”

“I think she is,” said Miss Parker. “I did not guess that she had it in her. She's in bed now, in the San., but I think she'll soon be all right again. Well give her three cheers and a clap when she comes back to class.”

She switched off the light and said good night. The girls talked excitedly for a few minutes more, thankful that they knew what had happened. Fancy Daphne turning out like that! And doing it for Mary-Lou! Why, Gwen had always said that Daphne only put up with Mary-Lou because she helped her with her French.

“Daphne must be fond of Mary-Lou,” said Darrell, voicing what everyone thought. “I'm glad. I always thought it was mean to use Mary-Lou and not really like her.”

“I wonder what became of the parcel,” said Belinda. “Mary-Lou can't have posted it, because the post-office was shut. I bet nobody thought of the precious parcel.”

“We'll go and hunt for it tomorrow” said Sally. “I say—what a small dormy we are tonight—only seven of us. Ellen gone—and Daphne and Mary-Lou in the San. Well, thank goodness they're there and not out on the cliff.”

The wind rose to a gale again and howled round North Tower. The girls snuggled down closer into the beds. “I do think Daphne was brave,” said Darrell. “And I can't imagine how timid little Mary-Lou could possibly have dared to go out in this gale.
Mary-Lou
of all people.”

“People are queer,” said Irene. “You simply never can tell what a person will do from one day to the next.”

“You never said a truer word!” chuckled Darrell. Today you put your French grammar away in the games cupboard and tried to put your lacrosse stick into your desk—and goodness knows what you'll do tomorrow.”

It was difficult to do tests in the midst of so much excitement. The story of Mary-Lou and Daphne ran through the school and everyone talked about it. The two girls did not appear in school that day, because Matron was keeping them quiet. They neither of them seemed any the worse for their adventure.

Before afternoon school Darrell. Sally, Irene and Belinda set off up the cliff-path to look for the parcel. The wind had completely died down and it was a lovely day, one of Cornwall's best. The sky was as blue as a cornflower, and the sea picked up the colour and made the view a really beautiful one, as the girls walked up the coast-path.

“Look—that must be where Mary-Lou was blown over,” said Darrell, pointing to where the cliff had crumbled. “And see—surely that's the gorse bush Daphne wound her legs round. Golly, she must have been scratched!”

The girls stood and looked at the place where Mary-Lou and Daphne had had their frightening adventure. Sally shivered, thinking of what it must have been like in the dark night, with the wind howling round and the sea pounding on the rocks below.

“It's horrid to think of,” she said. “Come on—let's hunt about for the parcel. Mary-Lou must have dropped it somewhere near here. I should think.”

They began to look. It was Darrell who found the parcel, lying wet and torn in the grass some little way off.

“I've got it!” she shouted, and ran to pick it up. “Oh, it's all coming to pieces. The paper is pulpy, and the contents are coming out!”

“Better take off the paper and carry the things inside home in our hands,” said Sally. So Darrell stripped off the wet, pulpy paper and shook out the contents. They fell on the grass.

They were rather queer. The girls looked at them, lying there. There were four purses of different sizes and shapes. There were three boxes, the kind that brooches or lockets are sold in by jewellers—little leather boxes with a catch you had to press to open them.

Darrell picked one up and pressed it. It shot open -and a little gold bar brooch gleamed inside. She looked at it, bewildered, then passed it to Sally.

“Isn't that Emily's brooch—the one she lost?”

“It's got her name behind it if it is,” said Sally, in a sober voice. She took out the brooch and looked at the back of the little gold bar.

“Yes—it's Emily's,” she said. “Her name is there.”

Sally opened another of the boxes. It contained a little gold necklace, plain and simple.

“Katie's!” said Irene at once. “I've seen her wearing it! Good gracious—how did these come to be in the parcel? Is it the right parcel we've found?”

Sally picked everything up from the grass. Her face looked very serious. “It's the right parcel,” she said. “Look—these purses belong to people we know. That's Gwen's. And that's Mary-Lou's. And that's surely Betty's.”

The four girls looked at one another in bewilderment. “If this was the parcel that Mary-Lou was posting for Daphne, how was it Daphne put all these things into it?” said Sally, voicing what everyone was thinking.

“Could she have got them from Ellen?” said Darrell, puzzled. “We all know Ellen must have taken them. Wherever did she get them from? Is she doing it to shield Ellen, or something?”

“We'll have to find out,” said Irene. “Sally, we'd better take the parcel to Miss Grayling. We can't keep this to ourselves.”

“No, we can't,” said Sally. “Well go back at once.” They went back, saying very little, puzzled and solemn. Here were the stolen things, the things they had accused Ellen of taking—Daphne had somehow got hold of them and for some extraordinary reason was sending them away—and Mary-Lou had almost lost her life in trying to post them, and had been rescued by Daphne! It was all most complicated.

“I think it's all very mysterious,” said Belinda. “I can't make head or tail of it It's a pity Ellen's been expelled, or we might go to her and show her what we've found.”

The girls had no idea that Ellen was still at Malory Towers. What with one rumour and another they were all firmly convinced she had been sent home!

The bell was ringing for afternoon school as they got in. They caught Miss Parker as she was going to the second form and asked her for permission to go and see Miss Grayling.

“We've found the parcel that Mary-Lou went to post and we think we ought to hand it over to Miss Grayling,” explained Sally.

“Very well. Don't be too long,” said Miss Parker, and went on her way. The four girls went to Miss Grayling's part of the buildings and knocked at her door.

“Come in!” said her low voice, and they opened the door and went in. She was alone. She looked up in surprise when she saw the four girls. Then she smiled, for she liked all of them, even harum-scarum Belinda. “Please, Miss Grayling, we found the parcel that Mary-Lou went to post for Daphne,” said Sally, coming forward. “And here are the things that were inside it. The paper was so wet that we had to take it off.”

She placed the purses and the boxes down on the Head Mistress's desk. Miss Grayling looked at them in surprise. “Were
these
inside!” she said. “Are they all Daphne's then? I understand that it was Daphne's parcel.”

There was an awkward pause. “Well, Miss Grayling, they are things belonging to us girls,” said Sally, at last. “We missed them at various times. Some of the purses had money in when they were taken. They are empty now.”

Miss Grayling suddenly looked quite different. A stern expression came into her eyes, and she sat up straight.

“You will have to explain a little better, Sally.” she said. “Am I to understand that these were stolen at some time from one or other of you this term?”

“Yes, Miss Grayling,” said Sally, and the others nodded.

“You think Daphne took them?” said Miss Grayling, after a pause. The girls looked at one another.

“Well,” said Sally at last, “we did think Ellen had taken them, Miss Grayling. We knew she had been expelled, you see—and we thought...”

“Wait!” said Miss Grayling, in such a sharp tone that the four girls jumped. “Ellen
expelled
! Whatever do you mean? She is in the San., under Matron's eye. She went to her two nights ago with a blinding headache, and we are keeping her under observation to try to find out what the matter is.”

The girls were absolutely taken aback. Sally went brilliant red. She oughtn't to have believed those rumours! Bat she had wanted to believe them, because she didn't like Ellen. The girls couldn't find a word to say.

Miss Grayling eyed them sharply. “This is most extraordinary!” she said at last. “I simply cannot understand it. What made you think Ellen should be expelled? And why did you think she had taken these things? She is surely not that type of girl at all. As you know, she won a scholarship here by means of very hard work and she came with a most excellent report as regards character from her last head mistress.”

“We—we thought she had token them.” began Sally. “At least, I said we ought not to accuse her till we had definite proof—but, but
...
”

“I see. You actually accused the unfortunate girl to her face, I suppose? When was this?”

“The evening before last. Miss Grayling,” said Sally, trying to avoid the Head Mistress's eyes, which had suddenly became gimlets, and were boring into her.

“The evening before last,” said Miss Grayling. “Ah, that explains matters. It must have been because of that that Ellen got so upset, and was overcome by that fearful headache and went to Matron. And somehow you thought she had been expelled—goodness knows why—some silly rumour, I suppose, fostered by you because you wanted to believe it! You may have done serious damage to an innocent girl.”

Darrell swallowed once or twice. She was remembering how she had attacked Ellen that night in the second-form room. Certainly Ellen had been cheating but Darrell had called her a thief and said unforgivable things to her. She looked at Miss Grayling and knew that she must tell her what had happened between Ellen and herself. It was because of
that
, she felt sure, that Ellen had been ill that night. Oh dear—how things did begin to go wrong once you were silly yourself!

“Can I say a word to you alone, please, Miss Grayling,” said Darrell, desperately. “It's something the others don't know about, but I think I'd better tell you.”

“Wait outside the door for a minute or two,” ordered Miss Grayling, nodding at Sally, Belinda and Irene. “I haven't finished with you yet.”

They went outside and shut the door, feeling surprised. Whatever had Darrell got to tell Miss Grayling? She might at least have told them too!

Darrell poured out the story of how she had followed Ellen that night and caught her in the second-form room cupboard, clutching the test-papers in her hand, “And I called her a cheat, which she was,” said Darrell, “and I called her a thief, too, and told her I'd tell Sally in the morning and it would be reported and she would be expelled. And I suppose it worried her so much that she got that awful headache and went to Matron. And I never knew, and we all thought that somehow you must have found out she was a thief and had expelled her quietly, without making a fuss.”

“Well, really!” said Miss Grayling, when this outpouring had come to an end. “The things that go on in this school that nobody knows about! It's incredible. Do you actually mean to tell me, Darrell, that you and Ellen were fighting together on the floor of the second-form room in the middle of the night? That is not at all a thing to be proud of.”

“I know,” said Darrell. “I'm awfully sorry about it now. But I just saw red. Miss Grayling—and lost my temper. I can't bear cheats.”

“It's very strange,” said Miss Grayling, thoughtfully. “Ellen is a scholarship girl, and I have never known such a girl have any need to cheat I can't believe that Ellen was cheating. If she was there is some reason for it that must be found out. Don't any of you like Ellen, Darrell?”

Darrell hesitated. “Well—she's so nervy and snappy and irritable. Miss Grayling. She snaps if we jerk the table, she shouts at us if we interrupt her reading. She's terribly bad-tempered. I think Jean likes her more than any of us do. She's been awfully patient with her.”

“I wish I'd known all this before.” said Miss Grayling. “Now I know why Ellen was so upset when I suggested sending her home. I thought possibly she might feel better and happier at home—and she must have thought I was really meaning to expel her, because somebody had come to me and told me she was stealing or cheating. Poor Ellen. I think she has over-taxed that brain of hers and this is the result”