The Naughtiest Girl in the School (13 page)

Mr. Lewis laughed.

Thank you, Richard, he said, You may go-but come back in half an hours time, and I will give you your lesson then. I am going to give Elizabeth hers now. Can you two manage to practice together sometimes?

I suppose so, said Richard ungraciously.

Well, dont if you dont want to! said Elizabeth, flaring up. I play my part just as well as you play yours. You made two mistakes.

And you made three! said Richard.

 Now this wont do, said Mr. Lewis, patting Richard on the back. You can choose which you would rather do, Richard-play the duet with Harry or with Elizabeth. I can find someone else for her, you know-but shes the best, after you.

Well-Ill have Elizabeth, said Richard. Harry plays the piano as if his fingers were a bunch of bananas.

Elizabeth went off into a peal of laughter. It tickled her to think of a bunch of bananas playing the piano. Richard laughed too.

Ill practice with Elizabeth, sir, he said to Mr. Lewis. Shes really jolly good.

Elizabeth glowed with pride, because Richard was one of the bigger boys. She settled down to her music lesson happily. Mr. Lewis made her play over the duet with him, and pointed out places where she went wrong. Elizabeth used to get cross when Miss Scott pointed out her mistakes, but with Mr. Lewis it was different. She thought he was very clever indeed, and she could listen all day long to his playing!

Ive ordered that gramophone record, Mr. Lewis, she said. The shop is getting it for me.

Ill come and hear it when it arrives, promised Mr. Lewis. Now lets get on with tackling the sea-piece on our piano, Elizabeth. You want to learn it, dont you-but it wont be easy. Perhaps you could play it for me at the school concert at the end of the term, if youre good enough.

Oh, Id love to, said Elizabeth, pleased, and then she stopped and looked disappointed. Oh, but I cant, I forgot. I shall be going home at half term.

Really? said Mr. Lewis, who knew all about it. Still being the Bold Bad Girl? Dear, dear, what a pity!

Isnt there a concert at half term? asked Elizabeth, her voice trembling.

Afraid not, said Mr. Lewis. Come along-get on with your scales now. Dont worry about not being able to play that sea-piece. I can easily get someone else to learn it for me.

Let me learn it, anyhow, said Elizabeth. Even if I cant play it for you at a concert, I can still learn it for myself, because I love it.

Good, said Mr. Lewis. All right. Ill play it for you now, and you must listen hard.

So Elizabeth listened and was happy. She was happy all the day, and she couldnt help being surprised at herself.

It is a nuisance! thought funny Elizabeth. I really cant go about being happy like this-whatever shall I say to the Meeting at half term?

CHAPTER 15

Two Trick’s—and a Quarrel

The week slipped by quickly. Elizabeth practiced her pieces, and loved her music-lessons. She and Richard practiced their duet together, and had such fun that they asked Mr. Lewis for an even harder piece.

“I’m glad you chose me to play with you instead of Harry,” said Elizabeth to Richard. “I do love the way you play, Richard. You are as good as Mr. Lewis.”

“No, I’m not,” said Richard. “But some day I shall be far, far better, Elizabeth. Some day you will come to London to hear me play at a great big concert! And some day you will hear the music I make up, played all over the world!”

It didn’t seem like boasting when Richard spoke like this. Elizabeth didn’t mock at him or laugh at him. She believed him, and although he was sometimes very moody and bad-tempered she grew to like him very much.

“I always hated boys before,” thought Elizabeth, surprised at herself. “I do seem to be changing. I’d better be careful, or I will be different when I leave here, just as Miss Scott said!”

 So, to show that she really did still hate boys she played a trick on Harry. She knew that he would have to go to the music-room to fetch some music he had left behind. Elizabeth took a sponge, filled it so full of water that it dripped, and then, climbing on a chair, she balanced the wet sponge on the top of the door.

She arranged the sponge so that anyone who opened the door would move the sponge, which would at once drop down on to the surprised person’s head! Then Elizabeth hid in a cupboard in the passage outside, and waited for Harry. He soon came along, rushing to fetch his forgotten music before the bell rang.

He pushed open the door-and down fell the sponge on top of his head, squelch, squash!

“Oooh!” said Harry, in the greatest astonishment, “Whatever is it?”

He soon found out! He took the sponge off his neck and threw it down on the floor in a rage.

“Now I’ve got to go and change my coat!” he said. “Who did that?”

Nobody answered, of course, but as Harry knew quite well that people who set traps for others usually like to hide somewhere near to see what happens, he guessed that the joker was in the passage cupboard! He stole up to the cupboard, and flung the door open. Inside was Elizabeth, trying her best not to laugh loudly. Her handkerchief was stuffed into her mouth and tears of laughter were trickling down her cheeks.

“Oh, it’s you, is it?” said Harry, hauling her out. “It’s the Bold Bad Girl! Well, I’ll just stuff this wet sponge down your neck, see!”

But he didn’t have time to, because the bell rang and he had to run.

“I’ll pay you out for that!” he yelled.

But Elizabeth only laughed mockingly.

“I hate boys!” she shouted. “They’re silly! Ha ha! I tricked you properly. Harry!”

But Harry soon paid Elizabeth back for her trick. He waited until the painting class, and then, when Elizabeth was quite lost in her work, bending over her painting, he stole up behind her. In his hand was a large sheet of paper. He neatly pinned it to Elizabeth’s back. The little girl felt something and shook herself- but the paper was safely on, and she didn’t know it. She went on with her painting.

Harry went back to his place giggling. The class was nearly over, and if Miss Chester, the art mistress, did not notice what he had done, there was a good chance of Elizabeth going about with the paper on her back.

Everyone saw the paper and giggled. On it was printed in big letters: “I’M THE BOLD BAD GIRL! BEWARE! I BARK! I BITE! I HATE EVERYBODY!”

Joan was not in that painting class or she would have told Elizabeth what Harry had done. All the others thought it was very funny, especially as Elizabeth was known as the Bold Bad Girl.

The bell rang. Everyone cleared up their things. Miss Chester began to prepare for the next class, and did not notice Elizabeth’s paper. The children went out of the art-room, and went to their own classrooms.

Once in her classroom all the others there saw the paper; they nudged one another and giggled. Joan was holding the door for Miss Ranger to come in, and did not see what everyone was laughing at. Soon Elizabeth noticed that the class was giggling at her, and she grew red.

“What are you all laughing at?” she demanded angrily. “Is my hair untidy? Have I a smudge on my nose?”

“No, Elizabeth,” answered everyone in a chorus.

Then Miss Ranger came in, and the class settled down to work. They worked hard until Break, when the school had fifteen minutes play out-of-doors, and could have biscuits and milk if they wished.

Harry looked to see if the paper was still on Elizabeth’s back. It was! He ran round to all his friends, pointing it out. All the boys kept behind Elizabeth, reading the paper and giggling.

“She’s the Bold Bad Girl,” they whispered. “Look at the notice!”

Every time that poor Elizabeth turned round she found somebody behind her, giggling. She grew so furious that she called out she would slap anyone who giggled behind her again.

Joan came out at that moment, and Elizabeth called to her. “Joan! What’s the matter with everyone to-day? They keep going behind my back and giggling. I hate it!”

Joan knew more of the ways of children than Elizabeth did. She guessed at once that someone had pinned a notice to Elizabeth’s back.

“Turn round,” she said. Elizabeth turned round, and Joan saw the notice: “I’M THE BOLD BAD GIRL!  BEWARE!  I BARK!  I BITE!  I HATE EVERYBODY!”

Joan couldn’t help giggling herself.

“Oh, Elizabeth!” she said. “Do look what you’ve been going round with all morning! It’s too funny! No wonder everyone laughed.”

She unpinned the paper and showed it to Elizabeth. The little girl, who was not used to being teased, went red with rage. She tore the paper into half and faced the laughing children.

“Who pinned that on me?” she asked.

 “I didn’t, Bold Bad Girl!” shouted someone. Everybody laughed.

Elizabeth stamped her foot.

“Look out!” cried John. “She barks! She bites! She’ll show her teeth next!”

“I suppose the person who pinned that on me doesn’t dare to own up!” shouted Elizabeth.

“Oh yes, I dare!” grinned Harry, nearby. “I pinned it on you, my dear girl-in return for the wet sponge!”

“Don’t call me your dear girl!” cried Elizabeth in a rage. “You’re a hateful boy, and a cheat, cheat, cheat! How dare you pin a notice on me like that! Take that!”

The furious little girl slapped Harry hard in the face. The boy stepped back in surprise.

“Stop that,” commanded Nora, coming up at that minute. “Elizabeth! That sort of behavior won’t do. Apologize to Harry. He’s too much of a gentleman to slap you back, as you deserve.”

“I won’t apologize,” cried Elizabeth. “Nora, I want you to report Harry at the next Meeting-and if you don’t I shall!”

“Come with me,” said Nora to Elizabeth. She saw that Elizabeth was really upset, and needed to be quieted. “You can tell me about it in the playroom. There’s nobody there.”

Holding the torn bits of paper in her hand Elizabeth followed Nora, trembling with anger. Nora made her sit down and tell her what had happened.  Elizabeth pieced the bits of paper together and Nora read what Harry had written. She stopped herself smiling, but she really thought it was very funny.

“And why did Harry play this trick on you?” asked Nora.

 “Just because I played a trick on him!” said Elizabeth. “I put a wet sponge on the music-room door and it fell down on his head!”

“And why shouldn’t Harry play a trick on you, then, if you play tricks on him?” asked Nora. “You know, you wet his coat, and he was late for his class because he had to change it. If you weren’t quite so silly, Elizabeth, you would see that the joke he played on you was quite as funny as the one you played on him. After all, you know that we call you the Bold Bad Girl!”

“You’re not to,” said Elizabeth.

“Well, we certainly shall if you go on behaving so fiercely,” said Nora.

“Will you report Harry at the Meeting?” said Elizabeth.

“Certainly not,” said Nora. “We don’t report jokes!”

“Then I shall report him!” said Elizabeth.

“Elizabeth, that would be telling tales, not reporting,” said Nora firmly. “You mustn’t do that. Don’t spoil this good week of yours by being silly. And, you know, I really should report you!”

“Why?” asked Elizabeth defiantly.

“Because I heard you call Harry a cheat, and you slapped him hard,” said Nora. “It is very mean to call him a cheat when you know he isn’t now. We try to help one another at Whyteleafe, and it was hateful of you to remind Harry and everyone else of something he’s ashamed of.”

Elizabeth went red.

“Yes,” she said. “That was hateful of me. I wish I hadn’t. And I wish I hadn’t slapped Harry now. I knew he wouldn’t slap me back. Oh, Nora-I really have tried to behave decently, and now I’ve spoilt it all!”

“No, you haven’t,” said Nora, getting up, pleased that Elizabeth’s temper had gone. “Little things like this can always be put right. Harry is a good-tempered boy. Go and say you’re sorry and he won’t think any more about it.”

“I don’t like saying I’m sorry,” said Elizabeth.

“Nobody does,” said Nora. “But it’s a little thing that makes a big difference. Go and try it, and see if I’m not right!”

CHAPTER 16

An Apology—and another Meeting