The Naughtiest Girl in the School (14 page)

Elizabeth went to find Harry, She noticed that everyone turned away as she came, and she was sad.

“They were also friendly to me,” she thought. “And now I’ve been silly again, and they don’t like me anymore. I do wish I didn’t lose my temper.”

She didn’t want to say she was sorry. She felt sure Harry would say something horrid, or would laugh at her. All the same, Elizabeth was truly sorry that she had called Harry a cheat. It was most unfair when the boy was doing his best to make up for his cheating. And Elizabeth was just a little girl, although she did such funny things when she was in a rage.

Harry was playing with about eight other boys and girls in a corner of the garden. Elizabeth stopped and looked at them. They turned their backs on her. It was horrid.

“Harry!” she called.

“I don’t want to speak to you,” said Harry.

“But Harry, I want to say something to you in private,” said Elizabeth, almost in tears.

“Say it in public, then, in front of everyone,” said Harry. “It can’t be anything important.”

“All right, then,” said Elizabeth, going up to the group of children. “I’ve come to say I’m sorry for calling you a cheat, when I know you’re not now-and- and I’m sorry for slapping you, Harry. Nora has explained things to me, and I feel different now.”

The children stared at her. They all knew how hard it was to apologize, especially in front of others, and they admired the little girl.

Harry went up to her.

“That’s decent of you,” he said warmly, “You’ve got an awful temper, Elizabeth, but you’re a good sort all the same.”

Everybody smiled. Everybody was friendly again. What a difference a little apology made! Elizabeth could hardly believe it. She suddenly felt that everything was perfectly all right, and she wanted to skip for joy.

“Come and see my rabbits,” said Harry, slipping his arm through Elizabeth’s. “I’ve got two, called Bubble and Squeak, and they’ve got three babies. Would you like one?”

Elizabeth had always longed for a rabbit. She stared at Harry in delight.

“Oh yes!” she said. “Let me buy one from you.”

“No, I’ll give you one,” said Harry, who was a very generous boy, and was eager to make Elizabeth forget all about the quarrel. “I’ve got a little old hutch you can have for it. It will be ready to leave its mother about half term.”

“Oh!” said Elizabeth, disappointed. “I shan’t be here after that. I shall be going home, you know. I can’t have the rabbit!”

The bell rang for school again, so she couldn’t see the baby rabbit. She didn’t want to, now, either, because she wouldn’t be able to have it. What a pity she couldn’t have it now and give it back to Harry at half term! She asked Harry and Richard to come and listen to the new gramophone record that evening. It had come, and was, as Mr. Lewis said, very lovely. The three children sat and listened to it. They played it five times.

They were all fond of music, and Harry played quite well although his fingers were, as Richard had said, rather like a bunch of bananas! But he couldn’t help that!

 “You know, Elizabeth, we have a marvelous concert at the end of the term,” said Harry, putting the record on for the sixth time, and letting the sea-piece flood the room again. “It’s a pity you won’t be here for it. You could have played at it, and your parents would have been jolly proud of you.”

Elizabeth had a quick picture in her mind of herself playing the lovely grand piano at the concert, and her mother and father sitting proudly to listen to her. For the first time she really wished she was staying on at Whyteleafe School.

“But it’s no good,” she said to herself quickly. “I’ve made up my mind, and that’s that! I shan’t stay a minute longer than half term.”

After supper that night Mr. Lewis gave one of his little concerts. About nine children were in the music-room listening, all music-lovers. Mr. Lewis had asked Elizabeth to bring her new record for them all to hear, and the little girl proudly put it on Mr. Lewis’s fine gramophone.

It was such fun to sit around, listening. When two of the children thanked Elizabeth for getting two shillings to buy such a fine record, Elizabeth nearly burst with pride and pleasure.

“It really is fun to share things,” she thought. “I simply loved all the others listening to my record. How could I ever have thought it was horrid to share things? I didn’t know much!”

Joan was not such a music-lover as Elizabeth was, but she came to the concerts to be with Elizabeth. Joan was much happier now that she had a friend-though, as she said. It was rather like being friends with a thunderstorm! You never quite knew what Elizabeth was going to do next.

Elizabeth looked forward to the next School Meeting. She knew now that it was the most important thing of the whole school week. She was beginning to see that each child was one of a big gathering, and that because its behavior brought good or ill to the school as a whole, each child must learn to do its best so that the whole school might run smoothly and happily.

This was a difficult thing for a spoilt only child to learn-but Elizabeth was not stupid, and she soon saw what a fine thing it was for the children to rule themselves and help each other. But she also saw that they would not be able to do this as well as they did, if they had not had excellent teachers, able to teach and guide the classes in the best way.

“I see why everyone is so proud of Whyteleafe School now,” said Elizabeth to herself. “I’m beginning to feel proud of it myself!”

Elizabeth enjoyed the next Meeting very much. Nora had said that she had nothing bad to report of her, and so Elizabeth had nothing to fear. She sat listening to the reports, complaints, and grumbles, and beamed with delight when she heard that Harry had been second in his class in arithmetic, and was now to be allowed to sit with the others again.

“Thank you,” said Harry to William, “I shall never in my life cheat again, William.”

“Good,” said William.

Everyone knew that Harry meant what he said and they were as pleased about it as Harry himself. The boy was different to look at now, too-his sly face had gone, and his eyes looked straight at everyone. He and everyone else had seen and known his fault, and he and the whole school had conquered it-there was nothing to be ashamed of now! There was a report that Peter had carefully cleaned and newly distempered the wall which he had spoilt by scribbling.

“See that you don’t have to waste your two shillings on buying distemper again,” said William to Peter.

“I certainly won’t,” said Peter heartily. He had had to go without his weekly visit to the cinema, and had missed all his sweets for a week. He wasn’t going to let that happen again! There was a complaint about a small girl called Doris. The monitor who complained of her was very angry. She stood up and made her report.

“Doris has two guinea-pigs,” she said. “And on two days last week she forgot to feed them. I think they ought to be taken away from her.”

“Oh no, please don’t,” begged Doris, almost crying. “I do love them, really I do. I can’t think how I came to forget, Rita, I’ve never forgotten before.”

“Has she ever forgotten before?” asked William.

“I don’t think so,” answered the monitor, who had reported Doris.

“Then it was probably quite a mistake, which will never happen again,” said William. “Doris, pets trust us completely for their food and water, and it is a terrible thing to forget about them. You must write out a card and pin it over your chest-of-drawers to remind you. Print on it: ‘Feed my guinea-pigs.’ Take it down after three weeks, and see that you remember without being reminded. If you forget again your guinea-pigs will be taken away and given to someone who will remember them.”

“I’ll never forget again,” said small Doris, who was very much ashamed that everyone should know she had forgotten her beloved guinea-pigs.

Nora reported that Elizabeth was behaving well, and said no more. Another monitor complained that somebody had been picking and eating the peas out of the school garden.

But John Terry immediately got up and said that the boy who had taken the peas had gone to him, and had apologized and paid him a shilling for the peas he had eaten.

“Then we’ll say no more about that,” said William.

When the Meeting was over, Elizabeth went out to the garden to see Harry’s rabbits. Harry was not there and the little girl looked at the furry babies running round the big hutch. As she was standing there looking, she suddenly remembered something. She had meant to ask for extra money at the Meeting-and she had forgotten! And what was the extra money for? It was to buy Joan a nice birthday present! Now Elizabeth would have to save her two shillings and buy it with that. She was cross with herself, for she had meant to ask for half a crown to buy Joan a little red handbag she had seen in the draper’s shop.

Joan had said nothing to anyone but Elizabeth about her coming birthday. She hoped no one would notice it, because she knew she would have no cake to share with her friends, and no presents or cards to show. She became a timid Mouse once more, as her birthday came near, ashamed because nobody ever remembered her.

But a surprise was coming to Joan! And, of course, it was that Bold Bad Girl, Elizabeth, who planned it!

CHAPTER 17

Elizabeth has a Secret

During the next week, a registered letter came for Elizabeth from her Uncle Rupert. She opened it-and stared in delight. There was a pound-note inside!

Twenty shillings! said Elizabeth, in surprise. Two hundred and forty pence! Ooooh! How kind of Uncle Rupert!

She read her uncles letter. He said that he had just heard that she had gone to school, and had sent her some money to buy some nice things to eat.

A whole pound! said Elizabeth, hardly believing her eyes. I can buy heaps of things with that! I can buy Joan a lovely present!

She went off to her bedroom to put the money into her purse. Plans began to form in her mind-wonderful plans!

Oh! said Elizabeth, sitting on her bed, as she thought of the plans. What fun! I shall go down to the villageand order a fine birthday cake for Joan! She will think it comes from her mother, and she will be so pleased! Elizabeth went on thinking. And I shall order the new book that Joan wants, and send that through the post too-and Ill put a card in With love from Mother! Then Joan wont be unhappy anymore.

The little girl thought these were marvelous plans. She didnt stop to think that Joan would find out sooner or later that the cake and the book were not from her mother. She just longed to give her friend a fine surprise.

She couldnt ask Joan to come down to the village with her, in case Joan found out what she was doing. So she asked Belinda.

All right, said Belinda, I want to buy some stamps, so Ill go after tea with you. Dont spend your two shillings all at once, Elizabeth!

All that day Elizabeth thought about the cake and the presents for Joan.

She thought about them so much in the French class, that Mademoiselle got cross with her.

Elizabeth! Three times I have asked you a question, and you sit there and smile and say nothing! cried the French mistress, who was very short-tempered.

Elizabeth jumped. She hadnt heard the questions at all, What was it you asked me, Mademoiselle? she asked.

This girl! She thinks she will make me repeat myself a hundred times! cried Mademoiselle, wagging her hands about in the funny way she had. You will listen to me properly for the rest of the lesson, Elizabeth, or else you will come to me for an extra half-hour after tea.

Gracious! thought Elizabeth, remembering that she wanted to go shopping after tea. Id better stop dreaming and think of the French lesson.

So for the rest of the lesson she did her best, and Mademoiselle smiled graciously at her. She liked Elizabeth, and found her very amusing, though she sometimes wanted to shake her when she said, Well, you see, Mademoiselle, you neednt bother about whether I shall be top or bottom in exams, because Im not staying after half term.

You are the most obstinate child I have ever seen, Mademoiselle would say, and rap loudly on her desk, half angry and half smiling.