The Naughtiest Girl in the School (5 page)

Nora O’Sullivan laughed loudly. “It’s a jolly good nickname!” she said. “Belle means Beauty, and Best is very like Beast-and certainly Miss Belle is lovely, and Miss Best isn’t! That was pretty smart of you, Elizabeth.”

Elizabeth smiled. She really couldn’t help it. She didn’t want to-she wanted to be as horrid as possible -but it was really very pleasant to have everyone laughing at her joke.

“It’s queer, though,” she thought. “I meant to be horrid and rude, and the others just think it’s funny. I guess Miss Belle and Miss Best wouldn’t think it was funny, though!”

Nobody offered Elizabeth any of their goodies and she did not like to offer hers, for she felt sure everyone would say no. The meal went on until half-past seven, and then after grace was said the children all got up and went to the playroom.

“When’s your bedtime?” said Nora to Elizabeth, “I expect it’s eight o’clock. You’d better see. The times are on the notice-board over there. My bedtime is at half-past eight, and when I come to bed I expect all the rest of you to be safe in bed.”

“I don’t want to go to bed at eight o’clock,” said Elizabeth indignantly. “I go to bed much later than that at home.”

“Well, you shouldn’t, then,” said Nora. “No wonder you’re such a crosspatch! My mother says that late hours make children stupid, bad-tempered, and slow.”

Elizabeth went to see the times for going to bed. Hers was, as Nora had said, at eight o’clock. Well, she wouldn’t go! She’d be naughty! So she slipped out into the garden and went to where she had seen two or three big swings. She got on to a swing and began to push herself to and fro.  It was lovely there in the evening sunshine. Elizabeth quite forgot that she was at school, and she sang a little song to herself.

A boy came into the place where the swings were, and stared at Elizabeth. “What are you doing here?” he said. “I bet it’s your bedtime!”

“Mind your own business!” said Elizabeth at once.

“Well, what about you going off to bed, and minding yours!” said the boy. “I’m a monitor, and it’s my job to see that people do what they’re told!”

“I don’t know what a monitor is, and I don’t care,” said Elizabeth rudely.

“Well, let me tell you what a monitor is,” said the boy, who was just about Elizabeth’s size. “It’s somebody put in charge of other silly kids at Whyteleafe, to see they don’t get too silly! If you don’t behave yourself I shall have to report you at the Meeting! Then you’ll be punished.”

 “Pooh!” said Elizabeth, and she swung herself very hard indeed, put out her foot and kicked the boy so vigorously that he fell right over, Elizabeth squealed with laughter-but not for long! ‘The boy jumped up, ran to the swing and shook Elizabeth off. He caught hold of her dark curls and pulled them so hard that the little girl yelled with pain.

The boy grinned at her and said, “Serve you right! You be careful how you treat me next time, or I’ll pull your nose as well as your hair! Now-are you going in or not?”

Elizabeth ran away from him and went indoors.  She looked at the clock-quarter-past eight! Perhaps she would have time to go to bed before that horrid Nora came up at half-past.

So she ran up the stairs and went to Bedroom Number 6. Ruth, Joan, Belinda, and Helen were already there half undressed. Their curtains were pulled around their cubicles, but they were talking hard all the same. Elizabeth slipped into her own cubicle

“You’re late, Elizabeth,” said Ruth. “You’ll get into trouble if you’re caught by a monitor.”

“I have been,” said Elizabeth. “But I didn’t care! I was on the swing and I put out my foot and kicked him over!”

“Well, you’re very silly,” said Ruth. “You will get into trouble at the Meeting if you don’t look out. And that’s not pleasant.”

“I don’t care for any silly Meeting,” said Elizabeth, jumping into bed. She remembered that Nora had put her three photographs into the locked box, and she jumped out again. She went to the box and tried to open it—but it was still locked. Nora came in at that moment and saw Elizabeth there.

“Hallo, kid,” she said. “Do you want your things back? Well, apologize and you can have them.”

 But Elizabeth was not going to say she was sorry. She made a rude face at Nora, and flung herself into bed.

“Well, you are a sweet child, aren’t you!” said Nora mockingly. “I hope you get out at the right side of your bed tomorrow!” Then there was a creak as Nora sat on her bed to take off her stockings. A clock struck half-past eight downstairs.

“No more talking now,” said Nora. “Sleep tight, all of you!”

 CHAPTER 6

Elizabeth joins her Class

Elizabeth wondered where she was when she awoke the next morning, but she soon remembered. She was at that horrid school!

A bell rang. Nora sat up in her bed and spoke to the others. Thats the bell for getting up, she said. Stir yourselves! Youve got half an hour.

Elizabeth thought she wouldnt get up. She lay there warm in her bed, and looked up at the white ceiling.

Noras voice came sharply to her. Elizabeth Allen! Are you getting up or are you not?

Not, said Elizabeth cheekily.

Well , Im in charge of you five, and its my job to get you down to breakfast in good time, said Nora, poking her nose round the curtain, Get up, you lazy creature!

Are you a monitor? asked Elizabeth, remembering the boy of the evening before.

I am, said Nora. Come on, get up, Elizabeth, and dont make yourself such a nuisance.

Elizabeth still lay there. Nora nodded to plump Ruth, and the two went beside Elizabeths bed. Together they stripped all the clothes off the lazy girl, and then tipped up the mattress. Elizabeth gave a shriek and slid on to the floor. She was very angry.

She rushed at Nora-but Nora was big and strong, and caught hold of the angry girls arms at once.

 Dont be silly now, she said. Get dressed and hurry up or Ill spank you with a hairbrush! Monitors do that sometimes, you know!

Elizabeth felt that she couldnt bear to be spanked by Nora. She washed very sulkily, dressed, cleaned her teeth and did her hair. She was just going downstairs when Nora, who had gone into everyones cubicle to see if they were tidy, called her back.

Elizabeth! Come and put your chest-of-drawers tidy! Do you want me to put the rest of your things into the locked box? Elizabeth went back and tidied her things. It was quicker to do that than argue with Nora.

She wondered if Nora would notice that she had put socks on instead of the long brown stockings! But Nora didnt notice. She was in too big a hurry to get down to breakfast in time, and besides, she didnt dream that anyone would wear socks instead of stockings at Whyteleafe School! But a great many of the other children noticed Elizabeths bare legs at once, and giggled.

Miss Thomas noticed them too, and called to Elizabeth, Youve put the wrong things on, Elizabeth. You must change your socks for stockings afterwards.

But Elizabeth didnt! When she went up to make her bed afterwards, she didnt change at all.

Nora saw that she hadnt and spoke to her, For goodness sake put stockings on, Elizabeth. Really, I shouldnt have thought anyone could be quite so silly as you seem to be!

Im not silly, said Elizabeth I prefer socks. Stockings make my legs too hot. And Im going to keep my socks on.

Ruth spoke to Nora. Nora, Elizabeth is really babyish, she said. And the babies at Whyteleafe are allowed to wear socks, arent they? Ive seen them in the Kindergarten, with their dear little bare legs. Well, why not let Elizabeth keep her socks, to show that she is really only a baby, though shes getting on for eleven? You can easily explain that to Miss Thomas.

Thats a good idea, said Nora, with a laugh. All right, Elizabeth-keep your socks on, and well explain to everyone that were letting you because youre really not much more than a baby!

The girls went out of the room laughing. Elizabeth put on her bedspread and stood thinking. She didnt think she wanted to keep her socks on now! If only the younger children wore them, because they were the babies of the school, she didnt want to. The babies would laugh at her, and so would the others.

Elizabeth tore off her shoes, grabbed her socks and pulled them off in a temper. She took out her stockings and pulled them on. Bother, bother, bother! Now she would have to wear stockings after all! She flew downstairs to the gym, where she had been told to go after making her bed and tidying her cubicle. All the others were there. Elizabeth had felt sure that they would all make remarks about her stockings being on after all -but nobody took any notice of her at all.

Hymns were sung and prayers said, Miss Best read part of a Bible chapter in her rather stern voice. Then she called the names of all the girls and boys to see that they were there.

Elizabeth had a good look round. The boys and girls were in separate rows. There were a good many masters and mistresses. The matron of the school, who looked after the children when they were ill, stood on the platform with some of the other mistresses, a fat, jolly-looking person, dressed like a nurse, in apron and cap. The music-master played the piano for the singing, and again when the children marched out.

He made up a fine marching tune, and Elizabeth liked it very much for she loved music. She wondered if she was supposed to learn music at Whyteleafe. Miss Scott had taught her at home, but Miss Scott was not musical and Elizabeth had not enjoyed her lessons at all.

Out marched the children to their classrooms.

You are in Miss Rangers class, said Ruth, poking Elizabeth in the back. Come with me and Ill show you.

Elizabeth followed Ruth. She came to a big sunny classroom, and into it poured six boys and nine girls. All about Elizabeths age.

Bags I this desk, squealed Ruth. I like to be by the window! She put her things into the desk. The other children chose their desks too, but the new ones were told to wait till Miss Ranger came. Ruth sprang to hold the door open as soon as she heard Miss Rangers rather loud voice down the passage.

In came Miss Ranger. Good morning, children!

Good morning, Miss Ranger, said everyone but Elizabeth.

All the old children can sit, but the new ones must stand whilst I give them their places, said Miss Ranger.

She gave Elizabeth a desk at the back. Elizabeth was glad. It would be a good place to be naughty in! She meant to be bad in class that very morning, the sooner that everyone knew how naughty she meant to be, the sooner she would be sent home, Books were given out.

We will take a reading lesson first, said Miss Ranger, who wanted to make sure that the new children could read properly. Then Dictation-then Arithmetic!

Elizabeth could read beautifully, spell well, and she liked arithmetic. She couldnt help feeling that it was rather fun to do lessons with a lot of people instead of by herself! When her turn came she read very nicely indeed, though she had a great many difficult words in her page.

Very good, Elizabeth, said Miss Ranger. Next please.

Elizabeth got all her dictation right. She thought it was very easy. Miss Ranger took a red pencil and marked VERY GOOD on Elizabeths page. Elizabeth looked at it proudly-and then she suddenly remembered that she had meant to be naughty!