"Blyton, Enid - Malory 02 - Second Form at Malory Towers" - читать интересную книгу автора (Blyton Enid)

"Oh, thanks awfully." said Daphne, thrilled, "You're frightfully good at it, I know. Simply wizard. Look, what have I done wrong here?"
Mary-Lou slipped happily into a seat beside Daphne and began to explain a few things to her. Without realizing it she had soon done the whole of the work, and Daphne smiled to herself, and thanked Mary-Lou warmly.
"That's all right," said Mary-Lou, shyly. She gazed at Daphne's curling golden hair. "You've got beautiful hair," she said.
Daphne was like Gwen. She loved people to admire
her and say nice things. She looked at little Mary-Lou and quite liked her. Also she thought it would be extremely useful if Mary-Lou would always help her with her French.
"I suppose you wouldn't give me a hand with my French sometimes, would you?" she asked. I don't want any extra coaching from either of the Mam'zelles, but I'd love to let you explain things to me. You explain very well.”
Nobody had ever asked Mary-Lou for help before in that way. She went brilliant red, and swallowed hard.
I'd love to." she said at last. "Fancy me helping you! I'm the one that's usually always rushing round for help. I'd love to, Daphne."
So, to the astonishment of the second-formers, they saw the curious sight of little Mary-Lou sitting by Daphne in the evenings at the end of the common-room, carefully explaining the mistakes made in the French exercise of the day before!
"And doing all the next day's work for her too!” said Darrell in disgust She didn't like to see the faithful Mary-Lou sitting so long with somebody else. Why, Mary-Lou had tagged along behind Darrell and Sally for terms and terms! Surely she wasn't going to make mat awful Daphne her friend.
"Let her be," said the sensible Sally. "If she wants to help her, why not? Daphne is awful at French, but I don't blame her for not taking extra coaching from the Mam'zelles. You know bow irritable Mam'zelle Rougier gets in the evening, and you know how long Mam'zelle Dupont keeps you if you do go for extra work. You're supposed to go for half an hour and she keeps you two hours!”
"I hope Daphne won't put any of her silly ideas into Mary-Lou's head,” said Darrell.
"Maybe Mary-Lou will put a few sensible ideas into Daphne's head," said Sally. I know you're longing to interfere, Darrell, don't!"
The gills soon sorted themselves out in the form, making their own friends, choosing people to sit next to and go walks with. It was nice to have a particular friend, and to have someone to confide in.
Sally had Darrell and Darrell had Sally. Irene had Belinda. The two became quite inseparable, and did one another no good. What one forgot the other certainly didn't remember! They seemed to make one another worse.
Alicia, of course, had Betty. Alicia was not as good-tempered as usual. She still smarted because she had not been made head-girl, and she was not at all nice to Sally nor as loyal to her as she should have been. Sally took no notice, but she was not very happy about it
Gwen had Daphne, of course—and now Mary-Lou seemed to want Daphne too! How was Gwen going to feel about that?
"You needn't worry,” said Daphne to Gwen. "I'm only using her. silly little thing! I'll let her come out with me sometimes, when you're busy, because I don't want her to mink I only want her help for my French. You can use her too, Gwen. Copy my work when I've done it!"
So Gwendoline put up with Mary-Lou's company at times, and even said nothing when she went off alone with Daphne. What did it matter? Daphne was only using her!
But all the same Daphne couldn't help liking little Mary-Lou—and it was certainly a change from the silly Gwen to have good-hearted Mary-Lou trotting by her side once or twice a week!
The Invisible Chalk.
After a few weeks Alicia got restless. It's time we livened things up a bit!" she said to Betty. I know we're second-formers now and all that—but there's no reason why we shouldn't have a bit of fun. Sally's such a bore-never a joke, never a trick!”
"What shall we do?" said Betty, her wicked dark eyes gleaming. I’ve got some invisible chalk. Have you got anything?"
"Invisible chalk! Yon never told met" said Alicia, her face brightening. "What is it? Show me!”
I’ve got it in my locker, in a box," said Betty. "The common-room will be empty now. Come along and m show you. It’s queer stuff.”
The two girls went to their common-room. Betty opened her locker and took out a tin box. Inside, wrapped carefully in paper, was a thick slab of curious pink chalk.
"It doesn't look invisible!" said Alicia. "What does it do?"
"Well, if you rub it on to a chair, it can't possibly be seen." said Betty. "And whoever sits down on it makes it warm and it leaves a bright pink patch on a dress or skirt."
"I see," said Alicia. "Golly—we could rub it on the mistress's chair in our form-room—when Mam'zelle Rougier is coming perhaps."
1 know! Let’s rub it on to Mr. Young's chair, when he comes to take singing!" said Betty. "On his piano stool! Then he’ll sit down hard on it when he plays
accompaniment for our songs—and when he gets
up and turns round to write on the blackboard—golly, what a scream!”
Alicia laughed loudly. "It would be better to play it on Mr. Young than on Nosey or Mam'zelle—he won't suspect a thing—and the first form will have a share in the joke too, because they take singing with us!"
Alicia cheered up considerably after this. She and Betty tried out the invisible chalk very carefully, and it was a great success.
Betty took a wooden-bottomed chair and rubbed the curious pink chalk all over it. "Look,” she said, "it doesn't show at all, Alicia. Can you see anything of it?” Alicia looked carefully at the chair, tipping it this way and that "It's perfect,” she said. "Not a thing to be seen! Funny how you can rub it on and it seems to disappear, Betty. It really is invisible. Now. you sit down on it and let me see what happens."
Betty sat down, and remained there for a minute or two. The chalk would not work unless it was slightly warmed. As Betty was sitting solemnly there with Alicia watching her. Gwendoline popped her head in to look for Daphne. She was astonished to see Betty sitting solemnly by herself on a chair, with Alicia a little way off.
"What are you doing?” she asked curiously. "What's happening?”
"Nothing," said Alicia. "Buzz off! Daphne's not here."
"But what are you doing?" persisted Gwendoline, suspecting something, though she didn't know what "Why is Betty sitting on that uncomfortable chair in the middle of the room like that?"
"Alicia! Nosey wants you!” suddenly cried a voice, and Jean's head came round the door. "Hurry! She's in a stew about something. Your maths paper, I should think."
"Blow!" said Alicia, and shot off. "Be back in a minute, Betty," she said, and ran down the passage. Jean looked with interest at Betty sitting all alone in the middle of the common-room.
“Tired?" she asked. Betty scowled. She felt foolish. She wanted to hurl a book at Gwendoline's silly golden head, but she didn’t dare to get up in case she had a nice chalky pattern on her back. She didn't want to let anyone else into the trick at the moment.
"Paralysed or something, poor thing," said Gwendoline. "Can't get up. Or perhaps it's rheumatism!"
To Betty's great relief Gwendoline became tired of teasing her and went out to find Daphne. Jean gave a grin and left too. Betty got up and looked round at herself. She gave a chuckle of delight. She had a brilliant pink pattern on the skirt of her tunic. How extraordinary that the invisible chalk should act like that when it was warmed up!
Alicia came flying in. "Does it work?" she cried, and giggled when Betty swung round and showed her the bright pink marks. "Golly, it's fine I Well try it on old Mr. Young tomorrow!"
"Shall we tell anyone?" asked Betty.
"Not a soul," said Alicia. "Someone's sure to give it away by giggling if we do. No—we'll let dear Mr. Young spring this surprise himself on an astonished audience!"
Neither Betty nor Alicia did much prep that night Potty, who was taking prep, looked with suspicion at the two plotters and wondered what was up. It was obvious that their thoughts were pleasantly and humorously engaged far elsewhere.
Potty knew the signs. She warned Miss Parker. "Those two in your form, Alicia and Betty, are up to something. Miss Parker. Look out tomorrow. You’ll
have an unaccountable smell, or a curious noise, or an orgy of book-dropping or something."