"Blyton, Enid - St Clare's 03 - Summer Term at St Clare's" - читать интересную книгу автора (Blyton Enid)

'I know you're right, Hilary,' she said. 'But I haven't been brought up in the same way as you have-I haven't learnt the same things. Don't dislike me because I'm different.'
'Idiot! I 'said Hilary, giving her a clap on the shoulder. 'We like you because you are so different. You're a most exciting person to have in the form. But don't play into the hands of people like Prudence, who will run to Miss Roberts if you bring out some of your rude names. If you really want to let off steam, let it off on people like me or Bobby, who won't mind!'
'That's just it,' said Carlotta. 'I can't go for you- you're too decent to me. Hilary, I'll try to be calmer. I really will. I'm getting on a bit better with Miss Roberts now-but Mam'zelle always drives me into a rage. I'll have to be extra careful in her class.'
It was Bobby who really began the great uproar in Mam'zelle's class one morning. Bobby was bored. She hated French verbs, which had an irritating way of having different endings in their past tenses. 'Just as if it was done on purpose to muddle us,' thought Bobby, with irritation. 'And I never can remember when to use this stupid subjunctive. Ugh!'
Nearby Bobby was a vivarium, kept by the first formers. It was a big cage-like structure, with a glass front that could be slipped up and down. In it lived a couple of large frogs and a clumsy toad. With them lived six large snails. The first-formers regarded these creatures with varying ideas.
Kathleen, who loved animals, was really attached to the frogs and toad, and vowed she could tell the difference between the six snails, which she had named after some of the dwarfs in the story of Snow-White. The rest of the form could only recognize Dopey, who never seemed to move, and who had a white mark on the spiral of his shell.
The twins liked the frogs and toad, and Isabel often tickled the frog down his back with a straw because she liked to see him put his front foot round, with its funny little fingers, and scratch himself. Some of the class were merely interested in the creatures, the rest loathed them.
Sadie and, Alison couldn't bear them, and Prudence shuddered every time she saw the frogs or toad move. Doris disliked them intensely too. Bobby neither liked nor disliked them, but she had no fear of the harmless creatures as Prudence and the others seemed to have, and she handled them fearlessly when their vivarium needed to be cleaned or re-arranged.
On this morning Bobby was bored. The French class seemed to have been going on for hours, and seemed likely to continue for hours too, though actually it was only a lesson lasting three-quarters of an hour. A movement in the vivarium caught the girl's eye.
One of the frogs had flicked out its tongue at a fly that had ventured in through the perforated zinc window at the back. Bobby took a quick look at Mam'zelle. She was writing French sentences on the blackboard, quite engrossed in her task. The girls were supposed to be reading a page of French, ready to translate it when she was ready.
Bobby nudged Janet. Janet looked up. 'Watch me!' whispered Bobby with a grin. Bobby slid the glass front of the vivarium to the back and put in her hand. She took one of the surprised frogs out and then shut the glass lid.
'Let's set him hopping off to Prudence!' whispered Bobby. 'It'll give her an awful fright!'
No one else had noticed Bobby's performance. Mam'zelle was irritable that morning, and the class were feverishly reading over their page of French, anxious not to annoy her more than they could help. Bobby reached over to set the frog on Prudence's desk.
But the poor creature leapt violently out of her hands on to the floor near Carlotta. The girl caught the movement and turned. She saw the frog on the floor, and Bobby nodding and pointing to show her that it was meant for the unsuspicious Prudence.
Carlotta grinned. She had been just as bored as Bobby in the French class, and the page of French had meant nothing to her at all. She hardly understood one word of it.
She picked up the frog and deposited it neatly on the edge of Prudence's desk. The girl sat next to her, so it was easy Prudence looked up, saw the frog and gave such a scream that the whole class jumped in fright.
Mam'zelle dropped her chalk and the book she was holding, and turned round with an angry glare.
'PRUDENCE! What is this noise?'
The frog liked Prudence's desk. It hopped over her book and sat in the middle of it, staring with unwinking brown eyes at the horrified girl. She screamed loudly again and seemed quite unable to move. She was really terrified.
The frog took a leap into the air, and landed on Prudence's shoulder. It slipped down to her lap, and she leapt up in horror, shaking it off.
'Mam'zelle! It's the frog! Ugh, I can't bear it, I can't bear it I Oh, you beast, Carlotta! You took it out of the vivarium on purpose to give me a fright! How I hate you!' cried Prudence, quite beside herself with rage and fright.
Most of the class were laughing by now, for Prudence's horror was funny to watch. Mam'zelle began to lose her temper. The frog leapt once more and Prudence screamed again.
'Taisez-vous, Prudence!' cried Mam'zelle. 'Be silent.
This class is a garden of bears and monkeys. I will not have it. It is abominable!
More giggles greeted this outburst. Prudence turned on Carlotta again and spoke to her with great malice in her voice.
'You hateful creature! Nothing but a nasty little circus-girl with circus-girl ideas! Oh you think I don't know things about you, but I do! I saw you take the frog out of the vivarium to make him leap on me. I saw you!'
'TAISEZ-VOUS, Prudence,' almost shouted Mam'zelle, rapping on her desk. 'Carlotta, leave the room. You will go straight to Miss Theobald and report what you have done. That such things should happen in my class! It is not to be believed!'
Carlotta did not hear a word Mam'zelle said. She had sprung up from her seat and was glaring at Prudence. Her eyes were flashing, and she looked very wild and very beautiful. Like a beautiful gypsy, Isabel thought.
She began to speak-but not one of the girls could understand a word, for Carlotta spoke in Spanish. The words came pouring out like a torrent, and Carlotta stamped her foot and shook her fist in Prudence's face. Prudence shrank back, afraid. Mam'zelle, furious at being entirely disregarded by Carlotta advanced on her with a heavy tread.
The whole class watched the scene, breathless. There bad been one or two Big Rows, as they were called, in the first form at times, but nothing to equal this. Mam'zelle took Carlotta firmly by the arm.
'Vous кtes in-sup-por-table! She said, separating the syllables of the word to make it even more emphatic. Carlotta shook off Mam'zelle's hand in a fury. She could not bear to be touched when she was in a rage. She turned on the astonished French mistress, and addressed her in a flow of violent Spanish, some of which Mam'zelle unfortunately understood. The mistress went pale with anger, and with difficulty prevented herself from giving Carlotta a box on the ears.
In the middle of this the door opened and Miss Roberts came in. It was time for the lesson to end, but every one had been far too engrossed in the scene to think of the time. Miss Roberts had been surprised to find the classroom door shut, as usually it was held open for her coming by one of the class. She was even more astonished to walk in and see Mam'zelle and Carlotta apparently about to have a free fight!
Mam'zelle recovered herself a little when she saw Miss Roberts. 'Ah, Miss Roberts!' she said, her voice quite weak with all the emotion she had felt during the last few minutes. • You come in good time I This class of yours is shocking-yes, most shocking and wicked. That girl Carlotta, she has defied me, she has called me names, she has-oh la, la, there is the frog again!'
Every one had forgotten the frog-but it now made a most unexpected appearance again and leapt on to Mam'zelle's large foot. Mam'zelle had no liking for frogs. All insects and small creatures filled her with horror She gave a squeal and stumbled backwards, falling heavily on to a chair
Miss Roberts had taken everything in at a glance. Her face was extremely stern. She looked at Mam'zelle. She knew Mam'zelle s hot temper, and she felt that the best thing to do was to get the angry French mistress out of the class before making any inquiries herself
"Mam'zelle, your next class is waiting for you,' she said in her clear cool tones. 'I will look into this matter for you and report to you at dinner-time. You had better go now and leave me to deal with everything.'
Mam'zelle could never bear to be late for any, class. She got up at once and left the room, giving Carlotta one look of fury before she went. Miss Roberts nodded to Hilary to shut the door and then went to her own desk. There was a dead silence in the room, for there was not a girl there who did not dread Miss Roberts when she was in this kind of mood.
Carlotta was still standing, her hair rumpled over her forehead, her fists clenched. Miss Roberts glanced at her. She knew Carlotta's fiery nature by now, and felt that it was of no use at all to attack her in that mood. She spoke to her firmly and coldly.
'Carlotta, please go and do your hair. Wash your inky hands too.'
The girl stared at her teacher, half-mutinous, but the direct order calmed her and she obeyed it. She left the room and there was a sigh of relief. Carlotta was exciting-but this time she had been a little too exciting.
'Now please understand that I am not encouraging any tale-bearing,' said Miss Roberts, looking round her class with cold blue eyes, 'but I am going to insist on finding out what this extraordinary scene is about. Perhaps you, Hilary, as head of the class, can tell me.'
'Miss Roberts, let me tell you!' began Prudence, eager to get her word in before any one else. 'Carlotta opened the vivarium and took out the frog, and . . .'
'I don't want any information from you until I ask for it, Prudence,' said Miss Roberts, in such a cutting tone that the girl sank back into her seat, flushing. 'Now, Hilary-tell me as shortly as you can.'
'Well, apparently some one took a frog out of the vivarium and put it on Prudence's desk,' said Hilary reluctantly. Bobby got up, red in the face.
'Excuse me interrupting, Miss Roberts,' she said. 'I took the frog out.'
'It was that beast Carlotta who played the trick on me!' exclaimed Prudence. 'You're shielding her.'
'Prudence, you'll leave the room if you speak again,' said Miss Roberts. 'Go on, Bobby.'
'I was bored,' said Bobby, honestly. 'I took out the frog to make it jump on to Prudence for a bit of fun, because she's scared of frogs. But it leapt out of my hand on to the floor-and so I nodded to Carlotta to pick it up and put it on the desk-and she did. But I was the one to blame.'
Bobby sat down. 'Now you go on with this extraordinary tale, Hilary,' said Miss Roberts, wondering if her class could really be in its right senses that morning.
'Well, Miss Roberts, there isn't much else to tell except that Prudence got an awful fright and screamed and Mam'zelle was angry, and Prudence blamed it all on to Carlotta and said some pretty horrid things to her, and Carlotta flared up as she does-and when Mam'zelle ordered her from the room she wouldn't go-I really think she didn't even hear Mam'zelle! Then Mam'zelle was furious because Carlotta didn't obey her and went over to her-and Carlotta turned on her and said something in Spanish that made Mam'zelle even more furious. And then you came in,' finished Hilary.