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

'It's a bit dangerous,' said Janet, 'but it's worth a try. Hope I shan't be caught.'
Don't-Care-Bobby grinned. 'Nothing venture, nothing have!' she said. 'Well, I'll do my best for you.'
So when the first and second form were all sitting quietly doing their prep that evening, Bobby put up her hand. 'Please, Miss Roberts, may I just slip along and get a book from the library?'
'Be quick, then,' said Miss Roberts, who was busy correcting books, and hardly looked up. Bobby grinned at Janet and slipped out of the room. She arrived back with a book under her arm and went to Miss Roberts's desk.
'Please, Miss Roberts, may Janet go to Mam'zelle now for a little extra coaching?' she said. Janet went red with excitement.
'Well,' said Miss Roberts, rather astonished,' Mam'zelle didn't say anything to me about it when I saw her in the common room. I suppose she forgot. Yes, Janet- you had better go-and you can write out those geography facts later on this evening, when you are in the first form common room.'
'Thank you, Miss Roberts,' murmured Janet and scuttled out of the room like a rabbit. She rushed to the cloakroom, got her hat, flew out of the garden-door, went to the bicycle shed and was soon cycling down to the town as fast as she could go! How she hoped she would not meet any mistress or top-former who would see that she was alone!
She slipped into the cinema unseen and was soon lost in the picture, whilst the first form went on silently doing their prep for the next day. Only Prudence was suspicious, for she had seen the looks that passed between Janet and Bobby.
She was even more suspicious when she could not see Janet in the common room that night, after prep. 'Janet is having a very long lesson with Mam'zelle,' she said to Bobby.
'Really?' said Bobby. 'How nice for them both!' Bobby had copied out the geography for Prudence trying to make her writing as like Janet's as possible. She laid the book down on Prudence's desk when the girl was out of the common room for a minute. Prudence found it there when she came back. At first she thought Janet had written out the pages and she looked round for her. But Janet was still not there. How strange!
Prudence looked closely at her book. She saw that the writing was not really Janet's, and she stared at Bobby, who was lying in a chair, unconcernedly reading, her feet swung over the arm.
'This isn't Janet's writing,' said Prudence to Bobby. Bobby took no notice but went on reading. 'BOBBY! I said this isn't Jane's writing,' said Prudence, annoyed.
'Did you really say so?' said Bobby. 'Well, say it again if you like. I don't know if any one is interested. I'm not.'
'I believe you and Janet made up a plot between you,' said Prudence, suddenly. 'I don't believe Mam'zelle wanted Janet at all-and I believe you wrote out these pages.'
'Shut up, I'm reading,' said Bobby. Prudence felt angry and spiteful. So Janet had managed to slip off to the cinema after all! Well, she would see that Miss Roberts knew it, anyway I
So the next morning, when Miss Roberts asked to see her geography book, to make sure that Janet had written out what she had been told, Prudence gave the game away. She went up to Miss Roberts's desk with her book and held it out. Miss Roberts gave a quick glance at it and nodded.
'All right!' she said, not noticing anything wrong with the writing.
'Bobby has written it out very nicely, hasn't she?' said Prudence, in a low, soft voice. Miss Roberts glanced sharply at the book and then at Prudence. She knew at once what the girl meant to tell her.
'You can go to your place,' she said to the girl, for she disliked sneaking. Prudence went, pleased that Miss Roberts had guessed what she meant.
Miss Roberts spoke to Mam'zelle when next she saw her. 'Did you by any chance give Janet Robins any extra coaching last night?' she asked. Mam'zelle lifted her eyebrows in astonishment.
'I was at the cinema,' she said. 'And so was Janet. I saw her! Why do you ask me such a question! I do not give coaching in the evenings.'
'Thank you,' said Miss Roberts, and beckoned to a passing girl.
'Go and find Janet Robins and ask her to come to me,' she said, grimly. The girl sped off and found Janet on the tennis-court.
'Wow!'' said Janet when she got the message. 'Now I'm for it. The cat's out of the bag-but who let her out? Bobby, say good-bye to me for ever-I've got to face Miss Roberts in a rage-and I shan't come out alive!'
Bobby grinned. 'Poor old Janet!' she said. 'Good luck to you. I'll wait for you here, old thing.'


7 JANET, BOBBY-AND PRUDENCE

JANET went quickly to find Miss Roberts. When there was trouble brewing Janet faced up to it at once. She didn't run away from it, or make excuses. She wasn't looking forward to the interview with Miss Roberts, but she thought the sooner it was over the better.
Miss Roberts was in the first-form classroom correcting books. She looked up as Janet came in. Her face was very cold and stern.
'Come over here, Janet,' she said. Janet went to her desk. Miss Roberts finished correcting the book she had before her and then put down her pencil.
'So you didn't go to Mam'zelle for extra coaching last night?' she said.
'No, Miss Roberts, I didn't,' said Janet. 'I went to see "Clive of India" at the pictures. Bobby had booked' me a seat the night before.'
'And who wrote out Prudence's geography lists then!' asked Miss Roberts.
'Well, Miss Roberts, I didn't,' said Janet after a pause. 'I-I can't tell tales.'
I don't want you to tell tales,' said Miss Roberts. 'There is nothing that I detest more. I merely wanted to make sure you hadn't done the lists yourself.'
'I suppose Prudence split on me?' said Janet, her good-tempered face suddenly flushing.
'Well, I'm not telling tales either,' said Miss Roberts, 'but it won't be difficult for your own common sense to tell you how I found out about your gross disobedience. Janet, I'm not going to have you behaving like this. You have plenty of character, you are plucky, just and kind, though you have too quick a temper and too rough a tongue sometimes-but you and Roberta have got to pull yourselves together and realize that I am NOT here to play tricks on, but to make you work and really learn something. Especially this term, which should be your last one with me. I really feel ashamed of you.'
Janet went red again. She hated being scolded, but she knew it was just that she should be. She looked Miss Roberts straight in the face.
'I'm sorry,' she said. 'I didn't feel it was fair having to miss going to the cinema when I really didn't mean to spill that water on Prudence. It was a pure accident. If I'd done it deliberately, then I wouldn't have minded being punished.'
'You will leave it to me to judge whether or not a punishment is just,' said Miss Roberts, coldly. 'Now, as you used a bit of trickery to go down to the town last night, I feel you are not to be trusted for some time. You will not go down again unless you come to me, say why you want to go, and get my permission. Even so, I shall not grant any for a week or two. You will also do what I told you to do yesterday and write out the geography facts yourself-in Prudence's book as I said.'
'Oh, need I do it in her book?' said Janet in dismay. 'After all, the geography is already written out there once. Prudence will grin like anything if I go and ask her for her book.'
'You've brought it on yourself,' said Miss Roberts. 'And just remember this, my dear Janet-that much as I admire many things in your character, there is still plenty of improvement to be made-especially in your classwork. I feel very much inclined to go into the matter of that note I had the other day, which resulted in my leaving the maths class-it seems to me that that episode and this have a certain likeness that makes me feel very suspicious. Any more of that kind of thing from either you or Roberta will be instantly punished. Please tell Roberta this from me.'
'Yes, Miss Roberts,' said Janet, seeing from Miss Roberts's face that the teacher was in no mood to be generous or soft-hearted. Miss Roberts hated being tricked, and usually prided herself on the fact that her first-formers never did get the best of her. She was annoyed to think that her class might be laughing up their sleeves at her.
'You can go,' she said to Janet, and reached out for another book to correct. Janet hesitated. She badly wanted to get back into Miss Roberts's good books again, but somehow she felt this was no time to try and make amends. She must find a chance some other time, and bear her punishment as gracefully as she could.
She left the room and went gloomily back to the tennis court, where Bobby was anxiously awaiting her. Bobby slipped her arm in Janet's.
'Was it very bad?' she asked, sympathetically.
'Beastly,' said Janet. 'I feel as small as that beetle on the -grass down there. I can't go down to the town for a week or two, and after that I've got to go to Miss Roberts and beg for permission whenever I want to go. It's so humiliating. And oh, Bobby-I've got to write out those hateful geography lists again-in Prudence's book!'
'That's too bad,' said Bobby, feeling at once that Prudence would crow over Janet in delight. 'How did old Roberts find out about you?'