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

'There's only one way she could have,' said Janet, fiercely. 'That rotten Prudence must have split on me! I'll jolly well tell her what I think of her, that's all!'
The twins came up at that moment and heard with sympathy all that had happened to Janet. 'I heard that sneak of a Prudence say, "Bobby has written it out very nicely, hasn't she?" when she showed Miss Roberts one of her books this morning,' said Pat. 'I didn't know what she meant, of course. I just thought she was being nice about Bobby's writing. I didn't realize it was her horrid way of splitting on poor old Janet.'
'The beast!' said Bobby, her eyes flashing and her cheeks flaming. She was very fond of Janet. 'I'll pay her out all right! I'll make her squirm. The nasty little tell-tale. She always pretends to be so goody-goody too. I think she's a hypocrite. I'll go and get her beastly book for you, Jan. You shan't have to go and do that, anyway-and if she dares to say a single word to me in that soft sneering way she has, I'll slap her on the cheek.'
'No, Bobby, don't do that,' said Janet. 'It's never any good to do things like that. Leave that to our Carlotta!'
Every one grinned. Carlotta was a really fierce little monkey when she was in a temper, and had actually given Alison a hard slap the day before, because Alison had pointed out that Carlotta's two hair-ribbons did not match, were very dirty, and needed their frayed edges cutting. Carlotta had listened with a wild expression on her face, and had then given Alison a resounding -slap, which had, of course, made Alison dissolve into tears.
'You find fault with me again, and I will give you two slaps!' threatened Carlotta.
'Carlotta, we don't slap each other in this country,' Hilary had said. 'Maybe you do in Spain-but you can't do it here; it just isn't done.'
Carlotta made a rude explosive sort of noise. 'Pah! If I want to slap, I slap! What right has this silly little peacock to talk about my hair-ribbons? See how she cries, the baby! She does not even slap me back!'
Alison was not even thinking of such a thing. She was very hurt and upset, especially when Sadie Greene gave a laugh.
'My, Alison, you're just cat's-meat to that little savage! Cheer up. Don't you see she wanted to make you howl?'
The twins, Janet, and Bobby remembered this episode as they stood on the tennis court listening to Bobby's suggestion that she should treat Prudence in the same way that Carlotta had treated Alison. They all knew that such things as slapping -and pinching were out of the question I But nevertheless each one of them would dearly have loved to give Prudence a resounding smack!
'It's what she wants,' said Pat, with a sigh. 'However-we'll see she's made to feel what a little beast she is, somehow. She won't get away with this.'
'I'll go and get the geography book from her,' said Bobby, and marched off. She sent to the common room, thinking that Prudence might be there. She was like Pam, always to be found indoors!
She was sitting doing a jigsaw puzzle. Bobby went up to her. 'Where's your geography book?' she said. 'I want it.'
'Oh, have you got to write something else in it?' said Prudence, in her clear, soft voice. 'Poor Bobby! Are you going to do it again for Janet? What will Miss Roberts say?'
'Look at me, you nasty little sneak!' said Bobby, in such a peculiar, threatening voice that Prudence was alarmed. She raised her eyes and looked at Bobby. Bobby was white with rage, and her eyes glinted angrily.
'You're going to be sorry for this,' said Bobby, still in the same peculiar voice, as if she was talking with her teeth clenched. 'I hate sneaks worse than anything. If you dare to tell tales again, I'll make you very sorry.'
Prudence was frightened. Without a word she got up, went to her shelf and fetched her geography book. She gave it to Bobby with a trembling hand. Bobby snatched it from her and went out of the room.
'I say!' said a small voice from the corner of the room. 'I say! Wasn't Bobby in a rage, Prudence? Whatever have you done?'
It was from Pain Boardman, curled up with a book as usual. She looked through her big glasses, her eyes very large.
'I've done nothing,' said Prudence. 'Nothing at all. I haven't sneaked or told any tales. But Bobby has got her knife into me because I think her tricks are a silly waste of time. Don't you think they are, Pam?'
'Well, I'm not very fond of games or jokes or tricks,' said Pamela. 'I've always liked my work better. But some of Bobby's jokes and Janet's do make me laugh. Still, I agree with Miss Roberts-if most of the first form have got to go up next term, tricks and things are a silly waste of time.'
'You're such a sensible girl, Pam,' said Prudence, going over to her. 'And so brainy, I wish you'd be my friend. I like you and Sadie better than any one else in the form.'
Pam flushed with pleasure. She was a shy girl who found it very difficult to make friends, because she could not play games well, and found it impossible to think of funny things to say or do, as the others did. She did not see that Prudence wanted to make use of her.
'Of course I'll be friends,' she said, shyly.
'You've got such brains,' said Prudence, admiringly. 'I'd be so glad if you'd help me sometimes. I wish that Sadie would be friends with you too-it would do her good to think of something- besides her hair and skin and nails. I like Sadie, don't you?'
'Well, I'm a bit afraid of her,' said Pam, honestly. 'She's got such grand clothes, and she does look so lovely sometimes, and she seems so very grown-up to me. I always feel small and dowdy when she comes along. I don't know whether I like her or not.'
Prudence tried to forget Bobby's unpleasant words to her, but it was difficult. She wondered what had happened. Had Miss Roberts made Janet write out those geography things all over again? What punishment would she give the girl?
When her book was returned to her, Prudence looked with curiosity inside the pages. Yes-there were the geography lists neatly written for the second time-this time in Janet's rather sprawly writing-and Miss Roberts had ticked it.
'So she had to do it after all,' thought Prudence.
'Good! Serves her jolly well right. Now perhaps she and Bobby will leave me alone for a bit, in case Miss Roberts gets after them again!'


8 CARLOTTA IS SURPRISING

THE five new girls 'shook down' at St. Clare's each in their different ways. Sadie Greene sailed through the days, taking no notice of anything except the things she was really interested in. Miss Roberts's cold remarks passed right over her head. Mam'zelle made no impression on her at all. She thought her own thoughts, looked after her appearance very carefully and took an interest in Alison because the girl was really very pretty and dainty.
Prudence and Pam settled down too, though Prudence was careful not to come up against Bobby and Janet more than she could help. Bobby settled in so well that the old first-formers it seemed as if she had belonged to St. Clare's for years. Carlotta too settled down in some sort of fashion, though she was a bit of a mystery to the girls.
'She seems such a common little thing in most ways,' aid Pat, overhearing Carlotta talking to Pam in her curious half-cockney, half-foreign voice. 'And she's so untidy and hasn't any manners at all. Yet she's so natural and truthful and outspoken that I can't help liking her. I'm sure she'll come to blows with Mam'zelle one day I They just can't bear each other!'
Mam'zelle was not having an easy time with the first form that term The girls who were to go up into the second form were not up to the standard she wanted them to be, and she was making them work very hard indeed, which they didn't like at all. Pam was excellent at French, though her accent was not too good. Sadie Greene was hopeless. She didn't care and she wasn't going to try! Prudence seemed to try her hardest but didn't do very well. Bobby was another one who didn't care-and as for Carlotta, she frankly detested poor Mam'zelle and was as nearly rude to her as she dared to be.
So Mam'zelle had a bad time. 'Do you wonder we called her "Mam'zelle Abominable" the first term we were here?' said Pat to Bobby. 'She has called you and your work "abominable" and "insupportable" about twenty times this morning, Bobby! And as for Carlotta, she has used up all the awful French names she knows on her! But I must say Carlotta deserves them! When she puts on that fierce scowl, and lets her curls drip all over her face, and screws up her mouth till her lips are white, she looks like a regular little gypsy.'
Carlotta was really rather a surprising person. Sometimes she gave the impression that she was really doing her best to be good and to try hard-and then at other times it seemed as if she wasn't in the classroom at all! She was away somewhere else, dreaming of some other days, some other life. That would make Mam'zelle furious.
'Carlotta! What is there so interesting out of the window today?' Mam'zelle would inquire sarcastically. 'Ah-I see a cow in the distance? Is she so enthralling to you? Do you wait to hear her moo?'
'No,' Carlotta said, in a careless voice. 'I'm waiting to hear her bark, Mam'zelle.'
Then the class would chuckle and wait breathlessly for Mam'zelle's fury to descend on Carlotta's black head.
It was in gym that Carlotta was really surprising. Since Margery Fenworthy had gone up into the second form, there had been nobody really good at gym left in the first form. Carlotta had done the climbing and jumping and running more or less as the others had done, though with less effort and with a curious suppleness-until one day in the third week of the term.
The girl had been restless all the morning. The sun had shone in at the classroom window, and a steady wind had been blowing up the hill. Carlotta could not seem to keep still, and paid no attention at all to the lessons. Miss Roberts had really thought the girl must be ill, and seriously wondered if she should send her to Matron to have her temperature taken. Carlotta's eyes were bright, and her cheeks were flushed. 'Carlotta! What is the matter with you this morning?' said Miss Roberts. 'You haven't finished a single sum. What are you dreaming about?'
'Horses,' said Carlotta at once. 'My own horse, Terry. It's a day for galloping far away.'
'Well, I think differently,' said Miss Roberts. 'I think it's a day for turning your attention to some of the work you leave undone, Carlotta! Pay attention to what I say!'
Fortunately for Carlotta the bell went for break at that moment and the class was free to dismiss. After break it was gym. Carlotta worked off some of her restlessness in the playgrounds, but still had plenty left by the time the bell went for classes again.
Miss Wilton, the sports mistress, was gym mistress also. She had to call Carlotta to order several times because the girl would climb and jump out of her turn, or do- more than she was told to do. Carlotta sulked, her eyes glowing angrily.