"Blyton, Enid - St Clare's 04 - The Second Form At St Clare's (b)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Blyton Enid)

Mirabel chose to be stupid again, saying her lines incorrectly, doing
the wrong things so that Miss Quentin had to make her speak and act two
or three times. The teacher, following her usual rule of being patient
and encouraging, wasted nearly all the precious ten minutes on Mirabel.
Alison cast her eye on the clock, and bit her lip. All her rehearsing
would be wasted now. How she hated that stupid Mirabel, holding up every
class in order to be annoying. ' Now Mirabel dear," said Miss Quentin,
in her charming, patient voice, ' say it like this . . .' It was too
much for Alison. She stamped her foot, ' Mirabel! Stop fooling I It's
hateful the way you take Miss Quentin in-and she's so patient too.
You've wasted half the time-and now I shan't have my turn.' ' Poor
little Alison!' said Mirabel, mockingly. ' She badly wanted to show off
to her precious Miss Quentin, hear her say " Well done, darling," '
There was a dead silence. Then Alison burst into a of tears, and
Carlotta boxed Mirabel's ears very smartly. Miss Quentin stared in
horror. ' Girls! Girls! What are you thinking of? Carlotta! You amaze
me. I cannot have this behaviour, I really cannot. Carlotta, apologize
at once to Mirabel.' f ' Certainly not,' said Carlotta. ' I don't mean
to be rude to you, Miss Quentin-but you must see for yourself that
Mirabel deserved it. I knew no-one else but me would dare to do it-and
it's been coming to Mirabel for quite a long time.' The bell rang for
the next class. Miss Quentin was most relieved. She had no idea how to
tackle things of this sort. She gathered up her books quickly. 'There is
no time to say any more, girls,' she said. 'I must go to my next class.
Carlotta, I still insist that you put things right with Mirabel by
apologizing.' She went out of the room in a flurry. Carlotta grinned
round at the others. ' Well!' she said, ' don't stand staring at me like
that as if I'd done something awful. You know quite well you've all
wanted to box Mirabel's ears yourselves. We're as tired of her as we can
be. It's a pity half-term isn't here and we can see the back of her.'
'Carlotta, you shouldn't do things like that,' said Janet. ' Alison, for
pity's sake, stop howling. Mirabel, you deserved it, and now perhaps
you'll shut up and behave properly.' Mirabel had gone rather white. She
had not attempted to hit back at Carlotta. ' If you think that will stop
me doing what I like to spoil things for anybody you're mistaken,' she
said, at last, in a tight kind of voice. ' It'll make me worse.' o I
suppose it will,' said Hilary. ' Well-I'll give you a warning. If you
don't stop being an idiot, we shall make things uncomfortable for you. I
don't mean we shall box your ears. We shan't. But there are other ways.1
Mirabel said no more-but as she made no attempt that day or the
following to behave sensibly, the girls made up their minds that they
must carry out their threat. They met in one of the music-rooms. Elsie
Fanshawe was pleased. This excited her-it gladdened her spiteful nature,
and added to her sense of importance, for, as she was one of the
head-girls, she could direct every one in what they had to do. ' We've
met together to decide how to get back at Mirabel,' she began. Hilary
interrupted her. 'Well-not exactly "get back ", Elsie,' she said. ' It's
more to prevent her from going on disgracing herself and our class.' '
Call it what you like,' said Elsie, impatiently. ' Now -what I propose
is this: we'll take her books from her desk and hide them. We'll make