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

enough we have all been working against her-and that must be a very
horrid experience.' ' Hilary Wentworth-if you don't stop talking as if
you were head of this form, you'll be sorry,' said Elsie, angered by
Bobby's candid speech. ' Anna-for heaven's sake sit up and back me up.'
' But I don't think you're right,' said Anna, in her gentle voice. ' I
don't want to persecute Mirabel, either. I don't feel spiteful towards
her now.' ' You're too lazy to feel anything,' said Elsie, surprised and
furious at Anna's unexpected refusal to back her up. ' You know
perfectly well that as head-girls we must work together-and it's an
unwritten rule that the form go by what we say.' ' Well, I can't work
with you in this/ said Anna. ' I may be fat and lazy and all the other
things you probably think about me, and don't say-but I am not catty. So
I say, as head-girl of the form-we will NOT continue with our tricks
against Mirabel.' ' Well!' said Pat, ' this is going to be difficult-two
head-girls, each saying different! I suppose we'd better put it to the
vote, which girl we follow. Now-hands up for Anna and doing what she
says!' 'Every single hand went up at once. Anna grinned for once sat up
really straight. Elsie went white. Now-hands up those who wish to follow
Elsie,' said Not a single hand went up, of course. Elsie stood angrily.
' This is what comes of having to stay down with a lot half-baked
first-formers!' she said, her voice trembling. ,.. Well-I'll tell you
who emptied the water out of the Vases-and dropped ink on Mirabel's
maths, paper-it was your precious Anna! If you want to follow a girl who
does things like that, and then is ashamed to own up to them, well, you
can!' She flung herself out of the room and slammed the door loudly.
Anna raised her well-marked eye-brows. 'Well, girls,' she said, in her
rather drawling voice,' I assure you I am not guilty.' Every one
believed her. Anna might be lazy and not bother herself or undertake any
kind of responsibility- but at least she was truthful and honest. I'm
not going to count Elsie as head-girl any more,' faid Isabel. ' We'll
have only Anna. Come on, Anna- Stir yourself, and settle things one way
or another.' ' Poor Anna-she will have to open her eyes and wake up at
last,' said Carlotta's high voice, rather maliciously. Anna stood up
suddenly. ' Well-I'm just as tired of Elsie's spite and cattiness as you
are,' she said. ' So if you'll do with just me as head-girl, I'll wake
up a bit. It's not been easy trying to work in with Elsie. I'm not going
to give her away- but I just can't bear some of the things she says and
does. Now-it's not enough just to stop persecuting Mirabel- can't we do
something positive-I mean, something to put her right, instead of just
stopping her being wrong?' Every one gaped at Anna. This was the first
time the big, sleepy-eyed girl had ever made such a long speech. or
suggested anything of her own accord. Hilary thought her suggestion was
excellent. ' Yes-that's the way to do things really/ she agreed. ' It's
not enough to stop things going wrong-you've got to set them going the
other way-on the right road. But I don't for the life of me see how.
Mirabel is terribly difficult. I can't see that she's any good at
anything at all. There isn't anything to work on.' ' She's bad at
lessons-no good at games-hopeless at art-poor at gym/ said Isabel. ' If
there was something she was good at, we could make it our
starting-point-you know, praise her up a bit, and give her some