Читать книгу Mischief at St. Rollo's - Enid blyton - Страница 3

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“I don’t want to go to boarding-school,” said Michael.

“Neither do I,” said Janet. “I don’t see why we have to, Mother!”

“You are very lucky to be able to go,” said Mother. “Especially together! Daddy and I have chosen a mixed school for you—one with boys and girls together, so that both you and Mike can go together, and not be parted. We know how fond you are of one another. It’s quite time you went too. I run after you too much. You must learn to stand on your own feet.”

Mother went out of the room. The two children stared at one another. “Well, that’s that,” said Janet, flipping a pellet of paper at Michael. “We’ve got to go. But I vote we make our new school sit up a bit!”

“I’ve heard that you have to work rather hard at St. Rollo’s,” said Mike. “Well, I’m not going to! I’m going to have a good time. I hope we’re in the same class.”

There was only a year between the two of them, and as Janet was a clever child, she had so far always been in the same form as her brother, who was a year older. They had been to a mixed school ever since they had first started, and although they now had to go away to boarding-school, they both felt glad that they were not to be parted, as most brothers and sisters had to be.

The last week of the holidays flew past. Mother took the children to the shops to get them fitted for new clothes.

“We do seem to have to get a lot for our new school,” said Janet, with interest. “And are we going to have tuck-boxes, Mother, to take back with us?”

“If you’re good!” said Mother, with a laugh.

Mother did get them their tuck-boxes—one each for them. She put exactly the same in each box—one big currant cake, one big ginger cake, twelve chocolate buns, a tin of toffee and a large bar of chocolate. The children were delighted.

The day came for them to go to their new school. They couldn’t help feeling a bit excited, though they felt rather nervous too. Still, they were to go together, and that would be fun. They caught a train to London, and Mother took them to the station from which the school train was to start.

“St. Rollo’s School,” said the big blue label on the train. “Reserved for St. Rollo’s School.” A great crowd of boys and girls were on the platform, talking and laughing, calling to each other. Some were new, and they looked rather lonely and shy. Janet and Mike kept together, looking eagerly at everyone.

“They look rather nice,” said Mike to Janet. “I wonder which will be in our form.”

Both boys and girls were in grey, and looked neat and smart. One or two masters and mistresses bustled up and down, talking to parents, and warning the children to take their places. Janet and Mike got into a carriage with several other boys and girls.

“Hallo!” said one, a cheeky-looking boy of about eleven. “You’re new, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” said Mike.

“What’s your name?” said the boy, his blue eyes twinkling at Mike and Janet.

“I’m Michael Fairley, and this is my sister Janet,” said Mike. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Tom Young,” said the boy. “I should think you’ll be in my form. We have fun. Can you make darts?”

“Paper darts,” said Mike. “Of course! Everybody can!”

“Ah, but you should see my new kind,” said the boy, and he took out a note book with stiff paper leaves. But just as he was tearing out a sheet the guard blew his whistle, and the train gave a jerk.

“Good-bye, Mother!” yelled Mike and Janet. “Good-bye. We’ll write to-morrow!”

“Good-bye, my dears!” called Mother. “Enjoy yourselves and work hard.”

The train chuffed out of the station. Now that it was really gone the two children felt a bit lonely. It wasn’t going to be very nice not to see Mother and Daddy for some time. Thank goodness they had each other!

Tom looked at them. “Cheer up!” he said. “I felt like that, too, the first time. But you soon get over it. Now just see how I make my new paper darts.”

Tom was certainly very clever with his fingers. In a minute or two he had produced a marvellous pointed dart out of paper, which, when it was thrown, flew straight to its mark.

“Better than most darts, don’t you think?” said Tom proudly. “I thought that one out last term. The first time I threw one it shot straight at Miss Thomas and landed underneath her collar. I got sent out of the room for that.”

Janet and Mike looked at Tom with much respect. All the other children in the carriage laughed.

“Tom’s the worst boy in the school,” said a rosy-cheeked, fat girl. “Don’t take lessons from him—he just doesn’t care about anything.”

“Is Miss Thomas a mistress?” asked Mike. “Do we have masters and mistresses at St. Rollo’s?”

“Of course,” said Tom. “If you’re in my form you’ll have Miss Thomas for class-teacher, but a whole lot of other teachers for special subjects. I can tell you whose classes it’s safe to play about in, and whose classes it’s best to behave in.”

“Well, seeing that you don’t behave well in anybody’s classes, I shouldn’t have thought you could have told anyone the difference,” said the fat girl.

“Be quiet, Marian,” said Tom. “I’m doing the talking in this carriage!”

That was too much for the other children. They fell on Tom and began to pummel him. But he took it all good-humouredly, and pummelled back hard. Mike and Janet watched, laughing. They didn’t quite like to join in.

Everyone had sandwiches to eat. They could eat them any time after half-past twelve, but not before. Tom produced a watch after a while and looked at it.

“Good!” he said. “It’s half-past twelve.” He undid his packet of sandwiches. Marian looked astonished.

“Tom! It simply can’t be half-past twelve yet,” she said. She looked at her wrist-watch. “It’s only a quarter-to.”

“Well, your watch must be wrong then,” said Tom, and he began to eat his sandwiches. Janet looked at her watch. It certainly was only a quarter-to-twelve. She felt sure that Tom had put his watch wrong on purpose.

It made the other children feel very hungry to watch Tom eating his ham sandwiches. They began to think it would be a good idea to put their watches fast, too! But just then a master came down the corridor that ran the length of the train. Tom tried to put away his packet of sandwiches, but he was too late.

“Well, Tom,” said the master, stopping at the door and looking in. “Can’t you wait to get to school before you begin to break the rules?”

“Mr. Wills, sir, my watch says five-and-twenty-to-one?” said Tom, holding out his watch, with an innocent look on his face. “Isn’t it five-and twenty-to-one?”

“You know quite well it isn’t,” said Mr. Wills. He took the watch and twisted the hands back. “Put away your lunch and have it when your watch says half-past twelve,” he said. Tom gave a look at his watch. Then he looked up with an expression of horror.

“Sir! You’ve made my watch half an hour slow! That would mean I couldn’t start my lunch till one o’clock!”

“Well, well, fancy that!” said Mr. Wills. “I wonder which is the more annoying—to have a watch that is fast, or one that is slow, Tom? What a pity! You’ll have to eat your lunch half an hour after the others have finished!”

He went out. Tom stared after him gloomily. “I suppose he thinks that’s funny,” he said.

Tom put away his lunch, for he knew quite well that Mr. Wills might be along again at any moment.

At half-past twelve all the other children took down their lunch packets and undid them eagerly, for they were hungry. Poor Tom had to sit and watch them eat. His watch only said twelve o’clock!

At one, when all the others had finished, he opened his lunch packet again. “Now, of course,” he said, “I’m so terribly hungry that ham sandwiches, egg sandwiches, buttered scones with jam, ginger cake, an apple and some chocolate won’t nearly do for me!”

The train sped on. It was due to arrive at half-past two. When the time came near, Janet and Mike looked out of the windows eagerly. “Can we see St. Rollo’s from the train?” asked Janet.

“Yes. It’s built on a hill,” said Marian. “You’ll see it out of that window. It’s of grey stone and it has towers at each end. In the middle of the building is a big archway. Watch out for it now, you’ll soon see it.”

The children looked out, and, as Marian had said, they caught sight of their new school. It looked grand!

There it stood on the hill with big towers at each end, built of grey stone. Creeper climbed over most of the walls, and here and there a touch of red showed that when autumn came the walls would glow red with the crimson leaves.

The train slowed down at a little station. Everyone got out. Some big coaches were waiting in the little station-yard. Laughing and shouting, the children piled into them. Their luggage was to follow in a van. The masters and mistresses climbed in last of all, and the coaches set off to St. Rollo’s.

They rumbled up the hill and came to a stop before the big archway. The school looked enormous, now that the children were so close to it. All the boys and girls clambered down from the coaches and went in at a big door.

The two children followed Tom up the stairs to a large and cheerful room, into which the afternoon sun poured. A plump, smooth-cheeked woman was sitting there.

“Hallo, Matron,” said Tom, going in. “I’ve brought two new ones to see you. Are they in my dormitory? I hope they are.”

“Well, I’m sorry for them if they are!” said Matron, getting out a big exercise book and turning the pages. “What are their names?”

“Michael and Janet Fairley,” said Mike. Matron found their names and ticked them off.

“Yes—Michael is in your dormitory, Tom,” she said. “Janet is across the passage with Marian and the girls. I hope they will help you to behave better, not worse. And just remember what I told you last term—if you play any tricks on me this term I’ll spank you with my hardest slipper!”

Tom grinned. He took Mike’s arm and led him away with Janet. “You’ll soon begin to think I’m a bad lot!” he said. “Come on—I’ll show you everything.”