Читать книгу Summer Term at St. Clare's - Enid blyton - Страница 4

Table of Contents

‘Four weeks’ holiday!’ said Pat O’Sullivan, as she sat up in bed the first morning of the Easter holidays. ‘How lovely! Hope it’s good weather!’

Her twin yawned and turned over. ‘How nice not to have to get up as soon as the school-bell goes,’ she said, sleepily. ‘I’m going to have another snooze.’

‘Well, I’m not,’ said Pat, hopping out of bed. ‘Oh, Isabel—it’s a simply perfect day! Do get up and let’s go round the garden.’

But Isabel was asleep again. Pat dressed and ran downstairs. She felt happy and excited. The first day of the holidays was always grand. Everything at home looked so new and exciting and welcoming. Even the staid brown hens in the yard seemed to cluck a welcome!

‘School is lovely—but holidays are grand too,’ thought Pat. ‘Oh, there’s the first daffodil coming out—and look at those scyllas—exactly the colour of the April sky!’

Both the twins enjoyed the first day of the holidays in their own way. Isabel lazed round, peaceful and happy. Pat rushed here, there and everywhere, seeing everybody and everything. Their mother laughed to see the different ways in which they enjoyed themselves.

‘You’re as like as two peas to look at,’ she said, ‘but you often act in quite the opposite way. I hope this lovely weather goes on—you’ll be quite nice and brown! Well—make the most of it, my dears, because your four weeks will soon go!’

‘Oh, Mother—four weeks is a lovely long time—simply ages!’ said Pat.

But although it seemed ages at first, it began to slip by very quickly after the first few days! The twins were astonished to find that a week had gone by—and then ten days—and then a fortnight!

‘Cousin Alison is coming to spend the last two weeks with us, isn’t she, Mother?’ said Pat. ‘When is she coming? This week?’

‘On Thursday,’ said Mrs. O’Sullivan. ‘By the way, her mother said to me on the telephone yesterday that she is much better for being a term at St. Clare’s—not nearly so vain and silly.’

‘That’s quite right,’ said Isabel, thinking of the teasing and scolding her feather-headed cousin had had at St. Clare’s the last term. ‘She learnt quite a lot of lessons—well, so did we the first term too. I’m glad you sent us there, Mother. It’s a fine school. I’m already beginning to look forward to going back. Summer term ought to be grand!’

‘Two more weeks,’ said Pat. ‘I say—won’t it be fun to play tennis again? I wonder if we’ll play any matches? Isabel and I were tennis captains at Redroofs, our old school. But I expect St. Clare’s tennis is a pretty high standard.’

‘Let’s mark out the court and play a few games,’ said Isabel, eagerly. But Mrs. O’Sullivan shook her head.

‘Not in April,’ she said. ‘You would spoil the lawn. Ring up Katie Johnston and see if you can fix up a four on her hard court.’

It was all because of poor Isabel’s eagerness to have a few practice games at tennis that the rest of the holidays were spoilt! They went over to Katie Johnston’s, and played a tennis four there, with another girl, Winnie Ellis. Winnie played a very poor game, and quite spoilt it for the others.

Katie apologized for Winnie when she had the twins alone for a minute. ‘Can’t think what has happened to her today,’ she said. ‘She usually plays such a good game. She’s sending everything into the net. She says her head aches, so maybe she isn’t very well.’

Poor Winnie was certainly not well. She went down with mumps that evening, and her mother rang up Katie’s parents at once.

‘I’m so very sorry,’ she said, ‘but Winnie has mumps! I hope Katie has had it. Otherwise she will be in quarantine, I’m afraid.’

‘Yes, Katie’s had it, thank goodness,’ said Mrs. Johnston. ‘But I don’t know about the other two girls who were here playing tennis today—the O’Sullivan twins. I must ring up their mother and tell them.’

The telephone rang that evening as the twins were having supper with their parents. Mrs. O’Sullivan went to answer it. She soon came back, looking a little worried.

‘What’s the matter?’ asked Mr. O’Sullivan.

‘That was Mrs. Johnston,’ said the twins’ mother. ‘Pat and Isabel went over to Katie’s to play tennis today—and the fourth girl was Winnie Ellis. She has just developed mumps this evening—and the twins haven’t had it!’

‘Well, Mother, we didn’t breathe her breath or anything,’ said Pat. ‘We shall be all right.’

‘I hope you will, dear,’ said her mother. ‘But the thing is—you’ll both be in quarantine now—and the quarantine for mumps is rather long. You won’t be able to go back to school at the beginning of the term, I’m afraid.’

The twins stared at her in dismay. ‘Oh, Mother! Don’t let’s miss the beginning of term! It’s one of the nicest parts. Can’t we possibly go back in time?’

‘Well, you certainly can’t, of course, if you get the mumps,’ said Mother. ‘I’ll see the doctor and find out exactly how long you will have to be away.’

Alas for the twins! The doctor said firmly that they could not go back to school for just over a week after the beginning of term. Pat and Isabel could have cried with disappointment.

‘Well, well—anyone would think you liked school, the way you are looking,’ said their father, laughing at their gloomy faces. ‘I should have thought you would have been pleased at the chance of an extra week’s holiday.’

‘Not when everyone else is back at school bagging the best desks and hearing all the holiday news and seeing if there are any new girls,’ said Pat. ‘The first week is lovely, settling in together. Oh, blow Winnie Ellis! What did she want to go and have mumps for, and spoil things for us?’

‘Well, these things do happen,’ said Mother. ‘Never mind. Try to enjoy your extra week. Keep out in the open air as much as you can, and let’s hope you don’t develop the mumps, either of you!’

During their quarantine time the twins could not go out to tea, and could have no one in to play with them, so they felt rather dull. They were glad to have each other, especially when the day came for all the girls to return to St. Clare’s for the summer term.

‘I wonder if they’ll miss us?’ said Pat.

‘Of course they will,’ said Isabel. ‘Our Cousin Alison will tell them what’s happened to us. Lucky for Alison she didn’t come and stay with us before we were in quarantine, or she’d have been caught like this too! Oh blow, blow, blow! What’s the time? They’ll all be catching the train now, and gabbling like anything in the carriages.’

‘Wonder if there are any new girls?’ said Pat. ‘Or any new teachers? Oh dear—do you remember the tricks that Janet played on poor old Mam’zelle last term? I nearly died of laughter!’

‘We shan’t be able to share the tuck-boxes,’ said Isabel, gloomily. ‘All the cakes and things will be eaten before we get back. Oh, how I wish we were back today. Old Janet will be there—and Hilary—and Doris—and Kathleen—and Lucy and Margery—though they may have gone up into the second or third form, I suppose—and Sheila will be back, and Tessie.’

‘Let’s not think about it,’ said Pat. ‘Do you feel as if you are getting the mumps, Isabel? Have you got a headache or a pain in the jaw or neck or anything?’

‘Not a thing,’ said Isabel. ‘I say, wouldn’t it be perfectly awful if we got mumps on the very last day of our quarantine and couldn’t go back even then!’

‘Anyone would think you disliked your home thoroughly!’ said Mrs. O’Sullivan, coming into the room. ‘Well, it’s nice to think you look forward to school so much. But do be sensible girls and make the most of this last week. I don’t think you will get the mumps, so just be happy and look forward to going back next week.’

They tried to take their mother’s advice. It was lovely weather, and they were out in the garden all day long, helping the gardener, or lazing in the hammock. But the time went very slowly, and each night the twins looked anxiously at each other to see if they had any sign of the mumps.

At last the final day of their quarantine came and in the evening the doctor arrived to make quite sure they could go back to school. He smiled cheerfully at them as he examined them, and then made their hearts sink with his next words.

‘Well, my dears—I’m afraid—I’m very much afraid—that you’ll have to go back to school tomorrow!’

The twins had looked full of dismay at his first words—but as he finished the sentence they beamed, and yelled with delight.

‘Hurrah! We can go to school tomorrow. Hurrah! Mother, can we go and pack?’

‘It’s all done,’ said Mrs. O’Sullivan, smiling. ‘I thought you were quite all right—so I packed today for you. Yes—even your tuck-boxes!’

So the next day up to London went the twins with their mother, and were put into the train for St. Clare’s. They were happy and excited. They would soon see all their friends again, and be lost in the excitements of school-life. They would sit in class under Mam’zelle’s stern eye, they would giggle at Janet’s tricks, and they would hear all the latest news. What fun!

The train sped away from the platform. It seemed to take ages to get to the station that served St. Clare’s. At last it drew up, and out got the two girls, shouting to the porter to get their luggage. Usually the mistresses saw to the luggage and looked after everything, tickets included—but as they were by themselves, the twins had to do all this. They quite enjoyed it.

They got a taxi, had their luggage put in, and set off to the big white building in the distance, whose tall twin towers overlooked the beautiful valley.

‘Good old St. Clare’s,’ said Pat, as she saw the building coming nearer and nearer. ‘It’s nice to see you again. I wonder what all the girls are doing, Isabel?’

They were at tea when the twins arrived. It was strange to arrive alone, and to have the great front door opened to them by Jane the parlour-maid, looking very smart indeed.

‘Hallo, Jane!’ cried the twins. ‘Where’s every one?’

‘Having tea, miss,’ answered Jane. ‘You’d better go along in before everything’s eaten up!’

The twins ran to the big dining-hall and opened the door. A great babel of sound came to their ears—the girls all talking together happily. No one saw them at first. Then Janet happened to glance up and saw the twins standing at the door, still in their coats and hats.

‘Pat! Isabel!’ she yelled. ‘Look, Hilary, look Kathleen, they’re back! Hurrah!’

‘Pat! Isabel!’ yelled Janet. ‘They’re back! Hurrah!’

She jumped up and rushed to greet them. With a look at the astonished Miss Roberts, the mistress who was at the head of the first-form table, Kathleen and Hilary did the same. They dragged the twins to their table, and made room for them. Miss Roberts nodded at them and smiled.

‘Glad you’re back!’ she said. ‘You can take off your hats and coats and hang them over your chairs for now. I don’t know if these greedy first-formers have left much for you to eat, but I’ve no doubt we can get more from the kitchen if not!’

How good it was to be back among the girls once more! What fun to have questions hurled at them, and to call back answers! How friendly every one was, clapping them on the back, and smiling with welcoming eyes! The twins felt very happy indeed.

‘How are the mumps?’

‘So you’ve turned up at last!’

‘Your Cousin Alison told us the news. Bad luck you couldn’t come back the first day!’

‘Mam’zelle has missed you terribly—haven’t you, Mam’zelle?’

‘Ah, ma chère Pat, the French class is no longer the same without you and Isabel. There is now no one to shout at and say “C’est abominable!” ’ said Mam’zelle, in her deep voice.

‘It’s good to be back!’ said Isabel, helping herself to bread and butter and jam. ‘I say—we’ve got our tuck-boxes with us. We must open them tomorrow.’

‘We’ve finished all that was in ours,’ said Hilary. ‘Never mind—two or three of us have birthdays this term and you can have a double share of birthday cake to make up for missing our tuck-boxes!’

Only four or five girls around the big table said nothing. They were all new girls, and they did not know the twins. They stared at them in silence, thinking that the two must be very popular to get such a welcome. Pat and Isabel took a quick look at the strange girls, but had no time to size them up for they were so busy exchanging news and eating.

‘Plenty of time to know the new girls afterwards,’ thought Pat. ‘My, it’s good to be back at St. Clare’s again!’