Читать книгу The Naughtiest Girl is a Monitor - Enid blyton - Страница 6

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Arabella and the other new children waited with much interest for the first Meeting. At none of their other schools had they had a kind of school Parliament, run by the children themselves. They wondered what it would be like.

“It sounds a good idea,” said Martin.

“I think so too,” said Rosemary, in her timid little voice. She always agreed with everyone, no matter what they said.

“Stupid idea, I think,” said Arabella. She made a point of running down everything at Whyteleafe if she could, because she had so badly wanted to go to the grand school her friends had gone to—and she looked down on Whyteleafe, with its sensible ideas.

“Shan’t bother myself about the school meeting,” said Julian.

Julian unexpectedly agreed with her, though he usually had no time for Arabella, with her silly airs and graces. “I can’t say I shall bother much about the School Meeting,” he said. “I don’t care what it say or does. It will never make any difference to me. As long as I can do what I like I am quite willing to let others do what they like too.”

“Oh, Julian—you say that, but you don’t mean it,” said Kathleen. “You’d hate it if someone broke one of the things you are always making, you know! Or told tales about you, or something like that. You’d go up in smoke!”

Julian did not like being argued with. He tossed his long black hair back, and screwed up his nose in the way he always did when he was annoyed. He was making a tiny boat out of an odd bit of wood. It was like magic to see it form under his hand.

“Anyone can tell tales of me as much as they like!” said Julian. “I don’t care. I don’t care about anything so long as I can do what I like.”

“You’re a funny boy, I think,” said Jenny. “You are either terribly stupid in class, or—just sometimes—terribly bright.”

“Why? What did he do that was so bright?” asked Joan, who was listening. She was in the next form, and so did not see Julian in class.

“We were having mental arithmetic,” said Jenny. “And usually Julian gets every single thing wrong in maths. Well, for some reason or other—just because he wanted to show off, I think—he answered every single question right, straight off, almost before Miss Ranger had got them out of her mouth!”

“Yes—and Miss Ranger was so astonished,” said Belinda. “She went on asking him harder and harder ones—things we would have to think about and work out in our heads for a minute or two—but Julian just answered them pat. It was funny.”

“It made Miss Ranger awfully cross with him next time, though,” said Kathleen, “because at the next maths lesson, he seemed to go to sleep and wouldn’t answer a thing.”

Julian grinned. He really was an extraordinary boy. The others couldn’t help liking him. He was so exciting. They all begged and begged him to make some of his amazing noises in Miss Ranger’s class, but he wouldn’t.

“She’s watching out for them, I know she is,” he said. “It’s no fun doing them if people know it’s me. It’s really fun when people honestly think there’s a kitten in the room—or something like that—like Mam’zelle did the other day. You wait. I’ll give you some fun one day soon—but I’d like to choose the person myself to try my tricks on.”

Elizabeth was longing for the first School Meeting. She wanted to go and sit up on the platform with the other monitors, in front of the whole school. She was not vain about being made a monitor, but she was rightly proud of it.

“It really is an honour,” she said to herself. “It does mean that the school trusts me and thinks I’m worth while. Oh, I do hope this term will go well, without any upsets or troubles.”

The children filed into the big hall for the first Meeting. Then in came the twelve monitors, serious-faced. They took their places, and sat, like a thoughtful jury, in front of all the children. Arabella gazed at Elizabeth with dislike. Fancy that tomboy, with her bad manners, being made a monitor!

Then in came William and Rita, the head-boy and girl, the judges of the whole Meeting. All the children rose to their feet as they came in.

At the back sat Miss Belle and Miss Best, the two headmistresses, with Mr. Johns, one of the masters. They were always interested in the Meetings, but unless the head boy and girl asked them to, they did not enter into it in any way. This was the children’s own Parliament, where they made their own laws, their own rules, and where they themselves rewarded or punished any child who deserved it.

There was very little to talk about at that first Meeting. Every child was told to put what money it had into the big school money-box. Elizabeth looked with interest at Arabella, when she was sent round with the box. Would Arabella do as she had said and refuse to put in her money?

Arabella sat looking as if butter would not melt in her mouth. When the box came to her, she put in a ten-shilling note and two separate shillings. She did not look at Elizabeth.

Most of the children had quite a lot of money to put into the box at the beginning of term. Parents, uncles, and aunts had given them shillings, half-crowns, and even notes to go back to school with, and the box felt nice and heavy when Elizabeth took it back to William and Rita.

“Thank you,” said William. The children were all talking together, and William knocked on the table with his little hammer. At once there was silence—except for a curious bubbling noise, like a saucepan boiling over.

It seemed to come from somewhere near Jenny, Julian and Kathleen. William looked rather astonished. He knocked again with his hammer—but still the noise went on, a little louder, if anything.

Elizabeth knew at once that it was one of Julian’s extraordinary noises. She looked at him. He sat on the form, his green eyes looking over the heads of the others, his mouth and throat perfectly still. How could he do noises like that? Elizabeth felt a tremendous giggle coming and she swallowed it down quickly.

“I mustn’t giggle when I’m sitting up here as monitor,” she thought. “Oh dear, I wish Julian would stop. It’s just like a saucepan boiling over, but louder.”

By this time one or two children were giggling, and William knocked sharply with his hammer again. Elizabeth wondered if she ought to say that it was Julian who was making the noise and holding up the Meeting.

“But I can’t. He’s my friend. And I’m not going to get him into trouble, even if I am a monitor,” she thought. She tried to make Julian look at her, and he suddenly did. She glared at him, then frowned.

Julian made one last loud bubbling noise, and then stopped. William had no idea at all who had made the noise. He gazed round the Meeting.

“It is not funny to hold up the school meeting,” said William.

“It may be funny to hold up the School Meeting once,” he said. “But it would not be funny a second time. We will now get on with the money-sharing.”

Each child came up to take two shillings from the monitors, out of the school box. William had brought plenty of change with him, which he put into the box, taking out the notes instead.

When each child had its two shillings for spending William spoke again.

“The new children probably know that out of this two shillings they must buy their own stamps, sweets, hair-ribbons, papers, and so on that they want. If any extra money is needed, it can be asked for. Does anyone want any extra this week?”

John Terry stood up. He was in charge of the school garden, and was a very hard and very good worker. He, with those other children who helped him, managed to supply the school with fine vegetables and flowers. Everyone was proud of John.

“William, we could do with a new small barrow,” he said. “You see, there are one or two of the younger children who are helping in the garden this term, and the old barrow is really too heavy for them.”

“Well, how much would a smaller one cost?” asked William. “We’ve got plenty of money in the box at the moment, but we don’t want to spend too much money.”

John Terry had a price-list with him. He read out the prices of various barrows.

“They seem very expensive,” said William. “I almost think we had better wait a bit to see if the younger children are going to go on being keen, John. You know what sometimes happens—they start so well, and then get tired of it. It would be a waste of a barrow if we bought it and then no one used it.”

John looked disappointed, “Well,” he said, “it’s just as you like, William. But I do think the youngsters are keen. Peter is, anyway. He worked hard last term, and I really couldn’t do without him in the garden now. He’s got his two friends with him now, helping us.”

Small Peter glowed red with pleasure at hearing John say this. His two small friends at once made up their minds that they would work hard in the garden too, and make John as proud of them as he seemed to be of Peter.

“Has anyone anything to say about a new barrow?” asked Rita. Nobody spoke—until Julian suddenly opened his mouth and spoke in his deep voice.

“Yes. Let the youngsters have their barrow—but I’ll make it for them. I can easily do that.”

Julian had not stood up to speak. He lolled on the form in his usual lazy fashion.

“Stand up when you speak,” said Rita. Julian looked as if he was not going to. But at last he did, and then repeated his offer.

“I’ll make a barrow, a small one. If I can go into the sheds, I can easily find everything I want. You don’t need to spend any money then.”

Everyone was interested. Elizabeth spoke up eagerly.

“Let Julian do it, William! He’s awfully clever at making things. He can make anything!”

“Very well. Thank you for your offer, Julian,” said William. “Get on with the job as soon as you can. Now—any other business to discuss?”

There was not. William closed the Meeting and the children filed out.

“Good, Julian!” said Elizabeth, slipping her arm through his. “I bet you’ll make the finest barrow in the world!”