Читать книгу The Naughtiest Girl Again - Enid blyton - Страница 6

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The time for the weekly Meeting came. Elizabeth sat down on the form next to Belinda and Joan, longing for the moment to come when she could make a complaint about Robert. Robert sat not far away, his sullen face unsmiling, but there was a gleam in his eye when he turned to look at Elizabeth.

‘I shouldn’t be surprised if Robert doesn’t make a complaint about you too, Elizabeth,’ whispered Joan. ‘He looks as if he’s got something up his sleeve.’

‘I don’t care,’ said Elizabeth. ‘Wait till the Meeting hear what I’ve got to say!’

William and Rita came in, with the mistresses and Mr. Johns. The children stood up. The Head Girl and Boy sat down, and the Meeting began.

Money was collected, though there was not very much that week. Kenneth had had a birthday and had five shillings to put into the box. Janet had a shilling. Everyone was given their two shillings, and Mary got her fourpence ha’penny extra for her weekly stamp.

‘Have you found the lost library book yet?’ asked William, looking at Kenneth. ‘We said you could have back your sixpence fine if you did.’

‘No, I haven’t found it,’ said Kenneth. ‘I’ve hunted everywhere.’

‘Anybody want any extra money?’ asked Rita, jingling the box to see how much there was in it.

‘I suppose I couldn’t have any extra?’ asked Ruth, standing up. ‘I lost all my two shillings last week. It was a dreadful blow because I badly wanted some stamps.’

‘How did you lose it?’ asked Rita.

‘There was a hole in my pocket,’ said Ruth. ‘It fell out through that, goodness knows where.’

‘Did you know there was a hole in your pocket?’ asked Rita.

Ruth hesitated. ‘Well,’ she said, ‘I did know there was one coming, as a matter of fact. It was just a tiny little hole. I didn’t know it had got big enough to lose money.’

‘Who’s your monitor?’ asked William. ‘Oh, you are, Nora. Do you think it was Ruth’s fault?’

‘Well,’ said Nora, ‘quite truthfully, Ruth isn’t awfully good at mending her clothes when she ought to. She lost a lovely pocket-knife last term, through a hole in a pocket—didn’t you, Ruth?’

‘Yes,’ said Ruth, looking rather uncomfortable. ‘Yes, I did. I know I should have mended that hole. I’m untidy and careless about things like that. I jolly well won’t get a hole again, though. I think I shouldn’t have asked for extra money, as it was my own fault.’

She sat down. The Jury began to talk to one another. A girl sitting on one of the forms stood up. It was Eileen, a kindly girl with a mass of fair curls.

‘May I say something?’ she asked. ‘I think that as Ruth has owned up that it was her own fault, and as she really is very generous with her money when she has it, couldn’t she have an extra two shillings, just for once?’

‘We are just discussing that,’ said Rita. ‘This is what we are going to do. We will let you have a shilling, Ruth, not two shillings, because we all believe you aren’t quite so silly as to let a thing like this happen a third time, and you have been very honest about it. Come and take an extra shilling.’

‘Oh, thank you,’ said Ruth, going to the table. ‘I had to borrow some stamps from Belinda, and now I can pay her back without using this week’s two shillings. I’ll be more careful in future, Rita!’

‘Any more money wanted?’ asked William, knocking on the table with his hammer, for the children had begun to talk to one another. Everyone was quiet.

‘It’s my Granny’s birthday this week,’ said a small girl, getting up. ‘I want to send her a card. Could I have extra money to buy it with, and for the stamp, too?’

‘No,’ said William. ‘That should come out of your two shillings. Not granted. Any more requests?’

There were none. Elizabeth knew that the time for complaints or grumbles would come next, and she went red with excitement. William said a few words to Rita about something and then knocked for silence again.

‘Any complaints or grumbles?’ he asked. Elizabeth stood—and so did Robert—but Robert was just half a second before her.

‘You first, Robert,’ said William. ‘Sit down and take your turn next, Elizabeth.’

Elizabeth didn’t sit down. She didn’t mean to let Robert speak first.

‘Oh, please, William!’ she said. ‘I have such a serious complaint to make.’

‘Well, it will keep,’ said William. ‘Sit down.’

‘But, William, it’s about Robert,’ began Elizabeth again, her voice rising.

‘Elizabeth, do as you’re told,’ ordered Rita. ‘You will have plenty of time to say all you want to.’

There was nothing for it but to sit down. Elizabeth was very angry. She glared at Robert, who didn’t look at her at all, but stood patiently waiting to speak.

‘Well, Robert, what have you to say?’ asked William.

‘I hope this isn’t telling tales,’ began Robert ‘but I really must complain about Elizabeth Allen’s behaviour to me.’

‘I hope this isn’t telling tales,’ began Robert in a rather apologetic voice, ‘but I really must complain about Elizabeth Allen’s behaviour to me. I have always tried to be fair to her ...’

‘Oooooh!’ cried Elizabeth indignantly. ‘You know you haven’t! You’ve ...’

‘Silence, Elizabeth!’ ordered William sharply. ‘You can say all you want to say in a minute. Don’t interrupt. Go on, Robert.’

Elizabeth was boiling with rage. Joan put her hand on her friend’s arm to try and calm her, but Elizabeth shook it off. Just wait till she had her turn to speak!

‘I’ve always tried to be fair to her,’ went on Robert in a very polite voice. ‘But really, I can’t let her pull my hair out and slap me in the face.’

There was an astonished silence. Everyone looked at Elizabeth. Robert went on, pleased at the surprise he had caused.

‘I’ve got some of the hair she pulled out in this envelope to show you, William, in case you don’t believe me. And there are two or three children who will tell you it really happened. Of course, as she’s a girl, I couldn’t hit her back. I know she was supposed to be the naughtiest girl in the school last term, and ...’

‘You can leave that out, Robert. It has nothing to do with this,’ said William at once. ‘We have always found Elizabeth to be just and fair and kind so far, no matter how naughty she once was. Will you please tell us why Elizabeth did these extraordinary things?’

‘She didn’t want me to swing somebody,’ said Robert. ‘She’s always interfering with me, whatever I do. She laughs if I make a mistake in class. Well, never mind about that. I was just swinging Peter, and he was squealing with excitement, and she came and pulled out my hair, slapped me, and punched me.’

‘Thank you,’ said William. ‘Sit down. Elizabeth, perhaps you would like to tell us if these complaints are true. Did you pull out Robert’s hair and slap him?’

Elizabeth stood up, her cheeks as red as fire and her eyes flashing. ‘Yes, I did!’ she said. ‘And he deserved it! I wish I’d pulled out more of his hair. I wish ...’

‘That’s enough, Elizabeth,’ said Rita, at once. ‘If you can’t control yourself enough to tell us properly what happened, there’s no use in your saying anything.’

Elizabeth knew she was being silly. She tried her hardest to be sensible. ‘Please, Rita, I’ll tell my story properly,’ she said. ‘Then you’ll see why I got so angry, and perhaps you’ll say I was right to lose my temper with Robert. I was going to see my rabbits, when I heard somebody squealing out. It was Peter on the swing, and he was shouting to Robert not to swing him so high, because he was frightened.’

‘Go on,’ said William gravely.

‘Well, I rushed to stop the swing, and Robert sent me right over,’ said Elizabeth, feeling her temper rise again as she told what had happened. ‘I got up and flew at Robert to stop him swinging Peter again, because he was quite green and I thought he would fall off. And oh, William and Rita, that’s not the only time that Robert has bullied the younger ones. He’s a real bully, unkind and mean.’

There was a silence again. Everyone in the school knew quite well that a very serious thing had happened. Which of the two children was right? Bullying was hateful. Bad temper and fighting were wrong.

Joan was very upset. She knew quite well that Elizabeth had made up her mind to be good and do as well as she could this term, and now here was the hot-tempered girl flying into trouble almost at once! It was just no good trying to stop her. If Elizabeth saw something unfair she would rush at it in a temper and try to put it right that way. Joan couldn’t see how this matter could be put right.

William and Rita spoke together in low voices. The Jury discussed the matter, too. Robert sat on his form, not even red in the face. He did not look at Elizabeth.

William knocked for silence. ‘We would like to ask the boys and girls who saw the affair to report on it,’ he said. ‘Who saw it?’

Three children stood up. They said shortly that they had seen the hairs that Elizabeth had pulled out and had seen how red Robert’s face was where it had been slapped.

‘Did Robert hit back at all?’ asked Rita.

‘Not that we saw,’ said Kenneth, and sat down, feeling sorry for Elizabeth.

‘And now we will ask Peter to tell us what happened,’ said William in a kindly tone. ‘Stand up, Peter, and answer my questions.’

The small nine-year-old Peter stood up. His knees shook beneath him, and he felt dreadful to have the eyes of the whole School on him.

‘Was Robert swinging you high?’ asked William.

Peter looked across at Robert. Robert gave him a queer look. Peter spoke in a trembling voice. ‘Yes—he was swinging me quite high.’

‘Were you frightened?’ asked William.

‘N-n-n-no,’ said Peter.

‘Did you squeal for help?’ asked Rita.

‘No,’ said Peter, with a look at Robert. ‘I was just—just squealing for fun, you know.’

‘Thank you,’ said William. ‘Sit down.’

Elizabeth leapt up. ‘Robert must have made Peter promise to say all that!’ she cried. ‘Ask if there are any other young ones who would like to complain about Robert, Rita.’

Rita looked round to where the younger children sat. ‘Is there anyone who has a complaint to make about Robert?’ she asked. ‘If he has been unkind to you, or ill-treated you in any way, speak now.’

Elizabeth waited for half a dozen children to stand up and speak. But there was a complete silence! Nobody spoke, nobody complained. What a very strange thing! Now what was going to happen?