Читать книгу The Naughtiest Girl in the School - Enid blyton - Страница 6

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As Nora was about to lead the way down to the playroom, she glanced at the chests-of-drawers to see that they were tidy on the top. To her surprise she saw that Elizabeth had put about a dozen things on her chest!

Nora stopped and looked at them. There were two hairbrushes, a mirror, a comb, three photographs, a bottle of scent, two small vases, and a clothes-brush.

“Look here!” said Nora, to the others, “this poor child can’t count up to six!”

“Look here!” said Nora, to the others, “this poor child can’t count up to six! She’s got eleven things on her chest. Poor Elizabeth! Fancy not being able to count six.”

“I can,” said Elizabeth fiercely. “One, two, three, four, five, six.”

Everybody squealed with laughter. “She can count!” said Nora. “Well, Elizabeth, count your things, and take five away—or can’t you do taking-away? There are eleven things on your chest—take away five—and it will leave six—which is the number I told you to have.”

“I’m not going to take any away,” said Elizabeth rudely.

“Aren’t you?” said Nora, in surprise. “Well, if you won’t—I will!”

The angry Irish girl picked up a hairbrush, the three photographs, and the mirror. She went to a box under the window, took a key from her pocket and unlocked it. She put the five things inside and locked the box.

“That’s what happens when people can’t count,” she said. Elizabeth stared at her in a rage.

“Give me my things back,” she said. “I want those photographs at once! They are of Mummy and Daddy and my pony too.”

“Sorry,” said Nora, putting the key into her pocket. “You can have them back when you apologise, and tell me that you know how to count.”

“I shan’t,” said Elizabeth.

“Just as you please,” said Nora. “Now come on, everybody, and let’s take the eatables down to the playroom.”

“I don’t want to bring mine,” said Elizabeth. “I want to leave them here.”

“Well, if you do, they’ll go into that box along with the photographs,” said Nora firmly. “The rule is that all eatables go downstairs.”

Elizabeth stood sulking, looking at her cake, her jam sandwich, her chocolate, toffee, and shortbread. Then she picked up her tuck-box and followed the others. She did not want them to go into that box! She had seen enough of Nora to know that that young lady was very determined!

They clattered down the oak staircase. At one side of the hall was an open door, leading into a very large room lined with cupboards and bookcases. It was full of boys and girls.

Some were talking, some were playing games, some were putting away cakes into tins. They were all busy and happy, and called out greetings to Nora as she came into the room.

There was a gramophone going in one corner. Elizabeth stopped to listen to it, for she loved music. It was playing a tune that her mother played at home, and suddenly the little girl felt as if she wanted her mother badly.

“But, never mind!” she thought to herself. “I shan’t be here long! I don’t expect they’ll keep me more than a week if I go on being awfully naughty.”

“Here are some empty tins,” said Nora, handing some down from a shelf. “Catch, Helen. Catch, Elizabeth. Here’s a big one for you, Belinda, to take in that enormous cake!”

Soon they were all putting away their things. Nora took slips of paper from a pile and wrote their names on. “Stick your name on your tin,” she said, licking hers and sticking it to the side of her tin.

“I’d like to see the classrooms,” said Belinda. Ruth said she would show her round the whole school, and off she went with Belinda and Helen. Elizabeth followed a little way behind, curious to see what a school was like, for she had never seen inside one before.

The dining-hall she had already seen—a great high room, with big windows. Tables ran down the middle of it. It was only used for meals.

Then there were the classrooms, big, sunny rooms all over the place, with neat desks and chairs, and a bigger desk for the teacher. There were blackboards everywhere, just like the one that Miss Scott had used for Elizabeth.

“This is our classroom,” said Ruth to the new girls. “I expect we’ll all be in Miss Ranger’s class. She’s pretty strict, I can tell you! Nora’s in a higher class, of course. She’s older. She’s a jolly good sort, don’t you think so?”

“Yes,” agreed Helen and Belinda at once. But Elizabeth thought differently. She pursed up her mouth and said nothing.

“This is the gym,” said Ruth, and the three new girls looked in wonder at the great room, with its ropes and climbing-ladders, and bars and poles. Elizabeth suddenly felt excited. She loved climbing and swinging and jumping. She hoped she could do some gym before she left.

There were many other bedrooms like her own, and then there was the part of the house put aside for Miss Belle and Miss Best and the other teachers.

“You’ll each have to go and see the heads after tea,” said Ruth. “They’re good sorts.”

By the time the four girls had gone over the lovely grounds and had seen the cricket-fields, the tennis-courts, and the flower-filled gardens, it was time for tea. A bell rang loudly, and the girls looked cheerful.

“Good! Tea!” said Ruth. “Come on. Wash first, all of you, and do your hairs. Yours looks awful, Elizabeth.”

Elizabeth did not like her dark curls being called “awful.” She went up to her bedroom and did her hair neatly, and washed her hands. She was very hungry, and thought with pleasure of her currant cake and jam sandwich.

“I’ve got the most gorgeous chocolate cake you ever saw!” said Belinda to the others. “It just melts in your mouth! You must all have a piece.”

“And I’ve got some home-made shrimp-paste that’s too delicious for words,” said Ruth. “You wait till you taste it.”

Chocolate cake and home-made shrimp-paste seemed even more delicious to Elizabeth than currant cake and jam sandwich, which suddenly seemed rather ordinary. She ran downstairs wondering if she would have two pieces of Belinda’s gorgeous chocolate cake.

Tea was laid in the dining-room. The long tables were spread with white cloths, and plates with big slices of brown bread and butter were set all the way down. There were also some large plain cakes here and there, and some big pots of plum jam.

The children put their tuck-boxes on a bare table, and placed on some empty plates there the cake or sandwich, jam or paste they meant to share at tea. These plates they took to their own table.

Once again they were allowed to sit where they liked. Elizabeth put out her sandwich and her currant cake and took her place too. Grace was said and then the boys and girls began to chatter quietly.

Suddenly Nora banged on the table. She was at the head of it. Everyone at her table stopped speaking.

“Elizabeth Allen does not wish to share her things with anyone,” said Nora.

“I nearly forgot to say something,” said Nora. “Elizabeth Allen does not wish to share her things with anyone, so don’t ask her for a piece of her cake, will you? She wants it all herself.”

“All right!” said the other children, and they stared at Elizabeth in surprise. Elizabeth went on eating her bread and butter. Next to her was Ruth, opening a large pot of shrimp-paste that smelt simply delicious. She passed it round the table—but did not offer Elizabeth any.

Nobody offered her anything at all. Belinda counted how many there were at the table—eleven—and then cut her cake into ten big pieces. Ten was enough, because she missed Elizabeth out! Elizabeth watched the others munching the chocolate cake, which looked and smelt marvellous and longed for a piece.

She cut her currant cake. It looked quite nice. She suddenly felt that she really couldn’t eat it all by herself, she must offer it to the others too. She didn’t mind being thought naughty, but being thought mean was different.

“Will you have a piece of my cake?” she asked Ruth.

Ruth stared at her in surprise. “How you do change your mind!” she said. “No thanks. I’ve had enough.”

Elizabeth offered her cake to Belinda. Belinda shook her head. “No, thank you,” she said. Elizabeth held out her plate to Helen, but Helen simply made a face at her and turned away.

Nobody would have any of Elizabeth’s cake or of her sandwich either. Everyone else had either cut up half or all their cakes, and had finished up their pots of jam or paste. Only Elizabeth’s cake and sandwich stood almost untouched on their plates.

A bell rang. Miss Thomas stood up and spoke to the girls and boys. “You may go out to play,” she said, “but the new children must stay behind in the playroom, and see the headmistresses.”

So Helen, Elizabeth, and Belinda went to the playroom, and also two boys named Kenneth and Ronald. They set the gramophone going. Belinda did a funny dance and made them all laugh.

Then someone poked her head in at the door and called to the children.

“Miss Belle and Miss Best are waiting to see you. Go and line up outside the drawing-room door—and mind you each say you’re going to do your best for Whyteleafe School, and will work and play hard!”

The girl disappeared. The new children went to line up outside the drawing-room door. It opened and Miss Best appeared. “Come in,” she said to Belinda, and in Belinda went. The door shut.

“Well, I’m not going to say I shall work hard and play hard,” said Elizabeth to herself. “I’m going just to warn them that I won’t stay here and I’ll be so bad they’ll have to send me away. I won’t stay at this horrid school!”

The door opened and Belinda came out, smiling. “You’re to go in next, Elizabeth,” she said. “And for goodness’ sake behave yourself!”