Upper Fourth at Malory Towers (2 page)

“Thank goodness we haven't got Gwendoline in our carriage,” said Alicia. “We are at least spared the history of all her uninteresting family, and what happened to them last hols. Even her dogs are uninteresting!”

Everyone laughed. The guard blew his whistle. Doors slammed, and the train moved off slowly. Parents and girls waved madly. Darrell sank back into her seat.

“Off to Malory Towers again!” she said, joyfully. “Good old Malory Towers!”

The journey was a very long one, but the train arrived at the station for Malory Towers at last. Out poured the girls, complete with night-cases and rackets, and rushed to find good seats in the school coaches that took the train-girls on the last part of their journey.

Felicity was tired and excited. Darrell didn't seem in the least tired, but she was certainly excited. “Now we shall see the school, and all the rest of the girls,” she said to Felicity, happily. “Watch for the first glimpse of it when I tell you.”

And so Felicity had the same first glimpse that Darrell had had four years back. She saw a large castle-like building of grey stone rising high on a hill. Beyond was the deep blue Cornish sea, but that was now hidden by the cliff on which Malory Towers stood. Four towers stood at the corners of the building, and Felicity's eyes brightened as she thought of sleeping in one of the towers. She would be in North Tower with Darrell—and it had the best view of the sea! She was very lucky.

“It's lovely,” said Felicity to Darrell, and Darrell was pleased. It was going to be nice to have her sister at school with her. She felt sure that Felicity would be a great success.

Girls who had already arrived by car stood about the drive ready to welcome the train-girls. There were shrieks and squeals of delight as the coaches drove up to the magnificent front entrance, and swarms of girls ran to help down their friends.

“Hallo, Belinda!” shouted Irene, climbing down and leaving behind her night-case. “Done any decent sketching?”

“Darrell!” called a shy-looking fifteen-year-old. “Sally! Alicia!”

“Hallo, Mary-Lou! Anyone put a spider down your neck these hols?” cried Alicia. “Seen Betty?”

Betty was Alicia's friend, as witty as she was, and as mischievous. She came up and banged Alicia on the back.

“Here I am! You're jolly late—the train must have been even later than usual.”

“There's Mavis,” cried Sally. “And Daphne—and I say, hallo there, Jean. Seen Bill anywhere?”

“Yes. She came on Thunder as usual and she's in the stable with him,” said Jean, the quiet, shrewd Scots girl, who was now no longer in the same form as Darrell, but was going up. “She came with the groom, because all her brothers went back to school before we did this term. A very tame arrival!”

Felicity stood unheeded in the general rush and excitement. She hoped that Darrell would entirely forget her. Alicia had completely forgotten about her cousin June. That youngster now came up to Felicity and grinned. “Our elders are making a fine noise, aren't they?” she said. “We're small fry to them. Let's slip off by ourselves, shall we, and make them look for us when they deign to remember we're here?”

“Oh, no,” said Felicity, but June pulled her arm and dragged her away. “Yes, come on. I know we're supposed to go to Matron and give in our health certificate and our term's pocket money. We'll go and find her on our own.”

“But Darrell won't like...” began Felicity, as she was led firmly away by June.

So it was that when Darrell looked round for her young sister, she was nowhere to be seen!

“Where's Felicity?” she said. “Blow! What's happened to her? I know how awful you feel when you're new, and I wanted to take her under my wing for a bit. Where in the world has she gone?”

“Don't worry,” said Alicia, unfeelingly. “I'm not bothering about young June. She can look after herself all right, if I know anything about that young lady. She's got all the cheek in the world!”

“Well, but Felicity hasn't,” said Darrell. “Dash it, where has she gone? She was here a minute ago.”

“Anyone seen my night-case?” came Irene's voice in a mournful wail.

Nobody had. “You must have left it in your coach seat,” suggested Darrell, knowing Irene's scatterbrain ways. Irene darted off after the coaches, which were now making their way slowly down the drive. “Hie, hie!” she yelled. “Wait a bit!”

“What is Irene doing?” said Miss Potts, crossly. “Irene, come back and stop shouting.”

But Irene had stopped a coach and was climbing up into the one she had ridden in to the school. Miss Potts gaped. Did Irene think she was going home again? She did such mad things that anything was likely with Irene.

But Irene found her night-case, waved it wildly in the air to show the others she had found it, and climbed down again to the drive. She ran back grinning.

“Got it!” she said, and stood it firmly down on the ground—too firmly, because it at once burst open and everything fell out.

“Oh,
Irene
—why does every case you possess always do that?” said Darrell, helping her to pick everything up.

“I can't imagine,” said Irene, stuffing everything in higgledy-piggledy. “I have a bad effect on them, I suppose. Come on, let's go and find Matron.”

“I haven't found Felicity yet,” said Darrell, beginning to look worried. “She can't have gone off with anyone because she doesn't
know
anyone.”

“Well, anyhow, let's go to Matron and hand in our health certificates and money, and ask if she's seen Felicity,” said Sally. “The drive's pretty well empty now—she's obviously not here.”

So they trailed off to Matron, who had been dealing most efficiently with dozens of girls, health certificates and pocket money for an hour or more. Darrell was pleased to see her—kindly, bustling, starched and competent.

“Hallo, Darrell! Well, Alicia, turned up again like a bad penny, I see!”

“Mother says you always used to say that to her when she came back each term,” said Alicia, with a grin.

“Yes. She was a bad lot,” said Matron, smiling. “Not nearly as bad as you, though, Alicia. We'll have to have a talk about “How to Darn” this term, by the way. Don't forget Aha, Irene, there you are at last. Got your health certificate?”

It was a standing joke that Irene's health certificate always got lost if Irene was given it to bring to Matron. But the last few terms Irene's mother had sent the certificate by post, so it had always arrived safely on the morning of the day that school began.

Irene looked alarmed. Then she smiled. “You're pulling my leg, Matron,” she said. “It's come by post as usual.”

“But it hasn't,” said Matron. “That's the whole point Plenty of post for me this morning—but no health certificate. It's probably in your night-case, Irene. Go and unpack it and look.”

Darrell was looking round for Felicity, but still she couldn't see her. She really felt very worried and rather cross. Why hadn't Felicity done as she was told, and kept close by her, so that she couldn't lose her in the crowd of girls?

“Matron,” she said, “you haven't by any chance seen my little sister, have you?”

“Yes,” said Matron. “She was here a few minutes ago, and handed in her health certificate. She said you had her money. Nice to have her here, Darrell.”

Darrell was astonished. Felicity had actually gone to Matron and given in her own certificate without waiting to be taken! It didn't seem like Felicity at all—she was so shy.

“Where's she gone now?” she wondered out loud.

“She's gone to have a look at her dormy,” said Matron, and turned to deal with Belinda, who seemed to have lost all her money and was turning out her pockets in despair. “Belinda! I vow and declare that I'll ask Miss Grayling to put you and Irene into another Tower next term. If I have to deal with you two much more I shall go raving mad. Sally, go and see if Irene has found her health certificate yet.”

Sally went off to find Irene in the dormy, and Darrell went off to find Felicity. Sally found Irene sitting mournfully on her bed, the contents of her night-case strewn on the eiderdown—but there was no health certificate there.

“Oh, Irene—you really are a mutt,” said Sally, rummaging round and shaking out the legs of Irene's pyjamas just in case she had put the precious piece of paper there. “I thought your mother always posted the certificate now.”

“She
does
,” groaned Irene. “She never fails. She's marvellous like that”

“Well, all I can say is that she must have given it to you to post this time!” said Sally. “And you must have forgotten.”

A sudden light spread over Irene's humorous face. She slapped Sally on the back. “Sally, you've got it!” she said. That’s just what happened! Mother
did
give it to me to post, and I forgot it.”

“Well, where did you put it? Left it on your bedroom table at home, I suppose?” said Sally, half-impatient.

“No. I didn't,” said Irene, triumphantly. “I put it into the lining of my hat, so that I shouldn't lose it on the way to the post—but when I got to the post-office, I just bought some stamps and walked home again. So the certificate should be in my hat-lining still. In fact, I'm sure it is because now I come to think of it, my hat felt jolly uncomfortable all day long.”

It took some time to find Irene's hat, which had tolled under the next bed—but to Irene's joy the envelope with the certificate in was actually still under the lining. She shot off to Matron joyfully with it

“I put it in my hat to remember to post it,” she explained, “but I forgot, so it came with me today still in my hat”

Matron didn't understand a word of this, but dismissed it as all part of Irene's usual irresponsibility, and thankfully took the certificate before Irene could possibly lose it again.

“Did Darrell find her young sister?” she asked Irene,

But Irene didn't know. “I'll go and find out,” she said, and wandered off again.

Darrell had found Felicity. She had found her in the dormy of the first-form, with June and several others. June was talking away to everyone as if she was a third-termer, and Felicity was standing by shyly, listening,

“Felicity!” said Darrell, going up to her. “Why didn't you wait for me? Whatever made you go and find Matron by yourself? You knew I was going!”

“Oh, I took her,” said June. “I thought she might as well come with me. We're both new. I knew Alicia wouldn't bother herself with me and I didn't think you'd want to bother yourself with Felicity. We've given in our certificates but you've got to give in Felicity's money.”

“I know that,” said Darrell, very much on her dignity. What cheek of this new first-former to talk to her like that! She turned to Felicity.

“I do think you might have waited,” she said. “I wanted to show you your dormy and everything.”

Darrell went back to her own dormy to unpack her night-things, feeling puzzled and cross. She had so much looked forward to taking Felicity round and showing her her dormy, her bed and every single thing. How
could
her young sister have gone off with June and not waited for her?

“Did you find Felicity?” asked Alicia.

“Yes,” said Darrell, shortly. “She'd gone off with that cousin of yours—what's her name—June. It struck me as rather extraordinary. You'd think these youngsters would, wait for us to take them round a bit I know I'd have been glad to have a sister or a cousin here, the first term I came.”

“Oh, June can stand on her own feet very well,” said Alicia. “She's a hard and determined little monkey. She'll always find things out for herself—and as for taking her under my wing, I wouldn't dream of putting anyone so prickly and uncomfortable there! Wait till you hear her argue! She can talk the hind leg off a donkey.”

“I don't like the sound of her much,” said Darrell, hoping that June wouldn't take Felicity under her wing. Surely Felicity wouldn't like anyone like June!

“No. She's a bit brazen,” said Alicia. “We all are! Fault of my family, you know.”

Darrell looked at Alicia. She didn't sound as if she minded it being a fault—in fact she spoke rather as if she were proud of it. Certainly Alicia was sharp-tongued and hard, though her years at Malory Towers had done a great deal to soften her. The trouble was that Alicia's brains and health were too good! She could always beat anyone else if she wanted to, without any effort at all—and Darrell didn't think she had ever had even a chilblain or a headache in her life. So she was always very scornful of illness or weakness in any form as well as contemptuous of stupidity.

Darrell determined to see as much of Felicity as she could. She wasn't going to have her taken in tow by any brazen cousin of Alicia's. Felicity was young and shy, and more easily led than Darrell. Darrell felt quite fiercely protective towards her, as she thought of the cheeky, determined young June.

They all unpacked their night-cases and set out their things for the night. Their trunks, most of them sent on in advance, would not be unpacked till the next day. Darrell looked round her dormy, glad to be back.

It was a nice dormy, with a lovely view of the sea, which was as deep blue as a delphinium that evening. Far away the girls could hear the faint plash-plash of waves on the rocks. Darrell thought joyfully of the lovely swimming-pool, and her heart lifted in delight at the thought of the summer term stretching before her—nicest term in the year!