The Naughtiest Girl in the School (15 page)

After tea Elizabeth went to get her money and to find Belinda, Helen said she would come too, so the three of them set off.

What are you going to buy, Elizabeth? asked Helen curiously.

Its a secret, said Elizabeth at once. I dont want you to come into the shops with me, if you dont mind, because I really have got some secrets today. Its to do with somebody else, thats why I cant tell you.

All right, said Helen. Well, we are going to have strawberry ice-creams in the sweet-shop. You can join us there when you have finished your shopping. Dont be too long.

Helen and Belinda went off to the sweet-shop, and sat down at a little marble-topped table there to enjoy their ice-creams. Elizabeth disappeared into the bakers shop. The bakers wife came to see what she wanted.

Please, do you make birthday cakes? asked Elizabeth.

Yes, miss, said the woman. They are two shillings and sixpence, five shillings, or, for a very big one with candles on, and the name, ten shillings.

Would the ten-shilling one be big enough for heaps of children? asked Elizabeth, feeling certain that Joan would like to share the cake with everyone.

It would be big enough for the whole school! answered the woman, smiling. Its the size people often order for Whyteleafe School.

Oh, good, said Elizabeth, Well, will you make a cake like that for Friday? Put eleven candles on it, all different colors-and put A happy birthday for my darling Joan on it. Will there be enough room for all that, do you think?

Oh yes, said the woman. Ill decorate it with sugar flowers, and make it really beautiful, and it shall have two layers of thick cream inside.

Ill pay now, said Elizabeth, Oh, and will you please send it to Miss Joan Townsend, Whyteleafe School, on Friday morning, early?

Any message inside, miss? asked the bakers wife, writing down the name and address.

No, said Elizabeth, She took the pound-note out of her purse, and was just giving it to the shop woman.

When Nora came into the shop, she smiled at Elizabeth. Then she looked round the shop.

Are you alone? she asked, Surely you didnt come down to the village by yourself?

Oh no, Nora, said Elizabeth, I came with Helen and Belinda, Theyre waiting for me at the ice-cream shop.

The little girl paid for the cake, and received ten shillings change. Nora stared at the money, and looked puzzled. Elizabeth waved goodbye and went out.  She went to the book-shop and ordered the book she knew Joan wanted. It was a book all about birds and cost five shillings. Elizabeth asked the shopman to send it by post, and to put inside a little card that she gave him. On the card she had written: With love, from Mother.

Now Joan will think her mother has sent her a fine cake and a present! thought Elizabeth, pleased to think of Joans surprise. Ill buy some birthday cards now.

She bought three nice ones. In one she wrote With love, from Daddy, in the second she wrote With love, from Mother, and in the last she wrote With love, from Elizabeth, and added a row of kisses. She bought stamps for them, and put them safely in her pocket, ready to post on Thursday.

Then she went to buy the handbag she had seen in the drapers shop. She had four shillings left by that time, so she bought the red bag, paid for a red comb and a red handkerchief to put inside, and put the change into the little purse belonging to the bag! There was sixpence change, and Elizabeth thought it would be fun to put that in too.

Then she went to the ice-cream shop. Helen and Belinda were there, tired of waiting for her.

 You have been a time, Elizabeth, said. Helen. Whatever have you been doing? You cant possibly be so long spending only two shillings!

And then, for the first time, Elizabeth remembered that all money had to be put into the school money-box, and asked for! And she had spent a whole pound that afternoon, and hadnt even put a penny into the box.

She frowned. Goodness, now what was she to do? How could she have forgotten?

Well, perhaps its a good thing I did forget, said Elizabeth to herself. If Id put the money into the big money-box, and asked for a pound to spend on somebodys birthday, Im sure Rita and William wouldnt have given me so much. It is an awful lot to spend all at once-but I did so want to give Joan a fine birthday!

All the same, Elizabeth was rather worried about it. She had broken a rule-but she couldnt mend the broken rule because she had spent all the money! It was no use saying anything about it. The thing was done. And anyway Joan would have the finest surprise of her life! But Elizabeth had a very nasty surprise on her way back to school with Helen and Belinda.

Nora ran up to them and said, Elizabeth! I want to speak to you for a minute. Helen, you and Belinda can go on by yourselves. Elizabeth will catch you up.

What is it, Nora? asked Elizabeth in surprise.

Elizabeth, where did you get that money from that I saw you spending in the bakers shop? asked Nora.

My uncle sent it to me, said Elizabeth, her heart sinking when she knew that Nora had seen the money.

Well, you knew the rule, said Nora. Why didnt you put it into the money-box? You knew you could have out what you wanted, if you really needed it for something.

I know, Nora, said Elizabeth, in a small voice. But I forgot all about that till Id spent the money. Really, I did.

Spent all the money! cried Nora in horror, What! A whole pound! Twenty shillings! Whatever did you spend it on?

Elizabeth didnt answer, Nora grew angry.

Elizabeth! You must tell me! Whatever could you have spent a whole pound on in such a little time? Its a real waste of money.

It wasnt, said Elizabeth sulkily, Please dont ask me anymore, Nora. I cant tell you what I spent the money on. Its a secret.

Youre a very naughty girl, said Nora, You break a rule-and spend all that money and then wont tell me what you spent it on. Well you can tell the next Meeting, if you wont tell me!

I shant tell them, said Elizabeth. Its a secret and a secret I cant possibly tell. Oh dear! I always seem to be getting into trouble, and this time I really didnt mean to.

Nora would not listen to any more. She sent Elizabeth to catch up Helen and Belinda. Poor Elizabeth! She simply did not know what to do. She couldnt tell her secret, because then she would have to own up that she was buying things for Joan, and pretending that they came from Joans mother. And the Meeting would be angry with her just when she was being good and enjoying herself!

Well, never mind Joan will have a good birthday, anyhow, said Elizabeth, thinking of the cake and the book. How surprised she will be!

CHAPTER 18

Joan’s Wonderful Birthday

“Joan, you will soon be eleven!” Elizabeth said at breakfast the next day, as she chopped the top off her boiled egg. “Gracious! You are getting old.”

Joan went red and said nothing. She hated anyone to talk about her birthday, because she knew there would be no cards or presents or cake for her. She was such a timid little mouse that she had no friends at all, except Elizabeth-and Joan was always feeling astonished that the bold Elizabeth should be her friend!

“I wonder if you’ll have a cake?” went on Elizabeth, knowing perfectly well that Joan was going to, because she herself had ordered it! “I wonder what it will be like?”

Joan scowled at Elizabeth. She really felt angry with her.

“How silly Elizabeth is, talking about my birthday, and if I’m going to have a cake, when she knows quite well that I don’t want anything at all said about it,” thought Joan.

She frowned at Elizabeth and signed to her to stop-but Elizabeth gaily went on talking.

“Let me see-it’s Friday that’s your birthday, isn’t it, Joan? I wonder how many cards you’ll have?”

“Joan didn’t have a single one last year, and she didn’t have a cake either,” said Kenneth. “I don’t believe she’s got a father and mother.”

“Well, I have, then,” said Joan, feeling quite desperate.

“Funny they never come and see you, not even at half term, then,” said Hilda, who liked to see Joan getting red.

“You be quiet,” said Elizabeth suddenly, seeing that things were going too far. “What I’m surprised at is that your parents bother to come and see a girl like you, Hilda! If I had a daughter like you, I’d go to the end of the world and stay there.”

“That’s enough, Elizabeth,” said Nora, who pounced on Elizabeth very often since the little girl had refused to tell her her secret. Elizabeth said no more. She longed to say quite a lot, but she was learning to control her tongue now. Miss Scott would indeed not have known her! Nothing more was said about Joan’s birthday just then, and after breakfast, as the girls were making their beds, Joan went up to Elizabeth.

“Please, Elizabeth,” she said, “for goodness’ sake don’t say any more about my birthday. You make things much worse if you do-think how I shall feel when everyone watches to see what cards and presents come for me by the post, and I haven’t any! You are lucky-you have two Grannies, and two Grandpas, and Uncles and Aunts—but I haven’t a single uncle, aunt, or granny! So it’s no wonder I don’t get many treats.”

“You are unlucky, Joan,” said Elizabeth, in surprise. “Really you are. Well-I won’t say any more about your birthday to the others, if you don’t like it.”

But she longed to, all the same, for she kept hugging her delicious secret-Joan would have a wonderful cake, with eleven candles on, and cards, and presents too!

Nora was not kind to Elizabeth that week. She did not say any more to Elizabeth about her secret, but she had quite made up her mind to report her at the next Meeting. She thought Elizabeth was very deceitful and means not to give up her money as everyone else did, and not to tell her what she had spent it on.

“After all, we gave her a fine chance to be as decent as possible, at the last Meeting,” said Nora to herself. “We really did-and the funny thing is, I felt sure that Elizabeth would be worth that chance, and would do her best to keep our rules, and help the school, as we all try to do. But I was wrong. I don’t feel as if I like Elizabeth a bit now.”

When Thursday came Elizabeth posted the three birthday cards she had bought. She could hardly go to sleep that night for thinking of Joan’s pleasure in the morning! It really was lovely to give a surprise to someone.