Winter Term at Malory Towers (18 page)

‘Come along, everyone! Places, please!' called Susan.

It was the afternoon before the end-of-term concert, and the fourth formers were having a dress rehearsal for their play.

‘Doesn't everything look splendid?' said Felicity happily.

‘Yes, the scenery looks absolutely super,' said Sylvia.

‘And Bonnie has done a marvellous job with the costumes,' said Susan. ‘I don't see how our play can fail to be a hit.'

‘It's going to be a wonderful ending to the term,' said Felicity. ‘At last everything seems to be going right for us. Olive has changed her ways and become one of us now, Miss Tallant has gone, Miss Hibbert is back and everything is working out perfectly!'

Miss Tallant had left Malory Towers the morning after Olive had run away, and the fourth formers had watched her go from their common-room window.

‘Good riddance!' Freddie had said with satisfaction.

‘Yes, she is undoubtedly the most unpopular mistress Malory Towers has ever had,' Felicity had said. ‘I, for one, won't miss her.'

Sylvia, released from the San by Matron, had added,
‘Now perhaps you can understand why I didn't want to admit that she is my aunt. I feel quite ashamed to be related to her. Especially now that I know how she treated poor Olive.'

Olive had clapped Sylvia on the back and said, ‘There's no need for
you
to be ashamed, Sylvia, old girl. It wasn't your fault.'

Miss Hibbert had taken a keen interest in the fourth formers' play, but unlike Miss Tallant she had not pushed herself forward or tried to take over. Instead, she had let it be known that she was willing to help if she was needed, and had remained in the background.

‘Because Miss Hibbert is a jolly good teacher,' Susan had said. ‘And she understands that we are going to learn far more if we do this for ourselves.'

Now the actors trooped on to the stage, and the three producers felt a thrill of pride.

There was Lucy in her teddy-bear costume and Julie, dressed as the toy soldier. Little Molly looked very sweet in her white nightdress, while Pam, wearing a grey wig and an apron, made a very convincing old lady. As for Nora, she looked very pretty indeed in her fairy costume, and Bonnie fussed round her, arranging the skirt and making sure that the wings were in position.

At last everyone was ready, and Susan called out, ‘Righto, we are going to do the whole play from beginning to end, so I hope that everyone is word perfect. Olive, are you ready, just in case anyone forgets her lines?'

Olive—a cheerful, friendly Olive—had volunteered to
act as prompter, and was sitting in the wings now with her script at the ready.

‘I'm here, Susan!' she called cheerily.

And the rehearsal began. It wasn't
quite
perfect, for Julie tripped over during the dance, Pam forgot one of her lines and Mary, at the piano, dropped her music on the floor and lost her place. But the most worrying thing was Molly. She knew all her lines perfectly, and didn't make any mistakes, but she had been suffering from a sore throat and her voice was little more than a croak.

‘Oh dear!' said Felicity, sounding very worried. ‘I wouldn't be surprised if Molly lost her voice altogether by tomorrow.'

‘Don't say that!' begged Susan. ‘Why, if that happens we shan't be able to perform our play, for no one could possibly learn all of Molly's lines and take her place at such short notice.'

‘I'm sure that she will be perfectly fine,' said Sylvia, trying her hardest to sound optimistic. ‘Why, I had a sore throat myself just recently, but after a couple of days in the San I was as right as rain.'

‘But we don't have a couple of days,' said Felicity. ‘Our play is tomorrow!'

But, as the day wore on, poor Molly's throat became steadily worse, until she could hardly speak at all, and after tea Miss Williams came to the common-room, with bad news.

‘Girls, I'm awfully sorry, but I have just heard that Molly has been taken to the San. Miss Grayling has
telephoned her parents and, as it is the last day of term tomorrow, they are coming to take her home in the morning.'

There was consternation at this, of course. Everyone felt terribly sorry for Molly, for they knew how much she had wanted her mother and father to see her perform. But they were also very concerned about their play.

‘June, you must do it!' said Felicity. ‘You have a better memory than anyone in the form, and if anyone can learn the lines in time you can.'

‘I might have a good memory, but I couldn't possibly learn all those lines in time,' said June, quite horrified. ‘What about asking Molly's friend Harriet? I know that she helped Molly to learn her lines, so she must know them very well.'

‘Yes, but Harriet can't act for toffee,' said Sylvia. ‘And she's far too tall to play a little girl.'

‘Yes, the costume would never fit her,' said Bonnie. ‘And I don't have time to make another.'

‘Then what is to be done?' asked Felicity in despair. ‘We have all worked so hard on this play. We simply can't abandon it now.'

‘There's no question of abandoning it,' said Susan, a determined note in her voice. ‘Olive, you will have to play the part of Amelia.'

‘Me?' squeaked Olive. ‘Oh, Susan, I couldn't possibly!'

‘You must,' said Susan. ‘You know the part, for you have been acting as prompter. And you're only slightly taller than Molly, so the costume should fit you.'

‘But we don't even know if Olive can act,' pointed out Sylvia.

‘Well, we'll soon find out,' said Susan. ‘Olive, stand up and do the scene where the fairy doll comes to life, with Nora.'

Rather reluctantly, Olive got to her feet, and she and Nora acted out the scene. Olive was very hesitant at first, and her voice shook. But gradually she became more confident, and proved to the others that she wasn't a bad little actress at all.

‘We're saved!' cried Felicity joyously, as the little scene came to an end and the others clapped. ‘Olive, you'll be marvellous.'

‘I don't know that I will,' said Olive, turning pink at the applause. ‘I mean to say, it's one thing to act out a little scene in here, in front of you others, but it will be quite different standing up on stage in front of an audience full of parents and mistresses and doing a whole play.'

‘The whole form will be in your debt if you do it, Olive,' said Susan.

‘Yes, and think how pleased and proud your father and step-mother will be when they watch you playing one of the leading roles,' said Pam.

‘And it will be one in the eye for that nasty little Annabel,' said Bonnie. ‘She won't like the fact that you are the centre of attention, for once, and not her.'

Olive laughed at this, and said, ‘Well, it seems as if I have three very good reasons for doing it. And, apart from my nerves, I can't think of a single reason to refuse.'

Of course, the fourth formers were thrilled to hear this, and everyone gathered round Olive, patting her on the back.

‘Good show, Olive! You've really saved our bacon.'

‘You'll be absolutely super, you'll see.'

‘Yes, you'll bring the house down.'

‘And perhaps we can fit an extra rehearsal in tomorrow morning,' said Felicity. ‘Just so that you feel more confident.'

Just then the bell went for bedtime and Susan said, ‘Come along, everyone. We all need to get a good night's sleep, for we have a very busy day tomorrow.'

And it certainly was a busy day! There were no proper lessons, for the three top forms were busy with preparations for the show. The lower forms felt very happy to have a free day, and spent their time peeping into the hall to watch last-minute rehearsals, and getting under everyone's feet.

‘Silly kids,' said Susan rather loftily, after she had sent two giggling first formers packing for laughing at Lucy in her teddy-bear costume. ‘Righto, let's try that scene once more.'

Lunch and tea that day were very makeshift affairs, for the kitchen staff were fully occupied with the sumptuous supper that they were preparing for the parents that evening.

‘Bread and jam,' said Nora in disgust, at the tea-table. ‘I say, Bonnie, where did you get that cake from? No one else has a piece!'

‘I slipped into the kitchen and Cook gave it to me,' said Bonnie, with her angelic smile. ‘I told her that I was simply
starving
and felt quite faint.'

‘Trust you to get your own way, Bonnie!' said Olive. But she was laughing, and there was no bitterness in her voice, as there would have been a short while ago. Once again, the girls marvelled at how much she had changed.

‘I feel quite sorry that Olive will be leaving tomorrow,' said Felicity to Susan. ‘She really is a good sort now that she has settled down.'

‘Yes,' said Susan. ‘It seems funny now to think that none of us were keen on the two new girls when they first started. But both of them have turned out fine.'

‘Yes, Sylvia even seems to have found her sense of humour now that her aunt has gone,' said Felicity. ‘Do you know, she actually told me a joke yesterday!'

Susan laughed, and said, ‘She'll be playing tricks on Mam'zelle Dupont before we know where we are.'

At last it was seven o'clock and time for the concert to begin. The parents had already arrived and taken their seats in the big hall, along with the mistresses and the lower school. The fourth formers sat with them for the first part of the concert, for they were on last, and they watched the sixth formers perform their Christmas readings.

‘Awfully boring,' murmured Amy to Bonnie. ‘I'm surprised the parents haven't fallen asleep!'

The fourth formers clapped politely as the reading drew to a close, then, as the fifth formers walked on to the
stage, they slipped quietly from their seats and went backstage, to prepare for their play.

Bonnie darted about all over the place, making sure that everyone looked as perfect as possible, while Amy had graciously agreed to help with the hair and make-up. The three producers dealt ably with attacks of last-minute nerves, keeping everyone's spirits up, while the actors themselves muttered their lines under their breath, quite determined that they were not going to forget a single word.

At last the last bars of ‘Silent Night' faded away, the sound of clapping could be heard, and it was time for their play to begin. The scenery was already in place, and the actors walked on to the stage.

There were gasps of delight from the first and second formers as they stared at Nora, dressed as a fairy, Lucy sitting on the floor in her teddy-bear costume, and Julie, standing to attention as the toy soldier.

Then Olive, as Amelia, appeared, looking rather shy and scared, but when she spoke the play's opening lines, her nerves seemed to disappear.

Miss Grayling, in the front row, glanced across at Mr and Mrs Witherspoon, smiling to herself when she saw the proud looks on their faces. Mr Witherspoon looked as if he was about to burst! Beside them sat a scowling Annabel, who didn't seem to be enjoying the little play at all!

But Annabel was the only one, for the rest of the audience enjoyed it enormously, and agreed among themselves that it was the best part of the concert.

‘Everything is going marvellously,' said Felicity to Susan, as the two of them, with Sylvia, watched from the wings. ‘Olive is giving a splendid performance.'

‘I knew that she would,' said Susan happily. ‘And Nora looks lovely.'

‘I say, look at Mam'zelle, in the second row,' whispered Sylvia. ‘She's thoroughly enjoying herself!'

Nora and Olive were acting out one of the humorous moments in the play that June and Freddie had written, and the audience were laughing very loudly. But no one laughed louder than Mam'zelle, whose cries of mirth made heads turn in her direction.

‘Dear old Mam'zelle!' said Felicity fondly.

Then came the song and dance routine, which almost brought the house down, and at last the play was over. There was silence for a moment, then clapping and cheering broke out from the audience, and, thrilled, Susan said, ‘They liked it! They didn't cheer like that for the fifth and sixth formers.'

‘They more than liked it—they loved it!' said Felicity happily.

‘Yes, I think we've done a jolly good job as producers,' said Sylvia. ‘If I do—'

‘IF YOU DO SAY SO YOURSELF!' chorused Felicity and Susan, then the three girls burst into laughter.

The cast took another bow, then the curtain came down and everyone ran off-stage, as the applause died away.

‘We had better help them get changed, then we can go and join our people for supper,' said Susan. ‘I'm jolly
hungry, for lunch and tea were pretty poor.'

June and Freddie were also backstage, helping to hang up the costumes as the girls who had acted in the play got changed.

‘I think that we can count that as a success,' said Freddie happily.

‘Yes, and that is largely due to you and June,' said Felicity. ‘The jokes that you wrote made everyone laugh.'

June seemed unusually quiet and pensive, and Susan asked, ‘Anything wrong, June?'

‘No, I'm just rather sorry that this term is almost at an end,' said June with a sigh. ‘It hasn't all been good, but on the whole it has been fun. Next term won't be, for we shall all be studying for School Cert. And after that, we go up into the fifth. No tricks, no jokes, and no feasts then! We shall have to go all serious and dignified.'

‘Well, we have a couple more terms in which to learn to be serious and dignified,' said Felicity with a laugh. ‘And I daresay we shall find other ways of having fun. My sister Darrell and your cousin Alicia certainly did.'

‘Yes, that's true,' said June, brightening a little. ‘Alicia was as bold and bad as I am when she was younger. Yet she turned into a good, responsible top former. But she kept her sense of fun too, and that is what I want to do.'