‘I see nothing!’ complained Mam’zelle. ‘Do you, Freddie?’
‘No, not a thing, Mam’zelle,’ answered Freddie. ‘June, where exactly did you say it was?’
Both she and Mam’zelle Dupont looked towards the spot where June had been standing—but she had gone!
‘Tiens!‘ cried Mam’zelle, giving a little start. ‘What has happened to June?’
Quick-witted Freddie realised at once what had happened, and distracted Mam’zelle by saying, ‘I think I see your brooch down there, Mam’zelle.’
And once again, poor, unsuspecting Mam’zelle, who never seemed to realise when she was having her leg pulled, obligingly turned her head, allowing June to emerge from her hiding place.
‘Haven’t you found your brooch yet, Mam’zelle?’ she asked, and the French mistress spun round sharply, crying, ‘There you are, June. Where have you been?’
‘Why, nowhere, Mam’zelle,’ answered the girl, her lips twitching humorously. ‘I’ve been here all the time. Isn’t that so, Freddie?’
Freddie nodded, and Mam’zelle fixed June with a stern stare, before shaking her head and crying, ‘Non! Méchante fille! You are trying to trick your poor Mam’zelle, once again! I saw you, over there by the wall. I looked away for a split second, and you disappeared—poof!’
‘Mam’zelle, I really think that the poor light is making your eyes play tricks on you,’ said Freddie, so gravely that June wanted to burst out laughing. ‘June most certainly did not disappear.’
‘Of course I didn’t,’ said June. ‘You know, Mam’zelle, tricks take quite a lot of planning, and I didn’t even know that I was going to bump into you, so I couldn’t possibly have prepared anything.’
This gave Mam’zelle pause for thought. She knew how carefully June worked out her tricks, and the girls had come upon her quite by chance. So, she was forced to agree that, in the gathering gloom, her eyes had indeed deceived her.
‘And still I have not found my brooch,’ she said, rather forlornly. ‘It is a very special one, for my nephew gave me it for my birthday.’
Freddie, who, like most of the other girls, was very fond of Mam’zelle Dupont, felt sorry for her, and said kindly, ‘Look here, Mam’zelle, why don’t you go indoors and get warm? June and I will carry on looking for your brooch, and we will come and tell you if we find it.’
‘Ah, you are indeed good, kind girls!’ cried Mam’zelle, quite forgetting that, a few moments ago, she had accused June of tricking her. The thought of going indoors and sitting before a roaring fire, with a mug of hot cocoa, was so pleasant that she could almost have hugged the two girls.
June was less pleased, though, and said rather crossly to Freddie, ‘Why on earth did you volunteer us to find Mam’zelle’s brooch? It’s getting jolly cold now, and I was looking forward to sitting in the common-room for a bit, now that we’ve done what we came for.’
‘I know, but poor old Mam’zelle looked so miserable,’ said Freddie, who was much more soft-hearted than her friend. ‘The brooch must be around here somewhere, so if we hurry up and find it we’ll still have time for a sit down before prep. Besides, after the trick you played on Mam’zelle, I think that the least we can do is help her.’
June grinned at this, and said, ‘Yes, I suppose you’re right. Did it really look as if I had vanished into thin air, Freddie?’
Freddie nodded and gave a shiver, ‘It was quite creepy, actually, the way you suddenly disappeared and then reappeared again.’
‘Good,’ said June. ‘I was hoping you would say that, for I intend to give Miss Tallant the fright of her life! Let me tell you what I am going to do.’
As the two girls talked, they began to hunt for the missing brooch. In a very short time their efforts were rewarded. Freddie gave a cry and yelled, ‘I’ve found it! My word, won’t Mam’zelle be pleased?’
Mam’zelle was highly delighted when June and Freddie took the brooch to her, patting the girls on their shoulders.
‘Ah, you may be bad sometimes, but you are good girls at heart!’ she cried, beaming at the two girls. ‘I only wish that there was some little reward I could give you.’
‘There is, Mam’zelle,’ said June promptly. ‘You can let the two of us off French prep for a week.’
But even big-hearted Mam’zelle was not that generous, and she wagged her finger at June, saying, ‘Now you try to take advantage of me! One minute you are good, June, and the next you are bad again! I do not know whether I am on my heels or my head with you! But I shall not forget the favour that you and the dear Freddie have done me, and you may be sure that I shall think of something I can do to repay you.’
13
A trap is set
And Mam’zelle was as good as her word, for a few days later, when the girls were at tea, the French mistress produced the most enormous chocolate cake, which she placed in the centre of the fourth form’s table.
‘Heavens, Mam’zelle, that looks simply delicious!’ said Nora. ‘What have we done to deserve this?’
‘You have June and Freddie to thank,’ said Mam’zelle, cutting the cake into big slices. ‘They found my brooch the other day, and I promised them a reward.’
‘Jolly decent of you, Mam’zelle,’ said Freddie.
‘Yes, thanks, Mam’zelle,’ said June. ‘Though I don’t see why the others should share it, for they did nothing. Really, Freddie and I should have half each.’
Of course, June was joking, and the others laughed as Mam’zelle handed round slices of cake, Lucy saying, ‘Good show, June and Freddie! Mam’zelle, you should lose your jewellery more often, if this is what happens.’
‘I say, June!’ said Sylvia, who was sitting beside the girl. ‘Speaking of cake, that was a fine, big fruit cake that I saw you put in the cupboard this morning. My word, the South Tower girls must have enough food to feed an army.’
‘Sh! Keep your voice down, Sylvia!’ hissed June. ‘Do you want Mam’zelle to overhear, and spoil the feast for the South Tower girls?’
‘Sorry, June,’ said Sylvia, lowering her voice and looking rather sheepish.
But Felicity and Susan, on the opposite side of the table, had heard Sylvia’s remark and were puzzled by it. What on earth did Sylvia mean about the cake that the two of them had bought being meant for the South Tower girls’ feast?
They caught up with June after tea and asked her about it.
‘Sylvia caught me stowing some food in the cupboard,’ explained June. ‘I told her that the South Tower girls were having a feast to throw her off the scent. And I’m going to make sure that Olive thinks the same. Then whichever of the two girls is our sneak is sure to tell Miss Tallant.’
‘So she will be thrown off the scent, too,’ said Susan. ‘And we can have our feast in peace, because Miss Tallant will be over at South Tower on a wild goose chase!’
‘June, what a super idea!’ laughed Felicity. ‘I would love to see Miss Tallant burst into South Tower to spoil the feast, only to find the girls tucked up in bed. How foolish she is going to look!’
‘That is going to be the least of Miss Tallant’s problems,’ said June, with a wicked grin. ‘Just wait and see what I have in store for her!’
‘June, do tell!’ begged Felicity and Susan.
‘I shall tell you, but not now,’ promised June. ‘I have something else to do at the moment. Has anyone seen Bonnie?’
June eventually found Bonnie in the dormitory, where she was brushing out her curly hair in front of a mirror.
‘Bonnie,’ said June. ‘Thank goodness I’ve found you.’
Bonnie looked round at the girl in surprise, and said in her lisping voice, ‘Is something the matter, June?’
‘Not exactly,’ answered June, sitting on the edge of one of the beds. ‘But I need you to do something for me. I want you to help me set up this trick that I’m going to play on Miss Tallant.’
Bonnie clapped her hands together in glee, and said, ‘Goody! Just tell me what you want me to do, June.’
br />
‘Well, Bonnie,’ began June. ‘I know that you talk to Miss Tallant a lot, and I want you to tell her a little story—all about the ghost of Malory Towers.’
‘Ooh!’ said Bonnie, thrilled, her big eyes growing wide. ‘Is there a ghost at Malory Towers, June?’
‘Not as far as I know,’ said June, grinning at Bonnie. ‘But we are going to make Miss Tallant think that there is! Next time you have a chance to speak to her in private, Bonnie, I want you to tell her that you woke up in the middle of the night and went to look out of the window. And you saw a pale, ghostly figure over by South Tower.’
Bonnie was so excited that she couldn’t speak, but she nodded vigorously, and June went on, ‘Tell Miss Tallant that it looked up at you watching from the window, then disappeared into thin air.’
‘Yes, I can do that, all right, June,’ said Bonnie, eagerly. ‘Anything else?’
‘Yes,’ said June. ‘I think it would be a good idea if we were to make up a tragic story about a young girl who died at Malory Towers many, many years ago, and whose spirit is said to haunt the school.’
‘We could say that she died by falling off the cliff!’ cried Bonnie, struck by sudden inspiration.
‘Brilliant!’ said June. ‘Yes, I see it all. She quarrelled bitterly with her sister, and was so upset that, one dark, stormy night, she ran away. But the wind was so fierce that it blew out the lantern she carried with her and, in the pitch darkness, she stumbled off the cliff.’
‘Oh, the poor, poor girl!’ cried Bonnie, looking as if she was about to burst into tears.
‘Ass!’ said June, giving her a shove. ‘It’s only a story, remember!’
‘Yes, but you told it so convincingly, June, that I felt quite moved,’ sighed Bonnie. ‘And I think I know what comes next. The girl’s tormented, restless spirit haunts the school, seeking out her sister so that they can make up their quarrel.’
‘Actually I hadn’t thought of that, but it’s very good,’ said June approvingly.
‘I shall tell Miss Tallant tomorrow that I saw the ghost,’ said Bonnie. ‘Just to unsettle her a little. Then, the next day, I shall tell her the story of the dead girl. I really think that she will be frightened, June, because of the ghost that she saw when she was younger.’
June, who was far too down-to-earth to believe in ghosts, gave a snort, and said, ‘I daresay it was a shadow, or a trick of the light. But it’s a jolly good thing that it happened, for it has given us a way to punish Miss Tallant for being so mean to the fourth form.’
Bonnie carried out her part of the plan faithfully, and had the satisfaction of seeing Miss Tallant’s face turn white as she told her tale.
‘She looked like a ghost herself,’ laughed Bonnie, as she related what had happened to June and Freddie.
‘Well done, Bonnie,’ said June, pleased with the girl. ‘And now, Freddie, we must make preparations to carry out our part of the plan.’
There was a rehearsal for the play that afternoon, and Bonnie, in her role of wardrobe mistress, was most surprised when June and Freddie came backstage and began showing a great interest in the costumes, wigs and greasepaint that were there.
‘I say, June!’ called out Freddie. ‘This would be simply perfect.’
Freddie was holding up an old-fashioned, white night-dress, and Bonnie gave a squeal.
‘Freddie Holmes, if you get dirty finger-marks on that, I shall never forgive you!’ she said. ‘That’s Molly’s costume and I have just had it washed.’
‘Bonnie, dear,’ said June, putting an arm round the girl’s shoulders. ‘May I borrow it, please?’
‘Whatever for?’ asked Bonnie, puzzled. ‘You have perfectly good pyjamas of your own.’
‘I don’t want to wear it to bed,’ chuckled June. ‘You see, Bonnie, I am going to dress up as a ghost, and scare the living daylights out of Miss Tallant!’
‘When?’ asked Bonnie.
‘On the night of our feast,’ said June. ‘You see, she is going to be under the impression that the South Tower fourth formers are holding a feast, and she will rush over there at midnight to stop it. But Freddie and I are going to prepare a little surprise for her.’
Bonnie was torn. On the one hand, she felt quite thrilled at the thought of the unpleasant Miss Tallant being punished for her nasty ways. On the other, the thought of the exquisite nightdress that she had painstakingly altered to fit Molly becoming damaged or dirty quite filled her with horror.
As though sensing what she was thinking, June said, ‘I promise that I shall take great care of it, Bonnie, and if it should become dirty I will wash it myself.’
‘Very well,’ said Bonnie, at last, handing the nightdress over. ‘And just see that you do take care of it, June.’
‘We could borrow some of this greasepaint, too,’ said Freddie. ‘The white one would give you a ghostly pallor, June, and we could use this purple one to make dark hollows under your eyes.’
‘Good idea!’ said June.
‘And you could really do with a wig,’ said Bonnie. ‘For you don’t want to run the risk of Miss Tallant recognising you. Try this.’
And Bonnie picked up a long, dark wig, which she put on June’s head.
‘Marvellous!’ said Freddie, happily. ‘With the wig and some greasepaint, I really don’t think that your own mother would know you, June.’
When the rehearsal was over, June and Freddie ran up to the dormitory with the things that they had found for June’s disguise, and hid everything away carefully.
As they walked out on to the landing, June spotted Olive coming up the stairs, and, putting a finger to her lips, quickly pulled Freddie into an alcove. Then she waited until Olive had gone into the dormitory, leaving the door open behind her. Beckoning to Freddie to follow, June went over to the cupboard where the food for the feast was being stored.
Unlocking the door, and opening it with a lot of quite unnecessary noise, June said loudly, ‘My word, what a lot of food! Those South Tower girls are going to have a marvellous feast.’
Following June’s lead, Freddie said, ‘What a pity that we can’t join them, for it all looks super. Thank goodness we were able to help them out by storing their food for them. When did you say that they are holding the feast, June?’
‘On Friday night, at midnight exactly,’ said June, in her clear voice, as she locked the door again.
The two girls walked away, and as they reached the bottom of the stairs, June said, ‘Well, Miss Tallant is bound to get the false information now, either from Olive or Sylvia. Everything is working out perfectly!’
Friday was June’s birthday, and most of the girls had bought her a little gift of some sort.
Felicity gave her a bottle of bath salts, and Susan gave her an enormous bar of chocolate.
Freddie, who had noticed that June’s old purse was looking very shabby indeed, had bought her a new one, while Bonnie presented her with a set of handkerchiefs that she had embroidered herself. The only person who didn’t give June a present was Olive, but as June said, ‘I didn’t really expect anything from her. And, to be honest, I’m quite glad that she didn’t give me anything, for I shouldn’t have liked to have accepted a gift from someone I don’t like, and who I believe to be a sneak.’
‘Well, you’ve had some jolly nice presents, anyway,’ said Nora, looking rather enviously at the things June had received.
‘Yes, thanks awfully everyone,’ said June, smiling round at her friends. ‘You’ve all been very generous.’
‘And the best part of your birthday is still to come,’ said Freddie, in a low voice. ‘The feast tonight.’
‘Yes,’ said June, looking round to make sure that Sylvia and Olive could not overhear. ‘I don’t know which I’m looking forward to most—that, or the trick that we are going to play on Miss Tallant.’
Felicity and Susan, standing nearby, did overhear, though, and Felicity said at once, ‘Is the ghost of Malory Towers going to make an appearance tonight, then?’
r /> ‘She certainly is,’ said June, her eyes sparkling with mischief. ‘She’s going to appear in the grounds, while Miss Tallant is making her way to South Tower. And then she is going to vanish again.’
‘But June, you’ll miss your own birthday feast if you are out in the grounds playing a trick on Miss Tallant,’ said Felicity, with a frown.
‘No, I shan’t,’ said June. ‘Freddie and I are going to wake up before you others, so that I can get dressed up in my ghost costume. And the actual trick itself will only take a few moments, so we shall be back in the common-room with the rest of you in a trice.’
‘What a pity that we shan’t all be there to see the trick,’ said Susan with a sigh. ‘I should love to see Miss Tallant’s face when she sees the ghost!’
‘Well, Freddie and I will tell you all about it,’ promised June.
‘What about Sylvia and Olive?’ said Felicity, looking worried. ‘One of them is Miss Tallant’s niece, and the sneak, and if she wakes up and finds us out of our beds she is bound to cause trouble for us.’
‘Oh, I’ve thought about that,’ said June coolly. ‘Just make sure that whoever is last out of the dormitory locks the door behind them.’
Susan gave a gasp, and said, ‘June, we can’t do that!’
‘We must,’ said June firmly. ‘Probably neither of them will wake up and everything will be all right, but I don’t want to take any chances. Of course, if they should happen to wake, tomorrow the sneak will probably tell Miss Tallant about the feast, but by then it will be too late. It will simply be our word against her niece’s. And Miss Tallant’s niece is not going to be in her good books, for having sent her over to South Tower for nothing.’
‘That’s true,’ said Felicity. ‘I must say, I’m still not entirely happy about locking the two of them in the dorm, but it would be too bad if the feast was spoiled.’
As things turned out, there was no question of locking Sylvia in the dormitory, for later that day she was sent to Matron by Miss Williams.