‘It makes sense to me,’ said Felicity, looking thoughtful. ‘Bonnie, you were quite right when you said that Alice felt ashamed of herself and wanted to make amends. That is why she has come back to Malory Towers.’
‘The locket!’ cried Susan suddenly. ‘Felicity, that locket that we found, with the initials JJ engraved on it – I bet that it belonged to Alice!’
‘Of course!’ said Felicity. ‘And it explains how she knew the end of Miss Grayling’s speech – because she had heard it before, when she was in the second form!’
‘Are you going to tell Miss Grayling?’ asked Freddie, who had been listening open-mouthed. ‘I shouldn’t think that she would want a girl here who has already been expelled once.’
‘I would be very surprised if Miss Grayling – and some of the other mistresses – don’t already know who Alice is,’ said Felicity. ‘The Head must have agreed to take her back, and if she was willing to give her another chance I think that we should too.’
Most of the others agreed with this, though June wasn’t convinced, saying in a hard voice, ‘A leopard doesn’t change its spots. As far as I am concerned, Jo has been putting on an act, trying to convince us that she is someone she isn’t. Until we speak to her, and she explains her reasons for coming back to Malory Towers, I don’t know whether I can trust her.’
‘Are you going to tell her that we know her secret, Felicity?’ asked Julie.
‘Yes, for now that we know I think that it is better if we bring it all out into the open,’ said Felicity. ‘I will go and see her tomorrow.’
In the first-form dormitory, all was silent, for most of the girls were fast asleep. Only Violet was wide awake, for she meant to slip out of the dormitory shortly before midnight. The time seemed to creep by very slowly indeed, but at last it was ten minutes to twelve, and Violet got out of bed. It was a bitterly cold night, but the girl didn’t want to get dressed, in case one of the others woke and saw her. So she put on her warm dressing-gown and outdoor shoes, placed the note that she had written to Faith on the girl’s bedside cabinet, and slipped quietly from the room. A floorboard creaked as she tiptoed along the landing, and Violet stopped, her heart in her mouth. But no doors flew open and no mistress appeared on the scene, so the girl carried on down the stairs.
This is all very strange, she thought to herself. Here I am going out to rescue a cat – and perhaps meet a desperate kidnapper – dressed in my pyjamas!
A nervous giggle rose in her throat, but Violet quelled it, silently opening the big door that led into the garden. She shivered as a blast of cold air hit her, and suddenly realised that it was pitch black outside, with no moon to light her way.
‘Why didn’t I think to bring a torch with me?’ thought Violet. ‘Ah, I wonder if there is one in the cupboard!’
The big cupboard at the bottom of the stairs was home to all kinds of odds and ends, but there was no torch there. However, Violet did find an old-fashioned oil lantern and a box of matches. With a trembling hand, she struck a match and lit the wick, before stepping out into the cold and shutting the door softly behind her.
Violet felt very nervous indeed, trembling with cold and fear as she made her way to the big shed at the bottom of the garden. What if the kidnapper was inside, waiting for her? Oh, how she wished Faith was with her!
A sudden sound from inside the shed almost made her jump out of her skin, then she realised what it was. It was Willow mewing! Screwing up every ounce of courage she possessed, Violet pushed open the door, holding the lantern aloft as she peered inside. Relief made her go weak at the knees as she realised that there was no kidnapper there, only her own, beloved Willow. A rickety wood table stood in the middle of the shed, and Violet placed the lantern on it, before rushing to pick up Willow. The little cat had been rather cross with her mistress for neglecting her, but all that was forgotten now, and Willow purred in delight, rubbing her silky head against Violet’s chin. As for Violet, she forgot that she was cold, forgot that she had been frightened, forgot everything except that she had found Willow!
‘I had better get you back indoors,’ said the girl at last. ‘I shall have to carry you, so please don’t wriggle!’
But Willow had decided that it was time to stretch her legs, and she suddenly jumped from Violet’s arms, landing on the rickety table. The table wobbled dangerously, which Willow didn’t like at all, and she leapt off at once, but the lantern that Violet had placed there fell to the floor, smashing and sending a sheet of flame across the dry wooden floor.
Snatching up Willow, Violet screamed, wondering if she dared run through the flames, which were between her and the door. But, even as she hesitated, the fire was spreading, the table alight now and flames shooting up the walls.
Violet coughed and choked, tears streaming down her cheeks, as she looked round desperately for a way out. But the only window in the shed was on the other side of the flames. She screamed again, as loudly as she could, praying that someone would hear her, but it was hopeless, for the thick, dark smoke was choking her. She was trapped, and no one was going to rescue her!
But Violet was wrong. Alice, feeling very restless from having slept so much during the day, simply couldn’t sleep. Gingerly, for the girl still felt a little weak, she got out of bed and went across to the window. From her room she had an excellent view of the garden, and she started in fright as she spotted someone carrying a light darting across the lawn. Why, it was that first former, Violet! What mischief was she up to now? If she was caught out of her tower in the middle of the night, the girl would be in big trouble!
As a sixth former, it was up to Alice to see that she went back to bed, so the girl pulled on her dressing-gown and put on her slippers.
In the main San, one of the second formers was awake, and she whispered, ‘Where are you going, Alice?’
‘Never you mind,’ said Alice. ‘I shall be back shortly.’
The girl went quietly past the room where Matron slept and down the stairs, but as soon as she stepped outside, she smelled smoke.
‘How odd!’ she thought. ‘It’s a bit late for one of the gardeners to be having a bonfire. I wonder what it could be?’
As Alice came round the corner of North Tower, she was left in no doubt as to where the smell was coming from. The shed was ablaze! The shed that she had seen Violet enter a few minutes ago. Alice ran towards the fire, heart pounding and her mind racing. Was Violet still in there, or had she managed to get out? Then she heard a muffled scream, and knew the dreadful truth – Violet was trapped in the burning shed.
There was no time to raise the alarm or fetch help. Alice knew that she had to act quickly. Glancing round, she spotted a water butt nearby and, heedless of the cold, she pulled off her dressing-gown, soaking it in the water. Then, wrapping part of the dressing-gown round her hand, to protect it from the heat, she pulled open the shed door, the force of the blaze making her reel.
It was impossible to see anything because of the smoke and flames, and Alice called out, ‘Violet, where are you?’
‘Here!’ croaked Violet. ‘At the back of the shed.’
Then Alice did a very brave thing. She pulled her wet dressing-gown over her head, making sure that it covered as much of her as possible. And she ran through the flames to Violet.
The first former was sobbing with terror now, her face streaked with black, and she was still clutching Willow tightly. There was no time to enquire what the girl was doing with a cat, and Alice, with more courage than she felt, said, ‘I’m going to get you out of here. Do exactly as I say, and don’t hesitate. Now, put the cat in the front of your dressing-gown quickly!’
Violet did as she was told, then Alice put her own dressing-gown over both their heads, took Violet’s arm in a firm grip, and shouted, ‘RUN!’
The heat was almost unbearable as the two girls ran through the blaze, and Alice felt an agonising burning sensation to her hand. Their escape took only seconds, but to Violet and Alice it seemed like hours until th
ey were outside, both of them collapsing on to the grass, coughing and choking.
Then there was a commotion, and the sound of raised voices, and Violet looked up to see Matron, Miss Grayling, two gardeners and several mistresses running towards them.
Matron had been woken by one of the second formers having a coughing fit, and had looked in on Alice only to find that she wasn’t there. Then she had seen the blazing shed from the window, and raised the alarm.
‘Good heavens!’ she cried, as she saw the two girls lying on the ground, taking in their blackened faces and charred clothing. Then her sharp eyes spotted the burn on Alice’s hand and she called out, ‘Miss Grayling! We need to get Alice to hospital at once. She has a very bad burn and needs more expert treatment than I can give.’
‘I shall telephone for an ambulance at once,’ said the Head, going back into the school.
Miss Potts and Mam’zelle Dupont were also on the scene and, as Matron carefully checked the two girls over, Mam’zelle stood wringing her hands, and moaning. Miss Potts was more practical, saying, ‘Is there anything I can do to help, Matron?’
But, before Matron could answer, Mam’zelle suddenly spotted Willow, and cried, ‘A cat! Why does Violet have a cat in her dressing-gown?’
Of course, Matron and Miss Potts had also noticed Willow, and Miss Potts said drily, ‘We are all wondering that, Mam’zelle, but I am afraid that such questions will have to wait. The immediate need is to tend to the girls.’
Suddenly there came the wail of a siren, and everyone knew that the fire engine had arrived.
The two gardeners, who had been training hoses on the fire, stopped what they were doing, and went round to the front of the school to direct the fire engine.
Of course, the siren woke many of the girls up, and they looked out of the windows to see what was going on. They gasped when they saw the fire, and the people rushing about outside, most of them thinking that it was rather a thrill. Some of them made their way outside, not wanting to miss the excitement, and soon quite a crowd had gathered.
‘Heavens, look at the old shed! It’s been burnt to the ground!’
‘Someone’s been hurt! Look, it’s Alice, of the sixth form.’
‘And Violet! Goodness, I hope they aren’t seriously injured.’
‘Girls, do go back inside!’ called out Miss Potts.
But, for once, no one took any notice of Miss Potts, and soon more girls came down, several of the first formers among them.
Daffy turned white when she took in the scene and saw the two girls lying on the ground, their faces black. And Willow was there too! For a moment she felt quite sick, but she simply had to find out what had happened, and whether Violet or Alice was badly hurt. So Daffy made her way across to where Miss Potts was bending over the girls, saying, ‘Miss Potts, what happened?’
‘As you can plainly see, Daphne, the shed caught fire,’ said Miss Potts with sarcasm. ‘How it caught fire is something we have yet to find out. Now, please get out of the way, for the ambulance will be here shortly.’
The ambulance arrived a few moments later, and everyone watched gravely as Alice was lifted on to a stretcher and put into the back. Violet had been lucky, as she had not suffered any burns at all, and did not need to go to hospital. But she had inhaled a large amount of smoke, and Matron took her to the San.
‘Though that cat most certainly can’t come,’ she said sternly. ‘Daffy Hope, make yourself useful and take it to the stables.’
‘Yes, Matron,’ said Daffy meekly, coming over and taking Willow from Violet.
‘Oh, but she can’t go to the stables!’ Violet protested, her voice little more than a croak.
‘Don’t worry,’ said Daffy in a very solemn whisper. ‘I’ll let Matron think that’s where I’m taking Willow, but really I shall put her back in the box-room. And I shall take the greatest care of her, Violet, I promise.’
‘Thanks, Daffy,’ said Violet, rather surprised that Daffy was being so nice. It was probably just because she, Violet, had been in the fire and Daffy felt sorry for her. No doubt tomorrow, the girl would be back to her old, hostile self again!
With the two casualties gone and the fire almost out, there wasn’t much left to see, and when Miss Potts again raised her voice and commanded that everyone go back to bed, she was obeyed.
Most of the girls were far too excited to sleep, though. Heavens, what a night it had been!
18
Daffy learns a lesson
The sixth formers hadn’t heard the fire engine, as their dormitory was on the other side of North Tower, so they didn’t hear the news until the following morning.
Mam’zelle Dupont, rather excited to be first with the news, stopped by the sixth-form table at breakfast, and told the girls of the dramatic events that had unfolded last night.
They listened in astonishment, and June said, ‘Well! So Alice saved young Violet’s life!’
‘Ah, she is a heroine, that girl,’ said Mam’zelle. ‘The poor Violet was scarcely able to talk, but she managed to tell Matron that Alice ran through the flames to save her.’
‘How brave of her!’ said Susan. ‘I’m not sure that I would have had that kind of courage.’
‘Yes,’ said June as Mam’zelle moved away. ‘Anyone who shows the kind of bravery that Alice did last night has more than made amends for anything they did in the past. I wasn’t sure about giving her another chance last night, but I jolly well am now! I vote that, when she comes back, we give Alice a hero’s welcome.’
Everyone agreed at once, for all of them felt intensely proud of Alice.
‘I wonder when she will be back,’ said Bonnie. ‘Mam’zelle said that she had burned her hand quite badly and, of course, she must have inhaled a great deal of smoke, just as Violet did.’
In fact, Alice returned to Malory Towers that very afternoon, but none of the sixth formers saw her, for Matron whisked her straight off to the San. The girl’s hand had been bandaged, and she had a very sore throat, but she protested strongly.
‘Matron, I feel quite well,’ she said in a rather croaky voice. ‘Really, I would far rather go back to the others.’
But Matron insisted, saying, ‘You can join the others tomorrow, provided that you don’t have a relapse. Come along now.’
And Alice, realising that it was quite useless to argue with Matron, followed her meekly.
Daffy, meanwhile, was in turmoil. Her conscience had kept her awake the night before, and she felt that she was to blame for everything that had happened. It was quite clear now that Violet must have found that note before she was meant to, and gone to the shed at midnight instead of midday. It was all because of her that Violet had been in the shed, and that Alice had been hurt. The first formers wondered why she was so subdued and unlike herself, but she refused to tell them. Katie guessed, of course, for she was also feeling very guilty at having gone along with Daffy’s scheme.
‘I wish that I had never let you talk me into it,’ groaned Katie, for about the twentieth time that day as she and Daffy walked through the courtyard after lunch.
‘And I wish that I had listened to you,’ said Daffy, sounding very miserable indeed. ‘When I think what might have happened to Violet – and Willow – if Alice hadn’t rescued her ….’ She broke off, giving a sudden sob, and Katie, who had never seen her friend cry before, realised how distressed she was.
‘It’s no good upsetting yourself,’ she said rather awkwardly, giving Daffy a pat on the shoulder. ‘Just be glad that Alice got there in time.’
‘That’s just it,’ said Daffy, her voice almost breaking. ‘I don’t think that I shall ever feel glad about anything again until I get this off my conscience. I am going to own up to Miss Grayling.’
‘Daffy!’ gasped Katie. ‘Are you sure?’
Daffy nodded firmly. ‘I shan’t mention your name, Katie, for you aren’t to blame. You tried to talk me out of it, and I wouldn’t listen.’
‘Daffy, the Head is going to come
down awfully hard on you,’ said Katie, looking rather scared. ‘She might even ….’
The girl’s voice tailed off, and Daffy said, ‘Expel me? Yes, I know that.’
‘But think how upset your people will be!’ cried Katie.
Daffy’s face quivered, but she took a deep breath, and said, ‘The very last thing I want to do is hurt my parents. But I don’t feel that I can stay at Malory Towers unless I own up, so either way I will have to leave.’
Katie understood this, and respected her friend for making the difficult decision to tell Miss Grayling everything. All the same, she felt very unhappy as she watched her friend walk away, for the first form without Daffy just wouldn’t be the same.
Miss Grayling had been to see Violet that morning and, although she had barely been able to croak, the girl had told her the whole story of how she had come to be in the shed, and how the fire had started.
When Violet had asked anxiously how she was to be punished, Miss Grayling had replied, ‘Well, I think that what you suffered last night was punishment enough. And, as it is so close to the end of term, I shall allow you to keep your pet at school with you for the last few days. But please leave her at home next term, Violet, or I shall take a very dim view indeed!’
Violet, who had really feared that she might be expelled, felt most relieved, but the Head was far more worried than she had appeared, and later that day she sent for Miss Potts, to discuss the matter.
‘I don’t believe for a moment that the cat was taken by a kidnapper,’ said Miss Grayling.
‘I agree with you,’ said Miss Potts. ‘I think it is much more likely to have been one of the girls playing a trick.’
‘Have you any idea who the culprit could be, Miss Potts?’ asked the Head. ‘After all, you know the first formers far better than I do.’
Miss Potts was just considering this when a knock came at the door.
Miss Grayling’s voice was rather sharp as she called out, ‘Come in!’, for she was annoyed at being interrupted.
She frowned when Daffy Hope walked in, and said, ‘Daphne, I am discussing something very important with Miss Potts at the moment, and must ask you to come back later.’