Sally was cross to see how pleased Alicia apparently was, and how Darrell welcomed her delight. 'Oh dear!' she thought, T am getting horrid! I can't even make myself say all the nice things to Darrell I'd like to say, just because Alicia got there first!'
Darrell was rather surprised that Sally didn't seem as pleased as she had expected her to be. 'Aren't you glad, Sally?' she asked anxiously. 'It's an honour for the third form, you know. Do say you're pleased!'
'Of course I'm pleased!' said Sally. 'It's—it's fine. You've done jolly well, Darrell.'
But she didn't sound very whole-hearted about it and Darrell felt faintly disappointed. Never mind! Alicia was thrilled—and so were the others. Perhaps Sally was still feeling a bit out of things having come back so late in the term.
The next excitement was a notice put up on the board, next to the notice about Darrell, to say that Miss Hibbert, the English mistress, was going to start rehearsals for 'Romeo and Juliet'. All third-formers were to go to the art-room to be tried out for parts.
'Blow!' said Gwendoline, who didn't like Miss Hibbert because she had so often ticked her off for being affected and silly in her acting. T was hoping she had forgotten about the play. It's such a waste of time.'
'Oh no, it isn't,' said Zerelda, who had brightened up very much at the notice. 'Acting is marvellous! That's a thing 1 really can do. I did Lady Macbeth over in...'
'Yes, we know you did,' interrupted Daphne. 'We ought to know by now, anyway! You tell us often enough.'
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'I suppose you fancy yourself in one of the chief parts, Daphne?' said Alicia. 'What a disappointment you'll get! Anyway, if Zerelda's so good, she'll play Juliet—if she can get rid of that American drawl!'
Zerelda looked alarmed. 'Do you think my way of speaking will stop me having a good part?' she asked.
'Well—I can't imagine Shakespeare's Juliet talking with a pronounced American accent,' said Alicia. 'Still—if you act the part well enough I don't see why you shouldn't get it!'
Zerelda had been rather subdued lately, but now she came to life again, with the hope of starring in 'Romeo and Juliet'! She paid a tremendous lot of attention to her appearance and spent as much time as she dared in front of her looking-glass. She also tried to get rid of her American drawl!
This amused the class very much. Zerelda had never made the slightest attempt before to speak in the English way and had laughed at the English accent and called it silly. Now she badgered everyone to tell her how to pronounce the words the way they did.
'Well, try to say "wonderful" with the D in the middle, instead of "wunnerful", for a start,' said Darrell. 'And say "twenty-four" with the T in the middle, instead of "twermy-four". And couldn't you say "stop" instead of "starp" and "shop" instead of "sharp"? Or can't you hear the difference?'
Zerelda patiently tried to master the English way of speaking, much to Miss Peter's astonishment. She had felt quite pleased with Zerelda's efforts to keep up with the work of the fonn, but she was still annoyed with the girl's constant attention to her hair and appearance. Nor did she like Zerelda's still grown-up air, and her habit of appearing to look down on the others just because they were school-girls.
'Now I'll show them all!' thought Zerelda, studying the part of Juliet with great attention. 'Now they'll see what I mean when 1 say I'm going to be one of the greatest of all film stars!'
13 ZERELDA'S UNFORTUNATE REHEARSAL
MISS HIBBERT took a great deal of trouble in producing the school plays. She gave her time to each form in turn, and really achieved some excellent results. This term it was the third form's turn. They were to give the play towards the end of the term. They were thankful not to be doing French plays. Both the Mam'zelles took a hand in producing those, and as they had quite different ideas about acting, it was a little trying for the actors.
' Does Miss Hibbert choose the characters the first time?' asked Zerelda.
'Oh no—she tries us all out in almost every part several times,' said Darrell. 'She does that for two reasons—she says that in that way she really does find the right actor for every part—and we all get to know every part of the play and work better as a team.'
'Gee, that's wunnerful—I mean, wonderful,'said Zerelda. 'I've been studying Juliet's part. It's a lovely one. Would you like to hear me do some of the lines?'
'Well—I'm just going out to my lacrosse practice,' said Darrell. 'Sorry! Look—ask Alicia. She's got nothing to do this period.'
But Alicia was not going to admire Zerelda's Juliet. She got up hastily. 'Sorry! I've got to go to a meeting, Zerelda. But I'm sure you'd be just wunnerful!'
'I'll hear you, Zerelda,' said Gwendoline, glad of an opportunity to please the American girl. 'Let's go into one of the empty music-practice-rooms, where you won't be disturbed. It will be lovely to see you act. I'm sure you must be awfully good. As good as—what's the star you like so
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much—oh yes, Lossie Laxton!'
'Well, maybe I'm not up to her standard yet,' said Zerelda, fluffing up her hair in the way Lossie did on the films. 'Okay, Gwen—we'll go to a practice-room,'
But they were all full, and music sounded from each of them, with the exception of one at the end. Irene was there, poring over a music score.
'I say, Irene,' said Gwen, going in, 'can you...'
'Go away,' said Irene, fiercely. 'I'm busy. Can't you see?'
'Well, you're not needing the piano, are you?' said Zerelda. 'Can't you do your work, whatever it is, somewhere else?'
'No, I can't. I shall want to try it out on the piano in a minute,' said Irene. 'Go away. Interrupting me like that!'
Zerelda was surprised. She had never seen Irene so annoyed before. But Gwendoline had. She knew that Irene could not bear to be disturbed when she was concentrating on her music, whether it was writing it out, or playing it on the piano.
'Come on,' she said to Zerelda. 'Let's go.'
'Yes. GO!' said Irene, with a desperate expression on her face. 'You've stopped me just when it was all coming beautifully. Blow you both!'
'Well, really, Irene, I do think you might let us use this room if you're only playing about with pencil and paper,' began Zerelda. 'I want to recite some lines of Juliet and...'
Then Irene went quite mad. She threw her music, her pencil and her music-case at the alarmed Zerelda. 'You're daft!' she shouted. 'Give up my music-hour for your silly acting! Oh yes, I know you're going to be a wonderful film¬star, parading about in marvellous clothes, thinking of third-rate things if ever you do have a thought in your head—but what's all that compared to music! I tell you I'm...'
But Zerelda and Gwen did not not wait to hear any more. They saw Irene looking round for something else to throw and as there was a vase of flowers on the little mantelpiece
ZERELDA'S UNFORTUNATE REHEARSAL 81
Gwen thought the sooner they went out of the room the better.
' Weill' said Zerelda. Tfthat doesn't beat all! Irene'smad!'
'Not really,' said Gwen. 'It's only when she feels sort of inspired, and music comes welling up into her mind and she has to write it down. She's got the real artistic temperament, I suppose.'
'Well, so have I,' said Zerelda at once. 'But I don't go mad like that. I wouldn't have believed it of her.'
'She can't help it,' said Gwendoline. 'It's only when she's interrupted. Look—there's Lucy going out of one of the practice-rooms. We can have that one if we're quick!'
They slipped into the room that Lucy had just left. Gwendoline sat down, ready to listen for hours if she could please Zerelda and make her feel really friendly towards her. Zerelda struck a lovesick attitutde and began.
'Wilt thou be gone? It is a not yet near day; It was the nightingale and not the lark, That pierced the fearful hollow of thine ear; Nightly she sings on yon pomegranate-tree; Believe me, love, it was the nightingale.'
Gwendoline listened with a rapt
and admiring expression on her face. She had no idea at all whether Zerelda was good or not, but that made no difference to her praise.
'It's marvellous!' she said, when Zerelda at last stopped for breath. 'However have you learnt such a lot? My goodness, you do act well. And you really look the part, Zerelda, with your hair and all.'
'Do I?' said Zerelda, pleased. She always enjoyed herself when she was acting. T know what I'll do. I'll shake my hair loose. And I'll wrap this tablecloth round me. No-it's not big enough. The curtain will do!'
To Gwendoline's amusement Zerelda took down the blue curtain and swathed it round herself over her brown school tunic. She undid her brilliant hair and shook it all over her
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shoulder. She decided to put the tablecloth round her too. Ah—now she felt more like Juliet. Holding her hands out pathetically in front of her she began another speech. It sounded really a little queer because Zerelda tried very hard to speak in the English way but kept lapsing into her usual drawl, so that the whole effect was rather funny.
Gwendoline wanted to laugh but she knew how offended Zerelda would be. The American girl paraded up and down, declaiming her speeches most dramatically, the blue curtain dragging behind her like a train, her hair almost hiding one eye.
Someone looked in. It was Bessie, a second-former. She had come to practice. But seeing two third- formers there, she fled. Then a fourth-former came. She was not scared of third-formers, but was very much astonished to see Zerelda and her strange raiment.
'I've got to practise,' she said, coming in. 'Clear out'
Zerelda stopped indignantly. 'Clear out yourself!' she said. 'Gee, of all the nerve! Can't you see I'm rehearsing?'
'No, I can't,' said the fourth-former. 'And wait till a mistress sees you in that curtain—you'll be for it, Zerelda Brass. Clear out now, both of you. I'm late already.'
Zerelda decided to go all temperamental like Irene. She caught up her book of Shakespeare's plays and threw it at the fourth-former. Most unfortunately at that moment Matron came by, and, as she always did, glanced into the practice-room to see that each girl there was practising. She was filled with astonishment to see somebody wearing a curtain and a tabecloth, with hair all over her face, throwing a book at a girl about to sit down at the piano.
She opened the door sharply, making everyone jump. 'What's all this? What are you doing? Oh, it's vow, Zerelda. What on earth have you got the curtain round you for? Are you quite mad? And what has happened to your hair? It looks a hundred times worse than usual. Janet, get on with your practising. Gwendoline, you shouldn't be here when a fourth-
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former is practising. As for you, Zerelda, if I see any more tempersJike that, I shall report you to Miss Grayling! Throwing books at one another indeed! A third-former too! You'll go down into the first form if you behave like that!'
The girls couldn't get a word in, for Matron fired all this off at top speed. She pushed Janet firmly down on the stool, shooed Gwendoline out as if she was a hen, and took Zerelda firmly by the shoulder.
'You'll just come with me and let me find out if you've torn the cloth or the curtain,' she said. 'If you have you'll sit down in my room under my eye and mend it. And while I think of it—if you don't darn your stockings better than you have been doing, I shall have to ask you to come to me for darning lessons.'
Angry and embarrassed, poor Zerelda had to walk down the corridor after Matron, trying to take the curtain and cloth away from her shoulders and waist, and wishing she could tie her hair back.
But Matron would give her no time to rearrange or tidy herself. This stuck-up, affected American girl had annoyed Matron so often—now Matron was getting a bit of her own back! Let everyone see Zerelda in this rumpled, ridiculous state!
And most unfortunately for Zerelda they met a whole batch of giggling second-formers, who stared at Zerelda in delighted amazement.
'What's she done? Where's Matron taking her? Doesn't she look awfulV poor Zerelda heard the twelve-year-olds say. She blushed miserably and looked round for Gwen. But Gwen had gone. She knew Matron in this mood, and she wasn't going to go near her if she could help it!
They met Mam'zelle at the bend of the stairs, and Mam'zelle exclaimed in surpirse. 'Tiensl What is this? Zerelda! Your hair!'
'Yes. I'm dealing with her, Mam'zelle,'said Matron firmly. She and Mam'zelle were usually at war with one another, so
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Matron did not stop to talk, but swept Zerelda along to her room at top speed, leaving Mam'zelle to gape and wonder.
Fortunately for Zerelda, Matron could find no damage done to either the tablecloth or the curtain. She was quite disappointed! She did Zerelda's hair for her herself, and Zerelda was so overcome by Matron's briskness and ability to talk without stopping that she submitted without saying a word.
Matron plaited Zerelda's hair into two fat plaits! Zerelda had never had her hair plaited in her life. She sat there, horror-struck. This awful school! Whatever would happen to her next?
'There,' said Matron, satisfied at last, tying the ends of the plaits with blue tape. She stepped back. 'Now you look a proper schoolgirl, Zerelda—and very sensible and nice too. Why you want to go about pretending you are twenty, I don't know.'
Zerelda got up weakly. She caught a glimpse of herself in the glass. How awful Could that really be herself? Why, she looked a nobody—just like all the other English girls. She crept out of Matron's room and fled up to the dormy to try and put her hair right.
She met Miss Peters, who stared at her as if she didn't know her. Zerelda smiled a weak smile and tried to get by without a word.
'Well—ZereldaV she heard Miss Peters say, as if she couldn't believe her eyes. Zerelda shot down the corridor, praying that she would not meet anyone else.
Gwendoline was in the dormy, and she too stared at Zerelda as if she was seeing a ghost.
'Did Matron do that to you?' she asked. 'Oh, Zerelda— you look like a real schoolgirl now—not a bit like yourself. Oh, I must tell the others that Matron plaited your hair.'
'If you dare to repeat such a thing I'll never speak to you again!' said Zerelda, in such a fierce voice that Gwen was quite scared. She shook her hair free of the plaits. 'This horrible school! I'll never forgive Matron, never!'
14 BILL IS CAUGHT!
ALICIA had not been allowed to forget the sneezing trick. All the form begged her to do it—except Sally. Sally still said she thought it was a dangerous joke to play, but Alicia laughed at her.
'You only say that because it's my trick!' she said, knowing that Sally was jealous of her friendship with Darrell. 'If it was Irene's joke or Jean's you'd be thrilled.'
Jean was torn between her desire to see the trick played and her feeling that as head-girl she ought not to be too encouraging. Still, head-girls couldn't be too strict and prirn-and she did badly want to see what would happen!
'There's to be a maths test next week,' said Alicia. 'That's the time to do it! I bet we'll get out of the test all right. A-tish-oo!'
Everyone laughed. Darrell hugged herself. Oh, school was such fun! She enjoyed every single minute of it. She loved her work and her play, she loved the company of the chattering girls, she loved being third reserve—oh, everything was wonderful! This was the nicest term she had ever had.
Then she saw Bill looking anything but happy. Poor Bill! She was worried because Thunder was still not himself. Nobody else seemed to notice it—but Bill knew. Thunder wasn't just homesick, as she had thought at first. He wasn't well. She was very worried about him—and the more worried she got, the less attention she paid to her work, and the crosser she made Miss Peters.
' Wilhelmina! Will you please pay attention! Wilhelmina! Will you repeat what I have just said? Wilhelmina, I will not have you in my class if you persist in looking out of the window and dreaming!' It was 'Wilhelmina! Wilhelmina!' al
l the time.
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It was dreadful. Bill was really very miserable now, but she said very little unless anyone actually asked her about Thunder. She knew that Jean disapproved strongly of her continual disobedience. But she simply couldn't help it! She must, must see Thunder each day, especially just now. Miss Peters was beginning to be puzzled over Bill. If the girl was so fond of her horse, why did she keep earning punishments forbidding her to see him? Miss Peters thought back a few days. Why, Bill couldn't have seen her beloved horse all the week. And yet she hadn't complained about it!
A suspicion came into Miss Peter's mind. Was Bill being disobedient? Surely not! Disobedience was not a thing that Miss Peters had to deal with very often. Girls rarely dared to disobey even her slightest word. She was noted for her good discipline.
She spoke about it to Miss Potts, who was in charge of North Tower, 'I'm puzzled about Wilhemina, Miss Potts. I can't make her out. She is such a terrible dreamer, and yet she looks such a sensible, hard-headed little thing! Then,too, she seems so fond of that horse of hers—and yet although she know 1 shall punish her by forbidding her to see him, she goes on being silly and getting punished! She can't have seen that horse of hers for a whole week now!'
Miss Potts looked startled. She frowned, trying to remember something clearly, 'Well—that's funny—I could swear I saw Wilhemina in the stables yesterday when I went by, I looked in at the windows as I passed—and I'm almost certain it was Wilhemina—standing beside a big black horse.'
"Yes—that would be Thunder,' said Miss Peters, grimly. 'The untrustworthy, disobedient little monkey! If I catch her disobeying I shall insist that the horse is sent back to her home. She can ride one of the school horses intead, I will not have her mooning all the morning over that horse, nice as he is—and being disobedient like that.'