like to take the art side — any decorations and so on,” said Belinda.
“I draw very well,” whispered Maureen to Gwen. “I could help with that. Shall I say so?”
“No,” said Gwen, who couldn’t draw anything, and didn’t particularly want this new girl to shine.
“I’ll take on the costumes,” said Janet, who was extremely clever with her needle, and made all her own dresses. “I’d love to help with those.”
“Good,” said Moira, approvingly.
“Could I — do you think I could help with the singing part of it?” said Mavis, hesitatingly. “I don’t want to push myself forward — but if there’s to be any singing — you know, choruses and all that — I could train them. I’ve had such a lot of training myself I think I’d know how to set about it.”
“Right. That’s a good idea,” said Moira.
“And if there’s any solo-work, you can sing it yourself!” called Darrell. “Your voice is lovely now.”
Mavis flushed with pleasure. “Oh well — I’ll see. There might not be any,” she said. “It depends what we do, doesn’t it?”
“That leaves Alicia, Darrell, Sally and myself for general things — the organization,” said Moira, who was certainly able to handle a meeting well, and make it get on with things. “We’ll have to work together smoothly, efficiently — and amicably.”
She glanced at Alicia, as she spoke, a quick, rather hostile glance, a mere flick of the eyes. But Alicia caught it and noted it. That word “amicably” was meant for her. All right — she would be amicable just as long as Moira was — and not a moment longer!
“Well, now that we’ve got the members of the committee settled, we’ll get on with the next thing,” said Moira. “What kind of entertainment shall we give?”
“Pantomime!”
“No — a play — a humorous play! Let’s do A Quiet Week-End !”
“A variety show!”
“A ballet! Oh, do let’s do a ballet!”
The last suggestion was from a girl who was a beautiful ballet dancer. She was cried down.
“No, no — that’s too one-sided. We can’t all dance!”
“Well, let’s have something that everyone can be in, and do something in.”
“Well, it had better be a pantomime then,” said Moira. “We can have songs, dances, acting and all kinds of sideshows in that. A pantomime never sticks to its story — it just does what it likes.”
After some more shouting and discussion a pantomime was decided on, and for some reason or other Cinderella found more favour than any other pantomime idea.
Gwen and Maureen immediately had visions of themselves as perfect Cinderellas, loose hair and all. Maureen turned to Gwen.
“How I’d love to act Cinderella,” she murmured. “At my last school I...”
“Let’s see now — what was your last school?” asked Belinda at once.
Poor Maureen didn’t dare to say the name. She turned her back on Belinda. “At my last school I was once Cinderella,” she said. “I was a great success. I...”
Gwen didn’t like this kind of thing at all. She began to think Maureen very boring and conceited. Why, she had been about to say what a good Cinderella she would make! She didn’t consider that Maureen, with her weak, silly, rabbit-mouthed face would make a good leading lady at all.
“We’ll choose Cinderella for our pantomime story then,” said Moira. “We will write the whole thing ourselves. Darrell, you’re good at essays — you can draft it out.”
Darrell looked enormously surprised. “Draft it out — draft out a whole pantomime !” she exclaimed. “Oh, I couldn’t. I wouldn’t know how to begin.”
“You’ve only got to get the script of one or two other pantomimes to see how to set about it,” said Moira. “Can you write verse — and words for songs? We’ll have to have those, too.”
Darrell wished fervently she wasn’t on the Committee at all. Why, this was going to be Real Hard Work — just as she thought she was going to have a nice slack
“I draw very well,” whispered Maureen to Gwen. “I could help with that. Shall I say so?”
“No,” said Gwen, who couldn’t draw anything, and didn’t particularly want this new girl to shine.
“I’ll take on the costumes,” said Janet, who was extremely clever with her needle, and made all her own dresses. “I’d love to help with those.”
“Good,” said Moira, approvingly.
“Could I — do you think I could help with the singing part of it?” said Mavis, hesitatingly. “I don’t want to push myself forward — but if there’s to be any singing — you know, choruses and all that — I could train them. I’ve had such a lot of training myself I think I’d know how to set about it.”
“Right. That’s a good idea,” said Moira.
“And if there’s any solo-work, you can sing it yourself!” called Darrell. “Your voice is lovely now.”
Mavis flushed with pleasure. “Oh well — I’ll see. There might not be any,” she said. “It depends what we do, doesn’t it?”
“That leaves Alicia, Darrell, Sally and myself for general things — the organization,” said Moira, who was certainly able to handle a meeting well, and make it get on with things. “We’ll have to work together smoothly, efficiently — and amicably.”
She glanced at Alicia, as she spoke, a quick, rather hostile glance, a mere flick of the eyes. But Alicia caught it and noted it. That word “amicably” was meant for her. All right — she would be amicable just as long as Moira was — and not a moment longer!
“Well, now that we’ve got the members of the committee settled, we’ll get on with the next thing,” said Moira. “What kind of entertainment shall we give?”
“Pantomime!”
“No — a play — a humorous play! Let’s do A Quiet Week-End !”
“A variety show!”
“A ballet! Oh, do let’s do a ballet!”
The last suggestion was from a girl who was a beautiful ballet dancer. She was cried down.
“No, no — that’s too one-sided. We can’t all dance!”
“Well, let’s have something that everyone can be in, and do something in.”
“Well, it had better be a pantomime then,” said Moira. “We can have songs, dances, acting and all kinds of sideshows in that. A pantomime never sticks to its story — it just does what it likes.”
After some more shouting and discussion a pantomime was decided on, and for some reason or other Cinderella found more favour than any other pantomime idea.
Gwen and Maureen immediately had visions of themselves as perfect Cinderellas, loose hair and all. Maureen turned to Gwen.
“How I’d love to act Cinderella,” she murmured. “At my last school I...”
“Let’s see now — what was your last school?” asked Belinda at once.
Poor Maureen didn’t dare to say the name. She turned her back on Belinda. “At my last school I was once Cinderella,” she said. “I was a great success. I...”
Gwen didn’t like this kind of thing at all. She began to think Maureen very boring and conceited. Why, she had been about to say what a good Cinderella she would make! She didn’t consider that Maureen, with her weak, silly, rabbit-mouthed face would make a good leading lady at all.
“We’ll choose Cinderella for our pantomime story then,” said Moira. “We will write the whole thing ourselves. Darrell, you’re good at essays — you can draft it out.”
Darrell looked enormously surprised. “Draft it out — draft out a whole pantomime !” she exclaimed. “Oh, I couldn’t. I wouldn’t know how to begin.”
“You’ve only got to get the script of one or two other pantomimes to see how to set about it,” said Moira. “Can you write verse — and words for songs? We’ll have to have those, too.”
Darrell wished fervently she wasn’t on the Committee at all. Why, this was going to be Real Hard Work — just as she thought she was going to have a nice slack
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