Now, for heaven’s sake stand up straight .’
Well, if I upset Miss Hopkins, Miss Hopkins certainly upsets me. I think she is horrible, and I do wish Daisy wasn’t so obsessed with her.
That lesson, though, I almost had too much to think about to mind being in Dance. It was the first time I had been back in the Gym since it happened, and although it was tidy and ordinary, the floor polished to a shine by Jones the handyman, I still found myself shivering and twitching with nerves. When I walked through the doorway at the beginning of the lesson, I stumbled, and Daisy had to clap me on the back and whisper, ‘Buck up, Hazel!’ to get me moving again.
We began to dance. One -two-three, one -two-three, round in circles I moved, staring about me at the great big glassy windows and balance beams, and feeling amazed that nothing in the Gym had changed at all.
Round and round we danced, faster and faster, and then I looked over towards the balcony and caught sight of that little dark stain on the floorboards. Jones had obviously tried to scrub it away, but it was still there underneath the polish. Suddenly I remembered how Miss Bell had looked lying there, and how her head had rolled away from me in that awful, sloppy movement.
Forgetting Daisy’s command to buck up, I turned my head in fascination and bumped into Beanie. Beanie squealed and grabbed at my gym tunic, I tripped against her and we both went crashing to the floor.
The fall was painful, but Miss Hopkins’s response to it was extremely surprising. Instead of bawling at us, she merely came over to where we were lying (I flinched automatically) and said, ‘Goodness, girls, how careless of you. Come on now, get up.’ It was a miracle, I thought. Or – wait, was this suspicious behaviour? Was this the sort of thing those detectives in Daisy’s books would make a note of? I peered up at Miss Hopkins, and decided that there was definitely something wrong with her. She was looking at me and smiling .
Still wondering what it could mean, I tried to get to my feet. Then I yelped and hurriedly sat back down again. My ankle was in agony.
‘Oh dear,’ said Miss Hopkins, still with that same bewilderingly cheerful look on her face. ‘You’ve twisted it. It’ll be quite all right in a while, but don’t worry about finishing the lesson. Come along, Beanie, you’re not hurt. Up you get. What is it, Daisy?’
Daisy, of course, had come running over as soon as she saw me fall down.
‘Miss Hopkins, can I take Hazel to San?’ she asked.
‘Oh, yes, why not,’ said Miss Hopkins. Now, I know that Miss Hopkins adores Daisy almost as much as Daisy adores her, but that sort of request from anyone ought to have made her suspicious. It didn’t. What on earth had happened to Miss Hopkins? ‘Thank you Daisy. All right, the rest of you, back to work!’
And just like that, Dance carried on without us. It was nearly the most surprising thing to happen all week – apart from finding Miss Bell’s dead body, of course.
5
Daisy pulled me to my feet, and we hobbled three-legged out of the Gym.
‘Daisy!’ I gasped, partly from amazement and partly from the pain in my ankle, which was awfully bad. ‘Something’s up with Miss Hopkins! She’s behaving extremely strangely! Did you see her just now? I think it might be suspicious behaviour.’
Daisy scowled at me. ‘Hazel,’ she said, ‘you must stop accusing mistresses who we know can’t be suspects.’
‘I’m not accusing her! I only—’
‘Miss Hopkins was up in the Pavilion Monday evening. She couldn’t possibly have done it. All that’s happened is that you’ve given us a lovely excuse to wander round the school and do some detective work.’
‘Oh, all right,’ I said, a bit cross that she was ignoring what I had said. ‘But can I at least see Minny first for my ankle?’ By Minny I meant Nurse Minn in the school sanatorium, our little sick-bay; girls go there with anything from a cut knee to
Well, if I upset Miss Hopkins, Miss Hopkins certainly upsets me. I think she is horrible, and I do wish Daisy wasn’t so obsessed with her.
That lesson, though, I almost had too much to think about to mind being in Dance. It was the first time I had been back in the Gym since it happened, and although it was tidy and ordinary, the floor polished to a shine by Jones the handyman, I still found myself shivering and twitching with nerves. When I walked through the doorway at the beginning of the lesson, I stumbled, and Daisy had to clap me on the back and whisper, ‘Buck up, Hazel!’ to get me moving again.
We began to dance. One -two-three, one -two-three, round in circles I moved, staring about me at the great big glassy windows and balance beams, and feeling amazed that nothing in the Gym had changed at all.
Round and round we danced, faster and faster, and then I looked over towards the balcony and caught sight of that little dark stain on the floorboards. Jones had obviously tried to scrub it away, but it was still there underneath the polish. Suddenly I remembered how Miss Bell had looked lying there, and how her head had rolled away from me in that awful, sloppy movement.
Forgetting Daisy’s command to buck up, I turned my head in fascination and bumped into Beanie. Beanie squealed and grabbed at my gym tunic, I tripped against her and we both went crashing to the floor.
The fall was painful, but Miss Hopkins’s response to it was extremely surprising. Instead of bawling at us, she merely came over to where we were lying (I flinched automatically) and said, ‘Goodness, girls, how careless of you. Come on now, get up.’ It was a miracle, I thought. Or – wait, was this suspicious behaviour? Was this the sort of thing those detectives in Daisy’s books would make a note of? I peered up at Miss Hopkins, and decided that there was definitely something wrong with her. She was looking at me and smiling .
Still wondering what it could mean, I tried to get to my feet. Then I yelped and hurriedly sat back down again. My ankle was in agony.
‘Oh dear,’ said Miss Hopkins, still with that same bewilderingly cheerful look on her face. ‘You’ve twisted it. It’ll be quite all right in a while, but don’t worry about finishing the lesson. Come along, Beanie, you’re not hurt. Up you get. What is it, Daisy?’
Daisy, of course, had come running over as soon as she saw me fall down.
‘Miss Hopkins, can I take Hazel to San?’ she asked.
‘Oh, yes, why not,’ said Miss Hopkins. Now, I know that Miss Hopkins adores Daisy almost as much as Daisy adores her, but that sort of request from anyone ought to have made her suspicious. It didn’t. What on earth had happened to Miss Hopkins? ‘Thank you Daisy. All right, the rest of you, back to work!’
And just like that, Dance carried on without us. It was nearly the most surprising thing to happen all week – apart from finding Miss Bell’s dead body, of course.
5
Daisy pulled me to my feet, and we hobbled three-legged out of the Gym.
‘Daisy!’ I gasped, partly from amazement and partly from the pain in my ankle, which was awfully bad. ‘Something’s up with Miss Hopkins! She’s behaving extremely strangely! Did you see her just now? I think it might be suspicious behaviour.’
Daisy scowled at me. ‘Hazel,’ she said, ‘you must stop accusing mistresses who we know can’t be suspects.’
‘I’m not accusing her! I only—’
‘Miss Hopkins was up in the Pavilion Monday evening. She couldn’t possibly have done it. All that’s happened is that you’ve given us a lovely excuse to wander round the school and do some detective work.’
‘Oh, all right,’ I said, a bit cross that she was ignoring what I had said. ‘But can I at least see Minny first for my ankle?’ By Minny I meant Nurse Minn in the school sanatorium, our little sick-bay; girls go there with anything from a cut knee to
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