Mam'zelle left the first-form room, Hilda politely offered to brush down her skirt, as it was all dusty with chalk.
“ Tiens !” said Mam'zelle, looking down at it. This blackboard chalk! It is not good for dresses. Thank you, Hilda, vous êtes gentile ! You are kind.
She stood like a lamb whilst Hilda assiduously brushed her skirt back and front, and got rid of the pink ‘OY’. Then she walked out of the room. The second-formers, who had finished their lesson, were watching for her, hoping to brush her down themselves before she went off to the little room she shared with Miss Potts.
With great relief they saw that Mam'zelle's skirt was now spotless. They went back into their form-room and sank down into their chairs.
Thank goodness!” said Alicia. “We might have got into a first-class row over mat Potty or Nosey would certainly have reported it if they'd seen that ‘OY’ You know how annoyed the mistresses get if they think we've been really disrespectful, Darrell. You were an idiot! I suppose Sally put you up to it. Fine head of form she is!”
“Shut up!” said Darrell, annoyed with herself and everyone else too. “Sally had nothing to do with it. I just didn't think, that's all.”
The term goes on
The affair of the invisible chalk was talked about for days afterwards. Some of the upper school got to hear about it, and secretly wished they too could have seen Mam'zelle's ‘OY’ Those in the know grinned at Darrell when they met her and whispered ‘OY’ into her ear!
It seemed as if everyone thought that the whole idea was Darrell's, and Alicia and Betty were annoyed about it Why should Darrell get all the credit, when all she had done was to make that word appear on Mam'zelle's skirt, and risk getting the whole of the form into very serious trouble?
The two of them cold-shouldered Darrell, and Darrell retaliated by ignoring them as much as she could. She knew that Alicia was still sore about not being head-girl, and was not being nice to Sally. Darrell was loyal, and she was not going to have that if she could help it!
Alicia's tongue grew wild and sharp again. Darrell, knowing that Alicia was trying to make her lose her temper, grew red with suppressed rage, but said nothing. She mustn't lose her temper, she mustn't I If she did she would begin to shout, she might even throw something at Alicia—and then she would put herself in the wrong immediately. So she looked as if she was going to burst, but didn't.
And it was very bad for her. Sally tried to calm her down, but that made Darrell worse.
“Don't you see that it's because you're my friend that I get so wild with Alicia?” Darrell would say. “She could say all she liked about me, I wouldn't care—but it's hard to sit and listen to things about you, Sally, All because she's jealous. She just says them because she knows I've got a temper and want to stick up for you.”
“Well, for goodness sake don't go and fall into her trap.” said the sensible Sally. That would be idiotic. She and Betty would have the laugh over you easily.” So poor Darrell had to grit her teeth and say nothing when Alicia and Betty had one of their cross-talk conversations to bait her.
“ Dear Sally!” Alicia would say. “Always so good—and yet so dull. The Perfect Head-Girl. Don't you think so, Betty?”
“Oh, I do so agree with you,” Betty would say, with a smile that infuriated Darrell. “Think what a good example she is to us all—dear, conscientious Sally. Really, I feel overcome with shame at my faults when I see Sally sitting so prim and good in class. Not a joke, not a smile. Such a model for all of us!”
“What should we do without her?” Alicia would go on, glancing slyly at Darrell to see if she was at bursting-point yet. If Darrell got up and went away, the two counted it as a victory for them—but poor Darrell knew quite well that if she stayed much longer, her mouth would open and she would say things she would regret bitterly
“ Tiens !” said Mam'zelle, looking down at it. This blackboard chalk! It is not good for dresses. Thank you, Hilda, vous êtes gentile ! You are kind.
She stood like a lamb whilst Hilda assiduously brushed her skirt back and front, and got rid of the pink ‘OY’. Then she walked out of the room. The second-formers, who had finished their lesson, were watching for her, hoping to brush her down themselves before she went off to the little room she shared with Miss Potts.
With great relief they saw that Mam'zelle's skirt was now spotless. They went back into their form-room and sank down into their chairs.
Thank goodness!” said Alicia. “We might have got into a first-class row over mat Potty or Nosey would certainly have reported it if they'd seen that ‘OY’ You know how annoyed the mistresses get if they think we've been really disrespectful, Darrell. You were an idiot! I suppose Sally put you up to it. Fine head of form she is!”
“Shut up!” said Darrell, annoyed with herself and everyone else too. “Sally had nothing to do with it. I just didn't think, that's all.”
The term goes on
The affair of the invisible chalk was talked about for days afterwards. Some of the upper school got to hear about it, and secretly wished they too could have seen Mam'zelle's ‘OY’ Those in the know grinned at Darrell when they met her and whispered ‘OY’ into her ear!
It seemed as if everyone thought that the whole idea was Darrell's, and Alicia and Betty were annoyed about it Why should Darrell get all the credit, when all she had done was to make that word appear on Mam'zelle's skirt, and risk getting the whole of the form into very serious trouble?
The two of them cold-shouldered Darrell, and Darrell retaliated by ignoring them as much as she could. She knew that Alicia was still sore about not being head-girl, and was not being nice to Sally. Darrell was loyal, and she was not going to have that if she could help it!
Alicia's tongue grew wild and sharp again. Darrell, knowing that Alicia was trying to make her lose her temper, grew red with suppressed rage, but said nothing. She mustn't lose her temper, she mustn't I If she did she would begin to shout, she might even throw something at Alicia—and then she would put herself in the wrong immediately. So she looked as if she was going to burst, but didn't.
And it was very bad for her. Sally tried to calm her down, but that made Darrell worse.
“Don't you see that it's because you're my friend that I get so wild with Alicia?” Darrell would say. “She could say all she liked about me, I wouldn't care—but it's hard to sit and listen to things about you, Sally, All because she's jealous. She just says them because she knows I've got a temper and want to stick up for you.”
“Well, for goodness sake don't go and fall into her trap.” said the sensible Sally. That would be idiotic. She and Betty would have the laugh over you easily.” So poor Darrell had to grit her teeth and say nothing when Alicia and Betty had one of their cross-talk conversations to bait her.
“ Dear Sally!” Alicia would say. “Always so good—and yet so dull. The Perfect Head-Girl. Don't you think so, Betty?”
“Oh, I do so agree with you,” Betty would say, with a smile that infuriated Darrell. “Think what a good example she is to us all—dear, conscientious Sally. Really, I feel overcome with shame at my faults when I see Sally sitting so prim and good in class. Not a joke, not a smile. Such a model for all of us!”
“What should we do without her?” Alicia would go on, glancing slyly at Darrell to see if she was at bursting-point yet. If Darrell got up and went away, the two counted it as a victory for them—but poor Darrell knew quite well that if she stayed much longer, her mouth would open and she would say things she would regret bitterly
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