The Worst Witch and the Wishing Star by Jill Murphy Page A

‘I was on my morning lantern round, minding my own business, when Ethel flew up behind me and grabbed my bag and –’
    ‘I didn’t just grab it,’ said Ethel. ‘I was trying to stop you from hiding that dog!’
     

     
    Miss Hardbroom brushed a floating piece of charred owl costume from her nose as they all looked down at Star, now cowering behind Mildred.
    ‘Go to Miss Cackle’s office,’ said Miss Hardbroom in a voice quivering with anger, ‘and wait for me there while I attend to this mess. Then we will need to gather everyone together in the Great Hall, where you can both explain to your fellow pupils why all their hard work has been in vain.
I’ll
take the dog, Mildred,’ she added as the two girls turned to leave the scene of their crime, followed closely by Star.
    ‘He needs to go out, Miss Hardbroom,’ gibbered Mildred. ‘Could I just –’
    ‘No, you couldn’t,’ snapped Miss Hardbroom. ‘
I’ll
take him if he needs to go out, Mildred, he’s no longer any concern of yours. Give me your sash so that I can use it as a lead.’
    Mildred took off her sash and knelt down to tie it round Star’s neck. ‘Do as you’re told, won’t you?’ she said in a quavering voice, as he tried to jump up and lick her face. ‘Be a good dog – he’s called Star, Miss Hardbroom.’
    She handed the makeshift lead to the terrifying teacher but to Mildred’s surprise the little dog didn’t struggle at all. He just sat down, stuck his nose in the air and began to howl mournfully, as if he knew that all was lost.
     

CHAPTER NINETEEN
     

 
    ave you heard the news?’ gasped Maud, bursting into Enid’s room.
    ‘What?’ asked Enid. ‘What’s happened?’
    ‘It’s really terrible,’ said Maud, ‘in every way you can think of! Ethel and Mildred had a fight and knocked over one of the lanterns and all the ballet costumes were burnt to a cinder
and
they nearly burnt the school down
and
Miss Hardbroom’s got Star!’
    ‘What about the competition?’ asked Enid.
    ‘What
about
the competition?’ said Maud grimly. ‘There isn’t going to
be
a competition, not for our school anyway – not without costumes.’
    ‘Poor Mildred,’ said Enid. ‘Everyone’s going to be so cross with her – the teachers, the dancers, the entire school! It’s going to be awful.’
    ‘At least it wasn’t
just
her,’ said Maud. ‘It sounds as if Ethel was at least equally to blame, though I’m sure she’ll do her best to wriggle out of it. It’s the dog I feel dreadful about. Mildred really loved him and she’d done such brilliant work with him – that flying routine was good enough to go on the stage.’
    They suddenly looked at each other as an idea crossed their minds at
exactly
the same time.
     

     

     
    Mildred and Ethel waited in Miss Cackle’s office in a state of terror, both wondering if they would be expelled. Ethel was just as scared as Mildred and for once couldn’t think of a single gibe to hurl in her direction. There really seemed to be no way out of the huge mess they were in.
    The door suddenly crashed open and Miss Hardbroom marched in, leading Star on Mildred’s sash, followed by a very serious-faced Miss Cackle. Star sprang hopefully towards Mildred and was sharply yanked back by Miss Hardbroom. Both teachers sat on the other side of Miss Cackle’s desk facing the wrongdoers, while Star slunk underneath, his eyes fixed longingly on Mildred.
    Miss Cackle had just begun to speak when there was a soft tap at the door.
    ‘Who is it?’ called Miss Hardbroom irritably.
    The door opened very slowly to reveal Maud and Enid looking petrified.
    ‘What is it, Maud?’ asked Miss Cackle.
     

     
    ‘Um … we heard about the costumes –’ said Maud.
    ‘– and we thought of a way that we could still enter the competition,’ explained Enid.
     

     
    ‘That’s very school-spirited of you, girls,’ said Miss Cackle, ‘but I’m afraid it really is too late.’
    ‘But it
isn’t
!’