Winter Term at Malory Towers by Enid Blyton

Rougier—how dare she couple her, Miss Tallant, with the weak and silly Mam’zelle Dupont?
    â€˜I can assure you that June won’t find it so easy to take me in again,’ said the mistress rather stiffly. ‘Nor will any of the others. I fully intend to nip such silliness in the bud.’
    Fortunately, the fourth formers were quite unaware ofMiss Tallant’s plans as they gathered in the common-room on Saturday to discuss their contribution to the Christmas concert. Once again, Susan was in charge of the meeting, and she sat at the table in the common-room, with a small pile of scripts in front of her.
    The fourth formers from the other towers were there too, as it was to be a joint effort, and the common-room seemed very crowded indeed, with girls perched on top of cabinets and on the arms of chairs. Susan began, ‘There are several good plays here, but this is the one that I think would be the best, for it is very short and gives us plenty of scope to add a few touches of our own. Felicity has read it as well, and she agrees with me. The play is called The Christmas Tree Fairy , and I’d like to read it out to you all now, and see what you think.’
    And, in her low, clear voice, Susan began to read the play. The story was quite a simple one, about a fairy doll who has been abandoned in a dusty attic, along with lots of other old toys, and is rescued by a lonely little girl.
    â€˜I like it,’ said Pam decidedly, as Susan finished her reading. ‘It really captures the spirit of Christmas somehow.’
    â€˜And I love it when the toys come to life, when there’s no one around!’ squeaked Bonnie excitedly.
    â€˜We won’t have to worry about shifting scenery either,’ said Felicity. ‘For the whole thing takes place in the attic.’
    â€˜Yes, but it’s far too short,’ complained Mary from South Tower. ‘It certainly won’t fill half an hour.’
    â€˜It will by the time we’ve finished with it,’ said Susan.‘We can add a few jokes, and perhaps a song and dance routine. I think it’ll be super.’
    â€˜Good idea,’ said Mary. ‘But who is going to write the song?’
    â€˜How about you, Mary?’ suggested Felicity. ‘You’re excellent at music.’
    â€˜Good idea!’ said Susan. ‘That’s settled, Mary. You are our official songwriter.’
    â€˜Oh, my word!’ cried Mary, a comical expression of dismay on her face. ‘What have I let myself in for?’
    The others laughed, and Mary’s friend Doreen clapped her on the shoulder, crying, ‘Don’t make a song and dance about it, old girl! I’ll help you out.’
    â€˜June and Freddie, I have a job for you two as well,’ said Susan.
    â€˜Us?’ chorused the two girls, looking very surprised. ‘What do you want us to do, Susan?’
    â€˜I want you to take the script away and add a few jokes here and there,’ said Susan. ‘It’s quite a sentimental play, and I think it needs a touch of humour. And who better than the two form jokers to add one!’
    Everyone cheered at this, and June and Freddie grinned, both of them absolutely delighted with the task they had been given.
    â€˜I’m going to produce the play, with Felicity as my assistant,’ said Susan. ‘And, of course we will—’
    But Susan got no further, for Sylvia called out, ‘Susan! If you need anyone else to help produce the play, I am only too keen to help. As you know, I’ve done this kind of thingbefore, and you know what they say about many hands making light work.’
    â€˜Yes, and I know what they say about too many cooks spoiling the broth,’ muttered Susan under her breath to Felicity.
    But Felicity was rather touched by the earnest, eager-to-please expression on Sylvia’s round, rosy face and she said in a low voice, ‘It seems a shame to discourage her when