06 by Last Term at Malory Towers Page A

to go through all this? I'm not sure that I do!
    That was June all over, of course. If she took enough trouble, and cared enough, she could shine at anything. But there seemed to be a flaw in her strong character that caused her not to care enough about things.
    June was one of the problems that occupied Amanda's mind. The other was her own swimming. Swimming was perhaps her most magnificent achievement in the sports line. To see Amanda hurtle across the pool was a sight in itself. Nobody could swim even one half as fast. Even the small first-formers stopped their chattering when Amanda look to the water.
    And what Amanda was thinking hard about was her swimming. The pool wasn't enough for her. She wanted to swim right out to sea. How could she get enough practice lor really long-distance swimming il she didn't swim in the sea? The pool was wonderful - wide and long and deep - but after all, it was only a pool. Amanda wanted to swim lor at least a mile! Two miles, she thought, exultantly, three miles! I am strong enough to swim the Channel, I really do believe.
    At Trenigan. where her old school had been, the sea coast was safer than the treacherous Cornish coast at Malory Towers, with its strong currents, and vicious rocks on which great waves pounded day and night, liut Amanda was sure she could overcome even a strong current.
    No one was allowed to swim right out to sea at Malory Towers. That was an unbreakable rule. Anyone ,>anting real sea-swimming from the shore could go in a narty to another beach some way along, and swim in safety from there. But no one was allowed to swim out trout the shore at Malory Towers.
    No one even wanted to! Enormous waves ran up the rocks to the pool. Even on a calm day, the blue water surged and heaved, and swept with great force over the oeks. Amanda, who loved the strength ol water, longed ;o battle with the tierce sea here. She was quite fearless n all physical things.
    She had hardly seen Felicity's tennis, as she stood by court, idly following the bail wiib hei eyes. Should she take a chance, and go swimming out to sea some time? She didn't much care if she got into a row or not. She wasn't going to stay very long at Malory Towers, and the rules didn't frighten herl She suddenly made up her mind.
    1 will go swimming out to sea, she decided. I've talked to Jack the fisherman, and he's told me what currents there are. If I went down to the edge of the rocks at low tide, I could dive off into deep water, and avoid the worst v urrents by swimming to the west, and then straight out. i should be all right.
    The thing was - when could she do this unnoticed? Not that she minded getting into a row - but it was silly to do that if it could be avoided. Amanda turned the matter over in her mind.
    Early morning would be best, she thought. Very early morning. Nobody would be about then. I could have about an hour and a hall's real swimming, it ' mid be heaven!
    Having settled that, Amanda felt happy. She wished she could settle the June business as easily. But that didn't altogether rest with her! She wasn't going to give in to June's ideas as to how she should be coached, and if June chose to be rude and make things difficult, then there might be a serious row.
    'I don't want one!' said Amanda to herself. 'But if June provokes one, perhaps it will clear the air, and let her know where she stands. I'm certainly not going to put up with any nonsense, and I think if it came to the point, June wouldn't be idiot enough to throw away her chance of being put in the second school teams.'
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    H^-term
    Half-term came and went. It was brilliant weather and i he parents thoroughly enjoyed themselves wandering over the school grounds and down by the sea.
    The enclosed garden, set in the hollow square in the middle of the four-towered building, was very popular. It was crammed with hundreds upon hundreds of rose- hushes, and the sight and scent of these filled the fathers and mothers with delight.
    'I'm glad