together.”
“You don’t really mean that, Alicia?” said Gwen, after a surprised and hurt silence. “We’re not really alike, Maureen and I. You’ve let your tongue run away with you as usual.”
“Think about it, dear Gwendoline Mary,” Alicia advised her. “Do you babble endlessly about your dull family and doings? So does Maureen. Do you think the world of yourself? So does Maureen. Do you think you’d be the one and only person fit to be Cinderella in the play? So does Maureen.”
Gwen sprang to her feet and pointed her finger at Moira. “Oh! Just because you found me with my hair down in the dormy the other day, and a towel round my shoulders you went and told the others that I wanted to be Cinderella!”
“Well, I didn’t realize it until I caught Maureen doing exactly the same thing,” said Moira. “ Both of you posing with your hair loose and things draped round you! Alicia’s perfectly right. You’re as like as two peas. You ought to be friends. You’re almost twins!”
“But — I don’t like Maureen,” said Gwen, in a loud and angry tone.
“I’m not surprised,” said Alicia’s smooth voice, a whole wealth of meaning in it. “ You should know what she’s like, shouldn’t you — seeing that you’re almost twins!”
Gwen went stamping out of the room, fuming. Darrell drummed on the table with a pencil. “I’m not awfully pleased about all this,” she said, in rather a small voice. “Too much spite and malice about!”
Gwen suddenly put her head in at the door again and addressed Moira.
“I’ll get even with you for telling the girls about me and Maureen in front of the glass!” she said. “You’ll see — I’ll pay you back, head-girl or no head-girl!”
Moira frowned and Belinda automatically reached for her pencil. A very fine scowl! But Darrell took the pencil away with a beseeching look.
“Not this time,” she said. “There’s too much spite in this room this evening.”
“All right — Saint Darrell!” said Belinda, and Darrell had to laugh.
Moira came over to her. “Let’s change the subject,” she said. “What about the house-matches? Let’s have a look at the kids you’ve put in.”
Darrell got out the lists. Moira, as head-girl, took an interest in the matches in which the fifth-formers played, and because she liked games, she was interested too in the lower-school players. It was about the only thing that she and Darrell saw eye-to-eye about. Soon they were deep in discussion, weighing up the merits of one player against another.
“This match against Wellsbrough,” said Darrell. “Next week’s match, I mean, with the fourth team playing Wellsbrough's fourth team. I’ve put young Susan in — and I’d like to put my young sister, Felicity in. What do you think, Moira?”
“Good gracious, yes ” said Moira. “She’s absolutely first-class. Super! Runs like the wind and never misses a catch. She must have been practising like anything!”
“She has,” said Darrell. “I just hesitated because — well, because she’s my sister, and I was a bit afraid I might be showing favouritism, you know.”
“Rot!” said Moira. “You’d be showing yourself a bad captain if you didn’t stick the best kids into the team! And I insist on your putting Felicity in!”
Darrell laughed. She was pleased. “Oh, all right, seeing that you insist!” she said, and wrote Felicity’s name down. “Gosh, she’ll be pleased.”
“How’s June shaping?” called Alicia. “I’ve seen her practising quite a bit lately. Turning over a new leaf do you think?”
“Well — not really,” said Darrell. “I mean — she practises a lot — but when I coach her she’s as off-hand as ever. Never a word of thanks, and always ready to argue. I can’t put her into a match-team yet. She simply doesn’t understand the team spirit — you know, always plays for herself, and not for the side.”
“Yes, you’re right,” said Moira. “I’ve noticed
“You don’t really mean that, Alicia?” said Gwen, after a surprised and hurt silence. “We’re not really alike, Maureen and I. You’ve let your tongue run away with you as usual.”
“Think about it, dear Gwendoline Mary,” Alicia advised her. “Do you babble endlessly about your dull family and doings? So does Maureen. Do you think the world of yourself? So does Maureen. Do you think you’d be the one and only person fit to be Cinderella in the play? So does Maureen.”
Gwen sprang to her feet and pointed her finger at Moira. “Oh! Just because you found me with my hair down in the dormy the other day, and a towel round my shoulders you went and told the others that I wanted to be Cinderella!”
“Well, I didn’t realize it until I caught Maureen doing exactly the same thing,” said Moira. “ Both of you posing with your hair loose and things draped round you! Alicia’s perfectly right. You’re as like as two peas. You ought to be friends. You’re almost twins!”
“But — I don’t like Maureen,” said Gwen, in a loud and angry tone.
“I’m not surprised,” said Alicia’s smooth voice, a whole wealth of meaning in it. “ You should know what she’s like, shouldn’t you — seeing that you’re almost twins!”
Gwen went stamping out of the room, fuming. Darrell drummed on the table with a pencil. “I’m not awfully pleased about all this,” she said, in rather a small voice. “Too much spite and malice about!”
Gwen suddenly put her head in at the door again and addressed Moira.
“I’ll get even with you for telling the girls about me and Maureen in front of the glass!” she said. “You’ll see — I’ll pay you back, head-girl or no head-girl!”
Moira frowned and Belinda automatically reached for her pencil. A very fine scowl! But Darrell took the pencil away with a beseeching look.
“Not this time,” she said. “There’s too much spite in this room this evening.”
“All right — Saint Darrell!” said Belinda, and Darrell had to laugh.
Moira came over to her. “Let’s change the subject,” she said. “What about the house-matches? Let’s have a look at the kids you’ve put in.”
Darrell got out the lists. Moira, as head-girl, took an interest in the matches in which the fifth-formers played, and because she liked games, she was interested too in the lower-school players. It was about the only thing that she and Darrell saw eye-to-eye about. Soon they were deep in discussion, weighing up the merits of one player against another.
“This match against Wellsbrough,” said Darrell. “Next week’s match, I mean, with the fourth team playing Wellsbrough's fourth team. I’ve put young Susan in — and I’d like to put my young sister, Felicity in. What do you think, Moira?”
“Good gracious, yes ” said Moira. “She’s absolutely first-class. Super! Runs like the wind and never misses a catch. She must have been practising like anything!”
“She has,” said Darrell. “I just hesitated because — well, because she’s my sister, and I was a bit afraid I might be showing favouritism, you know.”
“Rot!” said Moira. “You’d be showing yourself a bad captain if you didn’t stick the best kids into the team! And I insist on your putting Felicity in!”
Darrell laughed. She was pleased. “Oh, all right, seeing that you insist!” she said, and wrote Felicity’s name down. “Gosh, she’ll be pleased.”
“How’s June shaping?” called Alicia. “I’ve seen her practising quite a bit lately. Turning over a new leaf do you think?”
“Well — not really,” said Darrell. “I mean — she practises a lot — but when I coach her she’s as off-hand as ever. Never a word of thanks, and always ready to argue. I can’t put her into a match-team yet. She simply doesn’t understand the team spirit — you know, always plays for herself, and not for the side.”
“Yes, you’re right,” said Moira. “I’ve noticed
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