to the door hinge. For added camouflage I pulled Swallows and Amazons out of my bag and opened it on my lap as though I was reading. Then I let my eyes unfocus from the text and listened with all my might to what was happening in the room behind me.
The first thing I heard was The One. If it had been anyone else, I would have said he sounded angry.
‘. . . don’t know why you think I have anything to do with this,’ he was saying.
‘I know you do!’ said Miss Parker, cutting across him. She really was angry, nearly raving. ‘Joan told me – she said that you and she—’
(For a moment I wondered what someone called Joan had to do with anything, and then I remembered that it was Miss Bell’s first name.)
‘I tell you you’re wrong!’ The One did shout then, and I jumped and had to pretend I had cramp.
‘No,’ said Miss Parker, and her voice went much quieter, so that I could barely hear her. ‘I know she went back to you, and I want you to admit it. You must give me—’
There was a heavy thump. ‘I will give you nothing !’ shouted The One. ‘You have no right to ask! Get out of my office at once!’
‘I shall!’ Miss Parker screamed back. ‘But you’ll be sorry! I’ll come back and— Oh!’
Trying to look as interested in Swallows and Amazons as I could, I hurriedly bumped down the stairs. When Miss Parker shoved the door open a few seconds later I was sitting innocently on the bottom step, engrossed in my book.
I needn’t have bothered. She pushed past without noticing me and stormed off down the corridor, nearly crashing into Miss Hopkins, who happened to be coming the other way, her hair bouncing more than ever. Was she coming to see The One? I hung back to see where she would go – and sure enough, she began to climb the steps to The One’s cubby.
Just then, though, the bell to end bunbreak rang. Cursing school bells, I stuffed Swallows and Amazons back into my bag and walked away. What did what I had just heard mean? Were Miss Hopkins and The One working together? Had Miss Parker discovered something awful about them? Was she even planning to blackmail them now that she had heard the new rumours? Off I went to History, thinking that at last I had something really important to tell Daisy, something so good that even she could not ignore it.
8
I should have known that Daisy would find a way to foil me. She rushed into History when we were already standing up for Miss Lappet to come in.
‘Good of you to grace us with your presence, Daisy,’ said Miss Lappet, who was looking just as flustered and mis-buttoned as she had earlier. Also, I could tell from close to, she had a sickly after-dinner smell wafting about her. Next to me, Kitty mouthed to Beanie, Tippling again .
‘Sorry, Miss Lappet,’ said Daisy, pretending to be contrite. ‘It won’t happen again, Miss Lappet. Miss Lappet?’
‘What, Daisy?’ asked Miss Lappet, and steadied herself with both hands on her desk.
‘Miss Lappet, I was wondering if you were the one who went round collecting lost property on Monday evening. You see, I’ve lost my very special pen, and—’
Miss Lappet sighed windily. ‘Enough, Daisy,’ she said. ‘You do speak loudly sometimes. As it happens, that evening Miss Bell was in charge of confiscations and lost property.’ (The whole form stiffened at the mention of Miss Bell’s name.) ‘Not that she ever handed any in before she resigned. I was in Miss Griffin’s office, discussing important matters, for the entire evening.’
‘Oh,’ said Daisy, flashing a private, triumphant look at me. ‘So – you were there the entire evening?’
‘Good grief, Daisy!’ snapped Miss Lappet, clutching her forehead. ‘You never listen, do you? Yes, I was there the whole evening. And what does this have to do with your pen?’
So , I thought to myself, that did for Miss Lappet . I had to admit that it was neat of Daisy to get her alibi like that. But afterwards, it was no good me even
The first thing I heard was The One. If it had been anyone else, I would have said he sounded angry.
‘. . . don’t know why you think I have anything to do with this,’ he was saying.
‘I know you do!’ said Miss Parker, cutting across him. She really was angry, nearly raving. ‘Joan told me – she said that you and she—’
(For a moment I wondered what someone called Joan had to do with anything, and then I remembered that it was Miss Bell’s first name.)
‘I tell you you’re wrong!’ The One did shout then, and I jumped and had to pretend I had cramp.
‘No,’ said Miss Parker, and her voice went much quieter, so that I could barely hear her. ‘I know she went back to you, and I want you to admit it. You must give me—’
There was a heavy thump. ‘I will give you nothing !’ shouted The One. ‘You have no right to ask! Get out of my office at once!’
‘I shall!’ Miss Parker screamed back. ‘But you’ll be sorry! I’ll come back and— Oh!’
Trying to look as interested in Swallows and Amazons as I could, I hurriedly bumped down the stairs. When Miss Parker shoved the door open a few seconds later I was sitting innocently on the bottom step, engrossed in my book.
I needn’t have bothered. She pushed past without noticing me and stormed off down the corridor, nearly crashing into Miss Hopkins, who happened to be coming the other way, her hair bouncing more than ever. Was she coming to see The One? I hung back to see where she would go – and sure enough, she began to climb the steps to The One’s cubby.
Just then, though, the bell to end bunbreak rang. Cursing school bells, I stuffed Swallows and Amazons back into my bag and walked away. What did what I had just heard mean? Were Miss Hopkins and The One working together? Had Miss Parker discovered something awful about them? Was she even planning to blackmail them now that she had heard the new rumours? Off I went to History, thinking that at last I had something really important to tell Daisy, something so good that even she could not ignore it.
8
I should have known that Daisy would find a way to foil me. She rushed into History when we were already standing up for Miss Lappet to come in.
‘Good of you to grace us with your presence, Daisy,’ said Miss Lappet, who was looking just as flustered and mis-buttoned as she had earlier. Also, I could tell from close to, she had a sickly after-dinner smell wafting about her. Next to me, Kitty mouthed to Beanie, Tippling again .
‘Sorry, Miss Lappet,’ said Daisy, pretending to be contrite. ‘It won’t happen again, Miss Lappet. Miss Lappet?’
‘What, Daisy?’ asked Miss Lappet, and steadied herself with both hands on her desk.
‘Miss Lappet, I was wondering if you were the one who went round collecting lost property on Monday evening. You see, I’ve lost my very special pen, and—’
Miss Lappet sighed windily. ‘Enough, Daisy,’ she said. ‘You do speak loudly sometimes. As it happens, that evening Miss Bell was in charge of confiscations and lost property.’ (The whole form stiffened at the mention of Miss Bell’s name.) ‘Not that she ever handed any in before she resigned. I was in Miss Griffin’s office, discussing important matters, for the entire evening.’
‘Oh,’ said Daisy, flashing a private, triumphant look at me. ‘So – you were there the entire evening?’
‘Good grief, Daisy!’ snapped Miss Lappet, clutching her forehead. ‘You never listen, do you? Yes, I was there the whole evening. And what does this have to do with your pen?’
So , I thought to myself, that did for Miss Lappet . I had to admit that it was neat of Daisy to get her alibi like that. But afterwards, it was no good me even
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