June's fault, and not hers. June was certainly a thorn in the side of all the old girls in the first form. It was quite unheard of for any new girl to behave so boldly.
Felicity found that she too had to give her promise not to speak to June. Oh dear—that would be very awkward—but she owed more loyalty to her form than to June. So she gave her promise in a low voice, not daring to look at the red-faced June.
That evening Felicity came to Darrell, looking worried. “Darrell, please may I speak to you? Something rather awful has happened. Those crumbs we left in the common room last night, under the couch, were found this morning, and so were two sandwiches. And Potty tackled Hilda and asked her if she'd been having a midnight feast there last night. Potty said she thought she heard something, but by the time she came out of the third-form dormy, where somebody was ill, and went to look in the common-room, it was empty.”
“Gosh,” said Darrell. Then her face cleared. “Well, what's it matter? Hilda must have been asleep last night, and can't have known anything about it.”
“She was asleep—and she told Potty she didn't know a thing about any feast, and that the first form certainly hadn't been out of the dormy last night,” said Felicity.
“Some of them woke up in that storm, but nobody missed me or June, apparently.”
“Well, why worry then?” said Darrell. “You shouldn't have come along with. June last night, you know. Felicity. I was awfully surprised and not at all pleased to see you. You really ought to be careful your very first term.”
“I know,” said Felicity. “I sort of get carried along by June. Honestly I can't help it, Darrell—she makes me laugh so much and she's so bold and daring. She's been sent to Coventry now, and she's as mad as anything. She knows it's all because of Alicia and she vows she'll get even with her. She will, too.”
“Felicity—do chuck June,” begged Darrell. “She's no good as a friend. She's a little beast, really. Alicia has told me all about her.”
But Felicity was obstinate and she shook her head. “No. I like June and I want to stick by her. She's not a little beast. She's fun.”
Darrell let Felicity go, feeling impatient with her little sister. Anyway, thank goodness Potty hadn't found out anything. She must be jolly puzzled about the crumbs and the sandwiches!
It seemed as if the whole affair would settle down—and then a bombshell came! Felicity came to Darrell again the next day, looking very harassed indeed,
“Darrell! I must speak to you in private.”
“Good gracious! What's up now?” said Darrell, taking Felicity to a corner of the courtyard.
“It's June. I don't understand her. She says she's going to go to Potty and own up that she was at the midnight feast,” said Felicity. “She says I ought to go and own up, too.”
Darrell stared at Felicity in exasperation. These first-formers! “But if she goes and does that, it's as good as sneaking on us ,” said Darrell, furiously. “Where’s this little pest now?”
“In one of the music-rooms practising,” said Felicity, alarmed at Darrell's fury. “She's in Coventry, you know, so I can't speak to her. She sent me a note. Whatever am I to do, Darrell? If she goes to own up, I'll have to go, too, or Potty and the rest will think I'm an awful coward.”
“I’ll go and talk to June,” said Darrell, and went straight off to the music-room, where the girls practised daily. She found June and burst into the room so angrily that the first-former jumped.
“Look here, June, what's behind this sudden piousness of yours—wanting to go and ‘own up’—when there's no need for anything of the sort?” cried Darrell, angrily. “You know you'd get the Upper Fourth into trouble if you go and split.”
“I shan't split,” said June, calmly, playing a little scale up and down the piano. “I shall simply own up I was at the feast—but I shan't say whose feast. I—er—want
Felicity found that she too had to give her promise not to speak to June. Oh dear—that would be very awkward—but she owed more loyalty to her form than to June. So she gave her promise in a low voice, not daring to look at the red-faced June.
That evening Felicity came to Darrell, looking worried. “Darrell, please may I speak to you? Something rather awful has happened. Those crumbs we left in the common room last night, under the couch, were found this morning, and so were two sandwiches. And Potty tackled Hilda and asked her if she'd been having a midnight feast there last night. Potty said she thought she heard something, but by the time she came out of the third-form dormy, where somebody was ill, and went to look in the common-room, it was empty.”
“Gosh,” said Darrell. Then her face cleared. “Well, what's it matter? Hilda must have been asleep last night, and can't have known anything about it.”
“She was asleep—and she told Potty she didn't know a thing about any feast, and that the first form certainly hadn't been out of the dormy last night,” said Felicity.
“Some of them woke up in that storm, but nobody missed me or June, apparently.”
“Well, why worry then?” said Darrell. “You shouldn't have come along with. June last night, you know. Felicity. I was awfully surprised and not at all pleased to see you. You really ought to be careful your very first term.”
“I know,” said Felicity. “I sort of get carried along by June. Honestly I can't help it, Darrell—she makes me laugh so much and she's so bold and daring. She's been sent to Coventry now, and she's as mad as anything. She knows it's all because of Alicia and she vows she'll get even with her. She will, too.”
“Felicity—do chuck June,” begged Darrell. “She's no good as a friend. She's a little beast, really. Alicia has told me all about her.”
But Felicity was obstinate and she shook her head. “No. I like June and I want to stick by her. She's not a little beast. She's fun.”
Darrell let Felicity go, feeling impatient with her little sister. Anyway, thank goodness Potty hadn't found out anything. She must be jolly puzzled about the crumbs and the sandwiches!
It seemed as if the whole affair would settle down—and then a bombshell came! Felicity came to Darrell again the next day, looking very harassed indeed,
“Darrell! I must speak to you in private.”
“Good gracious! What's up now?” said Darrell, taking Felicity to a corner of the courtyard.
“It's June. I don't understand her. She says she's going to go to Potty and own up that she was at the midnight feast,” said Felicity. “She says I ought to go and own up, too.”
Darrell stared at Felicity in exasperation. These first-formers! “But if she goes and does that, it's as good as sneaking on us ,” said Darrell, furiously. “Where’s this little pest now?”
“In one of the music-rooms practising,” said Felicity, alarmed at Darrell's fury. “She's in Coventry, you know, so I can't speak to her. She sent me a note. Whatever am I to do, Darrell? If she goes to own up, I'll have to go, too, or Potty and the rest will think I'm an awful coward.”
“I’ll go and talk to June,” said Darrell, and went straight off to the music-room, where the girls practised daily. She found June and burst into the room so angrily that the first-former jumped.
“Look here, June, what's behind this sudden piousness of yours—wanting to go and ‘own up’—when there's no need for anything of the sort?” cried Darrell, angrily. “You know you'd get the Upper Fourth into trouble if you go and split.”
“I shan't split,” said June, calmly, playing a little scale up and down the piano. “I shall simply own up I was at the feast—but I shan't say whose feast. I—er—want
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