CHAPTER 12.
Elizabeth has a Bad Time.
Joan went to find Elizabeth as soon as the Meeting was over. She guessed she would be in their bedroom. Elizabeth dried her eyes as soon as she heard Joan coming. She wasn’t going to let anyone see her crying! “Hallo!” said Joan. “Come down to the playroom. It’s raining or we could go and have a game of tennis.” “Joan, it was decent of you to speak up for me,” said Elizabeth. “Thanks awfully. But don’t do it again, because, you see, I want everyone to think I’m too bad for this school, so that I’ll be sent home,” “Oh, Elizabeth, do get that silly idea out of your head!” said Joan. “I’m quite sure that the school won’t send you home, and you’ll only go on getting yourself into more and more trouble. Do be sensible.” “Do you really think they won’t send me home, however badly I behave?” said Elizabeth in dismay. “But surely no school would want to keep a really bad child?” “Whyteleafe School has never expelled anyone yet,” said Joan. “So I don’t expect they’ll start on you. You’ll just have a perfectly horrid time, instead of haying a lovely one. You’d have much more chance of going home if you went to Rita and said you’d be good if only she would do her best to get you home because you were so unhappy here,” “Really?” said Elizabeth, astonished. “Well, I didn’t think of that. Perhaps I’ll go to Rita. I’ll see. I am really getting a bit tired of remembering to be bad. There are so many nice things to do here, that 1 can’t help enjoying myself sometimes.” “I think you’re a silly goose,” said Joan. “Come on down. It will soon be seven o’clock, and you know you’ve got to go to bed directly after supper for a whole week, instead of at eight o’clock.” Elizabeth frowned. “I’ve a good mind to go at eight o’clock, just to spite them!” she said.
“Oh, don’t be foolish,” said Joan. “Do you suppose the Meeting cares if you go to bed at seven or eight? You’ll only be hurting yourself, not anyone else, if you’re silly.” “Oh,” said Elizabeth, seeing for the first time that she was spoiling things for herself far more than she was spoiling them for other people. She sat and thought for a minute.
“Listen, Joan,” she said, “I’ll do as I’m told this week, See? I’ll obey the orders of the Meeting, and go to bed early, and miss all the things I love-and at the end I’ll go to Rita and tell her I’m so unhappy that I simply must go home, and I’ll see what she says. I’m sure she could tell Miss Belle and Miss Best and they could write to Mummy for me.” “Well, you do that,” said Joan, getting a bit tired of Elizabeth’s curious ideas. “Now do come on-bother- there’s the supper-bell, and we’ve wasted all this time!” They had supper-and then poor Elizabeth had to go straight upstairs to bed. Nora popped in to see that she had obeyed the orders of the Meeting and felt quite surprised to see Elizabeth under the sheets.
“Good gracious!” she said. “You are learning to be sensible at last! Now just you listen to me, Elizabeth -the Meeting hates punishing anyone as much as they have punished you this week-so be good and sensible and obedient, and you’ll find that everything will be all right at the next Meeting. By the way, I’ll take up your bedside rug-the cleaner comes to-morrow, and I’ll see that it’s put ready for him to take.” “Thank you, Nora,” said Elizabeth, in a very good voice.
The week that followed was not a pleasant one for Elizabeth. She had to see the others go out riding without her. She had to sit indoors and copy out sums instead of going out sketching with the painting class. Worst of all she had to tell Mr. Lewis that she couldn’t have her music lessons that week.
Mr. Lewis was disappointed. “Well, aren’t you a little silly?” he said, patting her on the shoulder.
“What a pity! And we were going to do something rather exciting this week too-I’ve got Richard Watson to learn a duet, and I thought you and he could play it together. Duets are fun.” “Oh dear,” said Elizabeth in dismay. “I’ve never played a duet, and I’ve always thought it would be fun, Could you wait till next week, do you think, Mr. Lewis?
I might get all my punishments taken off by that time.” “I should hope you would!” said the music-master.
“Now, Elizabeth, although you are going to miss your lessons with me this week, there is no need for you to miss your practice. Take this duet and try to learn your part by yourself-and next week I’ll have Richard alone too, and we’ll all have a go at it. Practice your other pieces too, and don’t forget your scales,” “I won’t forget,” promised Elizabeth, and she ran off. Richard Watson was a big boy, and Elizabeth couldn’t help feeling rather proud to think that Mr. Lewis had chosen her to play a duet with him. She knew that Richard Watson played the piano and the violin beautifully.
Elizabeth turned over a new leaf that week. Nobody could have worked harder in class than she did She only got one sum wrong the whole of the week. She didn’t get a single mistake in dictation. Even the French mistress, Mademoiselle, was pleased with her because she learned a French song so quickly.
“Ah, but you are a clever little girl!” she said to Elizabeth. “Will you not help this poor little Joan to learn her piece? Always she makes mistakes, and is at the bottom of my class.” “Yes, I’ll help Joan,” said Elizabeth eagerly. “I can easily teach her the song.” “You have a good heart,” said Mademoiselle. Elizabeth went red with pleasure. The other children stared at her. They couldn’t understand this strange girl who was so bad and horrid one week, and so good and helpful the next! Elizabeth helped Joan to learn the song. She and Joan went off to a corner of the garden and Elizabeth sang each line of the song in her clear voice, and made Joan sing it after her. It wasn’t long before Joan knew it perfectly.
“You are very decent to me, Elizabeth,” said Joan gratefully. “I wish I was going to have a birthday cake on my birthday-I’d give you the biggest piece of all!” “When is your birthday?” asked Elizabeth.
“It’s in two weeks’ time,” said Joan. “And I do hate it so, because I know I shan’t get a single card, and my parents are certain not to remember it. Everyone else seems to have a big cake, and presents and cards.” “I think it’s a shame,” said Elizabeth warmly. “I shall give you a present, anyhow-that is if only the Meeting will give me my two shillings! I shan’t pour ink on my rug again, anyway-that was an awful waste of two shillings. I could have bought toffees with that. I haven’t had a sweet for ages!” “I’ll buy some this afternoon and share them with you,” said Joan. “I want most of my money for stamps, but I shall have a few pence over for sweets. It’s a pity you can’t go down to the village with me and choose the sweets. It would be fun to go together.” “It would,” agreed Elizabeth. “But I’m not going down till I’m allowed to. For one thing I promised Rita I wouldn’t go alone-and for another thing, I’m jolly well not going to have the Meeting taking away my good times any more!” They went indoors. On the way they met three of the boys, going out to practise bowling.
“Hallo, Bold Bad Girl!” said one of them. Elizabeth went red, and tried to rush at them. But Joan held her arm firmly.
“Don’t take any notice,” she said. “They only want to see you get angry-and after all, you do deserve the name, you know!” The boys went off to the cricket field, grinning. Elizabeth felt very angry. She still had not got used to the good-natured teasing that went on all around her, She wished she could tease back, or laugh, as the other children did.
Miss Ranger was delighted with Elizabeth that week, The little girl really had a fine brain, and was fond of a joke. She could say clever things that made Miss Ranger and the class laugh heartily. She had only to look at a page once or twice and she knew it by heart! She liked her work and did everything well, “Elizabeth, you are a lucky little girl,” said Miss Ranger. “Lessons come easily to you, and you should be able to do something fine in the world when you grow up. Whyteleafe School and your parents will be proud of you one day.” “Whyteleafe School won’t,” said Elizabeth firmly.