“Well, you’ll have to stay till the end of the term then,” laughed Joan. “Lettuces don’t grow quite so quickly as you think, Elizabeth.” “Oh,” said Elizabeth, disappointed, “Well-you’ll have to cut the first lettuce then, after I’m gone. Have a toffee?” It was fun to eat toffees and talk to a friend. It was fun to feel the lettuce seeds rattling in their packets It was lovely to think of going riding that afternoon and having a music lesson after tea. Perhaps Richard would he there, and they would play their duet.
The riding lesson was glorious. Twelve boys and girls were taken out on the hills by the riding master. Elizabeth had been used to her pony and she rode well, enjoying the jog-jog-jog, and sniffing the fresh early summer breezes, This was much better fun than cantur~~ ing along on her old pony at home, That afternoon the postman brought a parcel for Elizabeth. She undid it-and inside she found a large chocolate cake, sent to her by her Granny! “Oh, I say! Look at this!” cried Elizabeth, “We can all share it at tea-time ~” “My word, Elizabeth, you’re rather different from when you first came!” said Nora, stating at the excited girl, as she put her cake into her tin in the playroom. “You wouldn’t share a thing then!” Elizabeth blushed. “Don’t remind me of that, Nora,” she begged. “I’m ashamed of it now. All I hope is that you won’t all say no when I offer you some of this cake!” Well, nobody did say no! Elizabeth counted the number of people at her table-eleven. She cut the cake into twelve pieces. They were very large. Elizabeth offered the plate round and soon there were only two pieces left.
“Thanks, Elizabeth! Thanks, Elizabeth!” said everyone, taking a piece. They were delighted to have it, because by now everyone’s tuck-box was empty, and no more goodies had come yet from their homes, for no one had had a birthday.
“Your Granny must be jolly generous!” said Nora. “This is the finest cake I’ve ever tasted.” Elizabeth was proud and pleased. She took the plate to Miss Ranger and offered her one of the two pieces that remained on it. Miss Ranger took it and nodded.
“Thank you, Elizabeth,” she said. Then Elizabeth helped herself to the last piece and settled down happily to eat it. This was better than keeping everything to herself! It was lovely to share. She looked round at all the contented faces, and liked to see the girls and boys eating her cake.
“Miss Scott would be surprised at me,” thought Elizabeth suddenly. “She wouldn’t know me! What a horrid girl I must have seemed to her.” After tea Elizabeth got her music and raced off to Mr. Lewis. Richard was there too, a big, serious boy with long clever fingers. He meant to be a musician when he grew up. He looked at Elizabeth and didn’t smile.
“I suppose he doesn’t think girls can play at all,’9 thought Elizabeth. She was right. Richard was dis. gusted to find that he was expected to play a duet with a girl-and Elizabeth too, that Bold bad one! What would she know of music?
They began. Elizabeth had practised so hard that she knew her part wonderfully well. She took the lower part, the bass, and Richard had the more difficult part, the treble, where the higher notes were, “I shall count the first few bars,” said Mr. Lewis.
“Now-one two three four, one two three four, one two three four . .
He soon stopped, for the two children found their own time, and the duet went with a swing. Mr. Lewis let them play it all the way through and then he smiled.
“Very good,” he said. “You have a feeling for each other’s playing. Now, Richard, wasn’t I right when I said I had found someone you need not be afraid of playing with?” But Richard was as obstinate in his way as Elizabeth was in hers. He looked at the little girl’s flushed face and did not answer. Elizabeth was disappointed.
Mr. Lewis laughed. “Thank you, Richard,” he said, “You may go-but come back in half an hour’s time, and I will give you your lesson then. I am going to give Elizabeth hers now. Can you two manage to practise together sometimes?” “1 suppose so,” said Richard ungraciously.
“Well, don’t if you don’t want to!” said Elizabeth, flaring up. “I play my part just as well as you play yours. You made two mistakes.” “And you made three!” said Richard, “Now this won’t do,” said Mr. Lewis, patting Richard on the back. “You can choose which you would rather do, Richard-play the duet with Harry or with Elizabeth. I can find someone else for her, you know-but she’s the best, after you.” “Well-I’ll have Elizabeth,” said Richard. “Harry plays the piano as if his fingers were a bunch of bananas.” Elizabeth went off into a peal of laughter. It tickled her to think of a bunch of bananas playing the piano.
Richard laughed too.
“I’ll practise with Elizabeth, sir,” he said to Mr. Lewis. “She’s really jolly good.” Elizabeth glowed with pride, because Richard was one of the bigger boys. She settled down to her music lesson happily. Mr. Lewis made her play over the duet with him, and pointed out places where she went wrong. Elizabeth used to get cross when Miss Scott pointed out her mistakes. but with Mr. Lewis it was different. She thought he was very clever indeed, and she could listen all day long to his playing! “I’ve ordered that gramophone record, Mr. Lewis,” she said. “The shop is getting it for me.” “I’ll come and hear it when it arrives,” promised Mr. Lewis. “Now let’s get on with tackling the sea-piece on our piano, Elizabeth. You want to learn it, don’t you- but it won’t be easy. Perhaps you could play it for me at the school concert at the end of the term, if you’re good enough.” “Oh, I’d love to,” said Elizabeth, pleased, and then she stopped and looked disappointed. “Oh, but I can’t, I forgot. I shall be going home at half-term.” “Really?” said Mr. Lewis, who knew all about it. “Still being the Bold Bad Girl? Dear, dear, what a pity!” “Isn’t there a concert at half-term?” asked Elizabeth, her voice trembling.
“Afraid not,” said Mr. Lewis. “Come along-get on with your scales now. Don’t worry about not being able to play that sea-piece. I can easily get someone else to learn it for me.” “Let me learn it, anyhow,” said Elizabeth. “Even if I can’t play it for you at a concert, I can still learn it for myself, because I love it.” “Good,” said Mr. Lewis. “All right. I’ll play it for you now, and you must listen hard.” So Elizabeth listened and was happy. She was happy all the day, and she couldn’t help being surprised at herself.
“It is a nuisance!” thought funny Elizabeth. “I really can’t go about being happy like this-whatever shall I say to the Meeting at half-term?” CHAPTER 15.
Two Trick’s–and a Quarrel.
THE week slipped by quickly. Elizabeth practised her pieces, and loved her music-lessons. She and Richard practised their duet together, and had such fun that they asked Mr. Lewis for an even harder piece.
“I’m glad you chose me to play with you instead of Harry,” said Elizabeth to Richard. “I do love the way you play, Richard. You are as good as Mr. Lewis,” “No, I’m not,” said Richard. “But some day I shall be far, far better, Elizabeth. Some day you will come to London to hear me play at a great big concert! And some day you will hear the music I make up, played all over the world!” It didn’t seem like boasting when Richard spoke like this. Elizabeth didn’t mock at him or laugh at him. She believed him, and although he was sometimes very moody and bad-tempered she grew to like him very much.
“I always hated boys before,” thought Elizabeth, surprised at herself. “I do seem to be changing. I’d better be careful, or I will be different when I leave here, just as Miss Scott said!” So, to show that she really did still hate boys she played a trick on Harry. She knew that he would have to go to the music-room to fetch some music he had left behind. Elizabeth took a sponge, filled it so full of water that it dripped, and then, climbing on a chair, she balanced the wet sponge on the top of the door.
She arranged the sponge so that anyone who opened the door would move the sponge, which would at once drop down on to the surprised person’s head! Then Elizabeth hid in a cupboard in the passage outside, and waited for Harry. He soon came along, rushing to fetch his forgotten music before the bell rang. He pushed open the door-and down fell the sponge on top of his head, squelch, squash! “Oooh!” said Harry, in the greatest astonishment, “Whatever is it?” He soon found out! He took the sponge off his neck and threw it down on the floor in a rage. “Now I’ve got to go and change my coat!” he said. “Who did that?” Nobody answered, of course, But as Harry knew quite well that people who set traps for others usually like to hide somewhere near to see what happens, he guessed that the joker was in the passage cupboard! He stole up to the cupboard, and flung the door open. Inside was Elizabeth, trying her best not to laugh loudly. Her handkerchief was stuffed into her mouth and tears of laughter were trickling down her cheeks.