Any of you new girls play tennis?” Belinda did but the others didn’t. Nora went on talking, as she hung up her dresses.
“We all have the same amount of pocket-money to spend,” she said. “And it’s plenty too. Two shillings a week.” “I shall have a lot more than that,” said Belinda, in surprise.
“Oh no, you won’t,” said Nora. “All th~ money we have is put into a big box, and we each draw two shillings a week from it, unless we’ve been fined for something.” “What do you mean-fined?” asked Helen. “Who fines us? Miss Belle and Miss Best?” “Oh no,” said Nora. “We hoki a big meeting once a week-oftener, if necessary-and we hear complaints and grumbles, and if anyone has been behaving badly we fine them. Miss Belle or Miss Best come to the meeting too, of course, but they don’t decide anything much. They trust us to decide for ourselves.” Elizabeth thought this was very strange. She had always thought that the teachers punished the children -but at Whyteleafe it seemed as if the children did it! She listened in astonishment to all that Nora was saying.
“If there’s any money over, it is uiven to anyone who particularly wants to buy something that the meeting approves of.” went on Nora. “For instance, suppose you broke your tennis racket, Belinda, and needed a new one, the meeting might allow you to take the money from the box to buy one-especially if they thought you were a very good player.” “I see,” said Belinda. “It sounds a good idea, Look, Nora-here are the things out of my tuck-box What do I do with them? I want to share them with everybody.” “Thanks,” said Nora, “Well, we keep all our cakes and sweets and things in the playroom downstairs. There’s a big cupboard there, and tins to put cakes into. I’ll show you where. Elizabeth, are your tuck-box things ready? If so, bring them along, and we’ll put them into the cupboard to share at tea-time.” “I’m not going to share,” said Elizabeth, remembering that she hadn’t been naughty or horrid for some time. “I shall eat them all myself.” There was a horrified silence. The five girls stared at Elizabeth as if they couldn’t believe their ears Not share her cakes and sweets? Whatever sort of a girl was this?
“Well,” said Nora, at last, her merry face suddenly very disgusted. “You can do what you like, of course, with your own things. If they’re as horrid as you seem to be, nobody would want to eat them!” CHAPTER 4.
Elizabeth gets into Trouble.
As Nora was about to lead the way down to the playroom, she glanced at the chests-of-drawers to see that they were tidy on the top. To her surprise she saw that Elizabeth had put about a dozen things on her chest! Nora stopped and looked at them. There were two hairbrushes, a mirror, a comb, three photographs, a bottle of scent, two small vases, and a clothes-brush, “Look here ! °’ said Nora, to the others, “this poor child can’t count up to six! She’s got eleven things on her chest. Poor Elizabeth! Fancy not being able to count six,” “I can,” said Elizabeth fiercely. “One, two, three, four, five, six.” Everybody squealed with laughter. “She can count!” said Nora, “Well, Elizabeth, count your things, and take five away-or can’t you do taking-away? There are eleven things on your chest-take away five-and it will leave six-which is the number I told you to have.” “I’m not going to take any away,” said Elizabeth rudely.
“Aren’t you?” said Nora, in surprise. “Well, if you won’t-I will !” The angry Irish girl picked up a hairbrush, the three photographs, and the mirror, She went to a box under the window, took a key from her pocket and unlocked it. She put the five things inside and locked the box.
“That’s what happens when people can’t count,” she said. Elizabeth stared at her in a rage.
“Give me my things back,” she said. “I want those photographs at once! They are of Mummy and Daddy and my pony too.” “Sorry,” said Nora, putting the key into her pocket. “You can have them back when you apologise, arid tell me that you know how to count.” “I shan’t,” said Elizabeth, “Just as you please,” said Nora. “Now come on, everybody, and let’s take the eatables down to the play room.” “I don’t want to bring mine,” said Elizabeth, “I want to leave them here.” “Well, if you do, they’ll go into that box along with the photographs,” said Nora firmly. “The rule is that all eatables go downstairs.” Elizabeth stood sulking, looking at her cake, her jam sandwich, her chocolate, toffee, and shortbread. Then she picked up her tuck-box and followed the others. She did not want them to go into that box! She had seen enough of Nora to know that that young lady was very determined! They clattered down the oak staircase. At one side of the hall was an open door, leading into a very large room lined with cupboards and bookcases. It was full of boys and girls.
Some were talking, some were playing games, some were putting away cakes into tins. They were all busy and happy, and called out greetings to Nora as she came into the room.
There was a gramophone going in one corner. Elizabeth stopped to listen to it, for she loved music. It was playing a tune that her mother played at home, and suddenly the little girl felt as if she wanted her mother badly.
“But, never mind!” she thought to herself. “I shan’t be here long! I don’t expect they’ll keep me more than a week if I go on being awfully naughty.” “Here are some empty tins,” said Nora, handing some down from a shelf. “Catch, Helen. Catch, Elizabeth. Here’s a big one for you, Belinda, to take in that enormous cake!” Soon they were all putting away their things. Nora took slips of paper from a pile and wrote their names on. “Stick your name on your tin,” she said, licking hers and sticking it to the side of her tin.
“I’d like to see the classrooms,” said Belinda. Ruth said she would show her round the whole school, and off she went with Belinda and Helen. Elizabeth followed a little way behind, curious to see what a school was like, for she had never seen inside one before, The dining-hall she had already seen-a great high room, with big windows. Tables ran down the middle of it. It was only used for meals.
Then there were the classrooms, big, sunny rooms all over the place, with neat desks and chairs, and a bigger desk for the teacher. There were blackboards everywhere, just like the one that Miss Scott had used for Elizabeth, “This is our classroom,” said Ruth to the new girls, “I expect we’ll all be in Miss Ranger’s class. She’s pretty strict, I can tell you! Nora’~ in a higher class, of course. She’s older, She’s a jolly good sort, don’t you think so?” “Yes,” agreed Helen and Belinda at once. But Elizabeth thought differently. She pursed up her mouth and said nothing.
“This is the gym,” said Ruth, and the three new girls looked in wonder at the great room, with its ropes and climbing-ladders, and bars and poles. Elizabeth suddenly felt excited. She loved climbing and swinging and jumping. She hoped she could do some gym before she left.
There were many other bedrooms like her own, and then there was the part of the house put aside for Miss Belle and Miss Best and the other teachers.
“You’ll each have to go and see the heads after tea,” said Ruth. “They’re good sorts.” By the time the four girls had gone over the lovely grounds and had seen the cricket-fields, the tenniscourts, and the flower-filled gardens, it was time for tea, A bell rang loudly, and the girls looked cheerful, “Good! Tea!” said Ruth. “Come on. Wash first, all of you, and do your hairs. Yours looks awful, Elizabeth.” Elizabeth did not like her dark curls being called “awful.” She went up to her bedroom and did her hair neatly, and washed her hands. She was very hungry, and thought with pleasure of her currant cake and jam sandwich.
“I’ve got the most gorgeous chocolate cake you ever saw!” said Belinda to the others. “It just melts in your mouth! You must all have a piece.” “And I’ve got some home-made shrimp-paste that’s too delicious for words,” said Ruth. “You wait till you taste it.” Chocolate cake and home-made shrimp-paste seemed even more delicious to Elizabeth than currant cake and jam sandwich, which suddenly seemed rather ordinary. She ran downstairs wondering if she would have two pieces of Belinda’s gorgeous chocolate cake, Tea was laid in the dining-room. The long tables were spread with white cloths, and plates with big slices of brown bread and butter were set all the way down.