“When’s your bedtime?” said Nora to Elizabeth, “I expect it’s eight o’clock. You’d better see. The times are on the notice-board over there. My bedtime is at half-past eight, and when I come to bed I expect all the rest of you to be safe in bed.” “I don’t want to go to bed at eight o’clock,” said Elizabeth indignantly. “I go to bed much later than that at home.” “Well, you shouldn’t, then,” said Nora. “No wonder you’re such a crosspatch! My mother says that late hours make children stupid, bad-tempered, and slow,” Elizabeth went to see the times for going to bed. Hers was, as Nora had said, at eight o’clock. Well, she wouldn’t go! She’d be naughty! So she slipped out into the garden and went to where she had seen two or three big swings. She got on to a swing and began to push herself to and fro, It was lovely there in the evening sunshine. Elizabeth quite forgot that she was at school, and she sang a little song to herself.
A boy came into the place where the swings were, and stared at Elizabeth. “What are you doing here?” he said. “I bet it’s your bedtime!” “Mind your own business!” said Elizabeth at once. “Well, what about you going off to bed, and minding yours!” said the boy. “I’m a monitor, and it’s my job to see that people do what they’re told!” “I don’t know what a monitor is, and I don’t care,” said Elizabeth rudely.
“Well, let me tell you what a monitor is,” said the boy, who was just about Elizabeth’s size. “It’s somebody put in charge of other silly kids at Whyteleafe, to see they don’t get too silly! If you don’t behave yourself I shall have to report you at the Meeting! Then you’ll be punished,” “Pooh!” said Elizabeth, and she swung herself very hard indeed, put out her foot and kicked the boy so vigorously that he fell right over, Elizabeth squealed with laughter-but not for long! ~’The boy jumped up, ran to the swing and shook Elizabeth off. He caught hold of her dark curls and pulled them so hard that the little girl yelled with pain.
The boy grinned at her and said, “Serve you right! You be careful how you treat me next time, or I’ll pull your nose as well as your hair! Now-are you going in or not?” Elizabeth ran away from him and went indoors, She looked at the clock-quarter-past eight! Perhaps she would have time to go to bed before that horrid Nora came up at half-past.
So she ran up the stairs and went to Bedroom Number 6. Ruth, Joan, Belinda, and Helen were already there half undressed. Their curtains were pulled around their cubicles, but they were talking hard all the same. Elizabeth slipped into her own cubicle “You’re late, Elizabeth,” said Ruth. “You’ll get into trouble if you’re caught by a monitor,” “I have been,” said Elizabeth. “But 1 didn’t care! I was on the swing and I put out my foot and kicked him over!” “Well, you’re very silly,” said Ruth. “You will get into trouble at the Meeting if you don’t look out. And that’s not pleasant.” “I don’t care for any silly Meeting,” said Elizabeth, jumping into bed. She remembered that Nora had put her three photographs into the locked box, and she jumped out again. She went to the box and tried to open it–but it was still locked. Nora came in at that moment and saw Elizabeth there.
“Hallo, kid,” she said. “Do you want your things back? Well, apologise and you can have them.” But Elizabeth was not going to say she was sorry.
She made a rude face at Nora, and flung herself into bed.
“Well, you are a sweet child, aren’t you!” said Nora mockingly. “I hope you get out at the right side of your bed to-morrow!” Then there was a creak as Nora sat on her bed to take off her stockings. A clock struck half-past eight downstairs. “No more talking now,” said Nora. “Sleep tight, all of you!” CHAPTER 6.
Elizabeth joins her Class.
ELIZABETH wondered where she was when she awoke the next morning, but she soon remembered. She was at that horrid school! A bell rang. Nora sat up in her bed and spoke to the others. “That’s the bell for getting up,” she said. “Stir yourselves! You’ve got half an hour.” Elizabeth thought she wouldn’t get up. She lay there warm in her bed, and looked up at the white ceiling.
Nora’s voice came sharply to her.
“Elizabeth Allen! Are you getting up or are you not?” “Not,” said Elizabeth cheekily.
“Well, I’m in charge of you five, and it’s my job to get you down to breakfast in good time,” said Nora, poking her nose round the curtain, “Get up, you lazy creature!” “Are you a monitor?” asked Elizabeth, remembering the boy of the evening before.
“I am,” said Nora. “Come on, get up, Elizabeth, and don’t make yourself such a nuisance.” Elizabeth still lay there. Nora nodded to plump Ruth, and the two went beside Elizabeth’s bed Together they stripped all the clothes off the lazy girl, and then tipped up the mattress. Elizabeth gave a shriek and slid on to the floor. She was very angry.
She rushed at Nora-but Nora was big and strong, and caught hold of the angry girl’s arms at once. “Don’t be silly now,” she said. “Get dressed and hurry up or I’ll spank you with a hairbrush! Monitors do that sometimes, you know!” Elizabeth felt that she couldn’t bear to be spanked by Nora. She washed very sulkily, dressed, cleaned her teeth and did her hair. She was just going downstairs when Nora, who had gone into everyone’s cubicle to see if they were tidy, called her back.
“Elizabeth! Come and put your chest-of-drawers tidy! Do you want me to put the rest of your things into the locked box?” Elizabeth went back and tidied her things. It was quicker to do that than argue with Nora. She wondered if Nora would notice that she had put socks on instead of the long brown stockings! But Nora didn’t notice. She was in too big a hurry to get down to breakfast in time, and besides, she didn’t dream that anyone would wear socks instead of stockings at Whyteleafe School! But a great many of the other children noticed Elizabeth’s bare legs at once, and giggled. Miss Thomas noticed them too, and called to Elizabeth, “You’ve put the wrong things on, Elizabeth. You must change your socks for stockings afterwards,” But Elizabeth didn’t! When she went up to make her bed afterwards, she didn’t change at all. Nora saw that she hadn’t and spoke to her, “For goodness’ sake put stockings on, Elizabeth. Really, I shouldn’t have thought anyone could be quite so silly as you seem to be!” “I’m not silly,” said Elizabeth “I prefer socks. Stockings make my legs too hot. And I’m going to keep my socks on.” Ruth spoke to Nora. “Nora, Elizabeth is really babyish,” she said. “And the babies at Whyteleafe are allowed to wear socks, aren’t they? I’ve seen them in the Kindergarten, with their dear little bare legs. Well, why not let Elizabeth keep her socks, to show that she is really only a baby, though she’s getting on for eleven? You can easily explain that to Miss Thomas.” “That’s a good idea,” said Nora, with a laugh. “All right, Elizabeth-keep your socks on, and we’ll explain to everyone that we’re letting you because you’re really not much more than a baby!” The girls went out of the room laughing. Elizabeth put on her bedspread and stood thinking. She didn’t think she wanted to keep her socks on now! If only the younger children wore them, because they were the babies of the school, she didn’t want to. The babies would laugh at her, and so would the others.
Elizabeth tore off her shoes, grabbed her socks and pulled them off in a temper. She took out her stockings and pulled them on. Bother, bother, bother! Now she would have to wear stockings after all! She flew downstairs to the gym, where she had been told to go after making her bed and tidying her cubicle, All the others were there. Elizabeth had felt sure that they would all make remarks about her stockings being on after all-but nobody took any notice of her at all.
Hymns were sung and prayers said, Miss Best read part of a Bible chapter in her rather stern ioice. Then she called the names of all the girls and boys to see that they were there.
Elizabeth had a good look round. The boys and girls were in separate rows. There were a good many masters and mistresses. The matron of the school, who looked after the children when they were ill, stood on the platform with some of the other mistresses, a fat, jolly-looking person, dressed like a nurse, in apron and cap. The music-master played the piano for the singing, and again when the children marched out.