I wish to goodness you’d never come to Whyteleafe School, Kathleen!” “I wish it too,” said Kathleen in a low voice. “But I shan’t be here much longer!” She opened the door and slipped away down the passage She went to the stairs and ran up, tears pouring down her face. She had owned up-and it had been even worse than she had expected! Now she would get her things and go.
Elizabeth stared at Jenny, and the two were just going to talk about Kathleen’s confession, when Joan came along. “Hallo!” she said in surprise. “What are you two doing here looking so fierce? What’s happened?” Elizabeth poured everything out to Joan. “Now don’t you think Kathleen is a mean, deceitful, spiteful girl?” she cried. “I’d never have thought anyone could be so horrid.” Joan looked thoughtful. She remembered how unhappy and lonely she herself had been once in the summer term, when everything had gone wrong. She could guess how Kathleen felt, And how very miserable she must be to think of running away! “Look here,” said Joan, “don’t think of how mean and spiteful Kathleen’s been. Think instead of how it must feel to be plain and jealous and dull, as Kathleen is, and to be unhappy and ashamed as well! Elizabeth, you were helped last term, and I was helped too. I’m going to help Kathleen! She hasn’t been mean to me, so I don’t feel angry about things as you do. I just feel sorry.” She ran out of the room, Jenny looked at Elizabeth.
They both knew at once that Joan was right. They had been thinking of themselves, and not of a miserable girl who needed comfort and help. “We’d better go along too,” said Jenny.
“Wait till Joan’s had time to say a few words,” said Elizabeth. “She’s awfully good at that sort of thing, you know. I sometimes think she’s almost wise enough to be a monitor!” “Well, we certainly are not,” said Jenny. “I can’t imagine how this can be put right, Elizabeth. I really can’t.” Meanwhile, Joan ran up the stairs to her dormitory.
Kathleen was there, putting on her hat and coat, and packing a few things into a small case, Joan went straight up to her.
“Kathleen! I’ve heard all about it! You were jolly brave to own up. Wait till Jenny and Elizabeth have had time to get over it, and they’ll forgive you and be friends.
They are kind and generous really, you know-just give them time.” “I can’t stop at Whyteleafe,” said Kathleen, putting on her scarf. “It’s not only that I’ve made enemies. I feel that everybody thinks Fm so awful. Look at your hair, alt shiny and nice-mine’s like rats’ tails! Look at your bright eyes and red cheeks, and then look at me l I’m a sort of Cinderella!” “Do you remember how Cinderella changed one night?” said Joan, taking Kathleen’s hand. “She sat in the cinders and moped, and maybe she looked just as plain and miserable as you do. But it wasn’t just beautiful clothes and a coach that made her so different all of a sudden! Don’t you think she smiled and looked happy, don’t you think she brushed her hair tilt it shone? What a silly girl you are, Kathleen! Do you know that you look sweet when you smile?” “I don’t,” said Kathleen obstinately.
“Well, you do,” said Joan. “Your eyes light up then, your mouth turns up, and you get a dimple in your left cheek, If you smiled a lot more, you wouldn’t be plain long. Nobody’s ugly when they smile. Haven’t you noticed that, Kathleen?” “Perhaps you are right about that,” said Kathleen, remembering how sweet her mother always looked when she smiled and was happy. “But I never feet very much like smiling.” Footsteps came up the passage and Elizabeth and Jenny came into the room. They went up to Kathleen, “We weren’t very nice to you just now,” said Jenny. “We’re sorry. Don’t run away, Kathleen. We’ll forgive you and forget all you did to us.” “But Robert would have to be cleared from blame,” said Kathleen, “and that means everything going before the School Meeting, I’m sorry-but I’m not brave enough for that!” The girls looked at one another, Yes-of course the matter would have to be discussed there! “So I’m going!” said Kathleen. “I’m a coward, I know, But I can’t help that. Where’s my ease? Good-bye, all of you-don’t think too unkindly of me, please!” KA TNLEEN RUNS AWAY.
KATHLEEN picked up her case and went out of the room.
Joan ran after her and took hold of her arm, “Kathleen! Don’t be an idiot! You just can’t run away from school! It’s impossible!” “It’s not impossible,” said Kathleen. “I’m doing it! Don’t try to stop me, Joan. I’m going to walk down to the station to get the train.” She shook off Joan’s hand and ran down the passage. It wasn’t a bit of good going after her. She had made up her mind, and nothing would stop her The three girls stared after her, “I feel simply awful about this,” said Jenny suddenly, in a trembling voice. “I wish I hadn’t imitated Mam’zelle and Kathleen that evening. That’s what began all the trouble.” “What are we going to do?” said Joan in a troubled voice. “We’ll have to report that Kathleen has run away. But I can’t help feeling that it’s no good trying to stop her in any way, because honestly I wouldn’t want to face the School Meeting as she would have to do when everything comes out. She’d probably run away after that, if she didn’t now! She’s not a brave person at all.” Just then Nora came by She was surprised to see the three girls standing at the door of their dormitory. looking so worried.
“What are you here for?” she asked. “Didn’t you know that the concert is beginning in a minute? You’d better hurry, Why are you all looking so solemn? Has anything happened?” “Well, yes,” said Elizabeth. “An awful lot has happened. We don’t know what to do about it, It’s dreadful, Nora,” “Good gracious! You’d better tell me about it then, as I’m your monitor,” said Nora.
“I think we’d like to,” said Jenny. “Don’t let’s go to the concert, Nora, Let’s go to the common-room. It wilt be empty now and we can tell you what’s happened.” Once a week a concert was given by those children who learnt the piano, the violin, singing or reciting, and usually most of the forms attended, for it was fun to hear their own forms playing or singing. So the common-room was empty when the four girls walked into it, Jenny told the tale. She told it from the very beginning, and although she went red when she related how she had imitated Mam’zelle and Kathleen, she did not miss out anything. She was a truthful, honest girl. willing to take her fair share of any blame. Nora listened gravely.
“Poor old Kathleen!” she said. “She has made a mess of things. Well, we’ve got to do something about it, but I daren’t say what. We must find Rita and get her to come to Miss Belle and Miss Best with us.” “Oh, goodness1 Will they have to know?” asked Elizabeth in dismay.
“Of course, idiot! You don’t suppose a girl can run away from Whyteleafe without the Heads knowing, do you?” said Nora. “Come on-there’s no time to be lost.” They found Rita in her study. “Rita! Could you come with us to bliss Belle and Miss Best?” asked Nora. “A girl in Elizabeth’s form has run away, and we think we ought to tell the whole story to the Heads.” “Of course!” said Rita, looking startled. “We’d better take William along too. It’s a thing he probably ought to know about, and it will save time if he comes now.” So in a few minutes six people were outside the drawing room where the two Head-mistresses were sitting writing letters, Rita knocked, “Come in,” said a quiet voice, and in they all went, Mr. Johns was there too, and the three Heads looked surprised to see such a crowd of children appearing.
“Is anything the matter?” asked Miss Belle at once.
“There is, rather,” said Rita. “Elizabeth, tell the story quickly.” So Elizabeth told it all, and when she came to where Kathleen had packed a small case and gone down to the station, Mr. Johns jumped up at once.
“I must go after her,” he said. “I hope I shan’t be too late.” “But the train will have gone!” said Nora, “They have been altered this month,” said Mr. Johns. “The one Kathleen went to catch doesn’t run now-it’s an hour later. If I go quickly, I can just get the child. Come with rue, Rita.” The two of them went Out of the room, and in a moment or two the front door banged. They were gone. Elizabeth hoped and hoped that they would be able to catch poor Kathleen before she went home. Now that the Heads knew everything she felt happier. Grown-ups always seemed to be able to put things right! “Two things need to be put right, as far as I can see,” said Miss Best. “The first thing is to put Kathleen right with herself, and make her see that running away never solves any difficulty at all, but only makes things worse. She thinks herself a failure, poor child, but no one need ever be that. If we can get that idea out of her head, things won’t seem so bad to her,” “And I know whit the second thing is,” said Elizabeth in a low voice. “It’s to clear Robert of blame. I do hate to think I accused him unjustly-and he really has been decent about it, I feel terribly ashamed.” “I am glad you feel ashamed, Elizabeth,” said Miss Best, “We all know that you are just and honest by nature, but you will never do anything worth-while if you rush at things impatiently and lose your temper.” “No, I know I’m doing my best to learn that,” said Elizabeth. “But you’ve no idea how difficult it is, Miss Best.” “Oh yes, I have!” said Miss Best. “I once had a hot temper too!” She smiled her lovely smile, and the four children thought what a nice person she was. None of them could really believe that she had ever had a bad temper.