Elizabeth danced round happily. This was marvellous! How silly John was to be late! And then she suddenly noticed something! The wind was blowing the flames of the bonfire near the shed! “Gracious! I hope the shed won’t catch fire!” cried Elizabeth in alarm. “Oh, my goodness-I believe it will! John! John! Quick, where are you?” John was coming down the path at that moment, He saw the flames of the bonfire at the bottom of the garden, and hurried to see what was happening. When he saw that the red tongues were actually licking the wood-shed, he had a terrible fright.
“Elizabeth! Get the hose out with me!” he cried. Together the two children unrolled the hose and hastily fitted it to the garden-tap. John turned on the tap and the water gushed out of the hose, The boy turned it on the bonfire, In a few minutes the fire was out and only dense black smoke came from the very heart of it. John threw down the hose and turned off the tap.
“What in the world did you light the bonfire for?” he said angrily. “What an idiot you are! Don’t you know by now that I’m head of the school garden? You might have burnt down the shed!” “Don’t talk to me like that!” cried Elizabeth, firing up at once. “You said you were going to light it-and it would have happened just the same if you had, wouldn’t it!” “My dear Elizabeth, I’m not quite so foolish as to light a bonfire just there, with the wind blowing the flames straight towards the shed,” said John furiously. “Have a little sense! I didn’t dream of lighting it to-day! And you’ve no business to. Now we’ve ruined the bonfire and I meant it to be such a beauty. You’re a real nuisance, and I don’t want you in the garden any more!” “Oh!” cried Elizabeth, with tears in her eyes. “You hateful boy! After all I’ve done in the garden and all the help I’ve given you!” “You shouldn’t have done it for me,” said John. “You should have done it for the garden and for the school. Go away, Elizabeth. I don’t feel as if I want to talk to you any more.” “Well, I’ll certainly never come and help in the garden again!” shouted Elizabeth, and off she marched in a great rage.
But half an hour later a little voice spoke inside her head. “You said you weren’t going to quarrel with anyone any more, And you have already! After all, John was right to be cross. You might have burnt down the shed and all his precious tools and everything-and you’ve spoilt the lovely bonfire he wanted to light.” And a voice was speaking inside John’s head too, “Elizabeth didn’t mean it, She was just silly, not bad. She’s as disappointed as you are about the bonfire. And you know you do want her help in the garden. Suppose she takes you at your word and doesn’t come any more? That wouldn’t be very nice!” “I’ll go and find her,” thought John. And the same thought came to Elizabeth, “I’ll go and find John.” So they met round the corner of the garden path, each looking rather ashamed. They held out their hands, “Sorry I was piggy to you,” said John.
“And I’m sorry I was too,” said Elizabeth, “Oh, John, I said to myself to-day that I’d never quarrel with anyone any more-and I’ve gone and done it again!” “You always will!” said John, with a laugh. “But it won’t matter if only you will make it up quickly. Come on and do some digging. It will do us both good.” Off they went together, the best of friends. It takes more than a quarrel to break up a real friendship, doesn’t it! A THRILL FOR JOAN.
Two months of the Christmas term had already gone by. Seven School Meetings had been held, and the eighth was to be held on the next Friday night. A new monitor had to be chosen, because one of the old ones, a boy called George, had the flu, and was in the San. for a week or two.
“How are new monitors chosen?” asked Robert. “Nobody new has been chosen since I came at the beginning of the term, I thought monitors were only chosen for a month-but we’ve had the same ones for two months.” “Yes, because they’re so good we don’t want to change them,” said Joan. “We can change them at the end of each month if we want to-but there’s no point in changing them if we are satisfied. I think all our monitors are awfully good.” “So do I,” said Elizabeth, “I once thought it must be awful to be a monitor and have to keep all the rules and see that the others did too-but now I’ve changed my mind. I think it’s rather nice to be trusted so much, and to have people coming to you for help and advice.” “Well, the people who matter in this world are the ones who can be really trusted and who are willing to help anyone in trouble,” said Jenny. “We get good training for that at Whyteleafe! One day I’d like to be a monitor- but like you, Elizabeth, I know I never shall be!” “Well, nobody’s answered my question yet,” said Robert patiently.
“What was it?” asked Elizabeth, “I asked how new monitors are chosen,” said Robert. “Do we choose them-or do the Jury-or the Judges-or who?” “Well, the whole School chooses them first,” said John. “We each write down the name of one we think we would like as monitor, and then the slips of paper are folded and passed up to the Jury.
“What next?” asked Robert.
“The Jury undo them and see which three children have the most votes,” said John. “They vote for whichever of those three they think would be best. Then their votes are passed up to William and Rita-and the two Judges decide which child is to be made a new monitor,” “I see,” said Robert. “It seems very fair. Everyone has a say in the matter, That’s what I like so much about Whyteleafe-we all have a say in things.” “I can’t quite think who to vote for,” said Jenny, “I’ll have to think hard.” “So will I,” said Joan thoughtfully. “It is such an honour to be chosen. The one we choose must really be worthy of it.” “Can I walk with you when we go for our Nature Ramble this afternoon?” asked Kathleen, “Elizabeth can’t go~-she’s got an extra music practice with Richard,” “All right,” said Joan, “But don’t be late. I’m leading the ramble, you know, and you must be on time if you want to start off with me.” Kathleen was very punctual, and the two set off together with their notebooks, followed by the rest of the children who were interested in Nature work, They were to find blossoming ivy, the last insect feast of the season, and to list and draw all the insects feasting on the nectar in the green blossoms, It was fun to wander down the lanes together and over the fields. The pale winter sun shone down and the sky was the faint blue of a harebell. The trees were all bare except the firs and the pines, and the frost still glittered under the hedges.
Kathleen hummed a little song to herself as she looked about for the blossoms of the ivy. Joan looked at her, “It’s funny how people change,” she said, “Last term I saw Elizabeth change from a horrid, naughty girl to a kind and good one. 11 felt myself change from somebody lonely and shy to somebody quite different. I’ve seen Robert change-and now you’re changing too under my very eyes!” “Yes, I know,” said Kathleen, “But there’s one way I haven’t changed, Joan, I’m still a coward!” “How do you mean?” asked Joan, surprised. “Are you frightened of cows, or something?” “No, of course not,” said Kathleen. “I’m frightened of what people think! That’s much worse than cows! Nobody but you and Jenny and Nora and Elizabeth know that it was I who played those horrid tricks-oh, and Rita and William, of course. And I know quite well that if it had been you or Jenny or Elizabeth you would all have been brave enough to get up in front of the whole School at a Meeting and say it was you!” “Well, of course,” said Joan. “Why not? You know quite well that the School would think well of you for owning up, and not so badly of you for doing the tricks. But if it leaks out that you did do them and didn’t own up, why then, we should think much worse of you, and you’d think worse of yourself too! It’s just a question of making up your mind to do it, Everybody has plenty of courage -only they don’t always use it.” “Have they really?” said Kathleen, “I mean, have I got plenty of courage if I like to use it? I don’t have to be a coward then?” “You tine an idiot!” said Joan, taking Kathleen’s arm. “I mean what I say. No one has to be a coward-anyone can draw on their courage the moment they make up their mind to! Try it at the next Meeting, old thing-you’ll see what I mean then,” They found a great stretch of blossoming ivy just then, so they said no more, but busied themselves in writing down the large list of insects hovering over the nectar. But Kathleen was thinking over Joan’s words. It would be too marvellous if they were true. If everybody had courage deep down inside them, why then, nobody need be a coward-they only had to take hold of their courage and use it! “I’ll see if I can use mine at the next Meeting,” thought Kathleen, though her heart sank at the thought. “It’s tire.-some to see all the other children standing up and saying things, and I hardly dare to open my mouth!” So at the next Meeting, unknown to any of her friends, Kathleen sat with shaking knees, trying to take hold of her courage. The usual business was gone through-money put into the box-money given out-money granted or refused for several things. And then came the complaints and grumbles.