“Come and help me to choose a new ribbon, Elizabeth!” Joan would beg. “I really must get one.” And down to the town the two would go.
“Elizabeth, come and practise catching the ball at lacrosse with me,” Nora would say. “You’re getting quite good. A little more practice and you’ll be first-rate.” Then Elizabeth would beam with pride and go to fetch her lacrosse stick.
“Elizabeth, John wants you and me to go and help him to pile up rubbish for a bonfire!” Belinda would call. “Coming?” And off Elizabeth would go again, so that she hardly saw Robert at all, except in class. But she did not forget what she had planned to do, and when she had a chance she watched to see if any of the smaller children were being bullied.
But she saw nothing of the sort, Robert went about his own business and seemed to keep right away from the younger ones. He knew quite well that Elizabeth was watching for him to do something bad again, and he wasn’t going to give her the chance to catch him, She would soon get tired of that, Robert was immensely fond of horses, and rode as often as he could. He was not allowed to look after them, because only the bigger boys and girls were allowed to do that, but he spent as much time as he could hanging round the stables, and talking to the brown-eyed horses, who put their heads out over the stable doors when they saw him, Robert took no interest in the other pets at all, much to the annoyance of the other children, who always loved to show off their pets to anyone.
So, what with Robert going out riding and the other girls taking Elizabeth off with them as often as they could, the two enemies had few chances to meet and quarrel. It was only in class that they could show their dislike of one another, Robert was so anxious not to give Elizabeth any chance of jeering at him that he worked extra hard, and took enormous care with his home-work. Miss Ranger, the form-mistress, was surprised and pleased to find Robert making such progress with everything, and she praised him, “Robert, you are doing very well,” she said. “I shouldn’t be surprised if you are top of the class one week this term, if you work like this!” Robert went red with pleasure. He was really a lazy boy, and had never been anywhere near the top of his form, even at his old school. Elizabeth was annoyed to here Miss Ranger say this. Why, she, Elizabeth, could easily be top of the form if she wanted to! She would work like anything and just show Robert he couldn’t get to the top whilst she was in the form! So she worked very hard too-but both children were working hard for the wrong reason-to spite one another! So they did not enjoy their work at all, which was a great pity.
Then for a time both Robert and Elizabeth forgot their quarrel in the interest of something else, Jennifer’s white mice made a great disturbance, and Jenny nearly got into serious trouble! Her white mice had a family of nine small baby-mice, most adorable creatures with soft white fur, woffly noses, pink eyes, and tiny tails, Jenny loved these very much indeed, and it was quite a sight to see the little girl with half a dozen mice running up and down her sleeves.
“Jenny, put them back, the bell’s gone,” said Elizabeth one morning. “Hurry! You’ll be late, and Miss Ranger isn’t in a very good temper this morning.” “Oh, golly, I can’t find them all,” said Jenny, feeling all over her body for the baby-mice. “Wherever have they gone? Is there one down my back, Elizabeth?” “Oh, Jenny, how can you let them do that!” cried Elizabeth. “No, there isn’t one down your back, They must be all there in the cage now. Do come on. I shan’t wait for you if you’re a second longer.” Jenny shut the cage-door carefully and latched it. Then she ran off with Elizabeth, and they arrived in their classroom panting, just as Miss Ranger also arrived.
They took their places. The lesson was geography, and the class were learning about Australia and the big sheep-farms there. Jenny had a seat in the first row just in front of Elizabeth and Joan.
And, in the middle of the lesson, Elizabeth saw the nose of a white mouse peeping out at the back of Jenny’s neck! Jenny felt it too. She wriggled, put up her hand and pushed the mouse down. It disappeared.
Elizabeth so badly wanted to giggle that she did not dare to look up at all. When she did look up, she saw the mouse peeping out of Jenny’s left sleeve. It looked round at Elizabeth with pink eyes. Then it disappeared again.
Jenny found the mouse very tickly indeed. She wriggled about. She tried to make the mouse go up to her shoulder, where it could be comfortable and go to sleep. But it wasn’t at all sleepy. It was a very lively mouse indeed.
It ran all round Jenny, sniffing here and there at shoulder-straps and tapes, and Jenny couldn’t stop wriggling.
Miss Ranger noticed her. “Jenny! What in the world is the matter with you this morning? Do sit still.” “Yes, Miss Ranger,” said Jenny. But a second later the mouse went under her left arm-hole, where Jenny really was very ticklish indeed, and the little girl gave a giggle and another wriggle. Miss Ranger looked up.
“Jennifer! You are behaving like a child in the kindergarten! And Elizabeth, what is the matter with you?” There was nothing the matter with Elizabeth except that she simply could not help laughing at Jenny, because she knew so well why Jenny was wriggling. The mouse popped lis head out of Jenny’s neck and stared at Elizabeth and Joan. The two girls tried to stop their giggles, but the more they tried to stop, the worse they got.
“This class is a disgrace this morning,” said Miss Ranger impatiently. “Come up here to the board, Jennifer, and point out some things to me on the map. If you can’t sit still, perhaps you can stand still!” Jenny got up and went to the board, The mouse was pleased to find it was having a ride, and it scampered all round Jenny’s back. Jenny put her hand behind her and tried to stop it.
“Jenny! What is wrong?” asked Miss Ranger. By this time the whole class knew about Jenny’s mouse, and everyone was bending over their books, red in the face, trying their hardest not to giggle. A little squeal came from Kenneth, and Miss Ranger put down her book in despair.
“There is some joke going on,” she said. “Well, let me share it. If it’s funny, we’ll all have a good laugh. If it isn’t, we’ll get on with the lesson. Now, what’s the joke?” Nobody told her, Jenny looked at the class with pleading eyes, begging them silently not to give her away. The mouse also looked out of Jenny’s sleeve. Miss Ranger was really puzzled.
And then the mouse decided to explore the world a bit! So out it ran, jumped on to Miss Ranger’s desk, and sat up to wash its whiskers, The class went off into shouts of laughter. Miss Ranger looked down in the greatest astonishment, She had not seen where the mouse had come from, “How did this mouse come here?” she asked.
“It jumped from my sleeve, please, Miss Ranger,” said Jenny. “I was playing with my white mice when the bell rang, and I suppose I didn’t put them all back into the cage. This one was still up my sleeve.” “So that’s the joke!” said Miss Ranger, beginning to smile. “Well, I agree it’s a good joke, and no wonder everyone laughed. But it’s not a joke to be repeated, Jenny. It’s funny this time-but if it happens a second time, I shan’t think it is at all funny. You quite understand that, don’t you? White mice are very nice in their cage, but not at all suitable running round people’s necks in a class-room.” “Oh’ yes, I do understand that, Miss Ranger,” said Jenny earnestly. “It was quite an accident, May I put the mouse up my sleeve again?” “I’d much rather you didn’t,” said Miss Ranger. “I feel this lesson will not be very successful as long as that mouse is in the room. Take it back to its cage. It will have plenty to tell all its brothers and sisters,” So off went Jenny, and the class settled down again. But the laughter had done everyone good, especially Elizabeth, She felt almost her old happy self again after that! KATHLEEN IN TROUBLE.
ELIZABETH enjoyed the games in the winter term very much indeed. She didn’t know which she liked best, hockey or lacrosse! “I almost think I like lacrosse best,” she said to Joan. “The catching is such fun.” “If you go on playing well, you’ll be in the next match,” said Joan. “I heard Eileen say so!” “Did you really and truly?” said Elizabeth joyfully. “Oh, I say! Nobody else out of our form has been in a school match yet. If only I could be!” Somebody else in the form was extremely good at lacrosse too-and that was Robert! He had never played the game before, but he was very quick on his feet, and could catch marvellously. The game was played with a hard rubber ball which had to be thrown from one player’s net to another, caught, and sent hurtling at the goal-net. The job of the other side was to knock the ball away, or make the player who had the ball toss it to someone else, when the enemy might perhaps be able to get it, As soon as Robert saw that Elizabeth was becoming good enough to play in a school match, he made up his mind that he would be better than she was, and take her place in the match.