Kathleen did not see her. The girl was sitting on her bed, looking earnestly at her face in her hand-mirror, She looked really sad, and Elizabeth knew why. Poor Kathleen was thinking how plain and ugly she was! She had always known it herself-but it was dreadful to know that everyone else knew it too, and laughed about it, Elizabeth drew back her head and said nothing. Would Kathleen have the courage to repeat at the Meeting all that Jenny had said about her? Surely she couldn’t do that! Kathleen had her own plans. She was going to pay Jenny out in her own way. She got into bed and lay thinking about them. Jenny had better look out, that’s all! ANOTHER SCHOOL MEETING.
THINGS were not very pleasant the next two or three days. There seemed to be rather a lot of bad feeling about. For one thing, Kathleen simply would not speak to Jenny at all, which was not very surprising considering what she had overheard Jenny saying.
But besides not speaking to her, Kathleen began to speak against her, Jenny was always very hungry, and she ate very well indeed-and Kathleen called her greedy.
“It makes me sick to see the way that greedy Jenny eats,” she said to Belinda, after tea the next day. “Honestly, she ate seven pieces of bread-and-butter, and three buns, besides an enormous piece of birthday cake that Harriet gave her.” Belinda said nothing. She did not like rows-but Elizabeth overheard and flared up at once in defence of Jenny.
“That’s a mean thing to say, Kathleen!” she said. “Jenny isn’t greedy! She’s always terribly hungry at meal-times-well, I am too, I must say-but I’ve never seen Jenny gobbling just for the sake of eating, or taking more than her share if there wasn’t enough for everyone. And how awful of you to count how many pieces of bread-and-butter she had!” “I shall count again,” said Kathleen, “and you’ll be surprised to find I’m right. Jenny is greedy. It’s disgusting!” “Kathleen! What about you and your sweets then!” cried Elizabeth, “You’re greedy over them-why, you never offer anyone any!” “Stop it now, you two,” said Belinda, feeling uncomfortable. “I don’t know what’s the matter with our form this term-somebody always seems to be quarrelling!” Kathleen went off. Elizabeth took out her paint-box to paint a map, and set it down on the table with a crash, Her face was as black as thunder.
“Elizabeth! I wonder you haven’t broken that box in half!” exclaimed Belinda, “My word, 1 wish you could see your face!” “I think you might have stuck up for Jenny,” said Elizabeth, stirring her paint-water so crossly that it slopped over on the table. “I wouldn’t let anyone say a word against a friend of mine without sticking up for them.” “Well, you’ve made things much worse by sticking up, than I have by saying nothing,” said Belinda. “I don’t know what’s come over you lately-you’re really bad-tempered!” “No, I’m not,” said Elizabeth. “Things have gone wrong, that’s all, Anyway, I won’t let that spotty-faced Kathleen say mean things about old Jenny. Jenny’s a sport. Golly, how I laughed about that white mouse the other day! Miss Ranger was nice about that, wasn’t she?” About a quarter of an hour later, Jenny came into the common-room looking furious. She sat down in a chair with a bump. Belinda looked up from her sewing.
“My goodness! Another thunderstorm beginning!” she said, “What’s up, Jenny? One look at you and even the milk would turn sour!” “Don’t be funny,” said Jenny. “It’s that horrible Kathleen! She told Kenneth that I borrowed his bike yesterday without asking him, And I didn’t. I took Harry’s and I did ask him! Mine had a puncture!” “Well, really, Kathleen’s going a bit too far!” said Elizabeth indignantly, “That’s twice she’s said nasty things about you to-day. I’ll tell her what I think of her when I see her!” “She’s in the passage outside, still telling Kenneth about me,” said Jenny. “Go and say what you want to-it will do her good!” “No, don’t, Elizabeth,” said Belinda, “You are such a little spitfire. Don’t interfere.” But Elizabeth had already marched out of the room, She saw Kathleen and went up to her.
“Look here, Kathleen,” she said, “if you don’t stop saying unkind and untrue things about Jenny. I’ll report you at the next Meeting!” “And what about the unkind and untrue things that Jenny said about me in front of you all!” said Kathleen in a low and trembling voice, “How dared she mock me like that!” “Well, they might have been unkind, but they weren’t untrue,” said Elizabeth. Then she was sorry she had said that. But it was too late to unsay it, Kathleen turned away and went off without saying another word.
She was really afraid that Elizabeth might report her, and she made up her mind that she had better not speak against Jenny. But she would do all kinds of little things to annoy her and get her into trouble-and she would do them to that interfering Elizabeth, too, “I’ll be very, very careful so that nobody guesses it’s me,” thought Kathleen to herself. “I’ll hide their books- and make blots on their home-work-and do things like that, I’ll soon pay them out!” The next School Meeting came along quickly. The children took their places as usual, and the Meeting began. A nice lot of money was put into the box, for three children had had birthdays and had many postal orders sent to them. That was lucky! “We are rich to-day,” said William, jingling the box. “Give out the ordinary money, Eileen-and fourpence ha’penny extra to Mary as usual. Now-any requests for extra money?” Leonard, one of the bigger boys, stood up. “May I have half-a-crown to pay for mending a window, please?” he asked. “I broke one yesterday in the common-room.” “By accident, or were you fooling about?” asked William, “I was playing with an old cricket-ball,” said Leonard. “Well, you know quite well that we made a rule last term not to bring balls into the common-room,” said William. “It only means broken windows,” “I quite forgot that rule,” said Leonard, “I should like the money, though-half a crown is a lot to have to pay.
I’m sorry about it, William.” The Jury discussed the matter, They quite saw that half a crown was a lot of money when each boy and girl only had two shillings each week. On the other hand, Leonard had broken a rule that he himself had helped to make last term, and why should the school money pay for his fooling about?
The matter was decided at last, William banged with his hammer and the children were quiet.
“Was anybody else fooling about with you?” asked William. Leonard stood up again.
“Well, yes,” he said, “but it was when 1 threw the ball that the window got broken.” “The Jury think that the half-crown shouldn’t come out of the School Box,” said William, “but they also think that you shouldn’t have to pay it all. You’d better discuss it with the children who were playing about with you at the time, and divide the payment between you. That’s fair.” A boy got up. “I was fooling about too,” he said. “I’ll pay my share, I agree that it’s fair.” Two others got up, a boy and a girl. “We will pay our share too,” they said.
“Right,” said William. “Fours into two shillings and sixpence-sevenpence ha’penny each, That won’t ruin any of you. And please remember that as you all help to make the few rules we have, it’s up to you to keep them.” John nudged Elizabeth, “Ask for the money for our crocuses,” he whispered. “Go on, I’m not going to! It was your idea.” “I’m sure the Meeting won’t let me have anything after what they said last week,” said Elizabeth in a fierce whisper.
“Coward!” said John, with a grin. That was quite enough to make Elizabeth shoot to her feet at once, She could never bear to be called a coward! Kathleen looked at her rather anxiously. She was half afraid that Elizabeth was going to complain about her to the Meeting.
“What do you want, Elizabeth?” asked Rita, “Extra money?” “Yes, please,” said Elizabeth, “John and I have got some fine plans for the school garden and we both think it would be lovely to have yellow and purple crocuses growing in the grass on that sloping bank near the gates. John says we’d want at least five hundred crocus corms. Please may we have the money to buy them, Rita?” William and Rita spoke together f or a moment and the Jury nodded their heads at one another. Everyone thought the money could be given.
“Yes, you can have what you want,” said William, “The whole School will enjoy seeing the crocuses in the early spring, and it is quite fair that the money should come out of the School Box, Find out how much the corms will be, Elizabeth, and we shall be very pleased to give you the money. Also, I would like to say that the whole School appreciates the way that you and John work at our garden,” Elizabeth blushed with pleasure. This was quite unex~ pected. She sat down with a word of thanks, John grinned in delight at her. “What did I tell you?” he whispered. “You can always trust William and Rita to be absolutely fair!” “Any complaints or grumbles?” asked Rita. A small boy got up promptly. He was a cheeky-looking child, and had his complaint all ready.