"Blyton, Enid - Naughtiest Girl 01 - The Naughtiest Girl in the School" - читать интересную книгу автора (Blyton Enid)
"It's a jolly good nickname!" she said. "Belle means Beauty, and Best is very like Beast-and certainly Miss Belle is lovely, and Miss Best isn't! That was pretty smart of you, Elizabeth." Elizabeth smiled! She really couldn't help it. She didn't want to-she wanted to be as horrid as possible -but it was really very pleasant to have everyone laughing at her joke.
"It's queer, though," she thought. "I meant to be horrid and rude, and the others just think it's funny. I guess Miss Belle and Miss Best wouldn't think it was funny, though!" Nobody offered Elizabeth any of their goodies. and she did not like to offer hers, for she felt sure everyone would say no. The meal went on until half-past seven, and then after grace was said the children all got up and went to the playroom.
"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.
He made up a fine marching tune, and Elizabeth liked it very much for she loved music. She wondered if she was supposed to learn music at Whyteleafe. Miss Scott had taught her at home, but Miss Scott was not musical and Elizabeth had not enjoyed her lessons at all.
Out marched the children to their classrooms. "You are in Miss Ranger's class," said Ruth, poking Elizabeth in the back. "Come with me and I'll show you." Elizabeth followed Ruth. She came to a big sunny classroom, and into it poured six boys and nine girls. all about Elizabeth's age.
"Bags I this desk," squealed Ruth. "I like to be by the window!" She put her things into the desk. The other children chose their desks too, but the new ones were told to wait till Miss Ranger came. Ruth sprang to hold the door open as soon as she heard Miss Ranger's rather loud voice down the passage.
"All the old children can sit, but the new ones must stand whilst I give them their places," said Miss Ranger. She gave Elizabeth a desk at the back. Elizabeth was glad. It would be a good place to be naughty in! She meant to be bad in class that very morning, The sooner that everyone knew how naughty she meant to be, the sooner she would be sent home, Books were given out. "We will take a reading lesson first," said Miss Ranger, who wanted to make sure that the new children could read properly. "Then Dictation-then Arithmetic!" Elizabeth could read beautifully, spell well, and she liked arithmetic. She couldn't help feeling that it was rather fun to do lessons with a lot of people instead of by herself! When her turn came she read very nicely indeed, though she had a great many difficult words in her page.
"Very good, Elizabeth," said Miss Ranger. "Next.
please." Elizabeth got all her dictation right. She thought it was very easy. Miss Ranger took a red pencil and marked "VERY GOOD" on Elizabeth's page. Elizabeth looked at it proudly-and then she suddenly remembered that she had meant to be naughty! "This won't do!" she said to herself. "I can't get Very Goods like this-they'll never send me home. I'd better be naughty." She wondered what to do. She looked at Ruth by the window, and wondered if she could flip her rubber at her and hit her. She took her ruler, fitted her rubber against the end of it, bent it back and let it go. Whizzzzzz! The rubber flew across the schoolroom and hit Ruth on the left ear! "Ooooh!" said Ruth, in surprise. She looked round and saw Elizabeth's grinning face. Others began to giggle when they saw Ruth's angry look.
Elizabeth grew bolder. She folded up a bit of paper. and flipped it at Helen, who sat m front. But Helen moved her head, and the pellet of paper flew past her and landed on Miss Ranger's desk. She looked up.
"Playtime is for things like this," she said. "Not lesson-time. Who did that?" Elizabeth didn't answer, Miss Ranger looked up and down the rows. "WHO DID THAT?" she said again. The boy next to Elizabeth poked her bard with his ruler.
"Own up!" he whispered. "If you don't we'll all be kept in." So Elizabeth owned up. "I did it," she said.
"Well, Elizabeth, perhaps you would like to know that I don't allow behaviour like that in my class," said Miss Ranger. "Don't do it again." "I shall if I want to," said Elizabeth. Everybody looked at her in amazement. Miss Ranger was surprised.
"You must be very bored with these lessons to want to flip paper about," she said. "Go outside the room and stay there till you feel it would bore you less to come back than to stand outside. I don't mind how long you stand there, but I do mind anybody being bored in my class. Now, children, get out your paint-boxes, please." There was a clatter as the desks were opened and paint-boxes were taken out. Elizabeth loved painting and was very good at it. She wanted to stay. She sat on in her desk and didn't move, "Elizabeth! Go outside, please," said Miss Ranger.
There was no help for it then-up Elizabeth got and went outside the door.
"You may come back when you think you can really behave yourself, and not disturb my class," said Miss Ranger.
It was very dull standing outside the door. Elizabeth wondered if she should wander away and have a swing. No-she might meet the Beauty and the Beast! Ha ha! She was being naughty all right! But it was dull standing so long outside a door and hearing happy talking coming from inside, as the children painted blue and pink lupins that Miss Ranger had brought in. Elizabeth couldn't bear it any longer. She opened the door and went in.
"I can behave myself now," she said, in a low voice to Miss Ranger. Miss Ranger nodded, without a smile.
"Take your place," she said. "There's no time for you to do any painting-you can do a few more sums!" "Sums again!" thought Elizabeth angrily. "Well- I'll just be bad as soon as ever I can think of something really naughty again!" CHAPTER 7.
The First School Meeting.
THAT evening, after tea, the first Meeting was held. The whole school attended it, and Miss Belle, Miss Best, and Mr. Johns came too. They sat at the back and did not seem to be taking a great deal of notice of what was going on.
"But all the same, they never miss a word!" said Ruth to Belinda. who was feeling just a little scared of this first important Meeting.
The two Head Children of the school, a grave-looking girl called Rita, and a merry-eyed boy called William, sat at a large table in the gym, where the Meeting was held. They were the Judges. Twelve other children, six boys and six girls, big and small, sat round a table just in front of the two judges. They were called the Jury. All the others sat on forms around.
At first Elizabeth had thought she would not go to the Meeting. Then she had felt rather curious about it, and decided to go just this one time. She had seen a notice on the notice-board that said. "Please bring all the money you have," and she had brought hers in her purse-though she was quite determined not to give it up if she were asked to do so.
All the children stood up when the two Judges and the two mistresses and master came into the room-all but Elizabeth! However she got up in a great hurry when she felt Ruth's hard fingers digging into her back to make her move! She glared round at Ruth, and was just going to speak angrily to her when there was the sound of a hammer being rapped on a table, "Sit, please," said one of the Judges. Everyone sat. Elizabeth saw that there was a wooden hammer or mallet on the table in front of the Judges, and also a large notebook and some sheets of paper. There was a large box as well, like a big money-box. It all looked important and exciting.
"The twelve children round the smaller table are the monitors," whispered Helen to Elizabeth. "They are chosen by us all every month." Elizabeth saw that Nora was at the Jury table, and so was the boy she had kicked the day before. She didn't know any of the others, except Eileen, the girl who had been kind to her yesterday.
The girl Judge rose in her seat and spoke clearly to the school. "This is our first Meeting this term," she said. "We have very little to do to-day, because school only opened yesterday, but we must just make our Rules clear to the new children, and we must also take in the money. We do not need to choose new monitors because we elected those at the last Meeting of the Easter term. You see them at the Jury table. They will remain monitors for one month unless any Meeting decides to choose others instead. As you know, monitors are chosen for their common sense, their loyalty to the school and its ideas, and their good character, They must be obeyed, because you yourselves have chosen them." The girl Judge stopped and looked down at a paper she held, on which she had written notes to remind her of what she wanted to say. She looked round at the listening children.
"We have very few rules," she said. "One rule is that we place all the money we get into this box, and we draw from it two shillings a week each. The rest of the money is used to buy anything that any of you especially want-but you have to state at the weekly Meeting what you need the money for, and the Jury will decide if you may have it." One or two of the children clinked their money as if they would like to put it into the box at once. The Judges smiled. "You'll be able to give your money in a minute," said the girl Judge. "Now, to go on with our Rules. The second rule is that if we have any complaint at all, we must bring it to the Meeting and announce it there, so that everyone may hear it, and decide what is to be done with it.
"Any bullying, unkindness, untruthfulness, dis.. obedience may be brought before the Meeting, and we will decide what punishment shall be given Please be sure you understand the difference between a real complaint and telling tales, because telling tales is also punished. If you are not sure of the difference, ask your monitor before you bring your complaint to the Meeting." The girl Judge sat down. The boy Judge got up. and beamed round the listening company. "We will now take the money," be said. "After that we will hand out the two shillings to everyone, and then see if anybody wants extra this week. Thomas, take the box round, please." Elizabeth was quite sure she was not going to give up her money. She quickly pushed her purse under her and sat on it hard.
Thomas came round with the box, Money clinked into it-shillings and sixpences, half-crowns and even a ten-shilling note or two went into the big box.
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