"Blyton, Enid - Naughtiest Girl 01 - The Naughtiest Girl in the School" - читать интересную книгу автора (Blyton Enid)

Elizabeth looked forward to the next School Meeting. She knew now that it was the most important thing of the whole school week. She was beginning to see that each child was one of a big gathering, and that. because its behaviour brought good or ill to the school as a whole, each child must learn to do its best so that the whole school might run smoothly and happily.
This was a difficult thing for a spoilt only child to learn-but Elizabeth was not stupid, and she soon saw what a fine thing it was for the children to rule themselves and help each other. But she also saw that they would not be able to do this as well as they did, if they had not had excellent teachers, able to teach and guide the classes in the best way.
"I see why everyone is so proud of Whyteleafe School now," said Elizabeth to herself. "I'm beginning to feel proud of it myself!" Elizabeth enjoyed the next Meeting very much. Nora had said that she had nothing bad to report of her, and so Elizabeth had nothing to fear. She sat listening to the reports, complaints, and grumbles, and beamed with delight when she heard that Harry had been second in his class in arithmetic, and was now to be allowed to sit with the others again.
"Thank you," said Harry to William, "I shall never in my life cheat again, William." "Good," said William. Everyone knew that Harry meant what he said and they were as pleased about it as Harry himself. The boy was different to look at now, too-his sly face had gone, and his eyes looked straight at everyone. He and everyone else had seen and known his fault, and he and the whole school had conquered it-there was nothing to be ashamed of now! There was a report that Peter had carefully cleaned and newly distempered the wall which he had spoilt by scribbling.
"See that you don't have to waste your two shillings on buying distemper again," said William to Peter.
"I certainly won't," said Peter heartily. FIe had had to go without his weekly visit to the cinema, and had missed all his sweets for a week. He wasn't going to let that happen again! There was a complaint about a small girl called Doris. The monitor who complained of her was very angry.
She stood up and made her report. "Doris has two guinea-pigs," she said. "And on two days last week she forgot to feed them. I think they ought to be taken away from her," "Oh no, please don't," begged Doris, almost crying. "I do love them, really I do. I can't think how I came to forget, Rita, I've never forgotten before." "Has she ever forgotten before?" asked William.
"I don't think so," answered the monitor, who had reported Doris.
"Then it was probably quite a mistake, which will never happen again," said William. "Doris, pets trust us completely for their food and water, and it is a terrible thing to forget about them. You must write out a card and pin it over your chest-of-drawers to remind you. Print on it: 'Feed my guinea-pigs.' Take it down after three weeks, and see that you remember without being reminded. If you forget again your guinea-pigs will be taken away and given to someone who will remember them." "I'll never forget again," said small Doris, who was very much ashamed that everyone should know she had forgotten her beloved guinea-pigs.
Nora reported that Elizabeth was behaving well, and said no more. Another monitor complained that somebody had been picking and eating the peas out of the school garden.
But John Terry immediately got up and said that the boy who had taken the peas had gone to him, and had apologised and paid him a shilling for the peas he had eaten.
"Then we'll say no more about that," said William.
When the Meeting was over, Elizabeth went out to the garden to see Harry's rabbits. Harry was not there and the little girl looked at the furry babies running round the big hutch, As she was standing there looking, she suddenly remembered something. She had meant to ask for extra money at the Meeting-and she had forgotten! And what was the extra money for? It was to buy Joan a nice birthday present! Now Elizabeth would have to save her two shillings and buy it with that. She was cross with herself, for she had meant to ask for half a crown to buy Joan a little red handbag she had seen in the draper's shop.
Joan had said nothing to anyone but Elizabeth about her coming birthday. She hoped no one would notice it, because she knew she would have no cake to share with her friends, and no presents or cards to show. She became a timid Mouse once more, as her birthday came near, ashamed because nobody ever remembered her.
But a surprise was coming to Joan! And, of course, it was that Bold Bad Girl, Elizabeth, who planned it! I 08 CHAPTER 17.
Elizabeth has a Secret.
DURING the next week, a registered letter came for Elizabeth from her Uncle Rupert. She opened it-and stared in delight. There was a pound-note inside! "Twenty shillings!" said Elizabeth, in surprise. "Two hundred and forty pence! Ooooh! How kind of Uncle Rupert!" She read her uncle's letter. He said that he had just heard that she had gone to school, and had sent her some money to buy some nice things to eat.
"A whole pound!" said Elizabeth, hardly believing her eyes. "I can buy heaps of things with that! I can buy Joan a lovely present!" She went off to her bedroom to put the money into her purse. Plans began to form in her mind-wonderful plans! "Oh!" said Elizabeth, sitting on her bed, as she thought of the plans. "What fun! I shall go down to the village--and order a fine birthday cake for Joan! She will think it comes from her mother, and she will be so pleased!" Elizabeth went on thinking. "And I shall order the new book that Joan wants, and send that through the post too-and I'll put a card in 'With love from Mother!' Then Joan won't be unhappy any more." The little girl thought these were marvellous plans.
She didn't stop to think that Joan would find out sooner or later that the cake and the book were not from her mother. She just longed to give her friend a fine surprise.
She couldn't ask Joan to come down to the village with her, in case Joan found out what she was doing. So she asked Belinda.
"All right," said Belinda, "I want to buy some stamps, so I'll go after tea with you. Don't spend your two shillings all at once, Elizabeth!" All that day Elizabeth thought about the cake and the presents for Joan. She thought about them so much in the French class, that Mademoiselle got cross with her.
"Elizabeth! Three times I have asked you a question, and you sit there and smile and say nothing!" cried the French mistress, who was very short-tempered.
Elizabeth jumped. She hadn't heard the questions at all, "What was it you asked me, Mam'zelle?" she asked.
"This girl! She thinks she will make me repeat myself a hundred times!" cried Mademoiselle, wagging her hands about in the funny way she had. "You will listen to me properly for the rest of the lesson, Elizabeth, or else you will come to me for an extra half-hour after tea." "Gracious!" thought Elizabeth, remembering that she wanted to go shopping after tea. "I'd better stop dreaming and think of the French lesson," So for the rest of the lesson she did her best, and Mademoiselle smiled graciously at her. She liked Elizabeth, and found her very amusing, though she sometimes wanted to shake her when she said, "Well, you see, Mam'zelle, you needn't bother about whether I shall be top or bottom in exams, because I'm not staying after half-term." "You are the most obstinate child I have ever seen," Mademoiselle would say, and rap loudly on her desk, half angry and half smiling.
After tea Elizabeth went to get her money and to find Belinda, Helen said she would come too, so the three of them set off.
"What are you going to buy, Elizabeth?" asked Helen curiously.
"It's a secret," said Elizabeth at once. "I don't want you to come into the shops with me, if you don't mind, because I really have got some secrets to-day. It's to do with somebody else, that's why I can't tell you." "All right," said Helen. "Well, we are going to have strawberry ice-creams in the sweet-shop. You can join us there when you have finished your shopping. Don't be too long." Helen and Belinda went off to the sweet-shop, and sat down at a little marble-topped table there to enjoy their ice-creams. Elizabeth disappeared into the baker's shop.
The baker's wife came to see what she wanted. "Please, do you make birthday cakes?" asked Elizabeth.
"Yes, miss," said the woman. "They are two shillings and sixpence, five shillings, or, for a very big one with candles on, and the name, ten shillings." "Would the ten-shilling one be big enough for heaps of children?" asked Elizabeth, feeling certain that Joan would like to share the cake with everyone.
"It would be big enough for the whole school!" answered the woman, smiling. "It's the size people often order for Whyteleafe School." "Oh, good," said Elizabeth, "Well, will you make a cake like that for Friday? Put eleven candles on it, all different colours-and put 'A happy birthday for my darling Joan' on it. Will there be enough room for all that, do you think?" "Oh yes," said the woman. "I'll decorate it with sugar flowers, and make it really beautiful, and it shall have two layers of thick cream inside." "I'll pay now," said Elizabeth, "Oh, and will you please send it to Miss Joan Townsend, Whyteleafe School, on Friday morning, early?" "Any message inside, miss?" asked the baker's wife, writing down the name and address.
"No," said Elizabeth, She took the pound-note out of her purse, and was just giving it to the shop woman.
when Nora came into the shop. She smiled at Elizabeth.
Then she looked round the shop. "Are you alone?" she asked, "Surely you didn't come down to the village by yourself?" "Oh no, Nora," said Elizabeth, "I came with Helen and Belinda, They're waiting for me at the ice-cream shop." The little girl paid for the cake, and received ten shillings change. Nora stared at the money, and looked puzzled. Elizabeth waved good-bye and went out, She went to the book-shop and ordered the book she knew Joan wanted. It was a book all about birds and cost five shillings. Elizabeth asked the shopman to send it by post, and to put inside a little card that she gave him. On the card she had written: "With love, from Mother." "Now Joan will think her mother has sent her a fine cake and a present!" thought Elizabeth, pleased to think of Joan's surprise. "I'll buy some birthday cards now." She bought three nice ones. In one she wrote "With love, from Daddy," in the second she wrote "With love, from Mother," and in the last she wrote "With love, from Elizabeth," and added a row of kisses. She bought stamps for them, and put them safely in her pocket, ready to post on Thursday.
Then she went to buy the handbag she had seen in the draper's shop. She had four shillings left by that time, so she bought the red bag, paid for a red comb and a red handkerchief to put inside, and put the change into the little purse belonging to the bag! There was sixpence change, and Elizabeth thought it would be fun to put that in too.
Then she went to the ice-cream shop. Helen and Belinda were there, tired of waiting for her, "You have been a time, Elizabeth," said. Helen. "Whatever have you been doing? You can't possibly be so long spending only two shillings!" And then, for the first time, Elizabeth remembered that all money had to be put into the school money-box, and asked for! And she had spent a whole pound that afternoon, and hadn't even put a penny into the box.
She frowned. Goodness, now what was she to do? How could she have forgotten?
"Well, perhaps it's a good thing I did forget," said Elizabeth to herself. "If I'd put the money into the big money-box, and asked for a pound to spend on somebody's birthday, I'm sure Rita and William wouldn't have given me so much. It is an awful lot to spend all at once-but I did so want to give Joan a fine birthday!" All the same, Elizabeth was rather worried about it. She had broken a rule-but she couldn't mend the broken rule because she had spent all the money! It was no use saying anything about it. The thing was done. And anyway Joan would have the finest surprise of her life! But Elizabeth had a very nasty surprise on her way back to school with Helen and Belinda. Nora ran up to them and said, "Elizabeth! I want to speak to you for a minute. Helen, you and Belinda can go on by yourselves. Elizabeth will catch you up." "What is it, Nora?" asked Elizabeth in surprise.
"Elizabeth, where did you get that money from that I saw you spending in the baker's shop?" asked Nora.
"My uncle sent it to me," said Elizabeth, her heart sinking when she knew that Nora had seen the money.
"Well, you knew the rule," said Nora. "Why didn't you put it into the money-box? You knew you could have out what you wanted, if you really needed it for something." "I know, Nora," said Elizabeth, in a small voice. "But I forgot all about that till I'd spent the money. Really, I did." "Spent all the money!" cried Nora in horror, "What! A whole pound! Twenty shillings! Whatever did you spend it on?" Elizabeth didn't answer, Nora grew angry. "Elizabeth! You must tell me! Whatever could you have spent a whole pound on in such a little time? It's a real waste of money." "It wasn't," said Elizabeth sulkily, "Please don't ask me any more, Nora. I can't tell you what I spent the money on. It's a secret." "You're a very naughty girl," said Nora, "You break a rule-and spend all that money-and then won't tell me what you spent it on. Well-you can tell the next Meeting, if you won't tell me!" "I shan't tell them," said Elizabeth. "It's a secret-' and a secret I can't possibly tell. Oh dear! I always seem to be getting into trouble, and this time I really didn't mean to." Nora would not listen to any more. She sent Elizabeth to catch up Helen and Belinda. Poor Elizabeth! She simply did not know what to do. She couldn't tell her secret, because then she would have to own up that she was buying things for Joan, and pretending that they came from Joan's mother. And the Meeting would be angry with her just when she was being good and enjoying herself! "Well-never mind-Joan will have a good birthday, anyhow," said Elizabeth, thinking of the cake and the book. "How surprised she will be!" CHAPTER 18.
Joan's Wonderful Birthday.
"JOAN, you will soon be eleven!" Elizabeth said at breakfast the next day, as she chopped the top off her boiled egg. "Gracious! You are getting old." Joan went red and said nothing. She hated anyone to talk about her birthday, because she knew there would be no cards or presents or cake for her. She was such a timid little mouse that she had no friends at all, except Elizabeth-and Joan was always feeling astonished that the bold Elizabeth should be her friend! "I wonder if you'll have a cake?" went on Elizabeth, knowing perfectly well that Joan was going to, because she herself had ordered it! "I wonder what it will be like?" Joan scowled at Elizabeth. She really felt angry with her. "How silly Elizabeth is, talking about my birthday, and if I'm going to have a cake, when she knows quite well that I don't want anything at all said about it," thought Joan. She frowned at Elizabeth and signed to her to stop-but Elizabeth gaily went' on talking.
"Let me see-it's Friday that's your birthday, isn't it, Joan? I wonder how many cards you'll have?" "Joan didn't have a single one last year, and she didn't have a cake either," said Kenneth. "I don't believe she's got a father and mother." "Well, I have, then," said Joan, feeling quite desperate.
"Funny they never come and see you, not even at half-term, then," said Hilda, who liked to see Joan getting red, "You be quiet," said Elizabeth suddenly, seeing that things were going too far. "What I'm surprised at is that your parents bother to come and see a girl like you, Hilda! if I had a daughter like you, I'd go to the end of the world and stay there." "That's enough, Elizabeth," said Nora, who pounced on Elizabeth very often since the little girl had refused to tell her her secret. Elizabeth said no more. She longed to say quite a lot, but she was learning to control her tongue now. Miss Scott would indeed not have known her! Nothing more was said about Joan's birthday just then, and after breakfast, as the girls were making their beds, Joan went up to Elizabeth.
"Please, Elizabeth," she said, "for goodness' sake don't say any more about my birthday. You make things much worse if you do-think how I shall feel when everyone watches to see what cards and presents come for me by the post, and I haven't any! You are lucky-you have two Grannies, and two Granpas, and Uncles and Aunts--but I haven't a single uncle, aunt, or granny! So it's no wonder I don't get many treats." "You are unlucky, Joan," said Elizabeth, in surprise. "Really you are. Well-I won't say any more about your birthday to the others, if you don't like it." But she longed to, all the same, for she kept hugging her delicious secret-Joan would have a wonderful cake, with eleven candles on, and cards, and presents too! Nora was not kind to Elizabeth that week. She did not say any more to Elizabeth about her secret, but she had quite made up her mind to report her at the next Meeting. She thought Elizabeth was very deceitful and mean not to give up her money as everyone else did, and not to tell her what she had spent it on.
"After all, we gave her a fine chance to be as decent as possible, at the last Meeting," said Nora to herself. "We really did-and the funny thing is, I felt sure that Elizabeth would be worth that chance, and would do her best to keep our rules, and help the school, as we all try to do. But I was wrong. I don't feel as if I like Elizabeth a bit now." When Thursday came Elizabeth posted the three birthday cards she had bought. She could hardly go to sleep that night for thinking of Joan's pleasure in the morning! It really was lovely to give a surprise to someone.
Friday came. Elizabeth leapt out of bed, ran to Joan's bed, hugged her and cried, "Many happy returns of the day, Joan! I hope you'll have a lovely birthday! Here's a little present for you from me!" Joan took the parcel and undid it. When she saw the red handbag inside, she was delighted-and she was even more thrilled when she found the comb, the handkerchief, and the sixpence. She flung her arms round Elizabeth and squeezed her so hard that Elizabeth almost choked! "Oh, thank you, Elizabeth!" she cried. "It's perfectly lovely. I did so badly want a handbag. I only had that little old purse. Oh, how I shall love using it! It's the nicest present I have ever had." There was another surprise for Joan before she went down to breakfast. Hilda slipped into the bedroom with a lace-edged handkerchief for Joan. She had felt rather ashamed of herself for teasing Joan the day before, and had taken one of her best hankies to give for a present.
Joan was thrilled-in fact, she was so thrilled that a bright idea came into Elizabeth's head. She flew down to the playroom to see if Harry was there. He wasn't--'but she could hear him practising in the music-room.
"Harry! Harry!" cried Elizabeth, rushing up to him, and startling him so much that his music fell to the floor. "Will you do something for me?" "Depends what it is," said Harry, picking up his music.
"Harry, it's Joan Townsend's birthday," said Elizabeth. "You know you said you'd give me one of your rabbits, don't you, and I said it wasn't any good, because I was going at half-term-well, would you please give it to Joan instead, because you can't think how pleased she is to have presents!" "Well-" said Harry, not quite sure about it.