"Blyton, Enid - St Clare's 01 - The Twins At St Clare's" - читать интересную книгу автора (Blyton Enid)

One thing they found most annoying. It was the custom at St. Clare's for the younger girls to wait on the two top forms. The fifth- and sixth-form girls shared studies, two friends having a study between them.
They were allowed to furnish these studies themselves, very simply, and, in cold weather, to have their own fire there, and to have tea by themselves instead of in the hall with the others.
One day a girl came into the common room where the twins were reading and called to Janet, "Hi, Janet - Kay Longden wants you. You're to light her fire and make some toast for her."
Janet got up without a word and went out. Pat and Isabel stared after her in surprise.
"Golly! What cheek of Kay Longden to send a message to Janet like that! I'm jolly sure I wouldn't go and light anybody's fire!" said Pat.
"And neither would I!" said Isabel "Let one of the maids light it - or Kay herself."
Hilary Wentworth looked up from her embroidery. "It will be your turn next!" she said. "Look out next week for sudden messages, twins. If the fifth or sixth want anything doing, they expect us to do it. It's the custom of the school - and anyway, it doesn't hurt us. We can have our turn at sending messages and ordering the lower forms about when we're top-formers ourselves!"
"I never heard of such a thing!" cried Pat, furiously. "I jolly well won't go and do a thing for any one. Our parents didn't send us here to wait on lazy top-formers. Let them light their own fires and make their own toast!
Isabel and I won't do a thing! And they can't make us either!"
"Hoity-toity!" said Hilary. "I never knew such a hot temper. Get further away from me, Pat, you're scorching me!"
Pat slammed down her book and flounced out of the room. Isabel followed her. All the other girls laughed.
"Idiots!" said Hilary. "Who do they think they are, anyway? Why don't they get some sense? They wouldn't be at all bad if only they would shake down. I vote we knock some of their corners off, else we shall hate them like anything!"
"O.K.," said Vera. "I'm willing. I say, what a shock for them when they find they've got to wait on the top-formers too. I hope they get Belinda Towers. I had to wait on her last term, and my word, didn't she make me skip around! She got it into her head that I was lazy, and I'm sure I lost a whole stone rushing round in circles after her one week!"
The girls laughed. Sheila Naylor spoke haughtily. "The worst of people who think they are somebodies is that so often they are just nobodies. I'm sure I shouldn't even trouble to know Patricia and Isabel at home."
"Oh, come off the high horse, Sheila," said Hilary. "The twins aren't as bad as all that. Anyway, there are a few shocks in store for them!"
So there were -- and they came the very next week!



A Little Trouble For The Twins

One day, about half-past five, when the twins were writing home, one of the fourth-formers popped her head in at the door.
"Hi, there!" she said. "Where are the O'Sullivan twins? Belinda Towers wants one of them."
Pat and Isabel looked up. Pat went red. "What doesshe want us for?" she asked.
"How should I know?" said the messenger. "She's been out over the fields this afternoon, so maybe she wants her boots cleaned. Anyway, jump to it, or you'll get into a row!"
The messenger disappeared. The twins sat still. Hilary looked at them.
"Go on, idiots," she said. "One of you must go and find out what Belinda wants. Don't keep her waiting, for goodness' sake. She's got about as hot a temper as you have, Pat."
"I'll go," said Isabel, and got up. But Pat pulled her down.
"No, don't," she said. "Fm not going to clean anybody's boots! And you're not, either."
"Look here, Pat, don't be goofy," said Janet. "Belinda may want to tell you something. Golly, she might want to ask you if you'll play in a match. She's captain, you know."
"Oh," said Pat. 'Well, I shouldn't think it's that because cause neither Isabel nor I have ever played lacrosse before, and we were pretty bad at it yesterday."
'Well, do Go!" said Hilary. "You've got to go in the end, so why not go now?"
Another girl popped her head in at the door. "I say! Belinda's foaming at the mouth! Where are those O'Sullivan twins? They'll get it hot if one of them doesn't go along!"
"Come on," said Pat to Isabel. "We'll go and see what she wants. But I'm not doing any boot-cleaning or fire-lighting, that's certain. And neither are you!"
The two got up and went out of the room. Everybody giggled. 'Wish I could go and see what happens!" said Janet. "I love to see Belinda in a rage!"
Belinda Towers was in her study with Pamela Harrison, the girl who shared it with her. Pat opened the door.
"Knock, can't you!" cried Belinda. "Barging in like that! And I should jolly well like to know why you've been all this time coming. I sent for you ages ago."
Pat was rather taken aback, and Isabel did not dare to say anything.
"Well, haven't you a tongue between you?" said Belinda. "My goodness, Pam, did you ever see such a pair of boobs? Well, as you've both come, you can both do a spot of work for me. I want my boots cleaned and Pam's too. And make up my fire for me and put the kettle on to boil. You'll find water just down the passage. Come on, Pam -- we'll go and collect our prep and by that time the kettle will be boiling and we'll make tea."
The two big girls walked to the door. Pat, very red and angry, stopped them.
"I didn't come to St. Clare's to wait on the older girls," she said. "Neither did my twin. We shan't clean your boots nor put on the kettle, nor make up the fire."
Belinda stopped as if she had been shot. She stared at Pat as if she was some particularly nasty insect. Then she turned to Pam.
"Did you hear that?" she said. "Talk about cheek! All right, my girl - no walks down the town for you.
Just remember that!"
The twins stared at Belinda in dismay. The St. Care girls were allowed to go down to the town in twos to buy anything they needed, or to look at the shops, or even to go to the cinema if they had permission. Surely Belinda hadn't the power to stop them doing that?
"I don't think you've any right to say that," said Pat.
"I shall go to Winifred James and tell her what you've said and ask her about it."
"Well, I'm blessed!" said Belinda flaring up angrily, her red hair seeming to flame too. "You do want taking down a peg, don't you? Run off to Winifred, by all means. Tell your little tales and see what happens."
Pat and Isabel went out of the study. Isabel was very much upset, and wanted to stay and do what Belinda had ordered, but Pat was furious. She took hold of her twin's arm and marched her off to Winifred's study. The head-girl had her own study, which she shared with no one. Pat dared not go in without knocking. So, she knocked quietly.
"Come in!" said Winifred's voice. The twins went in.