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

Janet is up to Tricks

The parcel of "fire-cracks" duly arrived for Janet She giggled when she took it from the post-rack, and winked at the twins.
"I'll undo it m the dormitory after breakfast," she id. "Say you've forgotten something and get permission to go up before prayers."
Janet and the twins scurried up stairs to the dory immediately after breakfast, and for five minutes they gloated over the contents of the parcel. There s a box inside, and this contained about fifty squib crackers small and innocent-looking, coloured red and yellow.
"But will they really make much noise?" asked Pat taking one up. "I shouldn't think they'd do much more than make a gentle pop."
"Don't worry! I'll throw about a dozen on at a time!" said Janet. "There'll be quite an explosion, I promise you. Golly! We'll have some sport!"
With many giggles the girls hurried downstairs as the bell for prayers went. They could hardly wait for the history-lesson to come. It came after the mid-morning break. Janet told some of the other girls what she was to do, and the whole form was in a great state of expectation Even Miss Roberts felt there was something up, though the class tried to work well. At the end of the maths. lesson, just before break, Miss Roberts spoke a few dry words to her form.
'After break you will have your history lesson as usual I expect you to work as well for Miss Kennedy as you do for me. If you don't, I shall have something serious to say to you all. There is to be no disturbance at all this morning. DO YOU HEAR ME, JANET?"
Janet jumped. She couldn't imagine why Miss Roberts had suddenly picked her out. She did not know that she had been looking extremely guilty!
"Yes, Miss Roberts," said Janet, thinking that, alas, she would not be able to play her fire-crack trick after all.
But the rest of the form crowded round her duringbreak, and insisted that she carried out her promise.
They couldn't bear not to have the treat of seeing Miss
Kennedy jump and stare with wide eyes at the fire's extraordinary behaviour.
"All right," said Janet, at last. "But for goodness' sake don't give me away to Miss Roberts, that's all, if she hears anything. And DO promise not to laugh too loudly. Honestly, we'll get into an awful row if Miss Roberts hears us. And she'll be quite near, you know."
"No, she won't," said Kathleen. "She's taking the sixth for something. I heard her say so. And they're right at the other end of the school! She won't hear a thing."
"Good," said Janet, feeling more comfortable. "Well, watch out! We'll hear some fine spitting and hissing, I can tell you!"
The whole form were in their places as quiet as mice when Miss Kennedy came in to give them their usual history lesson. She was feeling even more nervous than usual, for she had not forgotten how the form had behaved the last time she had taken them. She was most relieved to see them sitting so quietly in their places.
"Good morning, girls," said Miss Kennedy, sitting at her desk.
"Good morning, Miss Kennedy," chorused the form, and the lesson opened. Miss Kennedy had to turn to the blackboard to draw a history chart, and immediately every girl turned her head towards Janet. The time had come!
Janet's seat was just by the fire. The box of fire-cracks was in her desk. Cautiously she lifted the lid, and took out about a dozen. She threw them into the heart of the fire.
Every one waited tensely. For a moment nothing happened at all except that the fire flamed up a little. Then the excitement began!
Crack! Spit! Hiss! Half the fire-cracks went off at once, and sparks jumped up the chimney and leapt out of the fire on to the floor.
CRACK! Sssssssssss! Every one watched and listened, their eyes on poor Miss Kennedy, who looked as surprised and as startled as could be!
"Miss Kennedy! Oh Miss Kennedy! What's happening!" cried Pat, pretending to be frightened.
"It's all right, Pat -- it's probably a very gassy piece of coal," said Miss Kennedy. "It's all over now -- but it really made me jump."Х
"CRACK! CRACK!" some more fireworks went off, and a shower of sparks flew out of the fire. Janet jumped up, took the blackboard-cleaner, and began to beat out the sparks with an enormous amount of quite unnecessary noise.
"Janet! Janet! Stop!" cried Miss Kennedy, afraid that the next class would hear the noise.
By this time the class bad begun to giggle, though they had tried hard to keep serious and to smother their laughter. When the fire-cracks went off once more the class nearly went into hysterics, which were not made any better by the sight of Janet again pretending to beat out sparks on the floor by flapping about with the blackboard-cleaner, making an enormous dust.
Miss Kennedy went pale. She guessed that some trick had been played, though she couldn't imagine what. She stood up, locking unexpectedly dignified, though bits of straight hair fell rather wildly from the two knots at the sides of her head.
"Girls!" she said. "There will be no history lesson this morning. I refuse to teach an unruly class like this."
She went out of the room, her face white and her eyes swimming with tears.
She would have to go to the Head and give up her job.
She couldn't possibly take fees for teaching girls who simply played the whole of the time. But it was no use going when she felt so upset. She would wait until the end of the morning and go then. She hurriedly scribbled a note to Miss Roberts, and sent it to her by one of the school maids.
"Am afraid I feel unwell, and have had to leave your form for a while," said the note.
Miss Roberts was surprised to get the note. She debated with herself whether to let the first form carry on by itself - surely Miss Kennedy would have left them some work to do? Or should she leave the sixth form to get on by themselves, and go back to the first? She decided to give the sixth some questions to answer, and leave them. They would behave themselves, of course - but she wasn't so sure about her own form.
So she began to write out questions on the board, wondering meanwhile what the first form was up to.
They had been rather taken aback when Miss Kennedy walked out. Some of the girls felt guilty and uncomfortable, but when the fire began to hiss and spit again, it all seemed terribly funny once more, and Doris, Joan, Kathleen and the rest began to giggle again.
"Did you see old Kenny when the first crack went off?" cried Joan. "I thought I should die, trying not to laugh. I had an awful stitch in my side, I can tell you."
"Janet, those fire-cracks are simply marvellous!" cried Hilary. "Put some more on - Kenny won't be back. All I hope is that She doesn't go and tell Miss Theobald."
"She didn't go towards the Head's room," said Janet.
"She went the other way. All right I'll slick some more on. Watch out, everyone!"
Janet shook the box over the fire, meaning to throw out about a dozen of the little squibs - but the whole lot went in! Janet laughed.
"Golly! They've all gone in. We'll have some fun!"
Doris was at the door of the classroom, keeping guard in case a teacher came along. Suddenly she gave a cry.
"Look out! Miss Roberts is coming! Get to your seats, quick!"
Every one scurried to their seats at once. They pulled open their history books, and by the time that Miss Roberts came into the room, the class looked fairly peaceful, though it was rather surprising to see so many bent heads. Miss Roberts became suspicious at once usually the girls all looked up when she came into the room!
"You seem very busy," she said, drily. "Did Miss Kennedy leave you history work to do?"
Nobody answered. Janet gave an anxious glance at the fire. Those fire-cracks! How she wished she hadn't put so many on! The fire began to flare up a little. Miss Roberts spoke sharply.