"Blyton, Enid - St Clare's 05 - Claudine at St Clare's (b)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Blyton Enid)

Matron's voice,' said Pat, puzzled. She opened the door and went in, the
others following. A woman in Matron's uniform sat sewing by the window.
It wasn't the Matron they knew so well. The girls stared at her in
surprise. ' Oh,' said Pat. ' We were looking for Matron.' ' I am Matron
this term,' said the new Matron. ' Your old Matron fell ill during the
holidays, so I have come to take her place. I am sure we shall all get
on very well together.' The girls stared at her. They didn't feel so
sure about that. Their old Matron was fat and round and jolly, with a
strong and comforting kind of face. This Matron was thin and
sour-looking. She had very thin lips that met together in a straight
line. She smiled at the girls, but her smile stayed at her mouth and did
not reach her eyes. ' We came to find you,' said Bobby. ' Usually Matron
meets the new girls. This is one of them. She has to give you her list
of clothes and towels and things.' ' I know that, thank you,' said
Matron, biting off the thread she was using. ' Send all the new girls to
me, will you? How many have arrived? ' The girls didn't know. They
thought it was Matron's business to find out, not theirs. They thought
of their old Matron, bustling about looking after the newcomers, making
them welcome, taking them to their form-mistresses, or finding girls to
take care of them. ' Well-this is Pauline Bingham-Jones,' said Pat, at
last. ' There's another new girl somewhere. We saw her. Our Cousin
Alison seems to be looking after her.' The girls disappeared from the
room, leaving Pauline to the new Matron. They looked at one another and
screwed up their noses. ' Don't like her,' said Isabel ' Looks like a
bottle of vinegar!' The others laughed. ' I hope our old Matron will
come back,' said Bobby. ' St. Clare's will seem funny without her. I
wonder where Alison has gone with the angel.' Alison appeared at that
moment, looking flushed and radiant. It was quite plain that she had
made a friend already. With her was the 'angel'. ' Oh,' said Alison, '
Pat, Isabel, Bobby, Hilary-this is the Honourable Angela Favorleigh.'
The Honourable Angela bent her head a little as if she was bowing to her
subjects. Bobby grinned. ' I had a doll called Angela once,' she said. '
She was a bit like you! Well-I hope you'll like St. Clare's. Alison,
take her to Matron.' ' Where is Matron? ' said Alison. ' I've been
looking for her.' ' There's a new Matron this term,' said Bobby. * You
won't like her.' The Honourable Angela Favorleigh didn't like Bobby. She
gazed at her as if she was something that smelt rather nasty. She turned
to Alison and spoke in a pretty, high little voice.
" Well-let's go to Matron. I want to take my things off.' They went off
together. Hilary laughed. ' Well, we shall all know where Alison will be
most of this term,' she said, ' In the Honourable's pocket!' ' LOOK,'
said Bobby, ' there's another new girl. She's got her things off, too.
She looks as if she'd be a fourth-former, I should think.' The new girl
came up, walking quickly as if she had somewhere to go. ' Hallo,' said
Bobby. ' You're new, aren't you? What form will you be in, do you know?'
' Fourth,' said the girl. ' My name's Eileen Paterson.' ' We're fourth
form too,' said Pat, and she introduced herself and the others. ' Do you
want to be shown round a bit? Usually Matron is here to welcome people,
but there is a new one this term who doesn't know the ropes yet.' The
girl looked suddenly annoyed. ' I know my way about, thank you,' she