2 MALORY TOWERS
IT was a long journey to Malory Tow ers, but as there was a dining-car on the train, and the girls tookit in turns to go and have their midday meal, that made a good break. They had tea on the train too.
At first all the girls were gay and chattery², but as the day wore on they fell silent. Some of them slept.
It was such a long journey!
It was exciting to reach the station for Malory Towers. The school lay a mile or two away, and therewere big motor coaches standing³ outside the station to take the girls to the school.
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'Come on,' said Alicia, clutching hold of Darrell's arm. 'If we're quick we can get one of the frontseats in a coach, beside the driver. Hurry! Got your bag?'
'I'll come too,' said Gwendoline. But the others were gone long before she had collected herbelongings. They climbed up into front seats. The other girls came out in twos and threes, and thestation's one and only porter helped the drivers to load the many trunks on to the coaches.
'Can we see Malory Towers from here?' asked Darrell, looking all round.
'No. I'll tell you when we can. There's a corner where we suddenly get a glimpse of it,' said Alicia.
'Yes. It's lovely to get that sudden view of it,' said Pamela, the quiet head-girl of North Tower, whohad got into the coach just behind Alicia and Darrell. Her eyes shone as she spoke⁴. 'I think MaloryTowers shows at its best when we come to that corner, especially if the sun is behind it.'
Darrell could feel the warmth in Pamela's voice as she spoke of the school she loved. She looked ather and liked her.
Pamela saw her look and laughed. 'You're lucky, Darrell,' she said. 'You're just beginning at MaloryTowers! You've got terms and terms before you. I'm just ending. Another term or two, and I shan't becoming to Malory Towers any more—except as an old girl. You make the most of it while you can.'
'I shall,' said Darrell, and stared ahead, waiting for her first glimpse of the school she was to go to forat least six years.
They rounded a corner. Alicia nudged her arm. 'There you are, look! Over there, on that hill! The seais behind, far down the cliff, but you can't see that, of course.'
Darrell looked. She saw a big, square-looking building of soft grey stone standing high up on a hill.
The hill was really a cliff, that fell steeply down to the sea. At each end of the gracious building stoodrounded towers. Darrell could glimpse two other towers behind as well, making four in all. NorthTower, South, East and West.

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