5 An Interesting Morning
The Upper Fourth were taken by Miss Williams, a scholarly, prim¹ mistress, whose gentleness did not mean any lack of discipline. As a rule the Upper Fourth were a good lot, responsible and hard-working—but this year Miss Williams had sometimes had trouble with her form. There were such a lot of scatter-brains in it!
“Still, I think they will all get through the School Cert.,” thought Miss Williams. “They are none of them really stupid, except Gwendoline. Daphne is much better since she has had regular coaching in the holidays. Mavis has picked up wonderfully. So has Bill. And though little Mary-Lou is quite sure she will fail, she is quite certain to pass!”
Her form did not only consist of the North Tower girls, but of the fourth-formers from the other towers. Betty Hill, Alicia’s friend, was one of these. She was as quick-tongued as Alicia, but not as quick-brained. She came from West Tower, and Alicia and she had often groaned² because the authorities were so hard-hearted that they would not let Betty join Alicia in North Tower!
Miss Grayling, the Headmistress, had once asked Miss Potts, North Tower’s house-mistress, if she should change Betty Hill over to North Tower, as Betty’s parents had actually written to ask if she would.
“I can manage Alicia alone,” said Miss Potts, “or even Betty alone—but to have those two together in one house would be quite impossible. I should never have a moment’s peace—and neither would Mam’zelle.”
“I agree with you,” said Miss Grayling. So a letter was sent to Mr. and Mrs. Hill regretting that it was impossible to find room for Betty in North Tower. Still, Alicia and Betty managed to be very firm friends indeed, although they were in different towers, meeting in class each day, arranging walks and expeditions together—and planning various wicked and amusing jokes and tricks.
The North Tower fourth-formers went eagerly to their classroom after Prayers. They wanted to choose their desks, and to sort out their things, to look out of the window, clean the blackboard, and do the hundred and one things they had done together so often before.
The twins stood and waited till the other girls had chosen their desks. They knew enough not to choose till then. By that time, of course, there were very few desks left—only those for two East Tower girls who were still not back, and for Clarissa Carter, and for themselves.
“We’ll sit together, of course,” said Connie, and put her books and Ruth’s on two adjoining desks. They were,

分享到：