18 Before the Exam
The next day the girls expected most of their parents again, and could go out with them the whole day long. Clarissa stood at the window, looking out eagerly.
Gwendoline saw her. “I suppose she’s looking for her mother,” she thought. “Horrid¹ thing. I shan’t even speak to her!”
She saw Clarissa suddenly wave in delight. Then she ran from the room and disappeared down the stairs. Gwen looked out to see what her mother was like—and if the car was a grand one.
To her surprise she saw an old Austin in the drive, and out of it stepped a most ordinary-looking woman. She had on a neat blue suit with a white blouse, and a scarf tied round her grey hair. She wore glasses, and had rather large feet in very sensible looking shoes.
“Well! I don’t think much of Clarissa’s mother—or her car!” thought Gwen to herself. “Why, the car hasn’t even been cleaned! And fancy arriving with a scarf tied round her head! My mother would never dream of doing that!”
She thought of her own mother with her large flowery hats, her flowery dresses, her flowery parasol, her floating scarves and strings² of pearls. She would be ashamed of anyone like Clarissa’s mother. She turned away, a sneer⁴ on her face, glad that she no longer meant to have Clarissa for a friend.
“What a lovely sneer!” said an aggravating⁵ voice, and Gwen saw Belinda whipping out her pencil. “Hold it, Gwen, hold it!”
Gwen made a noise like a dog growling⁶, and went out of the room. Now she must find Mam’zelle and tell her that her mother wanted to see the beautiful bedspread. This went down very well indeed, and Mam’zelle hurried to get it to show “that nice kind Mrs. Lacy”!
Every single girl was out for the whole day, either with her own parents or with someone else’s. Miss Grayling was glad that the half-term came just before the School Certificate exam, so that the hard-worked girls might have a little time off to enjoy themselves. They really were working very hard, Miss Williams reported. Except Gwendoline Lacy, of course. There was an unsatisfactory girl for you!
By seven o’clock everyone was back—except Gwendoline!

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