8 Meeting at Half-past Five
The whole of the fifth form was soon collected in the North Tower common-room. The girls sat on chairs, lounged on the couches, or lay on the floor-rugs. They talked and shouted and laughed. Moira came in and went straight to the table. A big chair had been put behind it.
Moira banged on the table with a book.
“Quiet!” she said. “The meeting is about to begin. You all know what it’s about. It’s to choose a committee to handle the organization of the Christmas entertainment, which we, the fifth form, are to undertake.”
“Hear hear,” said somebody’s voice. Moira took no notice.
“I think the whole form should also be asked to discuss and choose what kind of entertainment we shall do,” she said.
“Punch and Judy Show!” called someone.
“Don’t be funny,” said Moira. “Now, first of all we’ll get down to the business of choosing the committee. I asked Catherine to cut out the slips of paper to use. Where are they, Catherine?”
She turned to where Catherine was sitting next to her. Catherine handed her a sheaf of slips.
“Here they are. I did them all as soon as you told me you wanted them. And here’s a box. I got it out of the cupboard in the fifth-form room. And I’ve collected enough pencils for everyone to use. And look . . .”
“All right, all right,” said Moira. “That’s all we shall want. Now who’ll give out the paper slips? You, Mary-Lou?”
Mary-Lou was perched up on the top of a small cupboard, swinging her legs. She made preparations to climb down.
“No, no—don’t you bother, Mary-Lou,” said Catherine, at once. “I’ll give them out.” And before anyone could stop her she was going round the room, handing everyone a slip of paper and a pencil.
“Everyone got a slip?” asked Moira. “Look, Mavis hasn’t got one, Catherine.”
“So sorry I missed you out!” said Catherine, in an apologetic voice. She always apologized if she could. “Here you are.”
“Now,” said Moira, “I think we’ll have eight people on this committee—because there will be a lot of work to be done. We shall want someone to represent the art side, for instance—someone for the music side—and so on. I must be one of the committee, as I am head-girl, so you need not vote for me, of course. That means you need only put down seven names.”
“Well, I don’t know that I should have voted for Moira,” said Alicia to Irene, in a low voice. “Too bossy¹ for my taste. We shall all have to

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