10 In the Common-room
Darrell told Alicia about June’s idiotic¹ trick. Alicia laughed. “It’s in the family, isn’t it! I and my brothers are trick-mad, and now June, my cousin, is going the same way. It’s a pity we’re in the fifth. I feel it wouldn’t be very dignified² to play any of our tricks now.”
Darrell sighed. “Yes, I suppose you’re right. Growing-up has its drawbacks, and that’s one of them. We have to be dignified and give up some of our silly ideas—but oh, Alicia, I wish you could have seen June all blown up—honestly it was as good as any of your tricks!”
“It’s a pity that cousin of mine is such a hard and brazen³ little wretch,” said Alicia. “I don’t actually feel she’s afraid of anything—except perhaps my brother Sam. The odd thing is she simply adores him, though he’s given her some first-class spankings⁴, and won’t stand a scrap⁵ of nonsense from her when she comes to stay.”
“You can’t seem to get at her, somehow,” said Darrell. “I mean—she doesn’t seem to care. Well—she’s a bit like you, you know, Alicia—though you’re a lot better now!”
Alicia went rather pink. “All right. Don’t rub it in. I know I’m hard, but you won’t make me any better by telling me! You’ve probably not noticed it but I have tried to be more sympathetic with fools and donkeys! Of course, not being either yourself you’ve had no chance of seeing it.”
Darrell laughed. She slipped her arm through Alicia’s. “You’re a bit of a donkey yourself,” she said. “But there’s one thing about you that sticks out a mile—and that is your absolute straightness—and I don’t feel that about June. Do you? I feel it about my sister Felicity—you could trust her anywhere at any time—but not June. There’s something sly about her as well as hard.”
“Well, we’ll have to lick her into shape whilst we’re still at Malory Towers,” said Alicia. “We’ve got two more years to do it in—and then off we go to college—leaving kids like June and Felicity behind to carry on!”

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