24 Last Day
“Last day, Darrell,” said Sally, when they awoke on the very last morning. “And thank goodness it’s sunny and bright. I couldn’t bear to leave it on a rainy day.”
“Our last day!” said Darrell. “Do you remember the first, Sally—six years ago? We were little shrimps¹ of twelve—smaller than Felicity and June! How the time has flown!”
The last-day bustle² began in earnest after breakfast. Matron was about the only calm person in the school, with the exception of Miss Grayling, whom nobody had ever seen flustered³ or ruffled⁴. Mam’zelle was as usual in a state of beaming, bewildered good temper. Miss Potts bustled⁵ about with first-formers who had lost this, that or the other.
The trunks had most of them gone off in advance, but those being taken by car were piled up in the drive. Pop, the handyman, ran about like a hare, and carried heavy trunks on his broad shoulder as if they weighed only a pound or two. The first car arrived and hooted⁶ in the drive. An excited third-former squealed⁷ and almost fell down the stairs from top to bottom when she recognized her parents’ car.
“Tiens!” said Mam’zelle, catching⁸ her. “Is this the way to come down the stairs? Always you hurry too much, Hilary!”
“Come down to the pool, Sally,” said Darrell. They went down the steep path and stood beside the gleaming, restless pool, which was swept every now and again by an extra big wave coming over the rocks. “We’ve had fun here,” said Darrell. “Now let’s go to the rose-garden.”
They went there and looked at the masses of brilliant roses. Each was silently saying good-bye to the places she loved most. They went to all the common-rooms, from the first to the sixth, remembering what had happened in each. They peeped into the dining-room, and then into the different form-rooms. What fun they had had!

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