6 ALICIA'S LITTLE JOKE
DARRELL had good brains and she had been taught how to use them. She soon found that she couldeasily do the work of her class, and in such things as composition was ahead of most of the others.
She felt pleased.
'I thought I'd have to work much much harder than at my old school,' she thought to herself 'But Ishan't! It's only maths. I'm not so good at. I wish I was as good as Irene at maths. She does things inher head that I can't even do on paper.'
So, after the first week or two. Darrell relaxed a little, and did not worry herself too much about herwork. She began to enjov amusing the class a little, just as Alicia did. Alicia was thrilled to havesomeone to help her in her mischief¹.
Betty Hill went much further than Alicia. Darrell sometimes wondered if there was anything shewould stop at. There were two mistresses that Betty and Alicia played up to. One was Mam'zelleDupont, the other was a quiet, gentle mistress who took needlework, and sometimes took prep, timeat night. Miss Davies never seemed to realize that Alicia and Betty could play tricks on her.
Mam'zelle did realize it, but was taken in all the same.
'Did you ever hear how Betty put a white mouse into Mam'zelle's desk one day?' said Alicia. 'Poorlittle thing, it couldn't get out, and suddenly, in despair, it pushed up the little ink-pot, and stuck itsnose out of the ink-pot hole. Mam'zelle nearly had a fit.'
'What did she do?' asked Darrell, with great interest.
'Flew out of the room as if a hundred dogs were after her!' said Alicia. 'When she was gone we tookthe mouse out quickly, and Betty hid it down her neck. So, when Mam'zelle ventured back, andordered one of us to turn her desk out and get the mouse, there was none to be found. Mam'zellethought her eyes had gone wrong!"
'Oh, I do wish I'd been there!" sighed Darrell. 'Alicia, do do something funny like that. Do somethingin maths, can't you? I know Miss Potts is going to go for me over my maths, prep, and something likethat would take her mind away from me!'
'What! Play a trick like that in Potty's class!' said Alicia, scornfully. 'Don't be silly. Potty's up toeverything. You can't fool herV
'Well—in Mam'zelle's class, then,'begged Darrell. '1 like Mam'zelle, but 1 haven't seen her in atemper yet and I'd like to. Do do play a trick in her class.'
Alicia felt that she would have a most admiringspectator in Darrell, if only she could think of something. She screwed her forehead into wrinkles andthought hard.
Betty prompted her. 'Can't you think of something Sam or Roger or Dick did last term?' she asked.
She turned to Darrell. 'Alicia's three brothers all go to the same school," she said. 'And there's amaster there called Toggles—at least that's what the boys call him—and he's such a dud the boys canplay any trick they like on him and get away with it.'

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