3 The First Evening
“Any more new girls coming, have you heard?” Darrell asked Alicia.
“Yes, one. Somebody called Wilhelmina,” said Alicia. “She’s coming tomorrow. One of my brothers knows one of her brothers. When he heard she was coming here, he whistled like anything and said, ‘Bill will wake you up all right!’?”
“Who’s Bill?” said Darrell.
“Wilhelmina, apparently,” said Alicia, taking the things out of her night-case. “She’s got seven brothers! Imagine it! Seven! And she’s the only girl.”
“Golly!” said Darrell, trying to imagine what it would be like to have seven brothers. She had none. Alicia had three. But seven!
“I should think she’s half a boy herself then,” said Darrell.
“Probably,” said Alicia. “Blow, where’s my toothbrush? I know I packed it.”
“Look—there’s Mavis!” said Darrell. Alicia looked up. Mavis had been a new girl last term. She had not been a great success, because she was lazy and selfish. She had a beautiful voice, pure and sweet, but curiously¹ deep—a most unusual voice that was being well trained.
Mavis was proud of her voice and proud of the career she was going to have. “When I’m an opera-singer,” she was always saying, “I shall sing in Milan. I shall sing in New York. When I’m an opera-singer, I shall . . .”
The others got very tired of hearing about Mavis’s future career. But they were most impressed with her strong, deep voice, that could easily fill the great school hall. It was so rich and sweet that even the little ones listened in delight.
“But the worst of Mavis is that she thinks she’s just perfect because she’s got such a lovely voice,” Jean had complained a dozen times the term before. Jean was head-girl of the third form, and very blunt and forthright². “She doesn’t see that she’s only just a schoolgirl, with duties to do, and work to get through, and games to play. She’s always thinking of that voice of hers—and it’s wonderful, we all know that. But what a pity to have a wonderful voice in such a poor sort of person!”
Darrell hadn’t liked Mavis. She looked at her now. She saw a discontented, conceited³ little face, with small dark eyes and a big mouth. Auburn hair was plaited into two thick braids.

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