Malory Towers - The Upper Fourth At Malory Towers Part 6

"Oh, it's wonderful to watch your nice little ways," said Belinda, lazily. "No wonder you're getting so fat, the way you gobble everything at meals. Dear me, what a wonderful drawing I could make of you as a nice fat little piggy-wig with blue eyes and a ribbon on your tail."

Everyone roared. "Do, do!" begged Sally. Gwendoline began to scowl, saw Belinda looking at her, and hastily straightened her face. She wished she hadn't tried to be sarcastic to Belinda. She always came off badly if she did!

Alicia and Mavis came back, giggling, with the bathing-things. "Anyone spot you?" asked Darrell, anxiously.

"I don't think so. That pestiferous young cousin of mine, June, was somewhere about, but I don't think she'd spot anything was up," said Alicia. "I heard her whistling somewhere, when we were in the changing-room."

Irene came back from the kitchen, grinning all over her face. "I found Cookie, and she was all alone," she said. "She'll have two thumping big jugs of lemonade ready for us on the floor of the larder, any time after eleven o'clock tonight The staff go to bed then, so she says any time after that will be safe for us to get it. Whoops!"

"This is going to be super," said Alicia. "What exactly did you say the food was, Clarissa?"

Clarissa explained, with Gwen prompting her proudly. Gwen really felt as if she had provided half the feast herself, and she basked in Clarissa's reflected glory.

"Did you ever have midnight feasts at your last school, Ruth?" asked Darrell, seeing that Ruth looked as excited as the others.

Connie answered for her as usual. "No. We tried once, but we got caught-and my word we did get a wigging from the Head."

"I asked Ruth, not you," said Darrell, annoyed with Connie. "Don't keep b.u.t.ting in. Let Ruth answer for herself." She turned to Ruth again.

"Was your last head very strict?" she asked. Connie opened her mouth to answer for Ruth again, caught the glint in Darrell's eye, and shut it.

Ruth actually answered, after waiting for a moment for Connie. "Well," she said, "I think probably you would call her very strict. You see...."

"Oh, not very strict, Ruth," interrupted Connie. "Don't you remember how nice she was over..."

"I'M ASKING RUTH," said Darrell, exasperated.

What would have happened next the form would dearly have loved to know-but there came an interruption that changed the subject. Matron popped her head in and said she wanted Gwendoline.

"Oh, why, Matron?" wailed Gwendoline. "What haven't I done now that I ought to have done? Why do you want me?"

"Just a little matter of darning," said Matron.

"But I've done the beastly darning you told me to," said Gwen, indignantly.

"Well then-shall we say a little matter of unpicking and re-darning?" said Matron, aggravatingly. The girls grinned. They had seen Gwen's last effort at darning a pair of navy-blue knickers with grey wool, and had wondered if Matron would notice.

Gwendoline had to get up and go, grumbling under her breath. "I could do her darning for her," suggested Clarissa to Darrell. "I don't play games or do gym-I've plenty of time."

"Don't you dare!" said Darrell at once. "You help her too much as it is-she's always copying from you."

Clarissa looked shocked. "Oh-she doesn't copy," she said loyally, going red at the idea of her daring to argue with Darrell.

"Don't be such a mutt," said Alicia, bluntly. "Gwendoline's a turnip-head-and she's always picked other people's brains and always will. Take off your rose-coloured gla.s.ses and see Gwen through your proper eyes, my dear Clarissa!"

Thinking that Alicia really meant her to take off her gla.s.ses for some reason, Clarissa removed her spectacles most obediently! The girls were about to laugh loudly, when Darrell bent forward in surprise.

"Clarissa! You've got real green eyes! I've never seen proper green eyes before! You must be related to the pixy-folk-people with green eyes always are!"

Everyone roared-but on looking closely at Clarissa's eyes, they saw that they were indeed a lovely clear green, that somehow went remarkably well with her wavy auburn hair.

"My word-I wish I had stunning eyes like that," said Alicia enviously. "They're marvellous. How sickening that you've got to wear gla.s.ses."

"Oh, it's only for a time," said Clarissa, putting them on again, looking rather shy but pleased at Alicia's admiration. "I'm glad you like my green eyes! Gwendoline thinks it's awful to have green eyes like a cat."

"If all cats have green eyes, then our dear Gwendoline certainly ought to have them," said Belinda at once.

Clarissa looked distressed.

"Oh, but Gwendoline has been very kind to me," she began, and then everyone shushed her. Gwen was coming in at the door, scowling, holding a pair of games knickers and a pair of games stockings in her hands.

"I do think Matron's an absolute beast" she began. "I spent hours darning these last week-and now I've got to unpick all my darns and re-do them."

"Well, don't dam navy knickers with grey wool, or red stockings with navy wool this time," said Alicia. "Anyone would think you were colour-blind."

Clarissa longed to help Gwen, but after Darrell's remark she didn't like to offer, and Gwen certainly didn't dare to ask for help. The girls sat about, yawning, trying to read, longing for bed because they really felt tired. But not too tired to wake up at twelve and have a bathe and a feast.

They didn't take long getting into bed that night. Even slow Gwendoline was quick. Irene was the quickest of the lot, much to Darrell's surprise. But it was discovered that she had absentmindedly got into bed half-undressed, so out she had to get again.

The bathing-things were stacked in someone's cupboard, waiting. Dressing-gowns and slippers were set ready on the ends of each bed.

"Sony for you, Darrell, and you, too, Sally, having to keep awake till twelve!" said Irene, yawning. "Goodnight, all-see you in a little while!"

Sally said she would keep awake for the first hour, and then wake Darrell, who would keep awake till twelve. Then each would get a little rest.

Sally valiantly kept awake, and then shook Darrell, who slept in the next bed. Darrell was so sound asleep that she could hardly open her eyes. But she did at last, and then decided she had better get out of bed and walk up and down a little, or she might fall off to sleep again-and then there would be no feast, for she was quite certain no-one else would be awake at twelve!

At last she heard the clock at the top of the Tower striking twelve. Good. Midnight at last! She woke up Salty and then the two of them woke everyone else up. Gwendoline was the hardest to wake-she always was. Darrell debated whether or not to leave her, as she seemed determined not to wake-but decided that Clarissa might be upset-and after all, it was Clarissa's feast!

They all put on dressing-gowns and slippers. They got their bathing-things out of the cupboard and sent Irene and Belinda for the jugs of lemonade. The dormy was full of giggles and whisperings and shus.h.i.+ngs. Everybody was now wide awake and very excited.

"Come on-we'll go down to the side-door, out into the garden, and through the gate to the cliff-path down to the pool," whispered Darrell. "And for GOODNESS' sake don't fall down the stairs or do anything idiotic."

It wasn't long before they were down by the pool, which was gleaming in the moonlight., and looked too tempting for words. Irene and Belinda had the jugs of lemonade.

"Let's get out the food and have a look at it," said Sally. "I'm longing to see it!"

"Alicia! Where's the key of the cubby-hole?" said Darrell.

"Blow!" said Alicia. "I've left it in my tunic pocket. I'll skip back and get it. Won't be half a minute!"

Midnight Feast!

Alicia ran up the cliff-path, annoyed with herself for forgetting the key. She slipped in at the side-door of the Tower and went up the stairs. As she went along the landing where the first-form dormy was, she saw a little white figure in the pa.s.sage, looking out of the landing window.

"Must be a first-former!" thought Alicia. "What's she out at this time of night for? Little monkey!"

She walked softly up to the small person looking out of the window and grasped her by the shoulder. There was a loud gasp.

"s.h.!.+" said Alicia. "Good gracious, it's you, June! What are you doing out here at midnight?"

"Well, what are you?" said June, cheekily.

Alicia shook her. "None of your cheek," she said. "Have you forgotten the trouncing I gave you last summer hols for cheeking me and Betty, when you came to stay with me?"

"No. I haven't forgotten," said June, vengefully. "And I never shall. You were a beast. I'd have split on you if I hadn't been scared. Spanking me with a hair-brush as if I was six!"

"Served you jolly well right," said Alicia. "And you

know what would have happened to you if you had split-Sam and the others would have trounced you, too!"

"I know," said June, angrily. She was scared of Alicia's brothers. "You wait, though. I'll get even with you some time!"

Alicia snorted scornfully. "You could do with another spanking, I see," she said. "Now-you clear off to bed. You know you're not supposed to be out of your dormy at night."

"I saw you all go off with bathing-things tonight," said June, slyly. "I guessed you were up to something, you fourth-formers, when I spotted you and somebody else getting bathing-dresses in the changing-room tonight. You thought I didn't see you, but I did."

How Alicia longed for a hair-brush to spank June with-but she dared not even raise her voice!

"Clear off to bed," she ordered, her voice shaking with rage.

"Are you having a midnight feast, too?" persisted June, not moving. "I saw Irene and Belinda with jugs of lemonade."

"Nasty little spy," said Alicia, and gave June a sharp push. "What we fourth-formers do is none of your business. Go to bed!"

June resisted Alicia's hand, and her voice grew dangerous. "Does Potty know about your feast?" she asked. "Or Mam'zelle? I say, Alicia, wouldn't it be rotten luck on you if somebody told on you? "

Alicia gasped. Could June really be threatening to go and wake one of the staff, and so spoil all their plans? She couldn't believe that anyone would be so sneaky.

"Alicia, let me come and join the feast," begged June. "Please do."

"No," said Alicia, shortly, and then, not trusting herself to say any more, she left June standing by the window and went off in search of the key to the cubby-hole. She was so angry that she could hardly get the key out of her tunic pocket. To be cheeked like that by a first-former-her own cousin! To be threatened by a little pip-squeak like that! Alicia really hated June at that moment.

She found the key and rushed back to the pool with it. She said nothing about meeting June. The others were already in the water, enjoying themselves.

"Pity the moon's gone in," said Darrell to Sally. "Gosh, it has clouded up, hasn't it? Is that Alicia back? Hey, Alicia, what a time you've been. Got the key?"

"Yes, I'm unlocking the cubby-hole," called back Alicia. "Clarissa is here. She'll help me to get out the things. Pity it's so dark now-the moon's gone."

Suddenly, from the western sky, there came an ominous growl-thunder! Blow, blow, blow!

"Sounds like a storm," said Darrell. "I thought there might be one soon, it's so terrifically hot today. I say, Alicia do you think we ought to begin the feast now, in case the storm comes on?"

"Yes," said Alicia. "Ah, here's the moon again, thank goodness!"

The girls clambered out of the water and dried themselves. As they stood there, laughing and talking, Darrell suddenly saw three figures coming down the cliff-path from the school. Her heart stood still. Were they mistresses who had heard them?

It was Betty, of course, with Eileen and Winnie. The three of them stopped short at the pool and appeared to be extremely astonished to see such a gathering of the Upper Fourth.

"I say! Whatever are you doing?" said Betty. "We thought we heard a noise from the pool! It made us think that a bathe would be nice this hot night."

"We're going to have a feast!" came Alicia's voice. "You'd better join us."

"Yes, do-we've got plenty," said Irene, and the others called out the same. Even Darrell welcomed them, too, for it never once occurred to her that Betty had heard about the feast already and had come in "the hope of joining them.

Neither did it occur to her that there was a strict rule that girls from one tower were never to leave their own towers at night to meet anyone from another. She just didn't think about it at all.

They all sat down to enjoy the feast. The thunder rumbled again, this time much nearer. A flash of lightning lit up the sky. The moon went behind an enormous cloud and was seen no more that night.

Worst of all, great drops of rain began to fall, plopping down on the rocks and causing great dismay.

"Oh dear-we'll have to go in," said Darrell. "We'll be soaked through, and it won't be any fun at all sitting and eating in the rain. Come on-collect the food and we'll go back."

Betty nudged Alicia. "Shall we come?" she whispered.

"Yes. Try it," whispered back Alicia. "Darrell hasn't said you're not to."

So everyone, including Betty, Eileen and Winnie from West Tower, gathered up the food hurriedly, and stumbled up the cliff-path in the dark.

"Where shall we take the food?" panted Darrell to Sally. "Can't have it in our common-room because it's got no curtains and the lights would s.h.i.+ne out."

"What about the first-form common-room?" asked Sally. "That's not near any staff-room, and the windows can't be seen from any other part."

"Yes. Good idea," said Darrell, and the word went round that the feast was to be held in the first-form common-room.

Soon they were all in there. Darrell shut the door carefully and put a mat across the bottom so that not a crack of light could be seen.

The girls sat about on the floor, a little damped by the sudden storm that had spoilt their plans. The thunder crashed and the lightning gleamed. Mary-Lou looked alarmed, and Gwen went quite white. Neither of them liked storms.

"Hope Thunder's all right," said Bill, tucking into a tongue sandwich. Her horse was always her first thought.

"I should think..." began Alicia, when she stopped dead. Everyone sat still. Darrell put up her finger for silence.

There came a little knocking at the door. Tap-tap-tap-tap! Tap-tap-tap-tap!

Darrell felt scared. Who in the world was there? And why knock? She made another sign for everyone to keep absolutely still.

The knocking went on. Tap-tap-tap. This time it was a little louder.

Still the girls said nothing and kept quite silent The knocking came again, sounding much too loud in the night.

"Oh dear!" thought Darrell, "if it gets any louder, someone will hear, and the cat will be out of the bag!"

Gwendoline and Mary-Lou were quite terrified of this strange knocking. They clutched each other, as white as a sheet.

"Come in," said Darrell, at last, in a low voice, when there was a pause in the knocking.