A Popular Schoolgirl Angela Brazil (best novels for beginners TXT) đ
- Author: Angela Brazil
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âThat Saxon girlâs chattering sixteen to the dozen now! Couldnât get a word out of her myself!â
When Quenrede, sometime about five oâclock in the morning, tried to creep stealthily to bed without disturbing her sister, Ingred, refreshed by half a nightâs sleep, sat up wide awake and demanded details.
âSh! Sh! Mother said we werenât to talk now, and I must tell you everything afterwards. Oh, I got on better than I expected, though most of the people were rather starchy. How did my dress look? Wellâ âpromise you wonât breathe a word to darling Motherâ âit was just passable, and thatâs all. Some girls had lovely things. I didnât care. The second part of the evening was far nicer than the first, and I enjoyed the dances that I sat out the most. The conservatory was all hung with lanterns. There; Iâm dead tired and I want to go to sleep. Good night, dear!â
âBut youâve âcome out!âââ said Ingred with satisfaction as she subsided under her eiderdown.
âOh yes, Iâm most decidedly âout,âââ murmured Quenrede.
XIV The PeepholeThe Foursome League met in Dormitory 2 after the holidays with much clattering of tongues. Each wanted to tell her own experience, and they all talked at once. Fil had a new way of doing her hair, and gave the others no peace till they had duly realized and appreciated it. Verity had been bridesmaid to a cousin, and wished to give full details of the wedding; Nora had played hockey in a Scotch team against a Ladiesâ Club, and had been promised ten minutes in an aeroplane, but the weather had been too stormy for the flight; the disappointmentâ âwhen she happened to remember itâ âquite weighed down her spirits.
âIf thereâs one thing on earthâ âor rather on airâ âIâd like to be, itâs a flying woman!â she told her friends emphatically. âIâm hoping aeroplanes will get a little cheaper some day, and rich people will keep them instead of motor cars. Then Iâll go out as an aviatress. Itâs a new career for women.â
âI wouldnât trust myself to your tender mercies, thank you!â shuddered Ingred. âYouâd soon bring the machine down with a crash, and smash us to smithereens.â
âIndeed I shouldnât! Iâd go sailing about like a bird!â
And Nora, suiting action to words, stood on her bed fluttering her arms, till Verity wickedly gave her a push behind, and sent her springing with more force than grace to the floor.
âYou Jumbo! You make the room shake!â exclaimed Ingred. âIf thatâs how youâre going to land youâll dig a hole in the ground like a bomb! Do move out, and let me get to my drawer! Youâre growing too big for this bedroom!â
âNobodyâs looked at my new hair ribbons yet!â interposed Filâs plaintive voice. âSee, Iâve got six! Arenât they beauties! Pale pink, pale blue, Saxe blue, navy for my gym. costume, black for a useful one, and olive green to go with my velveteen Sunday dress. Donât you think theyâre nice?â
âRipping!â agreed Nora. âWeâll know where to go when we want to borrow. There, donât look so scared, Baby! Iâve chopped my hair so short I couldnât wear a ribbon if I tried! It would be off in three cracks! Stick them back in their box, and donât tempt me! Theyâre not in my line! Iâm going in for uniform. Youâre the sort who wears chiffons and laces and all the rest of it, but youâll see me in gilt buttons before I have done, with wings on them, I hope! I may be the first to fly to Mars! Who knows? You shall all have my photo beforehand just in case!â
Everybody at the College, and particularly at the Hostel, agreed that the first few weeks of the new term were trying. After the interval of the holidays, the yoke of homework seemed doubly heavy, and undoubtedly the prep. was stiffer than ever. Only certain hours were set apart for study during the evenings at the hostel, and any girl who could not accomplish her lessons in that time had to finish them as best she could in odd minutes during the day, or even in bed in the mornings if she happened to wake sufficiently early. Fil, who generally succeeded in mastering about half her preparation and no more, railed at fate.
âIâm so unlucky!â she sighed to a sympathetic audience in No. 2. âI knew the first ten lines of my French poetry beautifully, and I could have said them if Mademoiselle had asked me, but of course she didnât. She set me on those wretched irregular verbs, and they always floor me utterly. As for the dictĂ©eâ âI canât spell in Englishâ âlet alone French! Itâs not the least use for Mademoiselle to get excited and stamp her foot at me. I shall be glad when Iâm old enough to leave school. I never mean to look at a French book again!â
âHow about English spelling?â suggested Ingred. âYouâll want to write a letter occasionally!â
âI think by that time,â said Fil hopefully, âsomebody will have invented a typewriter that can spell for itself. Youâll just press a knob for each word, you know!â
âThere are about 3,000 words in common daily use!â laughed Verity. âIf you need a knob for each, your typewriter will have to be the size of a church organ. Itâll want a room to itself!â
âOh, but think of the convenience of it! No more hunting in the dictionary!â declared Fil.
To add to the aggravations of the new term the weather was doubtful, and seemed to take a spiteful pleasure in being particularly wet on hockey afternoons. Day after day, disappointed girls would watch the streaming rain and lament the lack of practice. To give them some form of exercise they were assembled in the gymnasium, and held rival displays of Indian clubs, Morris dancing, or even skipping. âThe True Bluesâ excelled
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