The Nicest Girl in the School: A Story of School Life

by Angela Brazil

  THE NICEST GIRL IN THE SCHOOL

  A Story of School Life

  by

  ANGELA BRAZIL

  Author of "The Third Class at Miss Kaye's""The Fortunes of Philippa"

  Illustrated by Arthur A. Dixon

  "SHE STARTED GUILTILY AT HER COUSIN'S ENTRANCE"]

  Blackie and Son LimitedLondon Glasgow and Bombay

  Contents

  _CHAP._ Page

  I. PACKING 9

  II. THE PRIORY 20

  III. FIRST IMPRESSIONS 36

  IV. A MAIDEN ALL FORLORN 50

  V. THE ARITHMETIC EXAMINATION 69

  VI. ALBUMS 88

  VII. PATTY'S PLEDGE 106

  VIII. A GREAT DISAPPOINTMENT 125

  IX. AN AFTERNOON WITH JEAN 145

  X. THE CAESAR TRANSLATION 159

  XI. THE SUMMER TERM 176

  XII. PLAYING WITH FIRE 198

  XIII. THE SCHOOL PICNIC 212

  XIV. ON THE ROCKS 225

  XV. SPEECH DAY 243

  Illustrations

  Page

  "SHE STARTED GUILTILY AT HER COUSIN'S ENTRANCE" _Frontis._ 166

  "EVERYBODY SEEMED TO BE FRIENDS AND TO BE OCCUPIED WITH SOME GAME OR AMUSEMENT EXCEPT HERSELF" 56

  "YOU'LL ALL THREE HAVE TO PROMISE NEVER TO LIGHT THE GAS AGAIN AFTER MISS ROWE'S TURNED IT OUT" 122

  "GIRLS," SHE CRIED, "SURELY YOU CAN'T SUSPECT ME OF OWNING THAT WRETCHED 'CRIB'?" 173

  "THEY WERE CUT OFF ON EVERY SIDE" 232

  CHAPTER I

  Packing

  "Only one day more," cried Patty Hirst, surveying with deep interest thelarge new box which stood by the side of the chest of drawers in herbedroom; "just one day! How dreadfully quickly the time has come! I feelquite queer when I think about it. I can scarcely believe that beforethe end of the week both I and my luggage will be a whole hundred milesaway, and settled at Morton Priory. I do wonder how I shall like it?"

  "Very much, I hope," replied her mother, pausing for a moment in hertask of packing the neat piles of linen and underclothing into as smalla compass as possible. "I'm sure it seems a delightful school, and youare an extremely lucky girl to be going there."

  "Yes," said Patty, with a rather doubtful tone in her voice, sittingdown on the edge of the bed, and beginning to turn over the pockethandkerchiefs, the new blouses, the ties, hair ribbons, and otherarticles which made up her schoolgirl outfit; "I suppose I am lucky.Perhaps it may be nicer than I think. I wanted to go dreadfully whenUncle Sidney first wrote about it, but somehow now that it's got almostto starting off, do you know I feel as if I'd changed my mind, and I'mnot at all sure that I wouldn't rather stay at home. It seems toohorrible to have to go amongst so many new girls."

  Mrs. Hirst laughed.

  "Don't be a silly child," she said. "Of course you will feel strangejust at first, but you will soon get over your shyness. It will be quitea fresh world for you, and a very interesting one. I expect to have themost enthusiastic letters from you when you have been there for a fewweeks."

  "It will be different from Miss Dawson's, at any rate," said Patty.

  "I hope it will. Miss Dawson's is the best school we have in Kirkstone,but it is only moderately good. I can't be too glad for you to have thisopportunity of going to a better one. Give me your stockings, dear, andthe workbasket; I've a corner I want to fill up here."

  Patty sat watching her mother's deft fingers in silence for a moment ortwo, only handing her from time to time the things which she required.She gave a little sigh of satisfaction as she saw all her belongingsstowed away in the big box; she had never had so many new possessions inher life before, and in the pleasure of owning them felt some slightcompensation for the wrench of parting from home. The two usefulnavy-blue serge skirts, with their accompanying blouses, the prettybrown velvet dress for Sundays, the flowered delaine for evenings, andthe white muslin for school parties, not to mention the hats, coats, andthe numberless small articles needed for a girl going away by herself,all represented much thought and some self-denial on the part of hermother, who had made a great effort to send her nicely equipped, and hadtoiled hard to finish everything in time.

  "I don't believe anybody could have a prettier nightdress case orbrush-and-comb bag than this," said Patty, proudly smoothing the laceedging which she had helped to stitch on herself; "and the clothes bagis a perfect beauty. Here's the little cash-box, Mother. It seems such afunny thing to have to take to school. I haven't any 'valuables' to putinto it, except my pocket money, and you said Miss Lincoln would takecare of that. Why must it have two keys?"

  "In case you lose one, I suppose. No doubt Miss Lincoln is wellaccustomed to schoolgirls' careless ways. You can keep your broochesinside it, and your locket and chain. Now give me your serviette ringand your collars, and don't forget that I've put the boot laces in yourworkbasket."

  "I wonder if I shall unpack by myself, or if anyone will come to helpme," said Patty.

  "You'll soon find out what is expected, and of course Muriel will beable to tell you everything. It's so very nice for you to have yourcousin at the school. You'll have a friend there already."

  Patty's face fell.

  "I'm not sure, Mother," she said, rather hesitatingly. "The truth is,I'm afraid Muriel doesn't want me to go. She was so queer and offhandabout it when I was staying at Thorncroft; she wouldn't talk of it atall, though Aunt Lucy did. Somehow I think she won't like me to be atthe same school as herself."

  "You must be mistaken, dear! Why, Uncle Sidney was so pleased with hisproject, and said you were to take care of Muriel as if she were yoursister."

  "I know he did; but all the same, I don't believe Muriel herself willlike it. She's never been very fond of me; Horace is always much jollierwhen I go there. When Aunt Lucy said she hoped we should both be in thesame class, Muriel looked quite cross, and said of course I should belower down, as she had gone to school first, and girls who were indifferent forms scarcely saw anything of each other; and then, when wewere out in the garden together, she said she didn't see why I must besent to The Priory, and surely there were other schools I could havegone to."

  "Never mind, dear! Perhaps she was a little out of temper that day, andmay prove nicer when you really arrive. You must try to keep friendswith her, even if she's not always quite pleasant. We mustn't forgetUncle Sidney's kindness. I feel very grateful to him, for we couldn'tpossibly have sent you to such an expensive school on our own account."

  "I'll try," said Patty, "as far as she'll let me. If she were more likeMilly it would be much easier. Oh! how dreadfully I shall miss you andFather, and Basil, and the little ones! I wish I could go to school andtake my family with me. I don't know how I'm to manage for thirteenwhole weeks without once seeing any of you. The time will never go by."

  "Poor little woman!" said her mother. "It does seem hard, I know, butyou mu
st look forward to meeting us all again, and the days will passmuch faster than you imagine."

  "But, Mother darling, you'll have so much to do while I'm away. Who'llhelp you with the children? Baby will almost have forgotten me by thetime I come back."

  "No, he won't; he'll know you in a moment, and give you his biggest hug.It's no use crying, Patty; young birds must leave the nest some time,and learn to fly for themselves. We shall miss you as much as you missus, but we must brace our minds to bear it, because it's one of thosepartings that have to come, and are for the best after all. Think what asplendid thing it is for you to be going to such a school as MortonPriory! I only wish I had had such advantages when I was a girl. Youmust work hard, and make the very most of your time there."

  "I'll do my best, but I'm not clever," said Patty, "and I'm afraid Inever shall be. Mother, dearest, you're actually crying too! What ahorrid, selfish, nasty wretch I am! I believe it's just as bad for youas it is for me. There! I'm not going to say another word, and if I do,please give me a smack. I'm ever so ashamed to have made my darlinglittle Mother cry!"

  She got off the bed, and giving a hard scrub to her eyes, stuffed herhandkerchief back into her pocket with a determined air, as if the tearswent with it. All the same, her voice sounded choky, and there were suchbright drops glistening on Mrs. Hirst's eyelashes, that I think theyboth felt it a welcome interruption when a loud tramping was suddenlyheard on the stairs, and four children burst tumultuously into the room:a girl of eleven, two boys of nine and seven, and a younger girl ofabout five years old.

  "We ran all the way home from school," they cried. "We didn't wait asingle minute to talk to anybody. Oh! have you packed Patty's boxalready? We did so want to watch you do it!"

  "Go to the nursery, children," said Mrs. Hirst, "I cannot have yourmeddlesome little fingers here. Robin, put down that hat immediately!Wilfred, you're not to open that bag! No, Kitty, my pet, you mustn'tpeep inside parcels. Milly, take them away, and make them wash theirhands. I didn't expect you all home so soon."

  "I'll go with them, Mother," said Patty, taking the noisy four under herelder sisterly wing, and escorting them to their own domain, where Mary,the nurse, was endeavouring to attend to the baby, while at the sametime she restrained three-year-old Rowley from making acquaintance withthe interior of the coal box. "Did you give Miss Dawson my message,Milly? You forgot? Oh, what a careless girl you are! I shall have towrite her a letter. No, it's no use your running back now. Therewouldn't be time before tea, it's almost ready."

  Patty helped the children to put on pinafores and tidy their hair,washed Rowley's hands, and seated him in his high chair at the table,then made herself so useful in passing bread and butter, spreading jam,and handing round mugs of milk, that Mary gave a heartfelt sigh ofregret.

  "I simply don't know what we'll do without you when you've gone, MissPatty," she said dolefully.

  "Oh! I wish I were going too!" cried Milly. "What lovely fun it wouldbe! Imagine having a gymnasium, and climbing poles, and walking onplanks. Muriel told me all about it when she was over here. She said shelearnt to swarm up a rope like sailors do. And there's a swimming bath,and hockey, and cricket, and tennis. You can't think how I envy you,Patty. You're the luckiest girl in the world. It will seem so slow tostay on at Miss Dawson's. I shan't like it one scrap now."

  "Will they toss you in a blanket, Patty," enquired Robin eagerly, "likethey did Cousin Horace when first he went to school, or twist your armround and punch it?"

  "Of course not," replied Patty, laughing; "those things are only done inboys' schools. Girls don't play such silly tricks; they don't 'punch'people at all."

  "They do sometimes," declared Robin; "Milly gave me a horrid----"

  "Be quiet!" said Milly quickly, administering what appeared to be a kickunder the table. "You deserved anything you got, and if you say a wordmore I'll tell about--you know what!"

  "If you dare!"

  "Be quiet, then."

  "I will now, but wait till I catch you afterwards!" and Robin, throwingher an indignant glance, applied himself so diligently to his bread andbutter, that he had no opportunity for further remarks; while Patty,wisely ignoring the quarrel, turned the conversation back to the saferchannel of her future experiences, which at present seemed the mostabsorbing topic they could have to discuss.

  "There'll be a great many more girls there than at Miss Dawson's," shebegan.

  "How many?" asked Milly.

  "I believe there are about seventy, and at least half of them will beolder than I am. Muriel says some of the top class have turned eighteen,and wear their hair up. I shall only be one of the younger ones."

  "How funny!" giggled the children. "Will they give you easy lessons,then?"

  "Compound addition and the first declension?" suggested Robin.

  "Or spelling and tables?" said Wilfred.

  "Will Patty do pot-hooks and learning to read, like me?" said Kitty.

  "You will find it easier, though, if you're one of the youngest, won'tyou?" said Milly.

  "No, indeed. I expect all the work will be much harder than anythingI've ever done yet. It won't be all hockey and gymnasium, I can tellyou. I'm afraid I shall find I'm behind most of the other girls."

  "Oh, Patty, and you were always top at Miss Dawson's!"

  "That's quite different. It's easy enough to be top when there are onlyfour girls in a class, and two of them as stupid as the Simpsons. I mayvery likely turn out bottom at The Priory."

  "You won't! You won't!" cried Milly. "I heard Miss Dawson tell Motheryou were one of her best workers, and she knew you'd do well whereveryou went. There, you needn't blush! It wasn't anything very particular,after all. If she'd been talking about me, I'd far rather she'd said Iwas a good runner, and could catch a ball without missing it every timeit was thrown to me."

  "She did say something about you, though: I heard her," volunteeredRobin.

  "Then you shouldn't have listened, and you've no need to tell. I hatetell-tales!" said Milly, forestalling his offered confidence. "If you'vefinished tea, you'd better go and feed the guinea-pigs. Patty, do comeand help me to trace my map, it's the last evening but one that you'llbe here; and I want you to show me how to do G.C.M., because I waslooking out of the window this morning when Miss Dawson told us, and Ican't work any of my sums until I know. Come into the summer-house,where we can get a little peace and quiet;" and hastily swallowing herlast fragment of bread and butter, she caught up her school satchel, andbeckoning persuasively to her sister, led the way downstairs, and outinto the garden.