02 Jo of the Chalet School (21 page)

Meanwhile Madge, giving given her commands, imagined that there was no further need to worry, and plunged whole-heartedly into the term’s work. The English and German of the schools showed a tremendous all-round improvement; but the French of some of the juniors was appalling. Also, at the request of several parents, she had decided to have Italian classes for the seniors. The Chalet School must of necessity specialise in languages, and Miss Bettany had decided that it should have an excellent showing in them. Luigia di Ferrara and Vanna di Ricci were encouraged to talk to the others in their own language, and Mr Denny’s sister, Miss Denny, came every day to the Chalet for an hour’s conversation in Italian with the senior form. Miss Denny had spent four years in Italy before she had joined her brother, and she spoke the language with fluency and ease.

To these classes Jo, Paula, Marie, and Margia were admitted, although they were two years younger than most of the seniors. The Grafin von Rothenfels had specially asked that Paula might join them, and had also mentioned that Frau von Eschenau would wish Marie to learn; while Jo and Margia both knew a certain amount already, and would profit by the regular work.

Mr Denny, who was more eccentric in his speech than ever, was clamouring for permission to start a madrigal society in the school, and worried the young Head by turning up at all sorts of unearthly hours to discuss the question with her. He protested that he was sure that ‘the little damsels’ would enjoy it, and quoted Plato in season and out as an incentive to the giving of more time to music. He added to all this by offering to give the girls lessons in eurhythmics. Nobody wanted to learn, for everybody had as much as she could do to get through her work as it was; but this he refused to believe.

There were time-tables to arrange and rearrange; new stationery and one or two new text-books to give out; one or two kitchen details to see to; and the games to settle. It was hardly surprising that during all the bustle of the first week the mutiny of certain middles should be overlooked.

A fresh fall of snow on the Friday made it impossible for the girls to go out; so when games time came round, the big class-room was cleared, pretty Miss Durrant came over from Le Petit Chalet, where she had been teaching the juniors how to make raffia baskets with beautiful designs of chequers and triangles, and the girls worked off their superfluous energy in ‘Picking Up Sticks,’ ‘Jenny Pluck Pears,’ ‘Mage on a Cree,’

‘Butterfly,’ and other country-dances. Then, when they were all sitting round the wall, breathless and laughing, Mademoiselle played a tune none of them had ever heard before, and Miss Durrant danced for them a morris-jig, which drove them all wild with delight.

‘Oh, what is it?’ cried Joey, her rebellion forgotten for the moment. ‘What
is
it, Miss Durrant? It’s simply lovely – the jolliest thing I’ve ever seen!’

Miss Durrant, who was flushed and panting with the exercise, laughed at her enthusiasm. ‘It’s one of the morris-jigs – you people are going to start morris this term – ‘Jockie to the Fair” it’s called.’

‘It’s simply top – er –
glorious
!’ proclaimed Joey. ‘I just
love
it. When can we begin?’

‘Jigs? Oh, I’d advise you to learn the steps first,’ said Miss Durrant demurely. ‘You surely don’t want to start on jibs straight-away?’

‘I don’t’ care what we start on so long as we start on something,’ declared Joey. ‘Will you teach us the step to-day?’

Miss Durrant shook her head. ‘No. You’ve al been working fairly hard, and morris isn’t easy. You must be fresh to do it well. We’ll learn a new country-dance, though, and you shall begin your morris to-morrow morning. Form into sets of eight. I’m going to teach you “Oaken Leaves.”‘

They ran to do her bidding, and were soon busily learning ‘Oaken Leaves,’ with its pretty figures, which was quite new to them. Joey, deeply enthralled by the work, forgot all about her plans for Saturday, and danced hard, all her zest showing in her face. If other people had been contented to let things be, the chances are that she would have forgotten all about the carnival till it was too late to make arrangements.

Unfortunately, Simone was rather bored by the dancing, and when it was over and they were going to the splasheries to wash their hands before going upstairs to change from their tunics, she pulled Joey into a quiet corner and said eagerly, ‘And for to-morrow, Jo! Where do we meet, and when?’

‘Oh, bother to-morrow! I’d forgotten all about it,’ replied Jo, frowning.

Now, Simone had not been particularly keen on the escapade. She was, emphatically, not of the stuff that makes heroines, and this particular idea required a certain amount of courage to carry it out. It is not, for instance, an easy matter to face your head-mistress with the information that you have deliberately disobeyed her. However, once Simone had screwed up her courage sufficiently to enable her to agree to doing it, she did not wish to give up the idea. A wicked little imp inspired her to make the one remark that would bring Joey up to the scratch.

‘Have you then, fear?’ she asked.

That settled it. The blood rushed to Jo’s face in a crimson tide. ‘No,’ she said shortly. ‘I’ll tell you about arrangements before we go to bed to-night.’ Then she turned and ran off, all the joy and zest gone from her face, and only a heavy frown on her brow. Madge met her, and stopped her to ask what was the matter.

‘Jo! What’s wrong with you, child? Has anything happened?’

‘I’m all right,’ mumbled Joey, scarlet to the tips of her ears.

Madge concluded that she had quarreled with one of her friends, and let her go. She could hardly push the question any further at the moment; and next day a letter arrived from her twin-brother, which put everything else out of her head; for Dick had written to tell her that he was engaged to his chief’s youngest girl, and that they hoped to be married very soon. There was a note from the lady herself, which showed her to be a jolly, rather school-girlish, person, who evidently took life as a huge joke. She sent her love to her two sisters-to-be, and added that she enclosed some snapshots of herself, so that they could see what she was like. On the outside of the note was scrawled, ‘Can’t find the beastly thing. Sending them later.’ Madge giggled over this, and decided that Miss Mollie Avery was the right person for Dick to marry. She meant to tell Joey about it, but that young woman studiously avoided her, and then Marie contrived to upset a kettle of boiling water over herself, and was rather badly scalded. By the time things were righted, and poor weeping Marie was lying in bed with her own small sister to look after her while Eigen assisted Miss Bettany to do his sister’s work in the kitchen, the entire school was playing net-ball, and Joey, at Centre, was unget-at-able.

In the afternoon she and the rest of the middles vanished into the shed, where Rufus, now a handsome fellow, with fine head and great massive body, spent the day with his mother. The Head had said that the girls were not to go outside of the fence to-day, and, unfortunately, this meant depriving the dogs of their usual walk, so she was glad to hear the sounds of romping that came from the big shed, and left the big girls to amuse themselves – and, incidentally, Rufus and his mamma – as they liked. Marie’s accident made a good deal of difference, and Miss Bettany was kept busy till after the girls had had their coffee. As they came out of the
Speisesaal
to go and change for the evening, she contrived to catch Jo, and draw her into the study. ‘Jo, I’ve had a letter from India,’ she began.

‘When?’ demanded Jo.

‘This morning, of course – My dear Joey, what
is
the matter?’

Jo faced on her. ‘You’ve had a letter from Dick all day, and never told me about it till
now
!’ she gasped.

‘But, Joey baba, I’ve had no time!’

Jo made no answer. She simply stood there, very white, and with angry eyes. Madge looked at her, amazed.

‘Why, Joey! What
is
the matter with you? Aren’t you well?’ She laid her cool fingers on Joey’s wrist, but her little sister twisted away.

‘I’m all right. Don’t
fuss
, Madge.’

Madge began to get angry now. ‘You ungrateful child! You don’t deserve that anyone should fuss over you!’ Then, as the memory of the tremendous news she had just received came to her, she softened. ‘Joey, don’t be so cross with me; I am awfully sorry it’s got delayed – the more so because of the wonderful news I have for you. What do you think? Dick is engaged!’

‘What as?’

‘Engaged to be married. We shall have a new sister before long.’

‘Rats! I don’t’ believe you!’ returned Joey rudely.

Madge was dumbfounded. She simply could not understand this attitude. She never once dreamed of connecting it with her refusal to allow the girls to go to the carnival, and she could not think that it was the result of not giving Joey the letter sooner.

‘Joey! Do you realize how rude you are being?’ she said quietly. ‘I have told you that I am sorry that I didn’t show you the letter sooner. I see you are very angry with me, but I couldn’t help it. Here is the letter; will you take it away and read it for yourself, please? And I don’t want to see you until you have come to your senses.’

Joey almost snatched the letter from her, and left the room. She
was
cross about not having had it sooner, but the principal trouble was the deep sense of shame she had. She had often been tiresome before this; but she had always been straight. What made it worse was the fact that she was dragging other people into it.

She took the letter upstairs and tucked it into her drawer; she didn’t feel like reading it just now.

When she got downstairs she found that the others had nearly finished their coffee, and through the unshuttered windows came flickering light from the bonfires which were being lighted. Snatches of music drifted across tot hem from the lake, accompanied by an increasing chatter of voices as the revelers began to turn up in full force. The carnival was beginning.

Miss Bettany had arranged that the girls were to go upstairs to the dormitories that overlooked the lake, and watch the fun from the windows; so, after
Kaffee
, the girls streamed upstairs, while Eigen closed the shutters of the downstairs windows, this was the chance of the naughty middles. They slipped into the dark cloak-room, and hid among the coats while the others settled themselves in the darkened dormitories. The staff went with the school; Marie was in bed; and Eigen had permission to go to the carnival for two hours.

It seemed ages to the six, standing as motionless as possible in the little cloak-room, before silence settled on the lower part of the house, though, as a matter of fact, it was barely half-an-hour. When, finally, they felt safe, they closed the cloak-room door very quietly, and switched on the light. Then they dressed as quickly as possible in woolen jerseys, big coats, thick boots, woolly caps and scarves and gloves; lifted their skates carefully lest the jingling should betray them, and stole along the passage and out of the side-door, which had been made for the convenience of the day-girls. It was not till they were outside that they realized just how difficult it was going to be to get down to the lake without being seen.

‘What
shall
we do?’ asked Margia. ‘If they see us they’ll come after us, and we shall have all the fuss for nothing.’

Joey, however, was a resourceful young person. ‘Go round the back,’ she said. ‘Then we can cut across the cricket-ground, and climb over the fence, and go down by the side.’

It was the only thing to do. The crept along, keeping well in the shadow of the house until they reached the cricket-field, across which they fled at full speed till they came to the fence. This had to be climbed, but they were all active enough, and even Simone, with a good ‘boost,’ was got over it in safety. When they were all at the other side they looked at each other. The excitement was doing its work. Even Joey had forgotten her conscience pains, and they caught hands and ran gaily down to the edge of the lake, where they sat down to put on their skates.

Joey got to her feet, stamping to settle her straps. Then she looked round. It was a wild picturesque scene.

Overhead was a stormy sky, with a young moon gazing down on the white-clad mountains, remote and silent, even now. Against the snow the pine-woods stood out in black masses, and the ice-bound lake lay like a pool of midnight in its sparkling frame Great bonfires flared up to the distant stars, casting a lurid light on the snow, and linkmen glided about the lake carrying flaming torches. Already the Seespitz and was crowded with figures, but just where they were it was quiet. On the frosty air the music from the Tzigane band, playing like possessed creatures near one of the bonfires, came clearly to them. It was a wonderful picture.

The six little girls kept pretty close together. Frieda, Marie, Margia, and Paula were excellent skaters for their age, and Joey, during her fortnight’s holiday, had learnt to be fairly safe, though she was by no means as good as she thought she was. Simone was wobbly to the last degree, but Frieda and Marie took her between them, and Paula caught Joey’s hands, and they enjoyed themselves enormously for the first half-hour or so.

Then Paula took Marie’s place with Simone, and Marie, anxious to prove her skill, began cutting a figure of eight on the ice. Joey watched her with keen interest – so keen, in fact, that she paid little heed to where she was going, encountered the dead branch of a tree which some one had flung on the ice, staggered, tried to recover her balance, and fell headlong, her hands above her head, directly in the path of a skater who was coming along at full speed!

He was going too quickly to swerve, and to the horrified children it seemed as though he must go clear across Joey’s fingers. They set up a wild shriek, and as for Joey, she fainted, just as the skater flung himself wildly to one side and fell with a crash on top of her.

It was at this moment that Miss Bettany, hunting through the cloak-room, discovered that her missing pupils had vanished, and dashed upstairs to her room to scramble into her outdoor garments and snatch up her skates before she hurried out to reclaim them.