02 Jo of the Chalet School (29 page)

‘A lot of use that will be now! Let’s have a look at you.’

Joey promptly put out her tongue and offered him her wrist. He laughed.

‘You monkey! Well! There’s nothing wrong with you so far as I can see. All right! Passed with a clean bill of health!’

‘Oh! Then
will
you tell me what you said you would last night?’ pleaded Jo, clinging to his arm. ‘I’m
aching
to know!’

‘I’m coming in to see your sister about ten o’clock,’ he replied. ‘I’ll tell you then.’

‘But I’ll be having lessons then-geometry,’ protested Jo.

‘Then you can come out of your class for once,’ he replied. ‘I want to tell you when your sister is there-’

‘Madge is up now. Oh,
do
come
now
and tell us!’ Jo put forth all her coaxing powers into both voice and face as she spoke, but he was adamant.

‘It can wait till ten o’clock. I mean what I say, kiddy,’ he added gravely. ‘It won’t do you any harm to wait. Now I must go. Tell your sister form me to keep the other infants in bed till I come, and you keep out of draughts.’ He was hurrying off, when he suddenly turned and called the child to him. ‘Joey! Come here, please! Don’t you have a singing-lesson to-day?’

‘Yes! Why?’ demanded Joey, staring at him wide-eyed.

‘Mr Denny is ill,’ explained the doctor. ‘I am just going to him.’

‘Oh,
poor
“Plato”! D’you want me to tell Madge for you?’

‘Yes, please. Will you say that I am afraid he will be ill for a while. And, look here, just keep it to yourself for a bit!’

‘All right,’ nodded Jo. ‘I’ll tell Madge, but no one else.’

‘Good girl!’ he said. ‘You’ll get your reward all right-at ten o’clock!’

This time he really did depart, and Joey was left to return to the house, where she encountered her sister, who asked where she had been.

‘”Plato’s” ill,’ said Jo in reply.

‘Do you mean you have been to the Adalbert?’ demanded Madge.

‘No; I met Dr Jem, and he told me to tell you. Oh, and he’s coming to see you and me at ten o’clock. He’s going to tell me then!’

‘Joey! Talk sense!’ cried her sister in exasperated tones. ‘Tell you
what
?’

‘What he said he would. The others are to stay in bed, by the way, till he comes. I say, Madge, I think

“Plato” must be awfully ill. The doctor said he’d be ill for a while. Will that mean no singing-lessons?’

‘I don’t’ know.’ Madge looked worried. ‘Don’t say anything to the others, Jo. Mr Denny is not strong, you know.’

‘He behaved like a brick the other night,’ replied Joey. ‘No; I sha’n't say anything-Dr Jem told me not to.

Is breakfast nearly ready?’

During breakfast it was noticeable that Joey Bettany was unusually quiet.

This state of affairs lasted right through the bed-making period, and when Frieda asked her to come for a run by the lake before school she was startled by the answer she received, ‘Sorry, but I can’t. Too busy!’

‘But you do nothing!”‘ protested Frieda.

‘I’m doing a lot; I’m thinking,’ replied Jo with dignity.

‘Mind you don’t hurt your brain, then!’ jeered Grizel, who was passing and had heard. ‘What are you thinking about? Your old Napoleon?’

‘Nothing you could understand,’ retorted Jo promptly.-‘All right, Frieda; I’ll come after all, I think. Race you there!’ And she set off at top speed, followed by Frieda, who was waking up, and was a very different person fro the shy junior who had come to the Chalet School three terms before, although she was still much quieter than many of the others.

Rufus, who had been ambling along beside his young mistress, uttered a wild yelp and flung himself after her. They tore madly down the path, nearly fell over a group of prefects who were busily discussing the examinations, which lay only a week ahead, and wound up their wild career by collapsing in a heap at Miss Durrant’s feet.

‘Get up!’ she said severely when she had recovered her breath. ‘Get up
at once
, both of you!-Frieda, I am surprised at you!-Jo, what does this behaviour mean? Take that dog back to his proper place, and please don’t race about in that mad way again!’

They got meekly to their feet, and Jo, calling Rufus to order-he was rolling wildly in the grass-led him off to his own quarters. Then, as the first bell rang just then, she made her way to the form-room to get her books out for the first lesson.

It is to be feared that very little sense was to be got out of the younger Miss Bettany during that period.

She listened blandly to Miss Durrant on the subject of similes and metaphors, and when invited to show how much she had learnt by explaining what a simile was, absently murmured something about ‘a cake eaten in Lent in Yorkshire’-an answer that created quite a sensation.

Miss Durrant was righteously indignant, but much of what she had to say passed harmlessly over Jo’s head, for at that moment she caught sight of the doctor walking up the path, and was at once lost to the world. Fifteen minutes later Maria Marani came to ask if Joey Bettany might please go to Madame in the study. Joey scarcely waited for permission to go. Her regulation bob at the door was a violent jerk, and the bang with which she shut the door nearly resulted in her being brought back to close it properly.

She scampered down the passage, and literally fell into the study. The doctor was there, with Miss Bettany sitting opposite him, her eyes bright, and her cheeks vivid with excitement. As her little sister came in she held out a hand to her. ‘Come here, Joey baba! I am proud of you!’

Jo went to her sister’s side. ‘Proud of me? Why, Madge!’

‘Listen to what Dr Russell has to say to you,’ replied Madge, slipping her arm round the slender waist.

Joey turned big black eyes, gleaming with excitement, on the doctor.

‘Do you remember writing your “Elsie” book, Joey?’ he asked.

Joey nodded dumbly. She couldn’t speak.

‘Someone showed me your story in the
Chaletian
,’ he went on. ‘I liked it. It is good, you know, Joey.

You have told the tale simply and freshly, and your people live, which is a big thing. I heard of a competition for children. Ten pounds was offered as a prize for the best short story written by a boy or girl under eighteen. There was a second prize of five pounds, and another of one pound. I thought your little tale might have a chance, so I copied it out and sent it. Yesterday I had a letter form the judges-a registered letter. Here it is!’

He handed it over, and Jo took it with hands which literally trembled. It was addressed to Miss Josephine Bettany,

c/o
James Russell, F.R.C.S.,

but she had no time for that at present. She tore it open and a typewritten note with a crackly piece of paper wrapped up in it fell out. Madge picked it up for her, and Joey unfolded it. For a moment the printing danced before her eyes. Then the words settled themselves, and she was able to read it.

There was a long silence. Then she turned to her sister. ‘Madge! They-they’ve given me the second prize! The five pounds prize is mine! Here it is!’

She held the five-pound note out to her sister. Not knowing what else to do, Madge took it, and then pulled the child down to her level. ‘Joey baba! I’m so glad!’

Then Jo disgraced herself for once in her life. Burying her head on her sister’s shoulder she burst into tears, and cried as she had not done for ages. Madge held her close, petting and soothing her, till the outburst was over.

Then Jo suddenly sat up. Her eyes were swollen and red, and so was her nose, but this in no way detracted from her sudden sense of importance. ‘This settles it,’ she announced, with a hiccough. ‘I’m going to start in right now and be an authoress!’

‘Good-bye, Wanda; good-bye, Marie! Sure you’ve got everything? Good-bye, Paula! I hope you will all have very happy holidays.’

‘
Auf wiedersehen, Madame!
We wish you the same! We’ll send you post-cards from Prague, if we may.’

‘Please do! Good-bye, Thyra and Inga! Enjoy yourselves in Cologne. Ready, Margia? Good-bye, then!

Remember me to your mother.’

The last of the ‘early’ people scrambled into the little mountain-train, which was running once more. They waved their hands excitedly out of the windows; there was a puff and a jerk; they were off!

Madge Bettany, standing on the path with her small sister and the Robin, waved to them, and then turned back with a sigh of relief.

‘Let’s get back to
Fruhstuck
,’ observed Joey, tucking her arm through her sister’s. ‘I’m panting with hunger!’

‘You look it,’ laughed Madge. ‘All right; come along.-Tired, Robin?’

The Robin shook her curly head. ‘No, t’ank you! But I
s’ould
like some milk!’

‘You shall have it when we get back. Marie is sure to have it ready, because the Mensches, the Maranis, and the Steinbruckes are going by the next train; and Miss Durrant is taking Evadne, Juliet, Grizel and Rosalie to Eurbach by the ten o’clock bus.’

We
shall
be empty!’ sighed Jo.

‘Yes; but only till midday. Then we and Miss Maynard go off in the Paris-Wien express, and we shall be in England on Saturday.’

‘Why didn’t Mademoiselle wait and go with us?’ asked Joey.

‘Because Signora di Ricci wanted Vanna home as soon as possible, and she had to change at Innsbruck. It was easier for all the Italian girls to go together, and for Mademoiselle to take the French girls and look after them all.’

‘I see,’ said Jo thoughtfully. ‘And Miss Maynard is at Spartz to put the early people on the proper trains, I suppose?’

Madge nodded. ‘Yes. Now you know all about it.’

‘Yes, I know
that
; and I know we’re going to stay with Miss Maynard in the New Forest, which is gorgeous! But isn’t there something else?’

‘How do you mean-something else?’

‘I don’t know. Only there’s a sat-on sort of feeling, as if something
thrilling
were going to happen!’

‘In a way you’re right. I hope to go to the big Guiders’ Camp to train for a week while we are in England.’

‘When?’ demanded Joey excitedly. ‘Oh, Madge!
Are
we starting Guides for certain sure next term?’

‘We are, indeed! As for when, I think it’s the second week of the holidays. You and Robin will be with the Maynards by yourselves. You know we are going to London to stay with the aunts for the first week, don’t’ you?’

‘Yes; and I jolly well wish we weren’t!’

‘Hush, Jo! You are not to say things like that! They want us; and we couldn’t possibly be in England and not go to see them! They would never forgive us if we did that!’

‘Well, I know it’s jolly decent of them, and all that; but they bore me!’ declared Jo. ‘They will talk about taking care; and say I’m delicate; and fuss,
fuss
, FUSS till I want to shy things round!’

Miss Bettany laughed. ‘Poor old thing! What an awful state of mind! However, you needn’t worry! I don’t think they’ll fuss over you this time! The Tyrol has certainly made a big difference to you. You don’t look like the same girl!’

‘I know I’m fatter! And I’ve grown heaps! That frock I had this time last year won’t go near me! Well, what do we do after London?’

‘You two go down to Winchester on the Monday, where Miss Maynard will meet you and take you to her home. I shall come the following Monday. We leave England on the twenty-fifth, and get back here about the twenty-ninth. School begins on May the second. Now you know all our holiday plans, and I hope you’re both satisfied.’

‘Razzer!’ said the Robin emphatically.

But Jo looked doubtful. Madge shot a glance at her. There
was
more to tell, but she felt that she would rather keep it until they were by themselves, and she could explain things thoroughly. However, they reached the school just then, and there was no time for more, for Marie was ringing for
Fruhstuck
, and they had to hurry tog et to the table in time.

It was a festive meal. All rules were in abeyance, and the people left chattered all at once, and in a wild mingling of English and German, which made the Chalet
Speisesaal
sound more like the monkey-house at the Zoo than anything else. When it was over, there was a scramble to finish up the oddments and see to the locking-up of cupboards. The Chalet was to be closed for three weeks, during which Marie and Eigen would be at home, taking Rufus with them. Zita had gone back to her owners, who had been almost hysterically grateful to Miss Bettany for her care of the great dog during the winter.

Herr Braun had undertaken to keep an eye on the place, and also to have the new fence put up while Miss Bettany was away. He had one or two schemes of his own, which related to the rolling of the cricket-pitches and the tennis-courts, the planting of a flower-garden, and so on. Of these, however, he said nothing as yet.

Nine o’clock brought Herr Mensch up to Briesay to escort the Inssbruck girls back to their own city, and to offer Miss Bettany a basket of little cakes from Frau Marani and his wife, ‘to be eaten on the journey,
mein
Kind
. And here is chocolate for
die Madchen
from
Grossmutter.
‘

When he had gone off with his charges, Miss Durrant was taken down to the steamer with hers. They were to catch the bus at Scholastika, and go by it to the nearest town, just over the border, into Germany. There they would take train to Euhrbach, in the Black Forest. It was a roundabout journey, but all the people concerned had plumped for it, declaring that would be far more fun that going
via
Innsbruck and Munich.

At last the Bettanys and the Robin were alone; and, as they walked slowly round the lake to Seespitz to catch the mountain-train to Spartz, Madge told her news to the two little girls.

‘Do you remember how ill poor Mr Denny has been?’ she began.

‘Yes,’ said Joey soberly. ‘But he’s better now.’

‘Yes; he is better now,’ agreed her sister. ‘Dr Jem says that so long as he remains up here in the mountain air he will be fairly all right. But he is to go still higher. Do you remember the day we climbed the Sonnenscheinspitze last summer?’