‘Yes, I suppose that you must do that,’ agreed Bonnie, a little reluctantly. ‘Though I suppose it means that everyone will turn against me now. How horrid!’
But somehow Felicity knew that Bonnie, who was a great deal tougher than she looked, would cope with the situation in her own way.
‘The sly little beast!’ cried Susan, when Felicity broke the news to her, Nora, Pam and Julie after morning school.
‘That’s the thing about Bonnie, though,’ remarked Pam thoughtfully. ‘Even when she’s being sly, she’s quite honest about it. I mean to say, she was going to own up to what she had done and give Felicity her things back all along. So really, she’s not being sly.’
‘She certainly has her own, unique way of looking at things,’ said Nora, shaking her head. ‘Although some of her ideas are quite wrong, of course.’
‘I daresay some of our ways will rub off on her when she’s been at Malory Towers for a while,’ said Julie. ‘That’s the best of a splendid school like this – as well as learning things like Maths and English and all the rest of it, you learn other things that are equally important. Things like a sense of decency, fairness and responsibility.’
But Susan was less inclined to be lenient and, when the other three girls had departed, she said to Felicity, ‘I hope that you are going to let Miss Grayling deal with Bonnie.’
‘I hadn’t really thought about it,’ said Felicity, biting her lip. ‘Do you think that I should, Susan?’
‘Of course!’ said Susan firmly. ‘You were going to report Veronica to the Head, so I don’t see what the difference is.’
‘There is a difference,’ said Felicity. ‘Bonnie hasn’t been to school before, and she doesn’t fully understand –’
‘Oh, Felicity, don’t you start sticking up for her!’ Susan interrupted impatiently. ‘At her age she ought to know the difference between right and wrong. Not having been to school before can’t be used as an excuse for simply everything, you know!’
Felicity knew that Susan was right. But she also knew that Susan was angry at herself, as well as Bonnie, for she had been the first one to accuse Veronica directly of playing tricks on Felicity. So she slipped her arm through Susan’s and said, ‘Don’t let’s you and I fall out about this, old thing. That would be worse than anything! I’ll think about reporting Bonnie, I promise. But before I do anything else, I must apologise to Veronica.’
Her anger cooling instantly, Susan gave Felicity’s arm a squeeze and said ruefully, ‘You’re not the only one who owes Veronica an apology. I was very quick to accuse her, and didn’t even bother listening to her explanation because I had made my mind up that she was guilty. This will certainly be a lesson to me not to judge people too hastily, I can tell you. Come along, let’s go and find her now.’
Veronica was standing alone, glumly watching a group of second formers tossing a ball around, and both girls felt sorry for her. A thought occurred to Felicity and she said, ‘I bet that Veronica’s going to be pushed out, now that Amy and Bonnie have made up.’
Susan agreed and said, ‘I never thought that Amy was very keen on Veronica anyway. The two of them have absolutely nothing in common. I can’t say that I’m terribly fond of Veronica, but it must be simply dreadful having no one to talk to, or to share fun and secrets with. What a pity that we can’t help her in some way.’
‘But we can,’ said Felicity, excitedly. ‘You see, Susan, I think that there’s another side to Veronica – a kind, decent side. I’ve seen it once or twice and I think that if we try hard – really hard – perhaps we can bring it out.’
Susan, eager to make up to Veronica for accusing her unjustly, said at once, ‘What do you have in mind?’
‘Well, I just think that we ought to give her a chance – you know, be nice to her and include her in things. Now that Amy isn’t so eager for her company, I think she might take the chance that we are offering.’
‘Yes, let’s do that,’ said Susan. ‘Though I can think of one person who won’t want any part of it – and that’s June. She’s never had any time for Veronica, and she’s bound to pour cold water on the idea.’
‘June can jolly well do as she’s told and follow our lead for once,’ retorted Felicity, a determined expression on her face. ‘And if she dares to sneer at me I shall have a few words to say to her!’
And, looking at the glint in her friend’s eye, Susan had no doubt that Felicity would do just that! But now they had another matter to deal with, and Felicity didn’t beat around the bush, going across to Veronica and saying frankly, ‘Veronica, I know now that it wasn’t you who took my things and I’m sorry that I didn’t believe you when you said that you were innocent. Please accept my apology.’
She held her hand out and Veronica, looking a little disbelieving at first, took it, and said, ‘What’s happened? Have you found out who really did it?’
‘Yes,’ said Felicity. ‘It was Bonnie. She owned up when she found out that I suspected you.’
‘And I’m sorry too, Veronica,’ said Susan, coming forward. ‘I saw you standing over the broken photograph and was ready to believe the worst of you. It was very wrong of me.’
Veronica, looking both surprised and pleased, turned red and said, ‘No, it wasn’t. It’s quite my own fault if people think badly of me, I see that now. And I admit that I didn’t like you very much at first, Felicity, but I could never do a mean act to someone who showed me the kindness that you and your parents did at half-term. No matter what happens between us in the future, that is something I shall never forget.’
Now it was Felicity’s turn to go red, for she felt quite moved by Veronica’s little speech – and there could be no doubting the girl’s sincerity. Susan stepped into the breach, saying, ‘Felicity and I were just off to lacrosse practice. Why don’t you come along with us, Veronica?’
Amazed, and secretly delighted to be asked, Veronica said, ‘There’s no point in me coming. I’m not very good at lacrosse – or any games, for that matter.’
‘Perhaps not, but you can still come along to watch, and shout a few words of encouragement to Susan and me,’ said Felicity. ‘Goodness knows we could do with them!’
So it came about that June and Freddie, who were already on the lacrosse field, were quite astonished to see Felicity, Susan and Veronica, of all people, coming towards them, all three girls chattering amicably together.
‘Our dear Veronica seems to have made two new friends,’ drawled June, once Veronica had taken her place on the sidelines and Felicity and Susan were on the field. ‘Really, Felicity, I know that you always like to see the best in people, but surely even you must see that you’re wasting your time with her.’
‘You’re wrong, June,’ said Felicity, refusing to be ruffled by June’s mocking tone. ‘Susan and I have decided to give Veronica a chance to prove that she’s not as bad as people think. And I would like the rest of the form, including you, June, to follow our lead.’
June laughed and said jeeringly, ‘I’m not sucking up to that sly, spiteful beast. If you ask me –’
But June got no further, for Freddie piped up unexpectedly, giving June a push and saying sharply, ‘No one did ask you, June! You ought to be the first to give Veronica a chance, considering the way you have behaved this term.’
‘Freddie is quite right,’ said Susan sternly. ‘At least Veronica has learned something from her mistakes, but I don’t think that you have, June.’
‘Oh, June has nothing to learn,’ said Felicity, giving the girl a hard look. ‘She knows it all, don’t you, June?’
Disconcerted by this sudden attack from all sides, June was lost for a suitable retort and Felicity went on, ‘The trouble with you, June, is that nothing makes a lasting impression on you. I know that you regretted getting Freddie involved with Mrs Dale and were shaken by the upset you caused. And I’m willing to bet that you told Freddie – and yourself – that you had learned your lesson. But you haven’t. Now that you’ve been forgiven by all co
ncerned, you’re back to your bold, bumptious, hard-hearted old self again.’
‘Yes, and you promised me that you would do anything to make it up to me, if only I would forgive you,’ said Freddie. ‘Well, June, if you really mean that, I want you to back Felicity up and at least try to be nice to Veronica.’
June had to admit that there was a lot of truth in the others’ words, and she certainly didn’t want to fall out with Freddie again, so she said, ‘I know that I can be hard, sometimes – it’s just the way I am. My cousin Alicia was the same, though she softened a little as she got older, and perhaps I will too. As for being bumptious, Alicia used to say that I was like a rubber ball – no matter how hard anyone tried to squash me flat I always bounced back into shape again. Perhaps that will change one day, as well. And you’re all absolutely right about one thing – I have behaved dreadfully this term and I should give Veronica a chance to prove that she has a good side. And that’s exactly what I intend to do.’
That was good enough for Felicity. June had her faults – bad faults – but if she said she would do a thing she stuck to it.
Veronica was also doing her best, and surprised herself by becoming completely wrapped up in the practice game that took place, excitedly calling out her encouragement to the others.
‘Play up, Susan!’
‘Jolly good shot, Felicity!’
‘Oh, well done, June!’
This last came as June took a particularly difficult shot at goal and managed to get the ball past the goalkeeper. And Felicity was pleased when June heard Veronica’s cry and turned to smile at her, giving her a cheery wave. With only one week to go to the end of term, perhaps things were finally sorting themselves out. Now, if only Felicity could decide what to do about Bonnie!
Felicity took a little time to herself after tea to walk alone in the grounds and consider the problem, but as dusk began to fall she was no nearer a solution. Bonnie certainly needed to be brought to a sense of her wrongdoing, and to learn that she couldn’t take revenge every time someone upset her. She was spoilt, vain and quite unscrupulous when it came to getting her own way. But, Felicity had come to realise, the girl actually had quite a few good qualities too. She was single-minded and determined when she had a goal in sight, honest and not afraid to speak up for herself. And where better than Malory Towers for Bonnie to learn to cultivate these qualities and strive to make the good in her character cancel out the bad?
So lost in thought was she, that Felicity didn’t realise she had walked as far as Miss Grayling’s private garden, until the Head herself appeared in front of her.
‘Why, it’s you, Felicity!’ she said in surprise. ‘What are you doing over here, my dear?’
‘I was thinking about something, Miss Grayling, and didn’t realise that I had come so far,’ said Felicity. ‘I suppose that I had better make my way back to North Tower.’
Miss Grayling looked hard at the girl for a moment, then said, ‘Actually, I’m glad you’re here, for there’s something I wanted to discuss with you. Come into my study.’
Felicity followed Miss Grayling across her neat little lawn, and through the French windows into her study, wondering what the Head wanted to talk to her about. Not more trouble, surely?
Miss Grayling took a seat behind her big desk and invited Felicity to sit opposite her, then she began, ‘I wanted to speak to you about Veronica Sharpe. As you are probably aware, she wasn’t very popular with her own form, which is why I decided to keep her back for a term, to see if a break from the girls who disliked her so much would do her good. As head-girl of the third form, I want to know what you think of her.’
‘Well, we’ve had a few problems with Veronica,’ said Felicity, feeling very honoured that the Head had asked her opinion and wanting to be as honest as possible. ‘And she hasn’t been awfully popular with our form either. But I think that, underneath it all, she’s actually quite a decent person. We’re all doing our best to give her a chance to prove herself, and she seems to be taking it.’
‘That is good to hear,’ said Miss Grayling. ‘You see, Felicity, Veronica is really too old to stay down in the third form for more than a term. I have discussed the matter with Miss Peters and we both feel that Veronica ought to join the fourth formers next term. She will have had a long break from them, and they from her, so hopefully they will be able to start afresh.’
Felicity hoped so too. Perhaps she ought to have a talk with Katherine, who was now head-girl of the fourth, and see if she could persuade her to let bygones be bygones. If Katherine was willing to hold out the hand of friendship to Veronica, the rest of the fourth formers were sure to do so as well. Then it occurred to Felicity that, if she was going to report Bonnie to the Head, now was as good a time as any. The trouble was, deep down inside, she didn’t want to involve Miss Grayling, but would far rather keep what she had done a private third-form matter. Was it weakness on her part to feel like that? Felicity hoped not, for she so wanted to be a strong leader, like Darrell had been. As these thoughts flitted across the girl’s mind, Miss Grayling’s keen blue eyes watched her, seeing a lot more than Felicity realised. At last the Head asked, ‘Is anything troubling you, Felicity?’
‘Er – no, Miss Grayling, of course not,’ she answered, nerves making her voice rather high.
‘Are you sure?’ asked Miss Grayling. ‘You know that if you have any worries you can always bring them to me. That is what I am here for, after all.’
Felicity hesitated. Could she tell the Head what was on her mind without bringing Bonnie’s name into it? She decided to try and began, ‘Well, you see, Miss Grayling, I’ve had a problem with a girl in the third form. It’s quite a trivial matter, and I think that I would rather deal with it myself than report it. But I can’t be certain that I am doing the right thing, either for the form as a whole, or for the girl concerned. I keep asking myself what Darrell would have done in this situation, but –’
‘My dear Felicity, what on earth does Darrell have to do with the matter?’ the Head interrupted sharply.
‘She was always so sure of herself,’ said Felicity. ‘And such a marvellous Head Girl. Somehow I feel that if I make the wrong decision, I will be letting her down as well as myself.’
‘Darrell was an excellent Head Girl,’ agreed Miss Grayling. ‘But that isn’t to say that she never made mistakes, particularly when she was lower down the school. Darrell wasn’t perfect – nobody is. I recall that she had an extremely hot temper that caused her problems on a number of occasions!’
The Head smiled as she said this, and Felicity smiled shyly back, saying, ‘She still does have a hot temper, though she has learned to control it a lot better now.’
‘Exactly,’ said Miss Grayling. ‘She learned to control it. As you, Felicity, will learn to have faith in your own instincts and your own judgement. You see, Darrell isn’t head of the third form – you are. And you are very different from Darrell, so you must stop wondering what she would do in this situation, or that situation. As for how you should deal with the matter you brought up – well, I think you have already answered that yourself. Do what you feel is right. It may turn out to be the wrong decision, but at least it will be your decision.’
And, as Felicity listened to Miss Grayling’s words of wisdom, everything suddenly became crystal clear in her mind. She had worried too much about what other people thought of her, and about whether they were comparing her unfavourably to her older sister. Being a strong leader didn’t always mean being outspoken, or forthright. It meant being true to yourself and your own character. And from now on, thought Felicity, as she said goodbye to the Head, that was exactly what she was going to be!
A happy end to the term
The last week of term simply flew by, and there was an air of great excitement throughout the school as the girls began to look forward to Christmas, pantomimes and parties.
‘My first term as head of the form is almost over already,’ said Felicity to Susan. ‘And my word, wh
at a term it’s been!’
‘It’s certainly had its ups and downs,’ agreed Susan. ‘Thank goodness the last few days have been mostly ups!’
‘Yes, Amy’s been a lot happier since that business with her grandmother was settled,’ said Felicity. ‘And even Bonnie has been showing a bit of common sense since I gave her that talking to.’
Felicity, having decided that she wasn’t going to report Bonnie for her bad behaviour, had taken the girl to one side to inform her of the fact. Bonnie, however, didn’t seem to realise what a lucky escape she had had, merely smiling and saying off-handedly, ‘Oh, thanks, Felicity,’ before bending her head over the sewing she was working on. Felicity had stared down at the girl’s curly head for a few moments, before coming to another decision. Bonnie might have been spared a dressingdown from Miss Grayling, but Felicity was jolly well going to tell her what standard of behaviour was expected of a Malory Towers girl.
Bonnie listened open-mouthed and, when Felicity finished her stern little speech, she managed to squeeze out a few tears. Felicity, though, was quite convinced that they weren’t genuine and were just an attempt to gain sympathy, so she remained quite unmoved by them. And, over the next few days, she noticed that Bonnie did seem to be making an effort to behave more sensibly, which pleased Felicity immensely and made her feel that her words hadn’t fallen on completely deaf ears.
Even Susan, who had thought that Felicity had made a mistake in choosing to deal with Bonnie herself, had to admit that she had been wrong.
‘Bonnie certainly seems to have turned over a new leaf,’ she said now. ‘And as for Veronica – well, she’s like a completely different person. That’s thanks to you as well.’
Felicity brushed this off with her usual modesty, yet she couldn’t help but feel a small stirring of satisfaction as she watched Veronica laughing and joking with Pam and Nora in a way that would have been quite unimaginable a couple of weeks ago. Felicity had kept the promise she had made to herself, and spoken to Katherine of the fourth form about Veronica.