'Well ' I don't know,' said Miss Lewis, slowly. 'Perhaps it can be helped! You've been good workers this term, and maybe I could give up the Saturday to take you ' and go home on the Sunday morning, for one day instead of two. Miss Walker can find some one else to go walking with, I daresay.'
'Oh, I say ' we wouldn't let you do that,' said Janet, at once. 'We're not quite such selfish pigs, Miss Lewis.'
Miss Lewis laughed. She liked the outspoken first-formers. 'I'll arrange it,' she said. 'I'll speak to Miss Theobald ' and the whole class can go with me in the school bus. We'll book seats at the Royal Theatre, and go and have a lovely time seeing the play ' and we'll have a marvellous tea afterwards.'
There were signs and squeals of delight. Shining eyes looked at Miss Lewis, and every one beamed with joy. What an unexpected treat! Even Margery Fenworthy looked pleased.
'Miss Lewis, you're a sport!' said Janet. 'You really are! Thanks most awfully. Are you sure you don't mind taking us on your precious week-end?'
'Oh, I mind awfully,' said Miss Lewis, with a twinkle in her eye. 'Do you suppose it's any pleasure to me to take charge of twenty noisy first-formers with no manners at all?'
Every one laughed. Miss Lewis might be sharp at times, but she really was a good sort!
'Now mind ' ' said Miss Lewis, warningly. 'You will all work well to show me that you really do appreciate the treat! No slacking this term!'
'Of course not!' said the girls, quite determined to work better for Miss Lewis than they had ever done before.
Ten minutes later came the Big Row. Each girl had her history book open, and was following the map there that Miss Lewis was explaining ' all except Margery. She had her book open it was true ' but into the open pages she had slipped the letter she had received that morning, and she was re-reading it, a scowl on her face.
Miss Lewis spoke to Margery and got no answer. The girl didn't hear the question at all. She was so engrossed in her own thoughts. Miss Lewis spoke again, sharply.
'Margery! You are not paying the least attention! What is it that you have in your book?'
'Nothing,' said Margery, with a jump. She tried to slip the letter out of the pages. Miss Lewis looked angry.
'Bring me that letter,' she said.
'It's mine,' said Margery, with her sullenest look.
'I know that,' said Miss Lewis, irritably. 'You can give it to me until the end of
the morning. Then there will not be any temptation for you to read it in another lesson. You certainly will not do a thing like that in my lesson again. Bring me the letter.'
'What! For you to read!' flared up Margery in a rage. ' Nobody's going to read my private letters!'
'Margery! You forget yourself,' said Miss Lewis, coldly. 'Do you suppose I should read the letter? You know better than that. But I shall certainly confiscate it for the rest of the day now. You will bring me the letter, and you will come to me for it this evening, and apologize for your behaviour.'
'I shan't do anything of the sort,' said Margery, rudely. All the girls stared in horror.
'Shut up, Margery,' said Pat, who was sitting next to her. 'Don't you dare to speak like that!'
'You shut up!' said Margery, turning a look of rage on Pat. 'I won't be interfered with by anybody ' no, not even by Miss Theobald herself! As for Miss Lewis, with her sharp eyes and her sharp nose sticking into my private business, she won't get anything out of me!'
'Margery!' cried half a dozen voices in the utmost horror. Nobody could believe their ears. Margery was flushed a bright red, and her eyes flashed angrily. She was in her worst temper, and she didn't care in the least what she said.
Miss Lewis was very angry. She was white, and her nose looked suddenly rather thin, as it always did when she was cross. But this morning she was more than cross. She stood up.
'Leave the room, Margery,' she said, in a cold quiet voice. 'I shall have to consider whether or not I can have you in my history classes again'.
'I'll leave the room all right,' said Margery. 'I'd rather leave the whole school, if I could! I didn't want to come. I knew what would happen! I hate the lot of you!'
The angry girl walked out, her head held high. But once outside she leaned her head against the wall and cried bitterly. She was shocked and upset.
Miss Theobald happened to come along just as Margery was wiping her eyes, and was wondering where to go. She looked at Margery in silence.
'Come with me, my dear,' she said. 'Something has happened, hasn't it? You must tell me about it.'
'It's no good,' said Margery. 'I'll be sent away from here. And I don't care. I don't care a bit.'
'Yes, you do care,' said Miss Theobald. 'You care a lot. Margery, come with me. Come along, please. We can't stand out here like this. The girls will be pouring out of the classrooms in a little while.'
Margery took a look at Miss Theobald's calm serious face. The Head looked at Margery with a wise and compassionate glance in her deep eyes. The angry girl gave a sob, and then went with the Head Mistress.
Inside the classroom there was a babel of furious voices.
'The beast! How could she behave like that!'
'Just after Miss Lewis had said she'd give up her Saturday too!'
'It's a waste of time to be nice to a creature like that! I'll never speak to her again!'
'She deserves to be expelled! I shouldn't be surprised if she is!'
'Miss Lewis! We all apologize to you for Margery! We do really.'
'Girls, girls, be quiet, please,' said Miss Lewis, putting on her glasses and
looking round the room. 'There is no need to make a noise like this. We have only five minutes of this lesson left. Turn to page fifty-six, please. I don't want to hear another word about Margery.'
So no more was said in class ' but plenty was said outside! How they raged against her! The second form heard about it too, and they were amazed and aghast that any one should dare to behave like that to Miss Lewis.
'I wish I'd been there,' said Tessie, who always enjoyed a row, so long as she wasn't the centre of it. 'Golly! Miss Lewis must have been furious!'
'Where's Margery now?' asked Pat.
Nobody knew. She didn't appear again at all that morning or afternoon ' but after tea she came into the common room, rather white, and looking defiant, for she guessed how the girls felt about her.
'Here comes the meanie!' said Janet. 'I hope you're ashamed of yourself, Margery!'
But Margery refused to say a single word. She sat in a corner, reading ' or pretending to read ' and would not answer anything said to her. The girls gave her a bad time. Even Erica was forgotten. In fact Erica seemed quite harmless, somehow, after the dreadful way Margery had behaved!
'I wonder if Margery will be allowed to come to the history lesson tomorrow,' said Janet. 'I bet Miss Lewis won't let her!'
But there was a surprise in store for the class when Miss Lewis came to take history the next day. Margery was there too!
'Good morning, girls,' said Miss Lewis, as she came into the room. 'Margery, will you go and speak to Mam'zelle for a minute? She is in her study and wants a word with you. Come back when she has finished.'
Margery went out, looking surprised. Miss Lewis turned to the girls. 'I just wan to say that Margery has apologized for her bad behaviour,' said Miss Lewis. 'She had a talk with Miss Theobald who found her, outside the classroom, and she came to me yesterday evening to apologize. I have accepted her apology and am taking
her back into my class. I hardly think such a thing will happen again, and I would like you all to forget it as soon as possible, please.'
'But, Miss Lewis ' isn't she going to be punished?' asked Janet, indignantly.
'Perhaps she has been,' said Miss Lewis, putting on her glasses. 'I think we can safely leave things to be decided by the Head Mistress, don't you? Now, not a word more about the subject, please. Turn to page fifty-six.'
The class were turning to page fifty-six when Margery came back. Mam'zelle h
ad wanted her about a very small thing, and the girl could not help feeling that she had been sent out for a few minutes so that Miss Lewis could say something about her. She walked to her desk , red in the face, and found her place. She paid great attention to the lesson, and Miss Lewis hadn't the slightest reason to find fault with her that morning.
But at break the girls had a great deal to say about Margery again! soon as possible!' snorted Janet. 'How could Miss Lewis say a thing Golly, I think Margery ought to have been expelled from the school! tried to be so decent to her too. You just simply CAN'T help a girl
'Forget it as like that? After we'd like that.'
So once more Margery was sent back to her lonely, friendless state. No one spoke to her if they could help it, and nobody even looked at her.
'It's a pity she's playing in the match,' said Pat.
'Well ' I shan't clap if she shoots a goal!'
Chapter 10: An Exciting Match
The days went quickly by. The first form were taken to the play, and enjoyed every minute of it. They had a wonderful tea afterwards, for Miss Lewis really did do things well!
'Buns and jam! Fruit cake! Meringues! Chocolate 'clairs!' said Janet, describing it all to the envious second-formers when they got back. 'Golly, it was a spread! I don't know which I enjoyed most ' the play or the tea. They were both marvellous.'
'Did Margery go too?' asked Tessie, curiously. Every one, of course, had heard of the Big Row. Even the top-formers knew about it.
'Yes ' she went,' said Pat. 'Though if it had been me I wouldn't have had the cheek to have gone. She didn't say a word the whole time ' but she thanked Miss Lewis for taking her. Personally I think it was jolly sporting of Miss Lewis even to think of having her!'
'So do I,' said Tessie. 'I heard Belinda say yesterday that if Margery wasn't so awfully good at lacrosse, she would strike her out of the match. She's very fond of Miss Lewis, you know, and she was furious when she heard how Margery had cheeked her.'
'Well, it's about the only good thing you can say of Margery ' that she's good at games,' said Tessie. 'But my word, she's fierce, isn't she! I hope Belinda will give her a word of warning before the match. If she tackles the Oakdene team too savagely, she'll be sent off the field. And then we shall be one man short.'
Belinda did warn Margery. The match was to be played on the home-field, and the whole school was to watch, if it was fine. Oakdene and St. Clare's were wellmatched. There wasn't much to choose between them. So far the score was eleven matches won by each, so this match would be rather exciting.
'Margery, don't be hauled up on a foul, please,' said Belinda to the girl as she was changing into her gym things before the match. 'You lose your head sometimes and forget you're so strong. Play fairly, and you'll be jolly useful. Lose your temper and you'll probably be sent off the firld!'
Margery scowled and said nothing. She bent over to put on her shoes. Pat and Janet came into the changing room to look for Isabel and Alison.
'Oh, there you are!' said Pat, seeing the other two. It was dark in the changing room and she did not see Margery, bending down over her shoes. 'Now don't forget, everybody, if that Margery shoots a goal, we don't clap and we don't cheer. See?'
'Right, Pat,' said the others. 'She doesn't deserve even a whisper ' and she won't get it!'
'You horrid beast, Pat!' said Margery, suddenly, standing up in anger. 'So that;s what you've planned to do, have you! Just like you!'
The four girls stared in dismay. None of them had known that Margery was there.
'I don't want your claps or your cheers,' said Margery, stalking out. 'One day, Pat, I'll get even with you! You see if I don't!'
The bell rang for the players to take their places. Margery went on to the field, a tall and scowling figure.
'I'm sorry for the girls she's got to play against!' said Belinda to Rita. :My word, she's an extraordinary girl!'
The whistle went for the game to begin. It was a fine afternoon, rather cold, but with no wind. The watching girls had on their warm coats and felt hats. They put their hands in their pockets as they sat on the forms, and prepared to shout and cheer and clap when the right times came.
It was always fun to watch a match. It was lovely to be able to yell as loudly as they liked, and to dance about and cheer if anything really exciting happened. The school was always glad when the match was an at-home one, then they could see every goal, and watch all that happened, instead of having to wait until the team came back from an away match.
The game was a bit slow at first. The players hadn't warmed up to it, and every one was playing rather cautiously. No one above the third form was playing in either school. The Oakdene girls did not look a very big lot, but they were wiry and ran fast. They soon got into the game, and the running, tackling and catching began to get very swift and exciting.
'Go it, Susan! Go it, Tessie!' yelled the second-formers, anxious to cheer on their members. Except for the first-former, Margery, all the rest but Tessie and Susan were third-form girls. Margery was the tallest, strongest girl of the home team, even bigger than the third-formers.
'Well run, Mary! Shoot, shoot!' yelled the school, seeing a swift third-former catch the ball from Tessie and tear down the field to the goal. But the Oakdene girl marking her was swift too. She tried to knock the ball from Mary's lacrosse net. Mary swung her net in front of her. The Oakdene girl tried to out-run her but couldn't. She yelled to another girl.
'Tackle her, tackle her!'
Like a hare another Oakdene girl shot out from her place and ran straight at Mary. The two met with a clash. Mary went spinning, and the ball rolled from her net. The Oakdene girl picked it up neatly and tore back in the opposite direction.
'On her, Margery!' yelled Belinda, from the on-lookers. 'Go on, go on ' run. You can do it?'
Margery Fenworthy shot up like a bullet from a gun! She could run faster than anyone on the field. She raced across to the running girl and did a neat turn round her to get to her lacross net. She slashed upward viciously with her own net ' the ball jerked out and Margery caught it deftly. The Oakdene girl slashed back at Margery's net to get the ball, but Margery had already thrown it hard across the field to where Tessie was waiting for it. Down to the goal sped Tessie, She shot ' but alas, the ball rolled wide, and the whistle blew.
'My word, that girl Margery plays well,' said Rita. Nobody, however, had cheered Margery on as she had tackled the girl and got the ball. But how they yelled to Tessie when she had tried to shoot!
The match went on its exciting way. The school yelled itself hoarse as the battle went first this way and then that way. The teams were beautifully matched, there was no doubt about that.
Margery stood out among all the players. She always played well ' but today she seemed inspired. Pat knew why, and felt a little uncomfortable.
'She always plays extra well when she's angry,' said Pat to her twin. 'Have you noticed that? She seems to make the game into a fight and goes all out for it. Perhaps it helps her to work off her bad temper.'
Margery soon got the ball again by a swift piece of running. She dodged a girl
running at her, and looked for some one to pass to. Susan was ready. Margery threw the ball to her. Susan caught it, was tackled and threw the ball back to Margery. There was a clear space to goal. Should she run nearer and shoot, risking being tackled ' or should she try one of her long hard shots?
A girl shot out to tackle her. Margery raised her net, and shot the ball hard and strong down the field. It went like a bullet! The tackling girl tried to stop it but failed. The goal-keeper saw it coming and put out her net ' but the shot was so hard that she couldn't stop it! The ball was in the goal!
'Goal!' yelled the school. And then there was a silence. There was no clapping. No cheering. No shouts of 'Well done, Margery!' It was strange, because after a goal every one usually yelled their loudest. The watching mistresses looked at one another with pursed lips and raised eyebrows. No girl had ever been so unpo
pular before as not to be cheered in a match!
Half-time came. Pat ran out with a plate of lemon quarters for the thirsty players. How good they tasted! So sour and clean.
'You've got a good player in your team this term,' said the captain of the other side, to Pat, as she took her piece of lemon. 'But golly, isn't she big? I should have thought she was a top-former.'
'Well, she's not,' said Pat. 'She's in the first form!'
'Gracious!' said the girl, staring at Margery in surprise. Margery was not speaking to any of her team, and no one was speaking to her. 'She doesn't seem very popular,' said the Oakdene girl. 'What's up?'