04 The Head Girl of the Chalet School Read Online Free PDF

experiment putting Grizel into the position as head-girl. “She will either do magnificently – or she will fail badly,” she had said. “But, Elise, I feel sure that Grizel will try to make a success of it. It may mean the difference to her in after life. And we have only these two last terms to influence her. After that she goes to Florence, and it is out of our hands.”
    Mademoiselle had agreed, and so they had sent for Grizel, and had informed her of their decision. As has been seen, she had been disturbed by it. She knew, for Mrs. Russell had told her, that to be successful she must set the school first; herself last. Grizel hated to do anything and fail; but she did not like the sound of that “School first; self last.” It looked as if things would not be too comfortable. She had tried to get out of it; had pointed out that Gertrud Steinbrucke was her age, and as old a member of the Chalet School as she was; that she was Captain of the Games, and had her music to work at. It had all been of no avail.
    “I want you to take it, and to do your best with it, Grizel,” Mrs. Russell had said, holding the girl’s grey eyes with her own steady gaze as she spoke. “Come, dear! You say you have been happy here. It isn’t asking much to ask you to give us your best work for the last two terms you will spend with us. I know you will come back to see us, Grizel, but it’s not the same. Now , as a member of the school, you can give us what will not be yours to give once you have left us for the wider world. Will you give it?”
    And, drawn to it by the appeal in those deep brown eyes fronting her, Grizel had agreed. But she had made a proviso to herself. She would accept, and would do her level best. School should come first all the time, and self should have a poor chance, so far as she could manage it; but – she would have her own way during the holidays. At school, she BASLE would try to follow worthily in the steps of the three other girls who had held the post. That would not be an easy task, for Gisela Marani, Juliet Carrick, and Bette Rincini had left splendid examples, and Grizel felt that for her own sake she must not fall short of them. Therefore, during the holidays she should have her fling. Part of it was to come off this very week had the others but known it.
    They went gaily down the street, turning out of it into a main road where electric trains carried them into the shopping part of the town in a few minutes. It was a glorious day for a walk, sharp and crisp, with a snap of frost in the air and frozen snow on the pavements crunching under their tread. The Robin danced along, clinging to Joey’s hand, while Grizel herself walked demurely by the side of Miss Maynard, chattering to her in German. She had been far slower than Jo to pick up languages, but they had come at last through ceaseless practice and association with people who spoke little else, and now she was as fluent as anyone.
    As for Jo, English, French, or German, it was all one to her. She knew a certain amount of Italian too, and had a slender portion of Russian, a fact which had proved of great use to her during the summer term, and which had been the means of rescuing her friend, Elisaveta, Crown Princess of Belsornia, from the hands of her father’s cousin, a half-mad man, who had tried to kidnap and hold her as a hostage against her father, now King of Belsornia, and her grandfather, who had been the reigning king at that time. The old king had died during the previous term, and Elisaveta was now Crown Princess, and too important a personage to finish her education in any school, so she had had to go back to governesses in Belsornia. But the friendship between her and Jo was not likely to die, even though they could not meet, and Joey got letters every week from “Your loving Veta.”
    As in Portsmouth, people turned to look at them. Grizel and the Robin were so very pretty, and Joey, with her pointed face and big black eyes, so out