that Gwen had never been able to make out where it was.
'No, Belinda,' said Miss Oakes, who had already learned to recognize the Scowl Book when she saw it. 'We will have no Scowl Sketches in this session, please. \nd, Irene, could you stop tapping out that tune, what¬ever it is, on your desk?'
'Oh, sorrv,' said Irene, stopping the tapping at once. 'I just can't help it when a new tune comes into my head. It's the way the wind blows in those trees over there, Miss Oakes - shusha, shusha, shusha - like that, it goes. And it made me . . .'
'You're tapping attain, Irene,' said Miss Oakes, impatiently. She was never quite certain if Irene really did get as lost in her 'tunes' as she said she did, or if she at ted like this to make a diversion and cause laughter.
lint Irene was quite serious about it. She lived half in i world of music and halt in the world of ordinary things and when one world clashed with, the other, she wa*- ·.·si' She was quite capable ol writing out a nine in
French Dietee instead of a word of French - and quite capable, too, of handing it in! Mam'zelle had often been amazed to find herself staring at pages of music notes, instead ol lists of French verbs.
The French girl, Suzanne, had sat with her eyes hall- closed through the talk so far. Miss Oakes spoke to her suddenly and made her jump.
'Suzanne! Are you listening?'
'Police?' said Suzanne. Miss Oakes looked surprised.
'She means "Please?"' said Darrell, with a laugh. 'She keeps saying "Police?" whenever she doesn't understand anything. Don't you, Suzanne?'
'Police?' said Suzanne, not understanding a word. 'Police, Darrell, je ne cotnprends pas. I not unnerstand!'
'Well, Suzanne, you will have to listen with your ears and eyes open,' said Miss Oakes, 'or you will not learn a word ol English vvlnie you are hete. 1 understand that is why you have come - to learn to speak English fluently?'
'Police?' repeated Suzanne, again, her black eyes very wide open. 'I spik him bad.'
'What does she mean?' said Miss Oakes.
'She means she speaks English badly,' said Sally.
'She must have special coaching then,' said Miss Oakes, firmly.
'No, no. I not want zat,' said Suzanne, equally firmly.
'Ah - so you understood what I said then.' said Miss Oakes, beginning to be suspicious oi this innocent- looking Suzanne.
'Police?' said Suzanne again, and Miss Oakes gave it up. Sire privately resolved to have a few words with Mam'zelle Rougier about her seemingly stupid niece. She began to give out instructions regarding the work to be done that term, what hooks were to be used, and what work was to be done by the girls on their own.
i like old Oakey, said Darrell, ai break. 'But I've often \v ished she had more sense ol humour. She never, never,
never sees a joke. But she always suspects there may be somebody leading her up the garden path.'
'Yes. Like Irene and her tunes,' said Belinda, 'and actually Irene is perfectly serious about them. Look at her now - shusha, shush, shusha, shush, over by the window, with her eyes glued on the trees.'
Alicia grinned wickedly. She went up to Irene and tapped her on the shoulder. 'I say, Irene - can I play- trains too? Shush, shusha, shush, shusha - come on, let's play trains.'
And before the surprised Irene knew what was happening, half the sixth-formers had formed a line and were playing 'trains' behind Irene, chuffing like engines.
Amanda watched disdainfully. What a school! she thought. Now if she were at Trenigan Towers, everyone would be out practising tennis strokes or something!
'Hold it Amanda, hold it1' said Belinda, suddenly, spotting the unpleasant look on Amanda's large face. She had whipped out her Scowl Book, and was busy tlrawing. Amanda had no idea what she was doing. She was so new that she didn't even realize that Belinda could draw.
She saw in horror that Belinda had caught her face and expression exactly. She snatched at the book but Belinda dodged out of the way.
T didn't look like that,' said
'No, Belinda,' said Miss Oakes, who had already learned to recognize the Scowl Book when she saw it. 'We will have no Scowl Sketches in this session, please. \nd, Irene, could you stop tapping out that tune, what¬ever it is, on your desk?'
'Oh, sorrv,' said Irene, stopping the tapping at once. 'I just can't help it when a new tune comes into my head. It's the way the wind blows in those trees over there, Miss Oakes - shusha, shusha, shusha - like that, it goes. And it made me . . .'
'You're tapping attain, Irene,' said Miss Oakes, impatiently. She was never quite certain if Irene really did get as lost in her 'tunes' as she said she did, or if she at ted like this to make a diversion and cause laughter.
lint Irene was quite serious about it. She lived half in i world of music and halt in the world of ordinary things and when one world clashed with, the other, she wa*- ·.·si' She was quite capable ol writing out a nine in
French Dietee instead of a word of French - and quite capable, too, of handing it in! Mam'zelle had often been amazed to find herself staring at pages of music notes, instead ol lists of French verbs.
The French girl, Suzanne, had sat with her eyes hall- closed through the talk so far. Miss Oakes spoke to her suddenly and made her jump.
'Suzanne! Are you listening?'
'Police?' said Suzanne. Miss Oakes looked surprised.
'She means "Please?"' said Darrell, with a laugh. 'She keeps saying "Police?" whenever she doesn't understand anything. Don't you, Suzanne?'
'Police?' said Suzanne, not understanding a word. 'Police, Darrell, je ne cotnprends pas. I not unnerstand!'
'Well, Suzanne, you will have to listen with your ears and eyes open,' said Miss Oakes, 'or you will not learn a word ol English vvlnie you are hete. 1 understand that is why you have come - to learn to speak English fluently?'
'Police?' repeated Suzanne, again, her black eyes very wide open. 'I spik him bad.'
'What does she mean?' said Miss Oakes.
'She means she speaks English badly,' said Sally.
'She must have special coaching then,' said Miss Oakes, firmly.
'No, no. I not want zat,' said Suzanne, equally firmly.
'Ah - so you understood what I said then.' said Miss Oakes, beginning to be suspicious oi this innocent- looking Suzanne.
'Police?' said Suzanne again, and Miss Oakes gave it up. Sire privately resolved to have a few words with Mam'zelle Rougier about her seemingly stupid niece. She began to give out instructions regarding the work to be done that term, what hooks were to be used, and what work was to be done by the girls on their own.
i like old Oakey, said Darrell, ai break. 'But I've often \v ished she had more sense ol humour. She never, never,
never sees a joke. But she always suspects there may be somebody leading her up the garden path.'
'Yes. Like Irene and her tunes,' said Belinda, 'and actually Irene is perfectly serious about them. Look at her now - shusha, shush, shusha, shush, over by the window, with her eyes glued on the trees.'
Alicia grinned wickedly. She went up to Irene and tapped her on the shoulder. 'I say, Irene - can I play- trains too? Shush, shusha, shush, shusha - come on, let's play trains.'
And before the surprised Irene knew what was happening, half the sixth-formers had formed a line and were playing 'trains' behind Irene, chuffing like engines.
Amanda watched disdainfully. What a school! she thought. Now if she were at Trenigan Towers, everyone would be out practising tennis strokes or something!
'Hold it Amanda, hold it1' said Belinda, suddenly, spotting the unpleasant look on Amanda's large face. She had whipped out her Scowl Book, and was busy tlrawing. Amanda had no idea what she was doing. She was so new that she didn't even realize that Belinda could draw.
She saw in horror that Belinda had caught her face and expression exactly. She snatched at the book but Belinda dodged out of the way.
T didn't look like that,' said
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