In the Fifth at Malory Towers Read Online Free PDF

Tower for meals, leisure and sleeping.
    “Sssssst!” said someone. “Jimmy’s coming!”
    And in came Jimmy, or Miss James — a tall, spare woman of about fifty, whose curly grey hair framed a scholarly face with kind but shrewd hazel eyes.
    “Sit,” she said, and the class sat, shuffling their feet, moving their chairs a little, and shifting books and papers. Miss James waited until there was complete silence.
    “Well, once more I have a new class,” she began, her shrewd eyes resting first on one girl and then on another. “Only three of you, I think, were in my form last term, and they, for various good reasons, have not gone up into the sixth, but are still with me. They will, of course, be a great help in getting the form into my ways.”
    The girls looked to see who the third old fifth-former was. Oh — it was little Janet. Well, she was miles too young to go up into the sixth, of course! She had only been put into the fifth a year ago because she had passed her School Certificate so absurdly early. She still looked like a fourth-former, thought Darrell, not even like a fifth-former!
    Janet looked pleased to be left down. She was scared of the sixth form. Moira scowled. She hated being left behind. Catherine beamed. Yes — yes, she would help all she could. Miss James could depend on her, of course she could. She tried to catch the mistress’s eye, but for some reason Miss James steadfastly looked in the other direction.
    Catherine kept her beaming smile on for some time, hopefully gazing at Miss James. But the mistress left the subject and began on something else. Catherine had to switch off the smile. Her cheek muscles were beginning to ache!
    “Darrell is to be head of fifth-form games,” said Miss James. “Sally is to help her. You realize, Darrell, don’t you, that head of fifth-form games means taking on the training of some of the younger players for the lower teams of the school? That will take up some time, but you will have Sally to help you.”
    Darrell glowed. How lovely to be able to pick out some of the young first and second-formers and lick them into shape for the Third and Fourth Games Teams of Malory Towers. Suppose she and Sally made the teams so good that they won all their matches, home and away! What a record that would be! Darrell went off into a daydream in which she saw some well-turned out, smart lower-school teams winning match after match.
    I’ll train Felicity, of course,” she thought. “She’s quite good already. I can make her first class. And Susan’s good as well. And I’ll lick that young June into shape, too. My word, she’ll have to toe the line now. I shanty stand any nonsense from her . And there’s Harriet in the second form and Lucy in the second, too...”
    She missed the next few things that Miss James said, she was so lost in her dream of first-class lacrosse teams.
    “You all worked very hard last term,” said Miss James. “Practically all of you in this form passed, and passed well, in the School Cert. exam. Those who didn’t, failed because of some understandable reason, and will have another chance later on. They will be specially coached for it, and will have to leave the usual lessons of this class for a time until the exam is over.”
    Alicia sighed. It wouldn’t be this term of course — but she hated the idea of having to leave the others and have special coaching. Blow! Why did she have to have measles right in exam week last term?
    “Now, as you all had a hard term last term, I don’t intend to work you hard this term,” said Miss James, and a sigh of relief went all round the room like a small breeze. “I mean — I shall not set you lengthy preps to do, nor push you hard — but there will be other things to take up your time. I want the fifth to produce the Christmas entertainment this year, for instance.”
    That made everyone sit up. Produce the Christmas entertainment! My word! That would be fun. What about a play? Or a