Third Year at Malory Towers Read Online Free PDF Page A

quite astonishing arrival, of Wilhelmina Robinson.
    They suddenly heard the clatter of horses' hooves outside —a tremendous clatter. Alicia went to the window at once, wondering if there was a riding-lesson for anyone. She gave an exclamation.
    “I say! Just look here! Whoever is it?” All the class crowded to the window. Miss Donnelly, the gentle, sweet-tempered sewing-mistress, protested mildly. “Girls, girls! What are you doing?”

    “Miss Donnelly, come and look,” said Alicia. So she went to the window. She saw a girl on a big black horse, and with her were seven boys, ranging in age from about eight to eighteen, each of them on horseback! There was a great deal of laughter, and stamping and curveting and cries of “Whoa there!”
    “Golly! It must be Wilhelmina!” said Darrell. “And her seven brothers! Don't say that her brothers are coming to Malory Towers too!”
    “Well! What a way to arrive!” said Gwendoline Mary. “Galloping up like that on horseback! What a peculiar family Wilhelmina's must be!”

The arrival of Wilhelmina
    UNFORTUNATELY the bell for the next class rang at that moment and the third-formers could not see what happened next. Would Miss Grayling come out to the horse-riders? How would Wilhelmina enter the Towers? Darrell imagined her riding up the steps and into the hall!
    “Golly! Fancy riding to school like that,” said Alicia. “I suppose she's going to keep her horse here. One or two girls do do that already. Bringing all her seven brothers too! What a girl!”
    Nobody had been able to see clearly what Wilhelmina had looked like. In fact, it had been difficult to tell her from the boys, as they had all been in riding breeches. The third-formers went to their classroom, discussing the new arrival excitedly. Wilhelmina promised to be a Somebody!
    “I shall be scared of her,” said Mary-Lou.
    “Don't be silly,” said Mavis, who was always very scornful of Mary-Lou. “Why should you be scared of her? I just hate tomboys, and I'm sure she's one. She'll think of nothing but horses and dogs, and she'll smell of them too. People always do when they're mad on animals.”
    “Miss Peters doesn't,” said Darrell.
    “Oh, Miss Peters!” said Mavis. “I'll be glad when I'm out of her class. She's too hearty for anything!”
    Darrell laughed. Miss Peters was rather hearty and loud voiced. But she was a good sort, though not at all sympathetic to people like Mavis. Neither had she much patience with Alicia or Betty when they played any of their idiotic tricks. In fact, she had looked with such disfavour on tricks in class that poor Alicia and Betty had almost given up playing any.
    Wilhelmina didn't turn up in the classroom that morning, but Jean found Matron waiting for her in the passage when the third form went out to get ready for dinner. With her was somebody who, except for the school tunic, looked exactly like a boy!
    “Jean,” said Matron, “you're head-girl of the third, aren't you? Well, look after Wilhelmina for me, will you, and take her down to dinner? She couldn't come yesterday because she wasn't out of quarantine. Here you are, Wilhelmina— this is Jean, head-girl of your form.”
    “Hallo,” said Wilhelmina and grinned a boyish grin that showed big white teeth set very evenly. Jean looked at her and liked her at once.
    Wilhelmina had hair cropped almost as short as a boy's. It curled a little, which she hated. Her face was boyish and square, with a tip-tilted nose, a big mouth, and big, wide-set eyes of hazel-brown. She was covered with freckles from forehead to firm little chin.
    “Hallo,” said Jean. “I saw you arrive—on horseback, didn't you?”
    “Yes,” said Wilhelmina. “My seven brothers came with me. Mummy was awfully cross about that. She wanted me to go in the car with her and Daddy—but we got our horses and shot off before they started!”
    “Good gracious!” said Jean. “Did you really? Have you each got a horse?”
    “Yes. We've got