A Genius at the Chalet School (21 page)

   She left him and threaded her way through the crowd round the swingboats and cut Nina out neatly with a quick, "Take over, will you Lesley? I want Nina a moment."

   Nina handed Margot her change and turned quickly. "Do you want me, Miss Wilson?"

   "Not I, but your cousin, Sir Guy."

   "Cousin Guy here? Oh, have they come, then? Is Cousin Yvonne with him?"

   "He's over by the lower door. He'll tell you all about it. Go and take him to have a cup of coffee. You haven't too long, for the concert begins in less than half an hour's time. Hurry up!"

   Nina glanced at her watch and then wriggled her way through the crowd to the corner where her cousin was waiting for her.

   "Oh, Cousin Guy!" she exclaimed as she reached him. "How lovely to see you again! Where's Cousin Yvonne? And how is Alix? Has she gone to the San yet?"

   "My wife and Alix are at Interlaken. We got there a short while ago and I came straight on up here. Alix has stood the journey better than we expected."

   "Oh, good! I
am
 glad! Bill said I was to take you to have coffee. It's in the dommy sci. rooms. This way! Then we can talk. Did you stay with my Embury cousins at Montreux? Cousin Winifred said she meant you to, to break the journey."

   "Yes; we had three days with them. I rang up the Sanatorium from there and when we reached our hotel in Interlaken, one of the doctors was waiting for us - Dr. Courvoisier, I think he said he was."

   "I know him - we all do," Nina nodded. "Coffee and cakes, please, Clem, and as quickly as you can. The concert begins in about twenty minutes!"

   Clem Barras, in charge of the refreshments, nodded in her turn and two minutes later coffee and cakes were on the table before them and Nina was tucking in with a healthy appetite while she listened to his news.

   "He seemed pleased with Alix. He said she looked in better shape than they had expected. They're bringing her up to-morrow. He wanted her to have a day's rest before she tackled the last lap. There was a nurse there, too, and she and your Cousin Yvonne got Alix to bed while the doctor and I came on up here. We're coming up in the middle of the morning and we'll see her settled at the San. Then Yvonne is going to stay with a Mrs. Graves and I'm flying back to fetch the twins for the holidays. They break up on Thursday."

   "Then I'll see something of all of you these hols. I'm going to Montreux, you know, but Mrs. Maynard is having me up for a long week-end the week after next. Cousin Guy, what, exactly, do the doctors say about Alix? I do hope it isn't too bad!"

   "Bad enough! She's been very ill, Nina. We nearly lost her. She's still pretty ill, I'm afraid. It's going to mean two or three years out here, at least. That wretched cold she had at Christmas settled on her chest and she says now that she felt pretty rotten when she went back to school, but she thought it would wear off. Then she got that wetting and instead of changing when they got in as she was told to do, she waited to help with some of the youngsters. By the time she did change, she'd been in her wet things nearly two hours. Next day she came down with pleuro-pneumonia and when they'd got the better of that, they found her lungs were touched. She's never been too strong, poor lassie - not like the twins."

   "Cousin Yvonne said so in her letter. But now she's here, she'll probably begin to pull round," Nina said hopefully. "You've no idea what marvellous air it is! I know I felt quite different when I'd been up only a week or so. I'm awfully glad you agreed to bring Alix here. When she can have visitors, she'll have lots, for we're all going to see her as soon as we're allowed. Are Alison and Anthea staying at Mrs. Graves', too?"

   "Yes; but only for a week. We can't impose on even the kindest strangers longer. When I bring the twins, we're going to try to hunt up some place where we can live and your Cousin Yvonne will be there most of the time. I shall have to go back and forwards. We're sending the twins here to school after next term, too."

   "Good! Alix will like that. And it won't be so lonely for Cousin Yvonne. Besides, I'm sure Cousin Winifred will invite them all to Montreux sometimes."

   "She said so when we said good-bye. They're very kind folk." He stopped and seemed embarrassed.

   Nina, sipping her coffee with one eye on her watch, waited.

   "There's one thing I'd like to say," he said at last. "Don't think we want to be rid of you, Nina, because we've agreed to let the Embury's have you. But we shan't be a lot at Brettingham for the next few months and I don't know what I'll be able to scare up in the way of a house here. It may be quite a small affair. Martin Embury seems to understand how you feel about your music better than we do and they
are
 you mother's people. But I'm still your guardian and you can always feel you have another home with us whenever you want it. Now that's all, but I wanted you to know."

   Nina looked at him seriously. "Thanks a lot, Cousin Guy. I'll love to come to you sometimes as well as to Montreux. But you know, once I'm really started on my career, I probably shan't have much time at home anywhere. It'll mean going on tour - at least, I hope so. If I do really well, it'll only be times off between the tours. But it'll be nice and  - and I shall feel -
safe
 if I know I have all of you in the background as well as the Embury cousins." She stood up. "I must fly now! The conert begins in five minutes and I ought to be with the others. Miss Lawrence will be looking for me if I'm much later."

   He nodded and beckoned to Clem who was standing at one side. Then they went back to Hall where Nina left him to fly to the Junior formroom where the concert was to be held. Presently Miss Annersley brought him in to find a seat and when the school choir had sung three part-songs and Freda Lund had given a charming violin solo, Nina went to the piano and played Weber's
Rondo Brilliante
 with a verve and fire amazing in a schoolgirl. Later, she played again and this time delighted the audience with a delicate rendering of Débussy's
Clair de Lune
. Sir Guy was amazed at her powers. She had gone far beyond anything his own girls could do and he began to realize that she was indeed touched with the spark of genius.

   The Sale went with a swing from beginning to end. Fathers and brothers enjoyed the skittles and as for tilting at the ring, that was a huge success. Quite a number of people found that swinging round the room on roller-skates was one thing and trying to pass a wand through the rings at the same time was quite another. Emerence Hope created a sensation by turning a complete somersault when her turn came. She landed on top of Margot Maynard who was ahead of her and the squalls the two let out had to be heard to be believed! Miss Wilmot, who had been induced to try her hand, missed every ring but the last one and that she went at with such a vengeance that she snapped the twine that held it and skimmed off with it dangling from her wand. The girls cheered this effort until Mary-Lou changed the cheers to shrieks of laughter by flying down the length of the room, demanding the ring back again.

   At seventeen o'clock, the afternoon ended with the awarding of prizes for the different competitions. Dr. Maynard won a huge meat pie by guessing its exact weight: Mrs. Scott was awarded a knitted patchwork blanket for filling in the greatest number of book titles in what Hilary and Vi described as "the madded rhymes you ever read!": Matron from the hospital had a fat pink china pig for making the greatest number of single words from "The Oberland": Ailie Russell, a ten-year old, carried off the prize for the best pig drawn with your eyes shut; Miss o'Ryan guessed the right cake mixture of a pink-iced confection of Frau Mieders', and promised the rest of the staff a share when they had their evening coffee that night. Sundry other prizes were gained by people who don't come into this story. Finally, only Tom Gay's house was left.

   By this time, quite a number of people had gone, but all the girls were there and so was the Princess who had given place to Frieda and come to collect her family to take them to their hotel at Interlaken.

   "I've had to take a ticket for every one of us for this," she explained to Jack Maynard. "The girls are dying to win it. Unlike me they love their dollies. I had never the faintest use for a doll when I was small!"

   Miss Annersley came to summon the doctor to the dais where Miss Wilson presented him with a heavily sealed envelope. "The amount of the takings and the name of the winner and her - or his - guess are both there," she explained. "Will you please open it and read them out."

   He took the envelope and opened it in his most leisurely fashion while his audience waited breathlessly for the results. Indeed, Ailie was later accused by one of her small friends of dancing up and down with impatience!

   "Well," he said as he extracted the two slips, "here we are! Now let me see!"

   A wail of "Papa! Do hurry up!" came from Con and he stopped to twinkle at her.

   "Patience - patience, my child! Now for it! The whole sum taken amounts to Francs 520 centimes 20. 197 tickets were sold and the lucky person whose guess cam nearest was Mrs. von Ahlen, who guessed Francs 522." He looked round the applauding girls. "Frieda! Where are you? Come and take your prize away!"

   There was no immediate reply, for Frieda von Ahlen was sitting with Joey, sharing her coffee and cakes and talking quietly. then there was a scuffle and the triplets came forward with her small Gretchen in their midst.

   "Tant Frieda isn't here, Father," Len announced, "but Gretchen is. Shall she take it for her mother?!

   His eyes danced as he looked down at Gretchen with her long flaxen locks flowing over her shoulders and her wide blue eyes glowing with delight. He stooped down and swung her up in his arms. "Come on, Gretchen! Way there, you people."

   The girls, all laughing and clapping vigorously, made way for them and he set the small girl down beside the new treasure. "There you are, Gretchen. Die Mutter has won it so my guess is that as she has plenty to do with her own house, she'll hand this one over to you and Carlotta to play with. Just
how
 she proposes to get it to Basle, is
her
 headache. Want to go and tell her yourself? Right! You three take her across to Freudesheim and you can leave her there, but mind that
you
 come straight back."

   Gretchen, all her shyness forgotten, flung her arms round him first before she went off with the triplets. The Princess came forward.

   "I'd like to say one thing," she said. "I'll offer Tom Gay the same amount to make another one like it for my girls, the money to go to whatever you've made to-day. Think she'll do it?"

   And as one girl, the entire school shouted, "Rather!"

   That was the end. The remaining visitors began to depart while the school, tired, hot and dishevelled, but very triumphant, went to have Kaffee und Kuchen and finish up every cake within sight. Then they went back to Hall and the important business of counting the takings began while people not so occupied set to work and cleared away the denuded stalls. By the time they had finished and Hall was itself once more, the Head was ready for them. She sent them to their seats and when they were quiet, announced the grand total with pride.

   "Girls! I congratulate you! The Sale has realized Frs. 1824 cms. 17. In English money, so Miss Wilmot tells me, that is roughly £154. Well done, School!"

   The cheering that greeted this announcement might have been heard at the summit of the snow-crowned Jungfrau!

   Prayers came next, followed by Abendessen and bed, after which the exhausted staff retired for coffee and Miss o'Ryan's cake.

   "Not so dusty!" Mary-Lou observed next morning as she, Nina and Jo Scott stood in the drive to watch the motor coaches rolling off to the plains with their loads of thrilled girls and luggage. "On the whole, quite a good term, I think."

   Nina caught her hand excitedly. "It's been a marvellous term, Mary-Lou! I never
wanted
 to come to school, but I wouldn't leave the Chalet School now until I have to go to start my career, not if you paid me for it!"

   "Glad to hear it," quoth the imperturbably Mary-Lou. "And that's my hand you're treating like a wet dishcloth if it's all the same to you!"

   Nina released the hand, but as she laughed, she knew that whatever the future might bring her, she would never regret the odd chance that had brought her to the Chalet School.

   It was left to Jo Scott to sum it up. "A wizard end to a marvellous term!" she cried. "Up the Chalet School!"