A Genius at the Chalet School (9 page)

"May their stockings hold and ladder;

Each day may the pair grow madder;

May their wit be met with squashing;

May the laundries rip their washing;

May their teeth be always aching;

May their window-cords keep breaking;

May their orders be forgotten;

May their eggs be always rotten;

May their television wobble;

With great chilblains may they hobble;

May corns grow on all their toeses;

Streaming colds afflict their noses;

May the soot choke up their flues;

Transmission faults break in on news;

May their milk turn every morning;

Horrid dreams from dusk till dawning

Haunt their sleep; may he grow bald;

May she turn into a scold.

May their brats be cross-eyed, bandy,

Screaming all the time for candy;

May the palace woodwork splinter;

May their pipes burst every winter;

Last and worst thing to befall,

May they never laugh at all!"

   Having shrieked out this verse in a falsetto voice that made Jack Maynard mutter to his friend Dr. Graves, "If Clem doesn't want a gargle after all this, I miss my guess!" Nettlesting broke into a series of shrill cackles which were nearly ruined by a small voice from the audience proclaiming, "Ooh! Isn't Clem
funny
!" Joey's third son, Michael, was giving tongue for the benefit of the twins in case they were frightened.
   If thoughts could have killed, Mike would have been slain. Clem glared out across the auditorium, but in any case, the audience were shaking at the funny mixture of horrors and the next moment, amber limes brought on the Fairy Queen who dared Nettlesting to carry out any of her curses.
   The bad fairy cried that though the pair were wedded, Beauty had no love of her husband and never would and the spell would remain.
   "Not so, for she is good as she is beautiful and one day your wicked spell will end, for love will have vanquished it," the Queen retorted.
   The orchestra struck up and she sang a charming lyric in praise of love while Nettlesting shrank away and the Queen was left, standing in the limelight as the curtains slowly whispered down.
   The second interval occurred here and trays of coffee and cakes were passed along the rows of seats. In fact, so great was the demand, that Matron at the Sanatorium had to send one of the nurses to bring all the staff's spare cups.
   "I need this!" Joey said as she sipped hers. "
What
a show! I wonder who was responsible for the Curse? I call it most comprehensive!"
   "So do I," Miss Wilson agreed. "I believe Bride Bettany wrote it - with some help from the rest. I know there's a lot more of it, but they cut it down because of the time. What a relish that bad Clem used on it!"
   "What awful doggerel!" retorted Miss Annersley. "I must set them all to sonnet-writing next time I take them for English. Finished, Joey? Then pass your cup along, Emerence is waiting for it.
   Joey handed over the empty cup and then leaned forward to address her young who sat just in front. "Once more and for the last time," she said severely, "
you are not to talk!
If you do that again, I'll take you all home! Then you'll miss all the end of it. You two boys are awful! Felicity's the only one who's behaved herself properly so far. All right, Felicity? Have you finished your sweets?"
  "No, sank you," Felicity said with a beaming smile at her mother.
   "Well but, Mamma, I was only afraid the kids might be frightened," Mike objected.
   "Not they! They've seen too many of the shows you folk get up in the holidays," his mother said. "Anyhow, if you do it again, you know what will happen -
all
of you!"
   As Joey always did as she said, she had secured silence from them for the rest of the pantomime and as the orchestra struck up again at that moment and the footlights suddenly blazed up, she sat back and the pantomime continued.
   Scene followed scene. Beauty was summoned home and she and the Beast had quite a pathetic duet before she finally went off on the back of the Horse which had recovered from the shock of its last mishap.
   The next scene was the welcome given Beauty who arrived loaded with gifts for all and sundry. The Boatman had the audience laughing again as he thanked "Princess Beauty" for the "tound of pobacco and the priar bipe" she had brought him, and Adeliza and Mariella who were now wedded to the Captain of the Guard and Robin Hood compared notes on their gifts and quarrelled as to who had the best.
   Next came the scene where Beauty tells of her dream that the Beast wants her. She sang very prettily of his love for her and how fond of him she had grown, while her sisters did their best to dissuade her from going, turning aside to apply stage onions to their eyes, drawing her attention to their tears after each application. Nettlesting appeared from the wings, watching the scene with gloating asides. The Fairy Queen came opposite and a chorus, sung pianissimo by the fairies, reminded Beauty of her promise. She nearly yielded. Then she suddenly broke away from the exulting and envious sisters.
   "He wants me - he needs me! And I love him!" she cried.
   Exit Nettlesting, shaking clenched fists above her head, while the fairy chorus swelled out triumphantly!
   This scene had been acted before the kitchen frontcloth, so there was no pause and the curtains rose on the final scene of all - the Beast's garden where he lay at the foot of the fountain, evidently in a parlous state. Beauty came rushing in, calling him. She found him and flung herself down beside him, spreading her arms about him to hide the fact that he was pulling down the zip fastening of his teddy-bear garment. Nettlesting appeared behind the fountain in one last effort to save her spell, but as Beauty cried, "Oh, Beast! My own dear Beast! Don't die! Stay with me, for I love you so much and I can't live without you!" the blue limes which had flooded the stage changed to amber and rose; the orchestra broke into triumphal music; the fairies and their Queen flocked on to the stage and the Prince in all the glory of a golden suit rose and helped Beauty to her feet before taking her into his arms. The fairies sang a joyful song and Nettlesting with a noise that sounded like "G - r - r - r!" turned and fled.
   This was almost the end. The various characters came crowding on as Prince Charming led his bride up the steps to the palace entrance and they stood there under a rose-arch which had been rushed into position during the earlier scene. The orchestra swung into the
Bridal March
from
Lohengrin
and the entire band sang:

"Ring out, ye bells,

Joyous and sweet!

Happy the pair that we welcome to-day!

Glad be your lives,

You whom we greet!

Happiness dower ye both now and alway!

Here 'mid the roses, love shall be yours.

Here, ye shall know the joy that endures.

Sing, brothers, sing!

Raise the bright strain!

True love has won! Join ye in our refrain!

   The music changed to Tchaikovsky's
Valse des Fleurs
and the Sylphs whirled into a mazy dance on which the curtains fell, only to be raised a minute later to show the Merchant joining the hands of Beauty and Prince Charming while the Fairy Queen, mounted just above them on a step-ladder in front of which the tall Guards stood to hide what it was, balanced with hands outspread in blessing on the happy pair. The rest of the company were grouped in charming tableaux and as the curtain rose, they sang their final chorus again before it fell and the music changed to
God Save The Queen
and the pantomime was over!

CHAPTER 10

The school might have felt very flat after all the excitement of the pantomime if it had not had the prospect of the Sale before it. In addition, there was the journey somewhere at the end of March. Of course, besides that, everyone who had to face public exams next term, had plenty to think about with her work; but a good many of the Middles and all the Juniors regarded work as something that had to be got through somehow.
   The Sale was to take place the day before they broke up. All the packing would be done on the Tuesday and on Wednesday, the Sale itself would be held. They left the Gornetz Platz on the Thursday, the majority of them going to Paris, though some who had parents living on the Continent, would be carried off by them. There were a number of girls from Germany and the Benelux countries and the escort mistresses would finish with them at Basle. And about half-a-dozen, whose people were living in Switzerland, would go by themselves, as all of them were old enough and had sufficient French and German to be trusted. Among these were Mary-Lou and Verity, whose people were living at Unter die Kiefern, once the home of St. Mildred's branch and now a combined hostel and convalescent home - the latter strictly for members of the school only.
   Mrs. Carey had always had a weak chest and a violent attack of 'flu last November had left her very frail. The doctors all said that she must not risk the winter months in England, so she and her husband had shut up Carn Beg, their home at Howells village, and come out the first week in the New Year. They were still at Welsen, for though she was undoubtedly better, the doctors at the Sanatorium advised her remaining in the Alps for at least another year. That, they hoped, would see the end of her troubles. However, for the summer months, she ought to go higher. Welsen was not very far up the mountain and was heavily wooded with firs and pines which made it a very hot abode in the summer. Commander Carey had managed to rent a chalet on the Rosleinalp which was on a shelf even higher than the Gornetz Platz, and Mary-Lou and her "sister-by-marriage" were going there when the school broke up.
   Jo Scott, who was Joey Maynard's "unofficial" god-daughter, was going down to Lucerne. Both her parents had suffered during the Mau-Mau troubles in Kenya and Mrs. Scott had been left with a weak heart which made it impossible for her to live up in the mountains. Down on the shoes of the lake, however, it was hoped that the peace of their chalet in a small village and the sense of security, as well as the nursing she was having, would bring her back to normal health and though they had had some bad frights about her, for the past two months she had made steady progress. So Jo, likewise, would be spending the Easter holidays in Switzerland.
   She had expected nothing else, but Mary-Lou and Verity only heard of the plans for the next year after the pantomime at which both their parents had been present. As a result, they were nearly bursting with excitement and Mary-Lou so far forgot herself as to talk in Hall after Second Bell. It was well for her that no one in authority was near. Her own crowd told her what they thought of her in clear and pithy phrases to make up for that.
   "Honestly, Mary-Lou, you could have knocked me down with a feather!" Vi Lucy exclaimed when they were safely back in their formroom. "You, of all people!"
   Mary-Lou looked ashamed of herself. "It was mad, I know. But I do feel so revved up about the Rosleinalp plan!"
   "Then let's hope Bill will make excuses for you in botany, or I can see you being turfed out of the room in short order," Hilary retorted.
   "If Bill makes excuses for playing the giddy goat in lessons, it'll be the first time in her life," declared Lesley Malcolm. "You keep on your feet, Mary-Lou, and don't go flying sky-high. That'll be the best thing for
you
!"
   And the bossy Mary-Lou for once in a way said meekly, "I'll do my best. I should hate to be turfed out like a tiresome kid. Hilary, you give me a dig if you see any signs of it coming on."
   "O.K.," Hilary agreed.
   Nina, who had this hour for practice, laughed as she went to collect her music. "It looks as if you'd be kept busy, Hilary. I'll be interested to hear what happens when we meet again!" And she fled before Mary-Lou could think of any reprisal.
   As it turned out, when they were able to talk together again, all thought of the botany lesson and Mary-Lou's behaviour had left her memory.
   Nina had listened to the chatter of the others none too happily. She had not been looking forward to the holidays. Her one experience of Brettingham Park had been of bitter cold and chilly damp. She had been miserable most of the time, being too near her own personal tragedy to enjoy the Christmas fun, and she had made up her mind that the north of England was a cold uncomfortable place. She had shied away from any talk of the Easter holidays, rather to the surprise of the others, who couldn't understand a girl who wasn't looking forward to going home.
   Letters at the Chalet School usually arrived by the eight-thirty train up from Interlaken. They went straight to the office where Miss Dene opened the post bag and sorted them out, spreading then out on a table in Hall after she had abstracted those for the staff, the kitchen staff and herself. This meant that no one got any before Break. Quite a number of friends and parents wrote so that their epistles reached the school on Monday morning and the girls were always extra eager for Break that day.
   Botany for Va lasted from nine till ten. It was followed by history which ended at ten-forty when Break came. Nina took history, so she was with the rest when Miss o'Ryan dismissed them and they streamed out to the Speisesaal for milk or cocoa and biscuits. Va were lucky in being nearest and they had all finished their "elevenses" before the last member of Lower IVa arrived and had all made off to Hall to collect their correspondance.
   Bess Appleton, as form prefect, picked up the bundle marked Va and began to deal them out. "Mary-Lou Trelawney - Vi Lucy - me - Hilda Jukes - Nina Rutherford." She handed the fat envelope to Nina who stuck it into her blazer pocket. Her Cousin Yvonne wrote every week to her, but she was very little interested in the letters. She knew very few of the Rutherfords' friends and there had not been much chance of walks during the Christmas holidays. Lady Rutherford was often put to it to fill the four sides of note-paper which she felt to be a duty.
   After Break, Va had a lesson on English and it pleased Miss Derwent to discuss poetic rhythms and beats with them. They had done some work on iambic pentameters already in a connection with their Shakespeare. Now she took them a step further and introduced them to sonnet form. She made them read out various sonnets, explaining the rhyming rules, and bidding them note how the poem fell into two parts - the first of eight lines and the second of six.
   "The octave and the sestet," she explained.
   When she thought they had got this firmly fixed in their minds, she went on with rhymes and before the bell rang she threw them into the wild dismay by demanding an original sonnet on any subject they liked for next week's lesson.
   "What does she think I am?" Rosemary Lambe wailed. "It was bad enough when she made us write couplets. A sonnet's the utter
edge
!"
   "You wait till she gets us on to trochaic and spondaic measures," Bess Appleton said gloomily. "I can
just
manage iambic pentameters, but how you can write verse in anything like trochees or spondees is beyond me."
   "Don't be such a Mother's Little Comfort!" Jill Ormsby begged her. "You
would
think of ghastly things like that! Personally, I consider that 'sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof'. Ordinary sonnets will do for me."
   That was the attitude of most of them. Nina, who had grasped the question of
rhythm
easily enough, was shaky on rhyme. When they had been set to writing couplets, she had been reduced to going through the alphabet to get words that rhymed and
then
composed her lines; and of the result, the less said the better!
   Miss Derwent came back. "Just a moment, girls. On the whole, I think I'll set your first line. Take this down - quickly! Mdlle is coming!" Then she dictated, "'When loveliness lies open to my sight.' There you are! I've given you an easy rhyming word to start with." After which she turned to apologize to Mdlle who was coming to harrow up their souls with French idioms.
   The last lesson of the morning was algebra and when Miss Wilmot arrived, Nina had slipped away to solace herself with forty minutes' Bach on the piano in Hall. Unfortunately, it should have been games for the Third, but the rain was streaming down and as Miss Burnett had Lower IVb in the gym, Miss Andrews, who took her own form's games, was in Hall with them, playing a popular version of beanbags, except that instead of throwing bags, they were rolling a netball backwards between their feet. Mdlle had kept Va a few minutes beyond the time and the game was well begun by the time Nina arrived.
   Miss Andrews gave a guilty start when the girl arrived. "Oh, Nina! I thought you couldn't be coming as you weren't here. Is there any other piano you could possibly use just for this period?"
   She looked anxiously at the girl. She was a very young mistress - this was her first post - and she was nervous of the school's genius.
   "I'll try to find one," Nina said gloomily. "Sorry I'm late, Miss Andrews, but French finished late."
   She left Hall and went on her search. Miss Lawrence met her wandering round, looking for a piano. "What are you doing here, Nina?" she demanded.
   Nina explained and the music mistress sighed. "I do wish we could manage these things otherwise!" Then her face suddenly brightened. "But of course! Mrs. Maynard said you could use
her
piano any time in the mornings. Run along and put on your raincoat and goloshes and hurry off. You'll get half-an-hour, anyhow, if you're quick. I'll explain to Miss Annersley."
   Nina needed no second telling. She fled at top speed and the result was that when Joey, tired of typing, gave up work on her new book for the morning and really listened, she heard a Bach fugue coming from her Saal, played as she knew only one girl in the school could play it. Joey was musical, though her piano-playing was nothing to boast about. But she owned a lovely, golden voice and had had good singing lessons. Now she opened the door of the study and then sat down in an armchair and listened with delight. She had heard Nina when school first opened and now she recognised the fact that the girl was making strides. She had a beautiful touch and her technique was amazing for a fifiteen-year-old. The two airs sang clearly through the intricate counterpoint of the accompaniment, and there was a depth of feeling that Nina had now shows when she first came.
   The grandfather clock in the hall chiming half past twelve warned the mistress of Freudesheim that it was time Nina went back to school. She had clearly lost count of time, for she had stopped and was wrestling with a mordant that was not as smooth as it might be. Joey got up and went to the Saal.
   "Well done, Nina!" she said. Then, as the startled girl looked round, "I'm sorry, my lamb, but it's half past so I'm afraid you must fly back. But come again any time you like. I don't give the piano proper use just now and I love to hear you."
   Nina had frowned at the interruption. Now she stood up, gathered her music together, and came to Joey. "May I really? It's a lovely piano - such a beautiful rich tone! I think I like it even better than the one in Hall. Thank you awfully, Mrs. Maynard - and for warning me, too. I left my things outside as they were so wet."
   "Get into them and run, then. But come back any morning you like. We never use the Saal in the morning and it's at your service."
   Nina beamed as she repeated her thanks. She wriggled into her raincoat and goloshes, pulled up the hood over her head, picked up her music and ran. In her hurry, she never noticed that she had pulled her cousin's letter out of her pocket and it lay on the floor behind the front door. Joey found it when she came back from a visit to the nursery and laughed.
   "Never opened yet! They
must
have had a hectic morning, poor lambs! I hope she won't miss it before I get it across to her. Oh, Beth!" as her nursery governess appeared at that moment. "Are you doing anything> I mean can you fly over to school for me?"
   "Rather! Mike's finished his lessons at last! We've had a morning of it! Honestly, Joey, I think it would be best to let him go to school with the other two when September comes. He misses Charles badly and he'll be six by that time."
   Joey frowned. "It's too young to go away, Beth. He must have one more year at home. But I'll think it over and see what we can do about it. I quite see that he's lonely, for the twins are still babies - only two and a bit, and not much company for him." She handed over the letter. "Nina Rutherford dropped this when she went - she's been practising in the Saal. Did you hear her?"
   "Did I not! How that child can play! Yes; I'll run over with it. I wish," went on Beth, pulling on her red raincoat and settling the hood over her head, "that the school could have its Kindergarten out here. That would solve the problem."
   "It would; but I doubt of its happening - unless we could get children living up here and there aren't more than one or two at present. Mike's a problem in more ways than one!"
  "He certainly is," Beth agreed.
   "Besides, if he went away, I should have to lose you. The twins won't be ready for lessons for a couple of years yet."
   "Oh, but -" Beth began. Then she stopped and her lovely face matched her raincoat in colour. She murmured something, wrenched open the front door and fled, leaving Joey speechless.
   "Is
that
the milk in the coconut?" demanded the lady of the house to the air when she had recovered from her shock. "Now who on earth is it? I must inquire into this as soon as possible."
   The girls were streaming out of lessons when Beth arrived, her cheeks cooler for her run through the lane. She wanted to meet no one at that moment, so she handed the letter to the first person she saw and went back to take refuge in her own room until the gong summoned her to Mittagessen when Joey talked airily of anything and everything but themselves.
   Meanwhile, after the school's Mittagessen, Emerence Hope came up to Nina while they were getting their deckchairs for the half-hour's rest that followed the meal every day. "Oh, Nina, Miss Chester from Freudesheim asked me to give you this. She said that Mrs. Maynard says you dropped it when you were there."