A Genius at the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer Read Free Book Online Page B

breeziest fashion as she headed the group of girls who had been promoted from Vb at the end of the previous term.
   "Heaven help us!" retorted Bess Appleton, the form prefect. "Those five desks left vacant are yours, my loves. We've put Nina at that one so that she can have one of you beside her, seeing your Gang seems to have decided to look after her. 'Sort yourselves!' as the sexton said after the parson had married six couples at once!"
   Mary-Lou looked thoughtful. "I don't know so much about the Gang nowadays. It seems to me that we'll have to give up going round in a bunch now that we four have been wished onto you and five are in B and the rest are all still Middles in IVa Upper. However, that's something we can discuss at another time."
   "I should just think so!" Vi said severely as she dived into the seat beside Nina. "I'll sit here and Mary-Lou can come next to me. Hilary and Lesley, you bag those two end seats. Squattez-vous, everyone!"
   "Who told you to arrange it all?" Lesley demanded as she sat down.
   "No one," Vi admitted. "But Mdlle will be landing in a minute and you know what she is if you're not absolutely ready for her." She opened the desk-lid and shot in her books. "That's done! Buck up, you three! Dump your loads!"
   As a result, when Mdlle de Lachennais arrived five minutes later, it was to find her form in a very tidy room and all sitting straight and looking abnormally good. They rose at her entrance to chant, "Bon jour, Mdlle," to which she responded, "Bon jour mes filles. Asseyez-vous, s'il vous plait!" After which they all sat down.
   Her next remarks were in English. "I will take register first. After Prayers, Matron wishes Bess Appleton and Hilda Jukes to go to her for unpacking. Nina Rut'erford," she flashed a smile at Nina, "you will go to ze office to Miss Dene for your timetable. And now, mes cheres, register, if you please!"
   She took the register and signed it and send Bess with the little paper-covered book to the office. When Bess returned, Mdlle was informing the five girls new to the form that they must take certain of their textbooks to stockroom after the afternoon rest. Others would be given them in exchange. Nina, of course, would have everything to get. However, the stationery monitress would see to her stationery during the course of the morning and someone would help her with the textbooks.
   "I will, Mdlle!" announced at least half-a-dozen voices, whereat Mdlle beamed.
   The next moment, she exploded a bombshell under them. "For the future," she said, speaking in her own language, "I shall speak to you in French always - but always !"
   The form gasped. This was something entirely new. Not that it held terrors for most of them. By the time they reached Va, most of them could talk, if not freely, at least with a certain degree of fluency. Some of them were fluent, notably Vi Lucy, whose mother's early years had been spent in France with her sisters so that all the Lucy-Chester-Ozanne clans grew up trilingual. Mary-Lou, with a gift for languages, had decided a year previously that since they were in Switzerland partly to learn French and German thoroughly, it would be wise, to quote herself, to "hoe in" at them, and was almost as good. Yvonne de Gramont, being French, beamed happily at the announcement. Only Hilda Jukes looked horrified. She had little ear for languages and she still found it difficult to construct her sentences to Mdlle's satisfaction and was wont to declare that never as long as she lived, could she get her tongue round the uvular R on which everybody insisted.
   "Must we answer you in French, Mdlle?" she asked anxiously.
   "Mais oui, vraiment," Mdlle said inexorably; and Hilda heaved a deep sigh that nearly blew Felicity, sitting in front of her, out of the seat.
   "Ecoutez! La cloche qui sonne!" Jill Ormsby exclaimed as the bell for Prayers rang out.
   Mdlle gave the command and the girls lined up at the door,