First Term at Malory Towers by Enid Blyton Read Free Book Online

attention, leaning forward as far as possible over her desk, one of her hands behind her ear. Mam'zelle noticed her.
    “Ah, Alicia, you did not hear me very well? I will re peat. II—est—tout—petit . Repeat to me, please.”
    “Pardon?” said Alicia, politely and put both hands behind her ears.
    Darrell wanted to giggle already. She tried to keep her face straight.
    “Alicia! What is wrong with you?” cried Mam'zelle. “Can you not hear?”
    “What do I fear? Why, nothing, Mam'zelle,” said Alicia, looking slightly surprised. Somebody giggled and then smothered it quickly.
    Mam'zelle said “Can you not hear? ” repeatedly in a loud voice to Alicia.
    “Beer?” said Alicia, more astonished, apparently, then ever.
    “CAN YOU NOT HEAR?” shouted Darrell, joining in the game. And the class joined in too. “CAN YOU NOT HEAR?”
    Mam'zelle banged on her desk. “Girls! You forget yourselves. What a noise to make in class.”
    “Mam'zelle perhaps Alicia is deaf.” said Darrell speaking as if Mam'zelle herself were deaf. “Maybe she has ear-ache.”
    “Ah, la pauvre petite ” cried Mam'zelle, who suffered from earache herself at times, and was always very sympathetic towards anyone else who did. She bellowed at Alicia.
    “Have you ear-ache?”
    “A rake? I don't want a rake, thank you Mam'zelle,” replied Alicia. “I'm not gardening today.”
    This was too much for Irene, who let out one of her explosive laughs, making the girls in front of her jump.
    “ Tiens! ” cried Mam'zelle, jumping too, “what was that? Ah, you Irene—why do you make that extraordinary noise? I will not have it.”
    “Can't help sneezing sometimes, Mam'zelle,” stuttered Irene, burying her nose in her handkerchief as if she was about to sneeze again. Curious noises came from her as she tried to choke back her giggles.
    “Alicia,” said Mam'zelle turning back to the mischief-maker, who at once put both hands behind her ears, and frowned as if trying her best to hear. “Alicia, do not talk to me of rakes. Tell me, have you a cold?”
    “No, I've no gold, only a ten-shilling note,” answered Alicia, much to Mam'zelle's mystification.
    “Mam'zelle said COLD not GOLD,” explained Darrell at the top of her voice.
    “You know—COLD, the opposite of HOT,” went on Betty, helpfully. “Have you a COLD?”
    “HAVE YOU A COLD?” roared the class, coming in like a well-trained chorus.
    “Oh, COLD ! Why don't you speak clearly, then I should hear you,” said Alicia. “Yes—I've had a cold, of course.”
    “Ah—then it has affected your poor ears,” said Mam'zelle.
    “How long ago was this cold Alicia?”
    Darrell repeated this question at the top of her voice, followed by Betty.
    “Oh—when did I have it? About two years ago,” said Alicia. Irene buried her nose in her hanky again. Mam'zelle looked a little blank.
    “It is of no use the poor child trying to follow the French lesson,” said Mam'zelle. “Alicia, sit by the window in the sun and read your French book to yourself. You cannot hear a word we say.”
    Alicia looked enquiringly at Darrell, as if she hadn't heard. Darrell obligingly repeated it all at the top of her voice. Betty unfortunately was too overcome by a desire to laugh to be able to repeat it too. But the rest of the class obliged with a will.
    “YOU CANNOT HEAR A WORD WE SAY!” they chorused.
    The door opened suddenly and a most irate Miss Potts looked in. She had been taking Form 2 next door, and could not imagine what the shouting was in Form I.
    “Mam'zelle, excuse my interrupting you, but is it necessary for the girls to repeat their French lesson so very loudly?” she asked.
    “Ah, Miss Potts, I am so sorry. But it is not for me the girls repeat words so loudly, it is for the poor Alicia,” explained Mam'zelle.
    Miss Potts looked most surprised. She looked at Alicia. Alicia felt uncomfortable. She also looked as innocent as she could. But Miss Potts was always on the alert when Betty