In the Fifth at Malory Towers by Enid Blyton Read Free Book Online

bad and foolish last term, and you suffered for it. You will suffer for it again, if I hear bad reports of you. On the other hand, no one will be more pleased than I shall to have a good report of you. And I’ve no doubt I shall.”
    “Yes, Daddy,” said Gwendoline, meekly.
    “How unkind you are just as we’re leaving Gwen,” said Mrs. Lacy, dabbing her eyes again. “Good-bye, darling. I shall miss you so!”
    Gwendoline took a desperate look up at the windows. Gracious, was Mother going to begin all over again?
    “Good-bye,” she said, curtly, and shut the car door. Immediately her father put in the clutch and the car moved off. Without even turning to wave Gwen marched up the steps with her lacrosse stick and night-case. Her trunk had been sent on in advance.
    Maureen had not seen the fond farewells. She did not see Gwen till teatime. Gwen took her case up to the dormy and was thankful to find it empty. She looked at herself in the glass. She wasn’t fat any more — well, not very , she decided. All those hateful walks had taken away her weight. And now she had to face a term with heaps of games and walks — but thank goodness, no swimming!
    The tea-bell went. Gwen quickly brushed her fluffy golden hair, so like Maureen’s, washed her hands, pulled her tie straight, and went downstairs.
    She walked into the dining room with the last few girls. She caught sight of her form at the fifth-form table. They waved to her.
    “Hallo! Here’s dear Gwendoline Mary again!”
    “Had good hols?”
    “You went to France, didn’t you? Lucky thing.”
    “You’re a day late — you’ve missed a lot already!”
    “Said good-bye to your people?”
    Gwendoline felt pleased to be back. Of course, it was nice to be at home with her mother and Miss Winter and be waited on hand and foot, and be fussed over — but it was fun at school. She made up her mind to be sensible and join in everything this term. So she smiled round very amiably.
    “Hallo, everyone! It’s nice to be back. You’ll have to tell me all the news. I only got back from France yesterday.”
    “Ah — la belle France !” put in Mam'zelle. “We must have some chest-to-chest talks about la belle France .”
    Gwen looked surprised. “Oh — you mean heart-to-heart talks, Mam’zelle. Yes, that would be lovely.”
    “Gwendoline, there’s a new girl,” said Alicia, in a suspiciously smooth voice. “Let me introduce her — you’ll like her. This is Maureen. And this is — Gwendoline Mary. A bit alike to look at, aren’t they, Mam’zelle?”
    “ C’est vrai !” agreed Mam’zelle. “Yes, it is true. Both so golden — and with big blue eyes. Ah yes, it is a true English beauty, that!”
    This gratified both Gwen and Maureen immensely, and made them look with great interest at each other. They shook hands and smiled.
    “I’ve kept a place for you,” said Maureen, shyly, making her eyes big as she looked at Gwen. Gwen sat down and looked to see what there was for tea. She was hungry after her long car-ride.
    “Have some of my honey,” said Maureen, eagerly. “We keep bees, you know — and we always have such a lot of honey. We have hens, too. So we have plenty of eggs. I brought some back with me. I hope you’ll share them with me.”
    Gwendoline rather liked all this. Dear me, she must have made quite an impression on the new girl, although she had only just arrived!
    “The others have been telling me all about you,” gushed Maureen. “How popular you seem to be!”
    This didn’t ring quite true, somehow, to Gwendoline. She hadn’t known she was as popular as all that. In fact, though she didn’t admit it frankly to herself, she knew quite well she was probably the least popular of all the girls in the form!
    Maureen chattered away merrily, and Gwen listened, not so much because she wanted to, as because she was so busy tucking in. At this rate, thought the amused Alicia, Gwendoline would put on more fat than games and gym and walks