Winter Term at Malory Towers by Enid Blyton Read Free Book Online Page A

better keep this a secret from Olive,’ said Felicity. ‘I don’t trust her, and she might go running to Miss Tallant and tell her the plan, just to stir up trouble for Bonnie.’
    â€˜Perhaps we had better not let Sylvia in on it either,’ Julie said. ‘She seems decent enough, but we don’t really know her very well.’
    â€˜We know that she can’t keep her mouth shut!’ said Amy, with a haughty toss of her head. ‘I don’t know which of the two new girls I dislike more—Olive, or that awful Sylvia.’
    â€˜Oh, come off your high horse, Amy,’ said Lucy. ‘Sylvia might be annoying in a lot of ways, but I don’t think she’s a bad sort.’
    â€˜Neither do I, but perhaps we had better not tell her any secrets just yet, just to be on the safe side,’ said Susan. ‘She’s such a chatterbox that she might let something slip out without meaning to.’
    The others agreed, and just then the door opened. Nora came into the cloakroom, a very woebegone expression on her face.
    â€˜Fifty lines!’ she groaned, sinking down on to one of the wooden benches. ‘Just for laughing! Honestly, girls, I’m beginning to think that I’m jinxed this term! First Olive takes a dislike to me, and now Miss Tallant. Am I really so horrible?’
    The fourth formers crowded round Nora at once, anxious to reassure her.
    â€˜It certainly isn’t you who is at fault!’ cried Julie. ‘Miss Tallant is quite the most unpleasant grown-up that I have ever met, while Olive seems to dislike everyone ! Though, I must say, you and Bonnie do seem to get under her skin more than the rest of us. I can’t think why!’
    â€˜I told you—it’s because she’s jealous,’ put in Amy. ‘She’s so unattractive herself that anyone who is pretty simply makes her green with envy.’
    June gave a crow of laughter. ‘Olive-green!’ she cried. ‘That’s a jolly good nickname for her. Next time she makes one of her spiteful remarks about Nora, or Bonnie, or anyone else for that matter, that’s what we’ll call her!’
    The others approved wholeheartedly of this, and even Nora managed a smile. She cheered up even more when the girls told her about Bonnie’s plan to suck up to the new mistress.
    â€˜I just hope that it pays off,’ she said.
    â€˜Well, one thing I am absolutely determined about is that we shan’t be asking Miss Tallant to help us with our play, or give us any advice at all,’ said Susan firmly. ‘I don’t want her taking any of the credit for our hard work—we shall do it all by ourselves, and we shan’t tell her anything about it at all!’
    â€˜Hear, hear!’ cried the others, and Lucy asked, ‘When are we going to have our next meeting, Susan? We’re all simply dying to get started.’
    â€˜Well, I’ve looked at a few scripts, and there is one in particular that I think might be just right for us,’ said Susan. ‘Let’s meet in the common-room on Saturday afternoon, and we can make a decision.’
    â€˜Good idea,’ said Felicity. ‘Now, come along, everyone, let’s go out and get some fresh air, or our break will be over.’
    â€˜I’m looking forward to starting rehearsals for our play,aren’t you?’ said June to Freddie, as the two of them followed the others outside.
    â€˜Yes, and that’s not all I’m looking forward to,’ said June, a wicked expression on her face.
    Freddie knew that expression well, and, with a grin, she asked, ‘What mischief are you plotting now?’
    â€˜Well, Freddie, I was just thinking that this is the last term where we will really be able to let ourselves go and have fun at Malory Towers,’ answered June. ‘Next term we will all have to knuckle down and study for School Cert. And, once we go up into the fifth form,