Free Naughtiest Girl 2: The Naughtiest Girl Again by Enid Blyton Page B

Kathleen looked. "Ah." she thought, "so Elizabeth and Jenny thought that it was Robert who had played tricks! Good!" Nobody would think it was she, Kathleen, who had done them all. She felt much safer now.
    The next School Meeting was not until Friday night. On Thursday something happened that disappointed Elizabeth very much. The Lacrosse Match was to be on Saturday. and she had been practising very hard indeed to be good enough to play in it. Only one of her form was to be chosen for the School team, and Elizabeth felt certain she would be the one.
    But when she went to look at the notice-board, on which were pinned notices of matches, rambles, and so on, she found that Robert's name was set down for the match instead of hers!
    There it was-"Robert Jones has been chosen from Form Three to play in the Lacrosse Match on Saturday against Kinellaa School"
    There was a lump in Elizabeth's throat, She had tried so hard! She did so badly want to play, She was very good, really she was! And now that horrid, hateful Robert had been chosen instead of her, She could really hardly believe it, "Never mind," said Joan, "You'll get a chance next time, I expect~"
    "I do mind!" said Elizabeth fiercely. "He will crow over me now, Oh, how I hope that the School Meeting will punish him well and say he's not to play in the match!"
    Robert was delighted to see his name down, but for all his pleasure he was really very anxious indeed, He knew Elizabeth and Joan were going to report him at the Meeting and he was not looking forward to that, He was a little coward at heart, and he was afraid, So when Friday came, Robert looked rather anxious. If only the Meeting were after Saturday, so that he could play in the match first! How marvellous that he had been chosen and not Elizabeth! Serve her right, the interfering girl!
    The time for the Meeting came, The children took their places, looking rather solemn, for they knew it was going to be a serious one, A VERY SERIOUS MEETING.
    Even the smaller children felt rather solemn, as the whole School took their places in the big gym. Leslie had told everyone in his form that he was going to report the big boy, Robert, and some of the younger ones, who disliked Robert very much, had made up their minds that they too would tell about him if they had the chance, "I should have told the truth about him when I was asked at the other Meeting," said Peter. "He did swing me much too high and made me sick-and afterwards he came to me and said he would open the door of my guinea-pigs' cage and let them escape, if I dared to say anything against him. So I didn't dare. But I wish I had now."
    William and Rita looked rather grave as they took their places at the table up on the platform. Rita had told William of the mean tricks that had been played on Jenny to get her into trouble, and the two Judges knew that they might have a rather difficult time trying to get at the botto m of things Still, Miss Belle and Miss Best, and Mr.
    Johns too, were at the back of the room. They could help if things got too difficult, Robert looked pale. Elizabeth was red with excitement and so was Jenny. Joan was excited too, though she didn't show it, The usual business was done with the box of money. The two shillings were given to everyone, and extra was allowed to two children for something they wanted, Then the Meeting got down to the real business of the evening.

37
    "Any complaints or grumbles?" asked William, tapping on the table with his hammer.
    Up jumped Elizabeth and Leslie, both together."Elizabeth was first," said Rita, "Sit down, Leslie, Your turn will come later,"
    Leslie sat down. Elizabeth began to speak, her words almost tumbling over one another in her haste.
    "William and Rita, I have a very serious complaint to make," she said, "It's the same one as Leslie was going to make. It's about Robert,"
    "Go on," said William, with a grave face,
    "You will remember that I reported him for bullying Peter," said Elizabeth, "And