Free Second Form at Malory Towers by Enid Blyton

in a magnificent car.
    “I wanted to see your mother,” said Gwendoline. “She looks so lovely in her photo.”
    On Daphne's dressing table stood a photograph of a very beautiful woman, in a flowing evening gown, with gleaming jewels round her lovely neck. Everyone had admired it.
    “You aren't much like your mother, all the same,” said Darrell, critically, to Daphne. “She's got wide-set eyes—and yours are rather near together. And your nose isn't the same.”
    “Everybody isn't always like their mother,” said Daphne. “I take after my father's family, I suppose. I have an aunt who is very, very beautiful.”
    “And I suppose you are considered to resemble her. Daphne?” said Jean, in her quiet, amused voice. “What it is to have beautiful and distinguished relatives! I have a plain mother, who's the kindest darling on earth—and quite an ugly father—and all my aunts are as plain as I am. But I don't care a bit. They're jolly good fun, and I like the whole lot.”
    Gwendoline asked Daphne if she would like to go out with her at half-term, and Daphne accepted graciously. Mrs. Lacey, Gwendoline's mother, was very struck with the beautiful girl and her charming smile. As for Miss Winter, the governess, who always most faithfully came to see her darling Gwen every half-term, she could hardly take her eyes off her, which annoyed Gwendoline very much.
    “ Such a nice friend for you, dear,” said Mrs. Lacey to Gwendoline. “Such beautiful manners! And how rich her people must be to own a yacht and all those cars. Wouldn't it be nice if you could go and stay with them?”
    “Ssh, Mother,” said Gwendoline, afraid that Daphne would hear. But Daphne was far too busy charming poor Miss Winter. She played up to Gwendoline very well too, remarking on her friend's brilliance, her clever comments in class, and what a favourite she was with the teachers.
    Mrs. Lacey listened with pride and pleasure. “Well, you never told me these things in your letters, Gwen darling,” she said, fondly. “You're too modest!”
    Gwendoline felt a little embarrassed and began to hope that Daphne wouldn't lay it on too thickly—if she did, her mother would expect a wonderful report, and Gwendoline knew perfectly well there was no hope of that.
    Belinda and Irene went out together, both forgetting their hats, and both returning without their gloves. They went with Belinda's parents, who appeared to be as bad as Belinda herself, for they lost the way when bringing the girls back to Malory Towers, and turned up over an hour late, much to Miss Barker's annoyance. She could not bear the timetable to be played about with. But neither Belinda nor Irene noticed her cold manner as they went noisily into the room to report their return to her.
    Alicia and Betty had gone out together, of course, and had come back fun of giggles. Apparently one of Alicia's brothers had been in the party, and had related with much gusto all the tricks that he and his class had been up to that term.
    To everyone's surprise Jean had asked the bad-tempered, irritable Ellen to come out with her I Ellen had refused at first, rather ungraciously—and then had unexpectedly said she would. But it had not been a very pleasant outing, for Ellen had been rather silent and had not tried in any way to be pleasant to her hosts. She seemed sunk into herself, and Jean was sorry she had asked her.
    “You might have been a bit more cheerful, Ellen.” she said, as they came into the school again. “You hardly spoke and you didn't laugh once even when my father made some quite good jokes!”
    “Well, don't ask me out again then,” said Ellen, snappily, and turned away. Jean caught the gleam of tears in her eyes. Funny girl! So touchy that nobody could say a word to her without getting their head bitten off! Jean was beginning to be tired of her efforts to be nice to Ellen.
    “Now we can look forward to Christmas!” said Darrell with satisfaction. “Half-term's