Free 04 The Head Girl of the Chalet School by Elinor Brent-Dyer Page A

rejected. Some of the little ones were very little – no older than the Robin. One or two were delicate; and there was always the fear of Matron before their eyes. “Matey” was a good sort, but she waged war on mud and dirt o all kinds. It was Mary who made the best suggestion.
    “Couldn’t they have little expeditions of their own? They love Spartz. If we could get them down there they could have a good time in the gardens, and there is a good conditorei where they could have cakes and coffee. Then they couldn’t do as much as we could in one day, so they might take two or even three over Innsbruck.”
    “It isn’t so much the getting them there as getting them back,” said Grizel thoughtfully. “It’s a long pull up the mountain, and they would be tired to begin with. Even if two of the staff and a pre. and a sub-pre. were with them it would he a business getting them home again. People like the Robin and Paula’s little sister would be done, and the staff won’t agree to anything that’s going to keep them in bed all next day – which is what would happen.”
    Things were at an impasse, so they decided to leave the question alone and get on to the next business, which was settling duties for the term. Here the first dispute arose. Grizel as head-girl had so much on her hands that beyond taking her turn at prep. and cloakroom duty she had no other. Gertrud was Captain of the Games, and that would keep her occupied. Rosalie Dene agreed to undertake stationery, a task which just suited her, for she was orderly and methodical – two very necessary qualities for the work.
    “Then, if I may, I will see to break, Grizel,” said Lisa. “As I am here during school hours only, it will be as well for me to do that.”
    “It’s a good deal of work,” said Grizel doubtfully. “Oughtn’t you to take turns with someone?”
    But Lisa refused to hear of it. She had no evening duties, she said, and no morning work. She would rather do the break duties herself. It meant no more than seeing that every girl got her milk and biscuits, and that the monitress for the week took the staff coffee to the staff-room. Still, it would mean that she would be tied for at least half of every break. However, she was very urgent, so Grizel gave way at last, and it was arranged so.
    “Then, Luigia, will you do library?” asked Grizel. “Joey will help you as usual, I suppose. And Vanna, you had better be music prefect again. You learn with Herr Anserl, and know just how he likes things. Plato needs looking after too,” she went on, referring to their somewhat eccentric singing-master. “Mary, you had better see to the form-rooms. I think, and also the staff-room, if you don’t mind. That leaves hobbies for you, Deira.”
    Mary and Vanna had agreed with nods to the duties she assigned them, but Deira was not pleased, and took pains to let them all know at once.
    “I don’t want to be hobbies prefect,” she said. “It’s the most tiresome job of the lot, and you never get a chance to get on with your own work. I don’t like it at all, at all!” The others stared at her in undisguised amazement. So far, no one had ever objected to any duty given her by the head-girl. It was not the tradition of the school. You simply accepted what was given you, and did your best with it. When Grizel had recovered her breath she said so.
    “I don’t care what you’ve always done,” said Deira calmly. “A change is a good thing sometimes, and I’m not liking the work. Why shouldn’t I be music pre.?”

    “‘Cos Vanna is,” Grizel told her. “She knows Herr Anserl, and you scarcely do – you don’t even have lessons with him. If you did you’d not be talking rubbish about wanting to have more to do with him than you could help!”
    “Deira can have form-rooms if she likes, and I’ll do hobbies,” said Mary, who was by way of being a peace-maker, and who saw that both Deira and Grizel were likely to have a quarrel if left long