Free 03 The Princess of the Chalet School by Elinor Brent-Dyer

music lesson with Herr Anserl, who came up from Spärtz, the little town at the foot of the mountains, twice a week for all the girls who showed enough promise to merit lessons from him. The others learnt with Mademoiselle.
    After Kaffee that after noon the middles trotted off to the garden and had a snail hunt. They got six fat ones, which, for the present, were relegated to a box in Margia’s drawer, and then they went off to cricket practice with the air of archangels.
    ‘I wonder what those children are up to?’ observed Miss Durrant to Miss Wilson in the intervals of coaching. ‘They look too good to be true.’
    ‘Something awful must be hatching,’ agreed Miss Wilson. ‘I hope it’s nothing very bad.’
    However, nothing happened, and the members of the S.S.M. went off to bed without creating any disturbance, so the mistresses drew breaths of relief and forgot all about it.

    At eleven o’clock the window of the Blue dormitory was cautiously pushed up to its farthest extent, and three faces looked out. For once fortune had favoured them. Eigen, the boy-of-all-work, had been touching up the fresco which adorned the walls here, and he had left his ladder standing against the side of the house.
    It was an easy matter for three active school-girls to climb over the balcony and get on to the nearest rung.
    From that it was a mere step to get to Matron’s window, where Jo reconnoitred cautiously before she proceeded any farther. Matron was lying asleep, snoring lustily. Jo held out her hand, and took the snail Elisaveta handed to her with a little shudder. Then she put it on the window-pane, holding it for a minute until it had had a chance to stick to the glass.
    ‘Now me,’ insisted Elisaveta. ‘I want to do one.’
    Joey amiably climbed farther down the ladder, and the Princess affixed her slimy pet to the glass. Then the three went softly back up the ladder and managed to climb back to the balcony without breaking their legs or arms in the process.
    ‘Even if she thinks it’s us, she won’t be able to swear to it,’ said Jo, with a low chuckle. – ‘What are you doing, Elisaveta?’
    ‘Going to make sure she won’t,’ replied Elisaveta as she pushed the ladder outwards.
    It fell with a soft thud into the long grass, but, luckily for them, it woke no one, though it did disturb Matron, who rolled over on to her side, half-opening her eyes as she did so. She was not fully roused, however, and the trio got back into bed before anything further happened. They were all nearly asleep, when the Chalet was suddenly awakened by a wild yell. Another and another followed. There was a sound of opening doors and scurrying feet, and then Miss Bettany’s voice was heard, demanding to know what was the matter.
    The wicked three tumbled out of bed once more and joined the agitated crowd on the stairs. They were rewarded by seeing Matron, clad only in her nightdress, and with her hair in curling-pins, rush out on to the lower landing, crying that her room was haunted by murderers!
    Margia, who had emerged from the Yellow dormitory just in time to hear this, caught Elisaveta’s eye, and went off into a fit of smothered laughter.
    In the meantime, Miss Bettany had boldly ventured into the room, and at once realized what had happened.
    ‘It’s all right, Matron,’ she said. ‘It’s only two snails who have been promenading down the window-pane.
    There they are.’
    She pointed them out, and the room was instantly crowded by people who wanted to see the disturbers of the peace.
    Jo and Elisaveta were among them, and Joey had the presence of mind to exclaim, ‘Oh, isn’t that just exactly what happened to the Robin and me in England! Do you remember, Madame? It was horrid!’
    ‘ Two of them!’ said Miss Maynard, innocently helping her out. ‘That is one worse than you, Joey.’
    ‘One was bad enough,’ declared Jo. ‘ Two must be awful! Shall I knock them off it into the grass?’
    ‘It would be as well,’