Free 01 The School at the Chalet by Elinor Brent-Dyer Page A

reproachfully.
    ‘I am sorry, Gisela! I was thinking about the meeting,’ apologised Gertrud. ‘Shall I enter my name in the Order Book?’
    ‘No,’ said the Head Girl firmly. ‘It is not good for the Juniors that they see a Prefect’s name there. You had better report yourself to Miss Maynard. And now, tell me, why do you wish this meeting?’
    ‘There is mischief going on in the school,’ returned Gertrud, perching herself on her friend’s desk. ‘It is partly that new girl, Juliet Carrick, but I think Grizel Cochrane is making it also.’
    ‘How tiresome!’ Gisela knitted her black brows at this information.
    During the seven weeks that she had been Head Girl, there had been no real difficulty to meet. This was partly because of the novelty of things to all the girls; but also her own personal character had a great deal to do with it. Miss Bettany had chosen wisely in choosing her as Head of the girls. Bernhilda made a very good second, and Bette and Gertrud were rapidly learning their duties as Subs, but the most reliable person was Gisela. She now collected her papers together, and hastily stuffed them into her locker, while Gertrud stood, looking out of the window at the meadow-land, where half a dozen of the Juniors were playing cross-tag, with Joey Bettany as instructress.
    ‘Ready?’ she said presently, turning her head. ‘Then shall we call the others? They are by the landing-stage.’
    ‘Yes. Would you ask them to come to our room, Gertrud?’ said Gisela. ‘I will await you there.’
    Three weeks previously, Madge Bettany, after a long discussion with Mademoiselle and Miss Maynard, who had been added to the staff as mathematics mistress, had given over to the Prefects a small room on the first floor for their own.
    ‘Even if they have just four chairs in it, it will give them a feeling of being a little different from the rest of the school,’ she said.
    Miss Maynard, herself a High School girl, had agreed, and the four delighted girls had, accordingly, that possession of which they had read so much in their English school-stories-a Prefects’ room.
    Miss Bettany had explained to them that, beyond chairs and a small table, she could give them no furniture yet; but they had promptly joined forces. While Gisela brought some pictures and a couple of bowls for flowers, Gertrud produced a set of bookshelves which she had induced her brother to make; Bernhilda contributed a pretty blue and white tablecloth and a fancy inkstand, and Bette presented a little clock and a bracket on which to place it. Among them, they had made a dainty little sanctum, and Gisela always felt a thrill of pleasure when she was in it. They were very anxious to have things as like an English school as possible, and many had been the consultations over the question. In one book Gertrud had read of the ‘
    Prefects’ ‘ notice board. Careful questioning had soon drawn from Joey all there was to know about this, and now a similar board hung over the bookshelves, with notices of various kinds on it, all written in Gisela’s pointed Italian handwriting, which, by the way, was much less clear than it had been when she first came, the reason being that she was trying to copy her headmistress’s pretty High School script. The two big bowls were full of Alpen roses, and on this sunny afternoon, it was as charming a girls’ room as could be wished.
    The Head Girl pulled up the four chairs round the table, and seated herself at the head, paper and pencil before her. Presently there came the sound of footsteps on the stairs, and then the other three entered. Very smart and businesslike they looked in their school uniform, which every girl now wore as a matter of course.
    Gisela looked at them with approval. The most English of English Prefects could not have looked more or so, she thought.
    “Gurtrud tells me you wish a Prefects’ meeting,’ began Bernhilda, as she took her seat on Gisela’s right hand. ‘What is it that you