03.5 Visitors for the Chalet School Read Free

Miss Denny lives in Austria, quite near my old school; she’s come to London to be my chaperone until I start at the university, which won’t be …”
    “Isn’t it most awfully odd, Mother,” Patricia broke in hurriedly, “that our Grange House party’s going to stay in the very same place where Juliet went to school?”
    “Yes, indeed, very strange,” assented her mother, though in tones that lacked any inflexion. “I suppose that must be a German school, Miss Carrick?”
    Patricia drew in her breath sharply, and Juliet, noticing something out of gear, hastened to reply: “I suppose it is rather surprising, but in fact it’s an English school. It was started by my guardian, Mrs Russell, when she went out to Briesau from England about two-and-a-half years ago.”
    Here Juliet became the object of a long speculative look: Lady Davidson was wondering, “Now, which Russells would those be?”
    “Patricia, dear, would you ring for tea?” she said while her light-blue eyes continued to scrutinize Juliet.
    “Of course there are girls at the Chalet School from lots of different countries,” Juliet ploughed on, uncomfortably away of the gaze fixed on her. “There are a good many Austrians, naturally, and some Germans; then there are quite a few English girls, including Jo Bettany, Mrs Russell’s young sister; and French girls and Italians … and one American … oh, yes, and some Hungarians too.” She drew to a halt, conscious that she was rambling and that Lady Davidson did not appear much interested.
    Fortunately, at this moment the maid appeared, carrying an enormous silver tray; on it were a heavily ornate silver tea-service and fragile pale-green cups that seemed to float on the tray like water-lilies. The maid, her expression unvaryingly detached, put the tray down beside Lady Davidson. She then brought a silver cake-stand, with plates of paper-thin bread-and-butter, sandwiches and a magnificent Madeira cake.
    After placing a table by each chair, she departed.
    “How soon will you be going to the Tiernsee?” Juliet asked, as Patricia handed her a cup of the fragrant China tea. “No, thank you, I don’t take sugar. And will you really be away till Christmas? It’s a bit unusual to be allowed all that time away from school during the term, isn’t it?”
    Before replying, Patricia passed the plate of cucumber sandwiches. “Oh, do take two or three, Juliet, they’re so tiny.” She helped herself to a couple. “You see, it’s a bit different at Grange House. These trips actually count as being at school, they’re all part of the Sixth Form course. You know how lots of girls leave school at seventeen, sometimes even sixteen, and go abroad to be finished?”
    Juliet nodded vaguely.
    “Well, instead of doing that, the Grange House idea is that we stay on at school, but go off in a party and travel round the Continent for the whole of the Christmas term. I gather we get pushed off to loads of art galleries and museums and churches and all the rest of it; go to operas and things, you know; and we can practice our foreign languages – well, people who know them can, anyway! Our school’s mad keen on all that sort of thing.”
    “Yes, I see. But what made them think of the Tiernsee, then? I mean, Briesau’s a simply topping place, but it’s very small and there aren’t any galleries or theatres nearer than Innsbruck.”
    “Well, we’re only in Briesau for one month of the time and that’s to give us what ‘They’ call ‘The Opportunity for some Healthy Outdoor Activities’.” Patricia smiled and it was clear to Juliet that she was quoting. “Last year’s Sixth went to winter sports in Switzerland, and this year it’s to be mountain-walking in the Tyrol for us. I must say, I’m looking forward to it awfully. And especially,” just for a moment she forgot her self-imposed ban on the subject, “as I shouldn’t be doing anything that matters in schoolwork this term anyway, since I’m not