First Term at Malory Towers Read Free Page B

Matron's command, all the first- formers went up to their dormitory. Darrell was delighted with the room. It was long, and had windows all down the length of it, which, to Darrell's joy, overlooked the sea. She stood there, hearing the faraway sound of waves on the beach, watching the slowly moving blue sea. What a lovely place this was!
    “Buck up, Dreamy!” said Alicia's voice. “Matron will be along in two ticks.”
    Darrell turned. She looked at the room. It had ten beds in it, each divided from the next by a white curtain which could be drawn or pulled back as the girls wished.
    Each girl had a white bed with a coloured eiderdown. The eiderdowns were different colours and made a pretty show as Darrell looked down the row of beds. In each cubicle there was a cupboard to hang things, and a chest of drawers with a mirror on top. There were washbasins with hot and cold water at each end of the room.
    The girls were busy unpacking their small bags. Darrell opened hers. She shook out her nightdress. She took her face-flannel, her toothbrush and paste. A clean towel hung ready for her on a rail at the side of her chest of drawers.
    “It will be fun to sleep here, with all the others,” thought Darrell. “What fun we shall have talking at night. We could have dormy games too, I should think.”
    All the first-formers were in the same dormy. Alicia was there, Darrell, Sally and Gwendoline. There were six other girls besides. They stared at the three new girls as they ran to and from the washbasins, washing, and cleaning their teeth.
    One of the girls looked at her watch. “Get into bed, everyone!” she ordered. She was a tall, dark girl, quiet in her manner. Everyone but Gwendoline scrambled into bed. Gwendoline was still brushing out her fine golden hair. She was counting as she brushed it.
    “Fifty-four, fifty-five, fifty-six
    “Hey, you new girl—what's your name—get into bed!” ordered the tall dark girl again.
    “I've got to brush my hair a hundred times each night,” protested Gwendoline. “Now I've forgotten what number I got to!”
    “Shut up and get into bed, Gwendoline Mary,” said Alicia, who was next to Gwendoline. “Katherine is the head of our dormy. You've got to do what she says.”
    “But I promised M-M-Mo . . .” began Gwendoline, tears welling up. “I promised Mother to b-b-b-brush my hair a hundred times each night!”
    “You can add the number of brushings you leave out tonight on to tomorrow night,” came the head-girl's cool voice. “Get into bed, please.”
    “Oh, just let me finish!” said Gwendoline and began frantically brushing again. “Fifty-seven, fifty…”
    “Shall I spank her with my brush, Katherine?” said Alicia, sitting up. Gwendoline gave a squeal and leapt into bed. The girls laughed. They all knew that Alicia had no intention of spanking Gwendoline.
    Gwendoline lay down, angry. She determined to make herself miserable and cry. She thought of her mother, and her faraway home, and she began to sniff.
    “Do blow your nose, Gwendoline,” said Alicia, sleepily.
    “Stop talking,” said Katherine. There was silence in the room. Sally Hope gave a little sigh. Darrell wondered if she was asleep. The curtains between her bed and Sally's were pulled back. No, Sally was not asleep. She lay with her eyes wide open. There were no tears in them, but her face looked sad.
    “Perhaps she's homesick,” thought Darrell, and thought of her home too. But she was too sensible to be silly about it, and too excited to be at Malory Towers to miss her home. After all, she had badly wanted to come, and here she was— and she meant to be very happy and have a lot of fun.
    Matron arrived. She took a look down the beds. One or two of the girls were already fast asleep, tired out. Matron walked down the long room, twitched an eiderdown into place, turned off a dripping tap, and pulled the curtains across the windows, for it was still very light outside.
    “Good night,” she said, in