Winter Term at Malory Towers Read Free

someone called out, ‘Hallo, you kids! No loitering in the hall now, or I shall dish out a punishment.’
    The girls turned to see a tall, graceful girl standing there, a wide smile on her face.
    â€˜Esme!’ they cried. ‘How marvellous to see you!’
    Lucy, who was Esme’s cousin, punched the girl gently on the shoulder, and said, ‘I’m surprised that you even bother with us small fry now that you’re a fifth former.’
    â€˜It’s only because there’s no one else around,’ said Esme with a perfectly straight face. ‘Of course, if I should happen to pass you when I’m with any of my form I shall simply walk past with my nose in the air.’
    Then she laughed, and the others laughed with her, for they knew that Esme—who had been in their form last term—would never go all high-and-mighty on them, no matter what.
    When the girls arrived at Matron’s room, the big, fair-haired girl was there, still fussing over the first formers. Matron herself was looking rather irritated, but her stern face relaxed into a smile when she saw the fourth formers. ‘All got your health certificates?’ she said, in her brisk tone. ‘Good. Now, I want no illnesses, and no broken bones this term. Is that clear?’
    â€˜Yes, Matron,’ chorused the girls, all except Olive, who hung back and looked at Matron suspiciously. The others knew that Matron was only joking, and there was no one they would rather have look after them if they fell ill. But, to Olive, she seemed a most unsympathetic person. Matron noticed the girl watching her, and, looking at the list in her hand, said with a smile, ‘You must be Olive Witherspoon. And I have another new girl here for the fourth form, too. Sylvia, come and meet the rest of your form.’
    The girls followed Matron’s gaze and realised, with surprise, that she was talking to the rather bossy girl who had borne the first formers off. Heavens, was she going to be in the fourth form too?

2
The first evening
    The girl turned at once, and strode across to the others, a broad smile on her round face. ‘How lovely to meet you all!’ she boomed, in her hearty voice. ‘I’m Sylvia Chalmers, and I’m so happy to be at Malory Towers. I was at St Hilda’s until the end of last term, you know, but our Head was taken ill and it had to be closed down. So sad! It was a simply super school, but I’m sure that Malory Towers will be every bit as nice.’
    Sylvia paused to take a breath, and Matron seized the chance to say, ‘Well, Sylvia, the girls will show you and Olive to your dormitory, then you can all unpack.’
    â€˜Oh, I know where the dormitory is, Matron,’ said Sylvia. ‘I arrived early this morning, you know. And my things are already unpacked. I was just going to show the youngsters to their dormitory, because I always like to help out if I can.’ She beamed round at the others, who were all staring at her open-mouthed. Heavens, what a chatterbox!
    Bonnie put a hand to her forehead, and murmured to Amy, ‘I’m beginning to get a headache.’
    â€˜Oh, poor you!’ said Sylvia, whose sharp ears had caught this. ‘My mother suffers dreadfully from headaches, so I know just what you should do! You need to take—’
    But Bonnie never found out what she needed to take, for Matron, quite affronted, cut in, to say crisply, ‘Thank you, Sylvia, but I am Matron of North Tower, and if Bonnie has a headache she can come to me for a remedy.’
    Then she reached up and took a large bottle of green medicine down from one of her shelves, shaking it in Bonnie’s direction. ‘A dose of this will cure your headache, Bonnie,’ she said.
    But, miraculously, Bonnie found that her headache had suddenly disappeared!
    â€˜I thought it might,’ said Matron drily, putting the bottle back on her shelf. ‘Now, off you go, all of you,