‘But everyone already knows,’ said Maud.
‘Do they?’ exclaimed Mildred. ‘Who told them?’
‘Well, you know what Ethel’s like,’ replied Maud. ‘She just had to tell someone how clever she’d been so she told Harriet, and Harriet thought it was a dreadful thing to do so she told everyone else. No one’s talking to Ethel now and Miss Hardbroom found out too and was furious with her.’
‘Shhhhh!’ said someone. ‘They’re coming.’
Everyone stood up as Miss Cackle came
in, followed by Miss Hardbroom and all the other teachers.
‘You may sit down, girls,’ said the headmistress. ‘As you all know, the school narrowly escaped invasion this morning. Had it not been for a certain young member of the school we should not be here but would be hopping about turned into frogs.’
The girls laughed.
‘No, no, girls! Do not laugh! It would not be at all funny had it happened. However, as it did not happen, I proclaim the rest of today a half holiday in honour of Mildred Hubble. Mildred, would you come up here for a moment?’
Mildred went bright red and was pushed to her feet. She stumbled through the rows of chairs, tripping over feet as she went, and clumped across the platform to Miss Cackle’s table.
‘Now don’t be shy, my dear,’ said Miss Cackle beaming. She turned to the school. ‘Come along, school! Three cheers for our heroine Mildred.’
Mildred blushed and twisted her fingers behind her back as the cheers rang out.
It was a relief to ‘the heroine’ when it was all over. As they filed out of the hall, she was thumped on the back and congratulated by everyone – except for Ethel who gave Mildred the nastiest look you’ve ever seen.
‘Good old Mil!’ yelled someone.
‘We’ll get out of our chanting test, thanks to you,’ said someone else.
‘Thanks for the holiday!’
‘Thanks, Mil!’ And so on.
Maud flung an arm around her friend.
‘You did look embarrassed,’ she said. ‘You went ever so red, I could see you from the back of the hall!’
‘Oh, don’t,’ said Mildred. ‘Let’s go and fetch the kittens and make the most of our holiday.’
‘One moment,’ said a chilling voice that they knew so well. The two girls turned to find their form-mistress standing behind them. They jumped to attention at once, wondering what they had done which was a natural reaction whenever Miss Hardbroom spoke.
This time, however, to their amazement, she smiled, a friendly smile not like the usual curl at the corner of the lips.
‘I just wanted to say thank you, Mildred,’ she said. ‘Run along now, girls, and enjoy your holiday before it’s over.’
She smiled again and vanished.
The girls just stared at each other.
‘Sometimes,’ said Mildred, ‘I think she probably isn’t as mean as we think she is.’
‘Perhaps you are right, Mildred,’ said
Miss Hardbroom’s voice from behind Mildred’s ear, and the two girls jumped in horror!
Mildred grabbed her friend’s hand and they hurried away down the corridor out into the misty playground leaving Miss Hardbroom’s laughter echoing from nowhere along the empty passage.
The Worst Witch Page 4
