by Enid Blyton
Bill looked very serious indeed, and the third formers looked at her anxiously. Then she went on, ‘Last night, while we were in bed, someone let Merrylegs out—and they left the gate open too. We got the horse back, but if he had got on to the road it could have ended very badly indeed.’
The girls exchanged horrified glances. Merrylegs was Clarissa’s own horse, and the girls knew how dearly she loved him.
‘I wish he had gone for my Thunder instead,’ said Bill grimly, her eyes glinting.‘He’s not as friendly with strangers as Merrylegs, and would certainly have given the intruder a rough time!’
‘Are you sure that someone let Merrylegs out deliberately?’ asked Freddie.‘I mean—isn’t it possible that one of you didn’t lock the stable door properly?’
Clarissa shook her head.‘Bill and I always go round and check everything thoroughly before we go to bed. And everything was just as it should be last night. Besides, I saw someone in the yard.’
The third formers gasped and Clarissa continued, ‘I was asleep, and something woke me—some sort of noise from outside. I got up and went to the window, and saw someone in the yard.’
‘Did you recognise them?’ asked Susan, her eyes wide.
‘No,’ said Clarissa, with a sigh.‘It was too dark, and this person was dressed from head to toe in black. In fact, it was impossible even to tell whether they were male or female. But whoever it was looked up and saw me standing at the bedroom window, then made a run for it.’
‘How about you, Bill?’ asked Nora.‘Did you see or hear anything?’
‘No, for my bedroom is at the other side of the house,’ answered Bill.‘Of course, Clarissa woke me immediately and we ran down into the yard—and that’s when we discovered that Merrylegs had been let out.’
The third formers looked at one another. It was all very mysterious—and very worrying, especially for Julie and Lucy, who had horses of their own at Five Oaks. Clarissa looked at the grave faces of the two girls and said, ‘If you want to remove Jack and Sandy, we will quite understand. There are a couple of other riding stables in the area, but they are a few miles away from Malory Towers.’
But Julie said loyally, ‘I wouldn’t dream of taking Jack away. I know that you and Bill will do all you can to keep him safe.’
‘And Sandy is staying too,’ said Lucy.‘I shall teach him to kick out at anyone who is a stranger to him.’
Clarissa and Bill smiled, and Pam, who had been looking thoughtful, said, ‘Do you think that the person who let Merrylegs out intended to steal him?’
‘I don’t know,’ said Clarissa, with a sigh.‘He’s not a particularly valuable horse, though he’s priceless to me, of course. I would have thought that any horse thief would have gone to Mr Banks’s along the road, for he keeps racehorses, and some of them are worth a lot of money.’
‘That’s a thought!’ exclaimed Bill.‘I wonder if Mr Banks has had any unwanted night-time visitors at his stable-yard? I must remember to ask Eleanor when she pops over to ride Snowball later.’
‘Is Eleanor keeping Snowball here?’ asked June, looking puzzled. ‘That seems odd, when her uncle has a perfectly good stable just a short distance away.’
‘Yes, but it’s full,’ explained Clarissa.‘Mr Banks has bought several more horses recently, so there wasn’t room for Eleanor to keep Snowball there. She usually visits him on Saturday mornings, so if there has been any funny business going on over there, Eleanor is sure to know. Anyway, I’m quite sure that you girls didn’t come along here to listen to our woes, and we certainly don’t want to spoil your day. Now, off you go outside and enjoy yourselves!’
And the third formers did just that! Julie and Lucy cantered round the big paddock on Jack and Sandy, with June and Freddie in hot pursuit on two of the riding-school ponies. Pam and Susan followed more sedately, while Felicity and Nora had a simply marvellous time watching the others, helping Jim with his chores and enjoying the sunshine. But as they ate their picnic in the paddock, the subject of Bill and Clarissa’s troubles came to the fore again.
‘It’s strange that they should have had two strokes of bad luck in a matter of a few days,’ mused Felicity, tucking into a sandwich.
‘Very strange,’ said June.‘In fact, it’s almost as if someone was out to cause trouble for them.’
‘Surely not!’ cried Susan, looking shocked.‘Why, dear old Bill and Clarissa don’t have an enemy in the world!’
‘Of course they don’t!’ said Julie.‘Everyone likes them.’
‘Don’t bite my head off!’ said June.‘But it’s quite clear that someone doesn’t like them—the person who stole their money. And the person who let Merrylegs out. I wonder if they are one and the same?’
There was a brief silence as the third formers digested this, and at last Pam said, ‘Well, at least Bill and Clarissa have been put on their guard now. If the troublemaker comes back and tries anything else, he might not find it so easy.’
When the girls had finished eating, and cleared away the remains of their picnic, they went into the stable-yard to find Bill talking to Eleanor Banks, who was mounted on a most beautiful pure white horse, with a snowy mane and tail, and the watching third formers stared.
‘My word, what a super horse!’ said Susan.
‘He’s certainly perfect for the Ice Queen,’ said Felicity wryly.
‘He’s a great deal too good for her, if you ask me,’ said Julie, with a frown.‘I don’t believe that Eleanor cares for Snowball at all. She seems to see him as a possession, and doesn’t love him as I love Jack, or as Lucy loves Sandy.’
Eleanor certainly cut an elegant figure in her smart riding gear, sitting up very straight in the saddle as she rode Snowball into the paddock. She gave June a cold glare as she passed the third formers, and the girl gave an exaggerated shiver.‘Brr, it suddenly seems to have turned chilly round here. Eleanor is so cold that I simply can’t imagine her caring for anyone or anything!’
‘I say, Bill!’ called out Pam.‘Did you ask Eleanor if there had been any strange goings-on over at her uncle’s stables?’
‘Yes,’ said Bill, coming over.‘But all has been quiet over there. She’s going to warn Mr Banks to look out for anything suspicious, though.’
‘Good,’ said Julie.‘And now I suppose we had better get the horses back into the stables and make our way back to school.’
‘I wonder what Amy, Bonnie and Esme have been doing while we’ve been enjoying our day at Five Oaks?’ said Felicity, as the girls walked back to Malory Towers.
‘Nothing very strenuous, I don’t suppose,’ said Susan with a grin.‘I bet they have been having a really lazy time of it!’
But in fact the three girls had, in their own way, been very busy indeed. First of all, Bonnie had insisted that Esme throw away every scrap of make-up, and had actually stood over her while she did it.
‘Gee, this seems such a waste!’ Esme had complained, reluctantly removing everything from her bedside cabinet and putting it into the bin. ‘Can’t I just keep one lipstick?’
‘Absolutely not!’ said Bonnie firmly.‘And don’t say “gee”!’
Then, to Esme’s horror, Amy had brushed out her carefully set curls, saying, ‘I’m sure that you will sleep much better at night without those curlers in your hair.’
‘I expect that I will,’ said Esme rather doubtfully.‘Ow! Don’t brush so hard, Amy—that hurt!’
‘Well, sit still, then,’ said Amy, unsympathetically.‘There, that looks much better! And when you’ve got into the habit of brushing it one hundred times every night it will soon start to shine, just as mine does.’
‘I sure hope so,’ said Esme, staring at herself rather glumly in the mirror.‘At the moment it just looks kinda strange.’
‘Kind of, not “kinda”,’ said Bonnie, clicking her tongue.‘And it just looks strange because you’re not used to it yet.’ Then she looked down at Esme’s hands and gave a little squeal.‘Take that nail polish off at once! If Miss Peters
sees you wearing it she’ll have a fit.’
‘But it took me simply ages to paint them,’ moaned Esme.‘Do I have to take it off?’
‘Yes,’ said the two girls, in unison, eyeing her severely, and, sighing heavily, Esme obeyed.
‘Now you’re really beginning to look like an English schoolgirl,’ said Bonnie happily.‘Isn’t she, Amy?’
Amy, looking Esme over critically, nodded and said, ‘But we really need to set to work on your speech. Now, repeat after me—wonderful.’
‘Wunnerful,’ said Esme.
‘Wonderful!’ said Bonnie.‘It has a d in the middle, you know!’
Esme took a deep breath, a very determined look on her face, and said, ‘Wunnerful.’
Amy and Bonnie shook their heads in despair, and Amy said, ‘Oh dear. Perhaps you should just avoid saying wonderful altogether. Try “super” or “wizard” instead.’
But this wasn’t good enough for Bonnie, who said firmly, ‘No, that’s just avoiding the problem, instead of solving it. Esme, try saying twenty.’
‘Twenny,’ said Esme, obligingly.
Bonnie frowned.‘Hmm. I don’t know why you should find it difficult to pronounce words with t or d in the middle, but it’s quite obvious that you do. Well, we can’t do much about it now, for the others will be back soon, but I shall think of a way to overcome your problem.’
‘Do you think you can?’ said Esme, hopefully.‘If you could, it would be just wunner—I mean, just super!’
6
Secrets and surprises
Of course, it wasn’t easy to keep a secret in the third form, and the girls soon found out that Amy and Bonnie were taking Esme‘in hand’, as they called it. Everyone approved wholeheartedly of the change in Esme’s appearance, and thought that she looked very nice indeed. And they were much amused by her attempts to imitate Amy’s high, well-bred voice. It really did sound very funny, especially when the girl used English phrases that she had picked up from the others, then suddenly lapsed back into her American drawl.
‘I say,’ she said to June—in what the girls had come to call her ‘Amy voice’—over breakfast one morning.‘Would you pass me the salt, old girl?’
June, her eyes narrowing with amusement, had passed her the salt cellar, and Esme went on, ‘My word, these scrambled eggs are simply top-hole. Yessir, they sure are mighty fine.’
Then she looked completely bewildered when the girls burst into laughter, for poor Esme didn’t seem to realise that she was switching from one way of speaking to the other.
‘She’s absolutely priceless,’ chuckled Felicity, as she and Susan discussed it later that day.
‘Well, they do say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,’ said Susan, with a grin.‘But Amy didn’t seem awfully flattered by Esme’s attempt to mimic her accent!’
‘I hope that she doesn’t try to copy Amy and Bonnie too slavishly,’ said Felicity, wrinkling her brow.‘That would be an awful shame!’
‘Yes,’ said Susan, thoughtfully.‘I know that none of us is perfect, but the two of them have more faults than most. Amy especially! It would have been much better if Esme had decided to model herself on someone down-to-earth and friendly and jolly, like you, or Pam, or Julie.’
‘I think it would be best if Esme didn’t copy anyone at all,’ said Felicity thoughtfully.‘Her own personality is very pleasant and unique, and it would be a terrible pity if she lost her individuality through trying too hard to be something that she isn’t.’
‘You’re quite right, of course, old girl,’ said Susan.‘It must be awfully difficult for Esme, though, for I know that she wants to please her mother by learning English ways.’
‘I expect that she will, after she’s been here for a while,’ said Felicity.‘But she must learn them in her own time and in her own way. It’s no use trying to force things like that.’
But Bonnie, who could be extremely stubborn once she got an idea into her head, was determined that she was going to teach Esme to pronounce ‘wonderful’ correctly if it was the last thing she did! She spent ages coaching Esme, who soon grew heartily bored and began to wish that she hadn’t asked the two girls for their help.
‘Can’t we do something else instead?’ she complained, after failing in her pronunciation for about the tenth time.‘I’ll never be able to say wonderful properly, so I might as well give up!’
Bonnie stared at the girl, hardly able to believe her ears.‘But you did say it!’ she cried.‘You just said it then—wonderful!’
‘Gee, did I?’ asked Esme, looking stunned.‘Why, that’s—wonderful!’
A delighted Bonnie clapped her hands together and squealed, ‘Well done, Esme! Oh, how I wish that the others were here to listen to you.’
But the two of them were alone in the common-room. Amy had been called to Matron’s room over the matter of some badly darned stockings, while the rest of the third form were outside enjoying the sunshine. Just then, Lucy came in to fetch her plimsolls from her locker, and Bonnie cried, ‘I say, Lucy, isn’t it marvellous? Your cousin has learned to say wonderful properly.’
‘What an achievement,’ sneered Lucy, looking at Esme with contempt. ‘Honestly, Esme, I’m not surprised that Miss Grayling put you into the third form instead of the fourth. In fact, it’s a wonder she didn’t put you in with the first-form babies! But perhaps even they would have been too advanced for you, for they know how to speak English properly. As for you, Bonnie, I don’t know how you can be bothered to waste your time on Esme—I really don’t!’
And, before her cousin could retaliate, she snatched up her plimsolls and stalked out of the room, leaving Esme and Bonnie staring after her open-mouthed.
‘Well!’ exclaimed Bonnie, at last.‘How dreadfully rude of her.’
Esme shrugged, and managed a rueful smile as she said, ‘That’s Lucy for you. She never misses an opportunity to get in a dig at me.’
‘But why?’ asked Bonnie, frowning.‘It’s none of my business, and I certainly don’t mean to pry, but I just can’t understand why she is so hostile towards you.’
Esme hesitated, then said, ‘Well, it’s all because of the family feud.’
‘Family feud?’ repeated Bonnie, her eyes wide.
Esme nodded solemnly, and began, ‘This coldness between Lucy and me all started a few years ago. You see, our fathers became very good friends when they married sisters—my mother and Lucy’s mother, of course. In fact the two of them used to joke that they were as close as brothers.’ Esme sighed.‘It was such a good, happy life back in those days. We even lived next door to one another! Lucy and I were best friends then, too, and we were all just one big happy family.’
‘So what went wrong?’ asked Bonnie, astonished and quite unable to picture the two cousins as best friends.
‘Well, Uncle Robert—Lucy’s father—and my father are both interested in antiques,’ said Esme.‘So they decided to buy a shop and run it together. It seemed like a splendid idea at the time, but that’s when things started to go wrong. You see, my father and Uncle Robert are both very strong personalities, and each of them had quite different ideas about the way the shop should be run. Both of them wanted to take charge, and they began to argue quite dreadfully, for neither of them would consider the other’s point of view, or agree to any kind of compromise.’
‘Goodness!’ said Bonnie, her eyes like saucers.‘That must have put a terrible strain on their friendship.’
‘It did,’ said Esme.‘For it was quite impossible for them to switch off their feelings of anger once they had finished work for the day. Soon Father and Uncle Robert were barely on speaking terms with one another. Of course, it started to affect our mothers, for mine felt that she had to take Father’s side, while Aunt Janet took Uncle Robert’s. It was horrible for them, because twins are so close and they had spent their whole lives together. I know that my mother was awfully upset about it, and I’m quite sure that Aunt Janet felt the same. To be fair, though, they did try to
keep Lucy and me out of it, and never tried to stop the two of us from seeing one another. But we couldn’t help overhearing things, and we soon figured out what was going on. And then, one day, we quarrelled as well. Lucy was trying to blame my father for things going wrong, and made some very hurtful remarks about him. Of course, I stuck up for him and said some pretty awful things about Uncle Robert.’
Esme shuddered at the memory and said, ‘It was a dreadful row. Really horrible and vicious! Lucy said that she would never forgive me, but the things that she said about my father were just as cruel and nasty.’
‘So your friendship with Lucy was spoiled too,’ said Bonnie, looking very grave.‘It just goes to show how family rows can get out of hand.’
‘Well, this one certainly did,’ said Esme, sighing.‘The next thing that happened was that Father announced that he couldn’t work with Uncle Robert any longer. He told Mother and I that the shop was going up for sale, and that we were moving to America.’
‘Heavens!’ said Bonnie.‘That must have been a shock.’
‘It was,’ said Esme sadly.‘Mother didn’t want to go, and nor did I, at first. We both hoped that Father and Uncle Robert might make up, but they never did. The shop was sold, and off we went.’
It was quite a sad story, thought Bonnie, and neither Esme’s father, nor Lucy’s, came out of it particularly well. Bonnie felt a sudden wave of anger. The two men had sacrificed the happiness of their wives and daughters, and split their big, happy family right down the middle. And all because they were both too stubborn to swallow their silly pride!
Suddenly the door of the common-room burst open and Amy stalked in, an angry scowl on her face. She was carrying a pile of stockings and she flung them down crossly, before flopping down in an armchair.
‘Matron is a mean beast!’ she declared.‘She’s told me that I have to darn all these stockings again, because I haven’t done them properly.’
‘Well, I must say, Amy, she’s quite right!’ said Bonnie, picking up one of the stockings and examining it critically.‘I simply can’t believe that someone who prides herself on her appearance, as you do, would use bright red wool for darning.’
