by Enid Blyton
Amanda stared hard at June for a moment. She looked very stern, and June waited for the storm to break over her head. Then Amanda’s face broke into a smile and she said gruffly, ‘Good kid! I know it must have cost you a great deal to give up your place on the team, but you have done the right thing. I really believe that you are beginning to learn about team spirit.’
And Amanda was quite right, June suddenly realised. There were times when one had to put one’s own desire for personal glory aside, for the good of others. She had first discovered that when she and Bonnie had worked side by side to find Jack, and to get Bill and Clarissa out of trouble. And it had been a lesson well learned, for when Amanda called Esme over and informed the surprised girl that she would be playing after all, June felt no bitterness or jealousy. Instead she patted Esme on the back and said heartily, ‘Good luck, Esme! Make sure that you play up.’
Just then, the big coach drew up and, as June began to walk towards the school, Amanda called out, ‘And just where do you think you’re going, June?’
‘I thought I’d go and sit in the common-room for a bit,’ answered June, surprised.
‘Well, think again!’ said Amanda, taking her arm and steering the girl towards the coach.‘There are a couple of spare seats, so you can come with us and be our mascot. Just make sure you cheer us on, good and loud!’
‘Oh, I will, Amanda,’ said June happily.‘Yes, I’ll do that, all right.’
And June yelled herself hoarse! Amanda won her match easily, the St Margarets girls gasping at the brilliance of her play. Poor Vanessa Tyler wasn’t so lucky and, although she played her heart out, was narrowly beaten by her opponent. Then came the doubles match, and Felicity and Susan walked out on to the court, both of them feeling very proud and very nervous.
‘Come on, Felicity!’ shouted June.‘Come on, Susan!’
And, to the delight of June and Amanda, the two girls played superbly. Their opponents were very good too, and did their best, but they were no match for the Malory Towers pair.
‘Jolly well played, kids!’ shouted Amanda.‘Two-one to Malory Towers! Emily, from the fourth form, is playing next. I should think that she’s certain to win.’
But alas, this was Emily’s first match in front of a crowd, and her nerves overcame her completely. She made some bad mistakes, with the result that the St Margarets girl won.
‘It all depends on Esme now,’ said Amanda, looking very tense.‘Her match will decide whether we go back to Malory Towers as winners or losers.’
June cheered her head off as Esme came out, a tall, graceful figure. The girl she was playing against was much more heavily built, and had a powerful serve, but a calm determination had settled on Esme, and she fought back well. The play was very even, until the last couple of games, when the Malory Towers girl really settled down and, to the delight of her team-mates, took the lead. Then it was the final game of the set, and Esme was serving for the match.
At the side of the court, June and Amanda were silent now, both of them holding their breath. Esme served beautifully, the ball whizzing across the net and sending up a little puff of chalk as it bounced off the line.
‘The St Margarets girl will never reach that!’ said June, clutching excitedly at Amanda’s arm.
And she didn’t! Game, set, match and tournament to Malory Towers!
While the girls from the other school clapped sportingly, the Malory Towers team—and June, of course—went quite mad with joy. They shouted, cheered, hugged one another and leapt up and down.
‘Congratulations,’ said the St Margarets captain, coming over to shake hands with Amanda.‘That’s quite a team you have there!’
‘Yes,’ said Amanda, beaming round proudly at the girls.‘The best team ever!’
Of course, the girls got a heroes’ welcome when they returned to school, Felicity and Esme clutching the big silver cup that was the team prize between them.
‘What a super end to the term!’ said Pam.
‘Absolutely marvellous!’ agreed Freddie.
‘But it’s not quite the end of term,’ said Nora.‘There are still a few days to go.’
And those few days simply sped by, and then it really was the end of term. The girls were plunged into the usual last-minute frenzy of packing and, in the dormitory, chaos reigned.
‘Has anyone seen my slippers?’
‘I say, where has my hairbrush got to?’
‘Nora, do get your big feet off my music case!’
‘Felicity! Felicity! What do you mean by going off with my pyjamas?’
‘Oh, are those yours, Lucy? Sorry, they look exactly like mine.’
Matron, popping her head round the door to see how the third formers were getting on, winced as a wave of noise hit her, and clapped her hands over her ears, before quickly withdrawing again.
At last, everyone was packed and they made their way down to the big hall, where girls from all of the towers were waiting for the coaches to take them to the station, or for their parents to collect them by car. Mam’zelle Dupont was fussing round everyone, as she always did, saying fond goodbyes, and the girls smiled to see her.
‘Dear old Mam’zelle,’ said Susan.‘I shall miss her funny ways during the holidays.’
‘I shall miss everything about Malory Towers,’ said Felicity with a sigh.‘My last term as head of the form is over now. And what an eventful term it has been!’
‘Yes, it’s certainly had its ups and downs,’ agreed Susan.‘Luckily, in the end, the ups seemed to outweigh the downs!’
‘I wonder what will be in store for us next term?’ said Felicity.
‘Who knows?’ said Susan.‘We’ll just have to wait and see.’
And that’s what we will have to do as well—wait and see.
