Beryl Goes to School
Chapter Four: Beryl and Marigold
Chapter One : Chapter Two : Chapter Three
Of course, the next day did not start out well, even though Beryl straightened her bed properly, put away her clothes tidily, ate all her breakfast porridge, and swallowed the cod liver oil without complaining.
The first class was French with Mademoiselle Dubois, and Beryl had not done her prep. She had been trying so hard to understand Veronica the Top Girl’s book that she had left no time to learn her declensions. Mademoiselle glared at her over the top of her spectacles and called her some names in French that Beryl did not know. Even Heidi looked a little shocked to hear them, and Heidi was good at French. Mademoiselle gave her extra prep.
After French came English with Miss Willow, who was tall and thin and looked as though she might be blown over in a stiff wind, but all the girls knew she could be very strict and old-fashioned. She asked whether any girls knew a poem, and Theresa, who was a mad-cap and had red hair, put her hand up cheekily and recited “Jack and Jill Went Up the Hill.”
“Well, it rhymes,” said Theresa, when Miss Willow only stared.
Miss Willow glared harder, and when it was Beryl’s turn she recited the poem she had learned the night before — the beautiful one about the wind, and rain, and having a best friend. All the girls began to giggle. “Enough of that,” said Miss Willow sharply, and they stopped at once, but she gave Beryl a long look before going on to tell them about a man who liked daffodils.
Beryl did not know if she had done something right or something wrong. It was very hard to tell, at St. Nicola’s.
After lunch the form was in the common room when the door burst open.
“Crikey!” said Milly.
“Crumbs!” said Molly.
There in the common room stood someone they had never seen before.
“Hullo,” said Beryl. “Are you a new girl?”
“My name is Marigold,” said the girl.
“You are so beautiful,” said Beryl, and she stared. Marigold was sweet and fluffy, just like Dolly, only all golden.
“I have been in the Sick Bay with mumps,” said Marigold, and Beryl fell deeply in love. How dreadful, to have mumps at your new school, so far from home.
“Will you be my best friend?” said Beryl.
“Oooh!” said the twins together.
“I cannot be your best friend,” said Marigold. “I am already spoken for by another.”
Beryl was crushed. Her heart sank and she felt a sharp pang of jealousy. And then she remembered what Veronica had told her — that she must be plucky, and not always think of herself.
“But I can be your best friend in school,” said Marigold.
“Hurray!” said Beryl.
“I say,” said one of the twins.
Beryl was so happy. “We shall do everything together from now on.”
“Yes,” said Marigold.
The next day was the nature walk with Miss Aspen, the botany mistress. Milly and Molly walked with each other, Heidi and Claudine walked with each other, and Beryl and Marigold skipped along hand in hand.
“Girls, girls,” said Miss Aspen. “We must attend to nature and gather specimens.”
So Beryl and Marigold stopped skipping and examined the hawthorn hedge, so happily absorbed that they did not notice Claudine the Sneak following just behind. They came to a farm gate that looked out over a field.
“Dolly!” cried Beryl.
“Betsie!” cried Marigold.
There in the middle of the field stood a beautiful sheep. Beryl and Marigold looked at each other in astonishment.
“Who is Betsie?” said Beryl, feeling a small pang of jealousy.
“Betsie is my pet sheepie,” said Marigold. “She have only three legs. Who is Dolly?”
“Dolly is my pet sheepie,” said Beryl. “Why does Betsie only have three legs?”
Marigold began to cry. “A cruel girl called Jayne cut off her leg,” she said, “and ate it.”
“Oh, how wicked,” said Beryl. “I shall call her Cruel Jayne from now on.” And she hated Cruel Jayne very much indeed, though she had never met her.
Just then a nasty voice said, “Mint sauce, mint sauce. Ner ner ner.” It was Claudine the Sneak, who had been listening all along.
“You horrid beast!” cried Beryl, very loudly.
“What was that?” It was Geraldine, the House games captain. “I know you’re only a new girl, but you must learn the St.Nicola’s way. It is strictly against school rules to call other girls nasty names. Write one hundred lines — I must not be mean to girls on the nature walk — and bring them to my study after supper.”
Claudine smirked as Geraldine strode off with the other prefects. When she was safely out of earshot, Rita — a tall, thin girl with brown hair — gave Claudine a long look. “I wonder,” she said, “whether that means we may be mean to certain people at other times.”
Everyone laughed except Claudine, and Beryl supposed it must be a joke.
Rita was clever, and on a scholarship, for her family was poor and she never received hampers, not even on her birthday, because her father drove a great lorry and sometimes went as far as Scotland. Beryl had never been to Scotland, but she knew there had once been a queen there, and there were castles and bagpipes and prickly things.
“Never mind,” said Marigold, and slipped her hand back into Beryl’s.
And Beryl felt happy again. It was all dreadfully unfair, but she had promised Veronica she would be plucky. So she did not cry.