Claudine at St. Clare's — Enid Blyton

St. Clare's Vol. 5 of 6
Claudine at St. Clare's -
Enid Blyton(11 August 1897 â€" 28 November 1968)


PAT and Isabel O'Sullivan walked into the fourth form-room at St.
Clare's, and looked round.
'Fourth form,' said Pat. 'Golly, we're getting on, aren't we, Isabel!'
'Yes-fourth form seems a long way from the first form,' said Isabel. 'I
say-do you remember when we were in the first form-ages ago? We were
called the Stuck-up Twins then, because we hated St. Clare's, and didn't
want to belong to it.' The twins thought back to the days when they had
been first-formers. They remembered how they had settled down at St.
Clare's, their first dislike of it turning to pride and admiration, and
now here they were, fourth-formers at the beginning of the summer term t
' Don't the first-formers seem babies now?' said Pat. ' We thought we
were quite big when we first came, but when I see the first-formers now
they seem very young to me 1 I shall enjoy being in the fourth form,
won't you, Isabel?' ' I shall,' said Isabel. ' I hope we shall stay on at
St. Clare's until we are in the top form-and I hope our friends do too.'
' Well, some of them have left already,' said Pat. ' Pam isn't coming
back, nor is Sheila. Lucy Oriell has gone too-to an Art School. She was
going to stay on here, but she's too brilliant at her art, and she's won
a scholarship to the best art school in the country.' ' Good for Lucy I'
said Isabel. ' We shall miss her though. I wonder if there are any new
girls this term?' ' Sure to be,' said Pat. She looked round the big
form-room. ' I say, this is a fine room, isn't it?-the nicest classroom
we've had so far. There's a wonderful view out of the window.' So there
was. The twins could see miles of beautiful country. It was country they
knew well now, and loved very much. Down below, in the school grounds,
were the tennis-courts, the games fields, and the big swimming-pool. The
girls could see the school gardens too, and the big kitchen garden full
of fresh vegetables.
' Bags I sit by the window,' said Pat. ' Hallo, there's Bobby, and
Janet!' Roberta and Janet walked into the classroom, grinning. Bobby's
freckled face had a very boyish look, and she was very like a boy in her
ways, full of fun and tricks.
' Hallo!' she said. ' Come to look at our new home? Nice room, isn't it?
' ' What's our new form-mistress like? ' said Pat. ' Miss Ellis-she's
supposed to be quite nice, isn't she? ' ' Oh yes-very calm and unruffled
and dignified,' said Bobby. ' She'll be all right.' ' Got any new tricks
to play, Janet?' asked Isabel. Janet always had a stock of tricks each
term, most of them from her school-boy brother, who seemed to be a real
scamp. Janet grinned.
' Wait and see,' she said. ' Anyway, I suppose I'd better go carefully
now I'm a fourth-former. Can't rag about so much when you get high up the
school. And I'm going to work for my matric. exam, too, so I guess I
won't have much time for tricks.' ' I guess you will, all the same,' said
Pat. ' Any new girls, do you know? ' ' Two or three,' said Bobby. '
Hallo, Hilary! Had good hols.?' Hilary Wentworth came into the room, dark
and smiling. She had been at St. Clare's even longer than the twins.
' Hallo!' she said. ' Yes, I had fine hols. I rode every day, and I
played tennis on our hard court every day too. I say, who's the angel? '
' What do you mean? ' asked the twins and Bobby.
' Oh, haven't you seen her? ' said Hilary. ' She's just arrived, complete
with posh new trunk, three tennis rackets; and a handbag with gold.....