In a top-story bedroom in an old-fashioned house in a northern suburb of London, a girl offourteen was kneeling on the floor, turning out the contents of the bottom cupboards of a bigbookcase. Her method of doing so was hardly tidy; she just tossed the miscellaneous assortment ofarticles down anywhere, till presently she was surrounded by a mixed-up jumble of books, papers, paint-boxes, music, chalks, pencils, foreign stamps, picture post-cards, crests, balls of knitting wool, skeins of embroidery silk, and odds and ends of ...
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In a top-story bedroom in an old-fashioned house in a northern suburb of London, a girl offourteen was kneeling on the floor, turning out the contents of the bottom cupboards of a bigbookcase. Her method of doing so was hardly tidy; she just tossed the miscellaneous assortment ofarticles down anywhere, till presently she was surrounded by a mixed-up jumble of books, papers, paint-boxes, music, chalks, pencils, foreign stamps, picture post-cards, crests, balls of knitting wool, skeins of embroidery silk, and odds and ends of all kinds. She groaned as the circle grew wider, yetthe apparently inexhaustible cupboards were still uncleared."Couldn't have ever believed I'd have stowed so many things away here. And, of course, the onebook I want isn't to be found. That's what always happens. It's just my bad luck. Hello! Who'scalling 'Renie'? I'm here! Here! In my bedroom! Don't yell the house down. Really, Vin, you've got avoice like a megaphone! You might think I was on the top of the roof. What d'you want now? I'mbusy!""So it seems," commented the fair-haired boy of seventeen, sauntering into his sister's room andtaking a somewhat insecure seat upon a fancy table, where, with hands in pockets, he regarded herquizzically. "Great Scott, what a turn out! You look like a magician in the midst of a magic circle.Are you going to witch the lot into newts and toads? Whence this thusness? You won't persuade methat it's a fit of neatness and you're actually tidying. Doesn't exactly seem you, somehow!""Hardly," replied Irene, with her head inside a cupboard. "Fact is, I'm looking for my historybook. I can't think where the wretched thing has gone to. School begins to-morrow, and I haven'ttouched my holiday tasks yet; and what Miss Gordon will say if I come without those exercises Ican't imagine. I'm sure I flung all my books into this cupboard, and, of course, here's the chemistry, which I don't want, but never so much as a single leaf of the history. Don't grin! You aggravate me. Ibelieve you've taken it away to tease me. Have you? Confess now! It's in your pocket all the time?"Irene looked eagerly at the bulging outline of her brother's coat, but her newly formed hopeswere doomed to disappointment."Never seen it! What should I want with your old history book? I've finished for good with suchvanities, thank the Fates!""Don't rub it in. It's a beastly shame you should be allowed to leave school while I must go slavingon at Miss Gordon's. Ugh! How I hate the place! The idea of going back there to-morrow! It'ssimply appalling. A whole term of dreary grind, and only a fortnight's holiday at the end of it. MissGordon gives the stingiest holidays. If my fairy godmother could appear and grant me a wish I shouldchoose never, never, never to see St. Osmund's College in all my life again. I'd ask her to wave hermagic wand and transport me over the sea."
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Add this copy of The Jolliest School of All to cart. $86.85, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by IndyPublish.
