Winter Term at Malory Towers by Enid Blyton

horrified now. Miss Tallant was trying to take over their play!
    Susan, however, had other ideas. As head of the form, it was up to her to take the lead and she stood up and faced the mistress. This was really very brave of Susan, for she knew that Miss Tallant could be spiteful and vindictive, and her knees shook a little. But her voice was steady as she said firmly, ‘Excuse me, Miss Tallant. I don’t mean to be rude, but Felicity, Sylvia and I are going to produce the play, and the three of us would like to decide who to cast in the different parts.’
    Miss Tallant stared at Susan as if she was something extremely nasty, and said coldly, ‘And just what do you girls know about producing a play?’
    June, whose temper had been rising as she listened to the mistress, got to her feet and said, ‘Nothing at all, Miss Tallant. And we won’t have the chance to learn anything if we aren’t left alone to make our own mistakes.’
    Miss Tallant turned quite white with anger and hissed, ‘How dare you cheek me like that, June? I should watch your step, if I were you, or I might feel compelled to enquire a little more closely into that affair of the mouse in Olive’s desk.’
    June blinked, quite lost for words, for once. How on earth had Miss Tallant come to suspect that she, June, was behind that? Suddenly, yet another interruption occurred.
    Miss Williams, the fourth-form mistress, had seen MissTallant go into the hall, and had frowned to herself. She knew very well that her form was holding a meeting about the play, and wondered what Miss Tallant was doing there. Only that morning, Miss Williams had spoken to Susan about the play, and the girl had said politely, but very decidedly, that the fourth formers wanted to do everything themselves, without asking for any assistance from Miss Tallant. Miss Williams had been pleased to hear this, for it would be a very good thing for the girls to take responsibility for their play, and learn how to organise themselves. Moreover, the fourth-form mistress did not like Miss Tallant, and she felt that the new mistress might well be more of a hindrance than a help to the girls. Miss Williams went across to the door of the big hall and pushed it open a crack, so she heard what Miss Tallant said to Susan. She had been about to intervene herself when she heard the way that Susan coolly stood up to the mistress, and she smiled to herself. Then June spoke, and Miss Williams, opening the door a little wider, saw the angry, spiteful look on Miss Tallant’s face. The trouble with June was that she was likely to get carried away, and perhaps go too far in her rebellion against Miss Tallant. And then the girl would only end up getting herself into trouble.
    So Miss Williams strode briskly into the room and said, ‘I am sorry to interrupt your meeting, but…Why, Miss Tallant, what are you doing here? Susan, I distinctly remember you telling me that you intended to produce the play yourself, with assistance from Felicity and Sylvia. AndI must say that I was very pleased to hear it. Don’t tell me that you have changed your minds?’
    â€˜No, Miss Williams,’ said Susan, noticing a glint in Miss Williams’s eye and realising that the mistress was well aware of what had been happening. ‘Miss Tallant very kindly offered her services, but I was just telling her that there was no need for her to trouble herself over us.’
    â€˜Most commendable!’ said Miss Williams warmly. ‘It’s always nice to see you girls using your initiative and doing things for yourselves. Miss Tallant and I shan’t hold you up any longer.’ Then she turned to the other mistress, and said brightly, ‘Come along, Miss Tallant. The girls are very busy, so let’s leave them to it.’
    Miss Tallant had no choice but to follow Miss Williams from the hall. And once the door had closed behind the two mistresses, a perfect hubbub