20 amanda goes swimming

deirdre was not expelled. her real fault had been weakness, and that could be dealt with. when she heard that she was to stay on, she could have sung for joy. she was shocked about jo, but secretly relieved to be free of her strong, dominating influence.

the whole school was shocked too. it was so very rare for any girl to be expelled—but everyone agreed that jo was impossible.

“poor kid,” said mary-lou. “who could be decent with idiotic parents like that—throwing money about all over the place, boasting, thick-skinned, trying to make jo as bad as themselves. well—it was one of malory towers’ experiments that went wrong.”

“i must say i’d rather have a generous parent like jo’s than a mean one like mine, though,” put in gwen. “jo’s father would never have grudged her an extra year at a finishing school.”

“you’ve got a bee in your bonnet about that,” said alicia. “and let me tell you, it buzzes too loudly and too often. your father’s worth ten of jo’s—oh, not in money, but in the things that matter!”

“that was a very nasty business about jo,” said darrell. “i’m glad it’s over. now perhaps we’ll have a bit of peace without any more alarums and excursions!”

this was, of course, a foolish thing to say. things began to happen almost immediately!

amanda had decided that the tide would be right for her swim out to sea the next morning. she was looking forward to it eagerly. a good long swim at last!

she was in a small, sixth-form dormy, with only three others. all the others were very sound sleepers—moira, sally and bill. she could easily creep out without waking them. she didn’t mean to tell any of them what she was going to do, or what she had done, when she had had her long swim! they were so keen on rules being kept—but such rules, thought amanda, really didn’t apply to a future olympic swimmer!

she got up at half-past four in the morning. it was dawn, and the sky was full of silvery light. soon it would change to gold and pink as the sun came up. it was a heavenly day!

she slipped on her wrap and went quietly out. there wasn’t a sound to be heard in the whole of the school. amanda was soon standing by the pool, stripping off her wrap. she had on her bathing-suit underneath. she had a dip in the pool first—lovely! her strong arms thrashed through the water, and her strong body revelled in it. she turned on her back for a few minutes and dreamt of the next year, when she would win the swimming at the olympic games. she pictured the crowds, she heard the roar of cheering and sound of hundreds of people clapping.

it was a very pleasant picture. amanda enjoyed it. then she climbed out of the pool and made her way down to the edge of the rocks. the waves came pounding in there, although further out it was very calm. amanda looked out to the brilliant blue sea and sky. she dived cleanly into a deep pool and swam through a channel there, and was suddenly out in the open sea.

“at last!” she thought, as her arms cleaved the water and her legs shot her steadily forward. “at last i am really swimming again!”

she went in the direction she had planned. the sun rose a little higher in the sky and shone down. it was going to be a hot day. little sparkles came on the water, and amanda laughed for joy. splash, splash, splash—she swam on and on, part of the sea itself.

nobody had seen her go. she planned to be back before anyone came down for an early morning bathe. at the earliest that would be seven o’clock. she had plenty of time.

but someone came down before seven o’clock that morning. june woke up early and could not get off to sleep again. the sun shone right on her face. she glanced at her clock. six o’clock. gosh—ages before the dressing-bell went. she sat up and pulled her dressing-gown towards her.

“i’ll go down and have a swim,” she thought. “a real swim in the pool, not just fooling about, like i’ve been doing since i had that row with amanda. i’ll see if i’ve remembered all her rules.”

she went softly down the stairs and out into the sun-drenched grounds. she was soon down by the pool, and went to find her bathing-suit, which she had left there to dry. she pulled it on. then into the pool she went with a neat dive.

it was glorious there—and lovely to have it all to herself. usually it was so crowded. june floated lazily. then she began to swim. yes—she had remembered everything that amanda had taught her. she shot through the water at top speed, her lithe body as supple as a fish. up and down she went, up and down, till she was tired out.

she climbed out to have a rest and sit in the sun. she decided to go down to the edge of the sea, and let the waves splash her, as she sat on the rocks. so down she went, and found a high shelf of rock to sit on, where waves could just splash over her legs.

she gazed idly out to sea. what a marvellous blue—a kind of delphinium blue, june decided. and then her eyes suddenly fastened on a little black blob, some way out to sea. could it be a buoy fastened there to show a hidden rock? june had never noticed it before.

then she saw what looked like a white arm raised. she leapt to her feet. goodness gracious—it was a swimmer! out there, caught by the current, someone was swimming desperately to prevent being forced on to the rocks some way along.

june stood still, her heart suddenly beating fast. she watched intently. it was a swimmer, though she couldn’t make out whether it was a man or a woman. did he or she know the current had caught him, and was dragging him to the rocks, where waves were pounding high?

yes. amanda knew. amanda felt the strong, swift current beneath her. how could she ever have laughed at it? it was stronger than ten swimmers, than twenty swimmers! it pulled at her relentlessly, and no matter how she swam against it, it swept her in the opposite direction.

amanda was very tired. her great strength had been used for a long time now against the treacherous current of water. she saw with panic that she was being taken nearer and nearer to the rocks she had been warned against. she would have no chance if one of those great waves took her and flung her on them—she would be shattered at once!

june saw that the swimmer was trying to swim against the current. she knew it was hopeless. what could she do? had she time to run back to school, warn someone and get them to telephone for help? no, she hadn’t.

“there’s only one thing to do,” thought june. “just one chance! the boat! if i can get to the boat-house in time, drag out the boat, and cut the swimmer off before he gets on the rocks, i might save him. just a chance!”

she tore off to the little boat-house in her bathing-suit. it was some way along the shore, in a place free of rocks and pounding waves. june found the key, unlocked the door and tried to drag out one of the little boats the girls sometimes used, when old tom the boatman could be persuaded to take them for a row.

even this little boat was heavy. june tugged at it and pushed—and at last it reached the water, and took off on a wave. june sprang in and caught up the oars. she began to row at top speed, but soon had to slacken, because she was so out of breath. she glanced round to spot the swimmer.

she began to row at top speed

there he was—no, it must be a she, because it had longish hair, wet and draggled. what an idiot! june pulled strongly at the oars, horrified to see that the swimmer was being swept very near the rocks now.

the sea was calm, fortunately, so the waves that pounded the rocks were not so tremendous as usual. june yelled to the swimmer.

“ahoy there! ahoy!”

the swimmer didn’t hear. amanda was almost spent. her arms were now hardly moving. she could fight against the current no longer.

“ahoy!” yelled june again. this time amanda heard. she turned her head. a boat! oh, what a blessed, beautiful sight! but could she possibly get to it, or it to her, in time?

the boat came on. a wave suddenly took amanda strongly in its grasp, swelled up and flung her forward. a hidden rock struck her leg, and she cried out in agony.

“gosh—she’s almost on the rocks,” thought june, in a panic. she rowed wildly, and at last reached the swimmer, who was now allowing herself to float, unable to swim a stroke.

june reached out to her over the side of the boat. “it’s amanda!” she realized, with a shock of amazement. “well, who would have thought she’d be such an idiot.”

miraculously the swell subsided for a minute or two, and june pulled at amanda. “come on—help yourself up!” she shouted. “buck up!”

how amanda ever got into the boat she didn’t know. neither did june. it seemed impossible, for amanda had a badly hurt leg and arm. but somehow it was done, and at last she lay in the bottom of the boat, exhausted, trembling, and in pain. she muttered “thanks”, but beyond that could not utter a word.

june found that she now had to pull against the current. she was tired already and soon realized it was impossible. but help was not far off. some early morning bathers in the pool had spotted the boat, and one bright fourth-former had fetched a pair of binoculars. as soon as it was seen that the boat was in difficulties, old tom was sent for—and now here was his small outboard motor-boat chugging along to rescue the two exhausted girls!

they were soon on shore. matron had been fetched, as soon as june had been recognized through the glasses. no one had spotted amanda at first, as she was in the bottom of the boat. the girls crowded round, and cried out in horror.

“oh, look at amanda’s leg and her poor arm! oh, isn’t it terrible!”