1 back to malory towers again.

i’ve simply loved the hols," said darrell, as she got into her father's car, ready to set off to schoolonce more. "but i'm glad it's time for school again. i've been eight weeks away from it!”

"well, well, how simply terrible!" said her father. is your mother ready, or must i hoot? it's anextraordinary thing that fm always the first one ready. ah, here comes mother!”

mrs. rivers hurried down the steps. "oh dear, have i kept you waiting?" she said. "the telephonewent at the last minute. it was sally hope's mother, darrell, asking what time we shall be along topick up sally and take her with us."

sally hope was darrell’s best friend. mr. rivers, darrell's father, was motoring them both down tomalory towers, their school in cornwall they were setting off very early so that they would be therebefore dark, and sally was going with them.

"i hate leaving home but i just can't help being excited at going back again," said darrell. this will bemy fifth term at malory towers, mother—and i'm to be in the second form. i shall feel grand!""well, you're thirteen now. so it's time you went up," said her mother, settling down in the car. 'youwill quite look down on the first form, won't you?—think they are mere babies!”

"i suppose i shall," said darrell with a laugh. "well, the third form look down on us—so we're allkept in our places!"

"there's your little sister waving to you," said herfather, as the car slid down the drive. "she will miss you, darrell."darrell waved frantically. "good-bye. felicity!” she yelled. "you'll be coming to malory towerssome-time, then well go together!"

the car purred out of the drive into the road. darrell took a last look back at her home. she would notsee it again for three months. she felt a little sad—but then, being a sensible girl, she cheered up atonce and set her thoughts on malory towers. she had grown to love her school very much in the lastyear, and she was proud that she belonged to it. four terms in the first form with miss potts laybehind her—now she had a year in the second form to look forward to.

they arrived at sally hope's house in an hour's time. sally was ready for them, her school trunk andher night-case standing beside her on the steps. with her was her mother, and by them stood a toddlerof about eighteen months, clutching at sally's hand.

"hallo, sally! hallo, daffy!" shouted darrell in excitement. "good, you're ready!"the trunk was put in the boot at the back of the car with darrell’s. the night-case was strapped onthe grid. sally's lacrosse stick was shoved in with the odds and ends, and then she got in herself.

"want to come too!" called daffy, her eyes full of tears as she saw her beloved sally going away.

"good-bye. mother dear! i’ll write as soon as i can!" called sally. "good-bye. daffy darling."the car slid off again, and daffy began to howl. sally looked a little upset "i hate leaving mother."she said, "and now i hate leaving daffy, too. she's lovely now—she can run everywhere, and shetalks awfully well."

"do you remember how yon hated her when she was a baby?" said darrell. "now i bet you wouldn'tbe without her. it's fun to have a sister."

"yes, i was horrid to her." said sally, remembering. that was an awful first term i had at malorytowers—i was so miserable. thinking i’d been sent away from home to make room for daffy, thenew baby. i hated you too, darrell—isn't it queer to think of?""and now we're best friends," said darrell with a laugh. i say—who do you think win be head of thesecond form this term, sally? katherine's in the third form now, so she won't be. it'll be somebodyelse."

"alicia perhaps." said sally. "she's about the oldest"i know—but do you think she would make a good head?" said darrell, doubtfully. "i know she'sawfully clever, and gets top marks in anything—but don't you think she's too fond of playing thefool?"

"she might stop that if she was head of the form," said sally. "what alicia wants is a bit ofresponsibility, i think. she just won't take any. you know she was asked to run the nature walks lastterm, and she wouldn't. but i can think of another reason why she wouldn't make a good head girl.""what?" asked darrell, enjoying this gossip about her school fellows.

"well, she's rather hard," said sally. "she wouldn't bother to help people if they were in trouble, shewouldn't bother herself to be kind, she'd just be head-of-the-form and give orders, and see that theywere kept, and nothing else—and you do want something else in a head-girl, don't you think so?""well, who do you think is fit to be head of the form?" demanded darrell. "what about you!you sizepeople up awfully well, and you're fine when anybody's upset or in trouble. and you're so—well, sosteady, somehow. you don't fly off the handle likei do, or get all worked up about things. i’d love you to be head.""i wouldn't want to be," said sally, "and any way, there's no chance of it. i think you would be fine ashead of the form, darrell—you really would. everyone likes you and trusts you.”

for a wild moment darrell wondered if it was possible that she might be chosen! it was true that allthe girls, except one or two, really liked and trusted her.

"but there's my temper, still," she said, regretfully. took how i flared up last term when marigoldticked me off at tennis, thinking i was somebody else. i didn't know she'd made a mistake, of course—but just think how i yelled at her and flung my racket down and stamped off. i can't think whatcame over me."

"oh, the sun was too much for you and lots of us that day," said sally, comfortingly. "you don'tusually lose your temper for silly things like that you are learning to keep it for things it's useful fortlike going for that ass of a gwendoline mary, for instance!”

darrell laughed. "yes, she really is an idiot isn't she? do you remember how silly she was over missterry, that singing mistress we had last term—the one that took mr. young's place for two months? ithought miss terry was stupid to put up with it""oh, gwendoline will always be silly over some-body," said sally. "she's that kind. i expect she'llpick on somebody this term too, to worship and follow round. well, thank goodness it's not likely tobe me!"

"i hope there'll be some new girls," said darell. "it's fun sizing them up, isn't it?—and seeing whatthey're like."

"there are sure to be some," said sally. "i say -wouldn't it be funny if mary-lou was told to be head-girl!" both girls laughed. mary-lou was devoted to bothsally and darrell, though darrell was her heroine -and the girls liked little mary-lou very much. butshe was such a timid little thing, shrinking away from all idea of responsibility, that it was quitefunny to picture her face if she was ever told she was to be head of the form.

"she'd have a blue fit and go up in smoke." said darrell. "but she's much better now, sally. do youremember how she used to shake at the knees when she was scared? she hardly ever does that now.

we've all been decent to her and not scared her, and we've made her believe in herself—so she'sdifferent she'll never be so bad again."

it was a long, long drive to cornwall. the journey was broken by picnic meals, taken by the wayside,sitting on heather or grass. mrs. rivers took the wheel of the car once to relieve her husband. thegirls sat at the back and talked or drowsed, as the journey lengthened out.

"not very far now," said mr. rivers, who was back at the wheel. "we may see some other cars ontheir way to the school, too. look out for them."they soon saw one—a low red car belonging to irene's people. irene was at the back and wavedviolently, almost knocking off her father's glasses, as he sat at the wheel. the car swerved.

"isn't that just like irene," said sally, with a grin. "hey. irene! had good hols. ?"the two cars kept more or less together, and the girls looked back at irene's merry face. they likedher. she was a clever girl especially at music, but a real scatter-brain otherwise, always forgettingthings and losing them. but she was so good-humoured that nobody could be cross with her for long.

"there's another car! whose is it?" said sally, as a third one came in from a side-road, complete withschool trunk at the back. it swung away ahead of them.

"one of the bigger girls," said darrell. "looks like georgina thomas. i wonder who will be head ofthe whole school this year. pamela's gone now. i hope georgina won't. she's too bossy for anything."now they were very near the school and it suddenly came into sight round a comer. the girls lookedat it in silence. they both liked their school immensely and were very proud of it. they saw the greatgrey building, with a rounded tower at each end—north tower. south tower, east and west. acreeper, now turning red, climbed almost up to the roof.

"our castle!” said darrell, proudly. "malory towers. best school in the world.”

soon the car swung up to the big flight of steps leading to the great front door. other cars were in thedrive, and groups of chattering girls stood about. gay voices called across the drive.

"hallo. lucy! look, there's freda! isn't she brown? had good hols., freda? you look as if you'd livedin the water, you're so brown."

"hallo, jenny! did you get my letters? you never answered one, you pig. hey, tessie. look out formy night-case. take your great feet off it!“"good-bye. mother! good-bye. daddy! ill write as soon as i've settled in. don't forget to feed my petmice, will you?"

"get out of the way there! you'll be run over by that car! oh, it's betty hill. betty, betty! have youbrought any tricks or jokes back with you?"

a pair of wicked eyes looked out of the window of the car, and a tuft of hair fell over a brownforehead. "i may have!" said betty, stepping out. "you never know! anyone seen alicia? or hasn'tshe come yet?"

the train-girls haven't arrived! the train is late, as usual!""darrell! darrell rivers! hallo, there! and sally. i say, let's go in and find our dormy. come on!"what a noise! what a tumult! darrell couldn't help feeling thrilled. it was good to be back at schoolagain—back at malory towers.