15 a sudden quarrel

but sally was not easy to find. she seemed to have completely disappeared again. it occurred todarrell to wonder if sally was avoiding her—but no, why should she? there would be no reason forthat.

she hunted everywhere for sally. nobody knew where she was. it was peculiar. darrell went back toher parents, anxious not to lose any more of their company, for time was precious now.

'well, / can't find sally,' she said. 'she's completely vanished. anyway, i'll give her her mother'smessage. what was it, mother?'

'oh, her mother seemed a little worried about sally, because it's her first term at boarding school, andsally writes such funny wooden little letters,' said mrs. rivers. 'i showed mrs. hope some ofyourletters, darling. i knew you wouldn't mind; and she said she did wish sally would write more news toher, and send her letters like yours. she said she seemed to have lost touch with her completely. shewas really very worried. she wanted me to speak to sally and tell her she sent her fondest love, andwas so sorry she couldn't come and see her this half-term. and she said her baby sister sent her hugsand kisses.'

'i'll tell her,' said darrell, very puzzled. 'but mother dear, sally's awfully funny about things. shetruly and honestly did tell me she hadn't got a sister, and she was furious with me for talking abouther mother. she said i was interfering and all sorts of things.'

'well—perhaps she was joking,' said mrs. rivers, also rather puzzled. 'sally does know she's got ababy sister at home. for one thing, that was why she was sent to boarding school, so that the babywho is rather delicate could have all mrs. hope's care. it's a dear little thing.'

'been losing your temper yet?' asked darrell's father, with a twinkle in his eye. darnell went red.

'well—i did once,' she said. 'and after i'd made up my mind i wouldn't too!'

'oh, darrell—you didn't lose it badly, i hope,' said her mother anxiously.

emily answered for darrell. 'oh, she just gave a most exasperating girl some jolly good slaps in thepool! you could almost hear them up at the towers!'

'darrelp.' said her mother, shocked. darrell grinned.

'i know. awful of me, wasn't it. i shan't do it again. i've got my temper well in hand now.'

'we've all wanted to do a bit of slapping where that particular girl is concerned,' said emily, 'sosecretly we were rather pleased!'

they all laughed. darrell felt so happy that she was sure she would never lose her temper again in herlife! what a pity a day like this had to come to an end!

but it did come to an end. at about six o'clock the cars began to purr out of the big drive, and girlswaved wildly. one by one their parents went, and the excited chattering died down. the girls wentinto their common rooms to talk over events of the day.

after a while darrell remembered the message she had for sally hope. she glanced round thecommon room. sally wasn't there. where was she? she seemed always to be disappearing!

'where's sally hope?' asked darrell.

'1 believe she's in one the music-rooms," said katherine. 'goodness knows why she wants to practicetoday, when

everyone is let off lessons!'

'i'll go and find her,' said darrell, and walked off. she made her way to the music-rooms, where thegirls did their practising each day. they were tiny rooms, containing only a piano, a stool, and achair.

music came from two of them. darrell peeped into the first one. irene was there, playing softly toherself. she didn't even see darrell. darrell smiled and shut the door. irene was certainly mad onmusic!

she came to the other practice room, from which music was coming. it was not the entrancingmelodies that irene had been playing though, but plain five-finger exercises, played over and again,over and over again, in an almost angry manner.

darrell opened the door. yes—sally was there all right. good. darrell went in and shut the door.

sally turned round and scowled.

'i'm practising,' she said. 'get out.'

'what's the matter with you?' said darrell, feeling annoyed immediately. 'you don't need to jumpdown my throat like that. i've been trying fo find you all day. my mother wanted to speak to you.'

'well, i didn't want to speak to her,' said sally, and began to thump out the irritating exercise again,up and down, up and down.

' why shouldn't you want to speak to my mother?' cried darrell, angrily. 'she had a message for youfrom your mother.'

no answer. up and down, up and down went sally's fingers on the notes, more loudly than ever.

darrell lost her temper.

'stop playing!' she shouted. 'don't be so horribly rude! whatever's the matter with you!"sally put the loud pedal down and crashed the notes more loudly than ever. plainly she was not goingto listen to a word.

darrell went near to her and put her mouth to her ear. 'why did you say you haven't got a sister? youhave, and that's why your mother couldn't come and see you! but she sent you her love and said...'

sally swung round from the piano, her face looking queer and white. 'shut up!' she said, interferinglittle busybody! leave me alone. just because you've been w ith your mother all day long, and hadher fussing round you, you think you can come and taunt me like this! i hate you!'

'you're mad!' cried darrell, and she struck her hand on the piano, making a queer sound of clashingnotes. 'you won't listen when 1 want to tell you things. but you shall listen! your mother told minethat you only write her funny wooden letters... she said...'

i won't listen!' said sally, in a choking voice, and got up from the stool. she pushed darrell blindlyaway. but darrell could not bear to be touched when she was in a temper, and she shoved back withall her might. she was strong, and she sent sally flying across the little room. she fell across thechair, and lay there for a moment.

she put her hand on her stomach. 'oh, it hurts,' she said. 'oh, you wicked girl, darrell!'

darrell was still trembling with anger as sally stumbled out of the room. but almost immediately herrage went, and she was overwhelmed with horror. how could she have been so awful? sally wasqueer and silly and horrid, it was true—but she, darrell, had used her strength against her to hurt her.

she had lost her temper all over again, after boasting to her parents only a little while ago that shenever would any more.

she ran to the door, eager to go after sally and beg her pardon. but sally was nowhere to be seen.

darrell ran back to the common room. no sally there, either. she sat down in a chair and rubbed herhot forehead. what a scene! how disgusting! why couldn't she manage her temper?

'what's up?' asked alicia.

'oh—nothing much. sally was a bit difficult, that's all— and i lost my temper,' said darrell.

idiot!' said alicia. 'what did you do? slap her? give her some broth without any bread?'

darrell couldn't smile. she felt near tears. what a horrid ending to such a lovely day! after all theexcitement and now this sudden row, she felt quite exhausted. she was not all pleased when emilycame up with her sewing.

' i do think your people are nice,' began emily, and started to chatter in a way she seldom did. howboring! darrell wanted to tell emily to be quiet. if she had been alicia she would—but as a rule shewas kinder than the sharp tongued alicia, and did not like to hurt people's feelings. so she bore withemily as patiently as she could.

mary-lou watched her from the other side of the room. she wanted to come over and join emily anddarrell. but gwendoline was pouring out reams of family history to her, and she had to listen. alsoshe was a little afraid that darrell might snub her if went across.

darrell watched for sally to appear in the common room. perhaps she could slip over to her then andtell her she was sorry. she was ashamed of herself now, and she could only put it right by tellingsally. oh, dear! it was awful to have a temper that simply rose up out of the blue, before you evenknew it was coming! what could you do with a temper like that?

sally didn't come back to the common room. soon the supper-bell went and the girls filed into thedining-room. darrell looked about for sally again. but still she wasn't there. this was really veryqueer.

miss potts noticed that there was an empty chair. 'who's missing?' she said.

'sally hope,' said darrell. 'i last saw her in one of the practice rooms- about an hour ago.'

'well, go and fetch her,' said miss potts, impatiently.

'oh, she left when i was there,' said darrell. i don't know where she went to.'

'we'll get on without her then,' said miss potts. 'she must have heard the supper-bell.'

the girls chattered about the day they had had. only darrell was silent. was sally somewhere, veryupset ? what could be the matter with her ? why was she so queer about things? was she unhappyabout something ?

mary-lou sniffed loudly. 'where's your hanky ?' asked miss potts. 'haven't you got one ? oh, mary-lou, you know you must always have one. go and get one at once. 1 can't bear that sniff of yours.'

mary-lou slipped out of the room, and ran up to the dormy. she didn't come back for a little whileand miss potts became impatient.

'really ! it seems to take mary-lou all evening to find a hanky !'

there came the sound of running steps and the door of the dining-room was flung open. mary-loucame in, looking even more scared than usual.

'miss potts ! oh, miss potts ! i've found sally. she's lying on her bed in the dormy, and she's makingan awful noise !'

'what sort of noise ?' said miss potts, hurriedly gettingup.

' a groaning sort of noise and she keeps holding herself and saying, "oh, my tummy !"' said poormary-lou, bursting into tears. 'oh, miss potts, do go to her. she wouldn't even speak to me !'

'girls, get on with your supper,' said miss potts, briskly, it sounds as if sally has eaten too manystrawberries and too much ice-cream. katherine, go and tell matron, please, and ask her to go up toyour dormy.'

she swept out of the room. the girls began talking at once, asking scared mary-lou all kinds ofquestions. only darrell still sat silent, a cold fear creeping round her heart.

she had flung sally across the room, and sally had fallen over that chair! she must have hurt herselfin the stomach then. darrell remembered how she had said, it hurts.' it wasn't too many strawberriesand too much ice-cream. it was darrell's temper that had caused the trouble!

darrell couldn't eat any more supper. she slipped off to the common room to be by herself. surelysally wasn't much hurt? just bruised, perhaps. surely miss potts would come in soon and saycheerfully, 'well, well! nothing much wrong with sally after all!'

'oh, i hope she does, i hope she does,' said poor darrell, and waited impatiently and anxiously for thesound of miss pott's quick footsteps.