17 a wonderful surprise

there was a little light burning in the hall. the head mistress's rooms were in darkness. she wasevidently upstairs in the san. darrell crept upstairs. there were bright lights everywhere, and a gooddeal of bustle. what was happening to poor sally?

darrell couldn't understand what was going on. sally must be very ill to have so many peoplebothering about her like this in the middle of the night! darrell's heart felt very heavy. she didn't dareto go any farther in case someone ' saw her. but she felt she must stay where she was. she j must getto know some thing! she couldn't possibly go back to bed without finding out what was happening. ifonly, only she could help!

she sat down on a window-seat, and drew the heavy curtains round her, straining her ears to catch aword from any of the people bustling about from one of the san. rooms to another. that was matron'svoice—the matron of north tower! and that was the other matron's voice, very crisp and sharp,giving an order. and that was a man's voice.

darrell held her breath and listened to the mysterious voices and noises, but she couldn't hear a word.

oh, what would they all say if they knew that she, hot-tempered, wicked little darrell was at thebottom of all this fuss and worry and bother? darrell pulled the curtain round her head and wept greattears that soaked into the heavy silk.

she sat there for about half an hour. then, quite suddenly, and without meaning to , she fell fastasleep ! lost in the heavy curtains, she slept, tired out.

she did not know how long she slept. she awoke again later, hearing noises. she sat up, wonderingwhere in the wide world she was! then she remembered. of course—she was near the san. she hadcome to find out what was happening to sally, j at once all the fear and anxiety closed round heronce again. she felt lonely and lost, and wanted her mother. she ! clutched the curtains round her asshe heard voices coming near. was it doctors? nurses? perhaps the head mistress herself?

| and then darrell's heart almost stopped beating! some one was going by the window-seat where shesat, someone who spoke in a voice she knew and loved!

'she'll be all right,' said the voice. 'just got her nicely in time! now...'

i darrell sat as if she was turned to stone, listening to that well-known voice! it couldn't be! itcouldn't be! it couldn't be her own father's voice!

she suddenly found herself able to move. she thrust the curtains aside and looked between them. shesaw her father walking along with the matron, talking earnestly. yes, it was, it really was her father.

'daddy!' squealed darrell, forgetting absolutely everything except the fact that there was her father,whomshe thought was miles away, walking along the passage just near her. 'daddy! oh, daddy! stop,here's darrell!'

her father stopped as if he was shot! he couldn't believe his ears! darrell leapt down from thewindow-seat and flung herself on him like a small thunderbolt. she clung to him and began to cry.

'what's the matter, darling?' said her father, amazed. 'why are you here?'

miss grayling came up, astonished and rather disapprov?ing. 'darrell! what are you here for, child?

mr. rivers, you had better come into my room downstairs, please.'

carrying darrell in his arms, her father followed miss grayling downstairs, with matron cluckingbehind like an astonished hen. darrell clung to her father as if she would never let him go. was shedreaming? could it be that this was really her own father, in the middle of the night? darrell couldn'timagine how or why he was there, but it was enough that he was.

he sat down in a big armchair with darrell on his knees. matron disappeared. only miss graylingwas there, and she looked in a very puzzled manner at darrell and her father. there was somethinghere she didn't understand.

'you cry all you want to, then tell me what's the matter,' said darrell's father. 'why, we only saw youyesterday, and you were so happy! never mind, i'm here, and i'll put everything right for you.'

'you can't!' wept darrell. 'i've been wicked ! it was my temper again. oh, daddy, it's all my fault thatsally is so ill!'

'my dear child, what are you talking about?' said her father, puzzled. darrell snuggled her head intohis chest and began to feel much better. daddy could always put things right. so could mother. whata blessing he was here tonight.

then she raised her head, and spoke in surprise. 'but daddy—why are you here? i thought you weremiles away!'

'well, i was,' said mr. rivers. 'but miss grayling telephoned to me to say that little sally hope hadappendicitis and the surgeon they usually had was ill, so could i come straight along and do theoperation. so of course i did! 1 hopped into the car, drove here, found everything ready, did the littleoperation, and here i am! and sally will be quite all right and back again in school in about twoweeks' time!'

a great load fell away from darrell's heart. she could almost feel it rolling away. why, appendicitiswas some-thing anyone might have! her father was always curing appendicitis! she spoke anxiously.

'daddy—appendicitis couldn't be caused by a push— or a fall—could it?'

'good gracious, no!' said her father. 'sally's had this little affair coming on for some time, there's nodoubt about that. all the term and before that, i should think. but what makes you ask that question?'

then everything came pouring out—how funny and queer and rude sally had been—how darrell hadlost her temper- the violent push, the fall—everything!

'and i worried and worried and worried,' said darrell, with a sob. 'i thought if miss grayling knew,she would send me away from malory towers, and you and mother would be ashamed of me, and icouldn't sleep, so i got up and...'

'what a silly little girl! 'said her father, and kissed the top of her head. 'perhaps we had better takeyou away from malory towers ourselves, and have you at home, if you are going to think such sillythings, darrell!'

'oh, no—don't do that! i love being here!' said darrell. 'oh, daddy—if you knew how different i feelnow that i know sally was going to be ill, anyhow—it wasn't anything to do with me, after all. butoh, dear—i wrote to mrs. hope about it! what will she think?'

then she had to tell all about the letter and what she had said. her father and miss grayling werepuzzled to hear how sally had said she hadn't a baby sister.

'something queer there that must be sorted out,' said mr. rivers to miss grayling. 'might prevent herfrom getting better as quickly as she ought to. when did you say mr. and mrs. hope were coming?'

'tomorrow,' said miss grayling. 'i'll see them and explain. now, mr. rivers—would you like us togive you a bed here tonight? it's so late.'

'oh, no!' said mr. rivers. 'i'm used to driving out late at night. i'll go back, thank you, and darrellmust go to bed. now don't worry any more, darling—things are all right-and your little push didn't dosally any harm, though probably the fall made her feel her bad tummy a little bit more. i expect shefelt ill all day, poor child.'

'it wasn't a little push i gave her. it was a big one,' said darrell.

'it makes me sad to think i've handed on to you the temper i've got myself,' said her father. darrelltightened her arms around his neck.

'don't worry. i'll get on top of it!' she said. 'i'll soon do what you do—keep it for worth-while things!'

'well, good night, darling,' said her father, and kissed her. 'go and see sally as soon as you're allowedto. i think you'll feel better then!'

'i feel better now!' said darrell, and slipped off his knee. her eyes were red but she was smiling. howdifferent she felt! all her worry was gone.

her father went off in the darkness in his car. miss grayling herself took darrell to bed and tuckedher in. darrell fell asleep even before the head mistress was out of theroom.

and, in the san. sally slept too, her pain gone. matron watched over her, pleased to hear her steady,regular breath?ing. what a deft, quick surgeon darrell's father was—only thirteen minutes to do theoperation! matron thought how lucky it was that he had been near enough to come.

next morning dawned fair and bright. darrell awoke when the dressing-bell went, tired but happyagain. she lay and thought for half a minute. her heart was full of thankfulness. sally would be allright. her father had said so. and he had said that darrell hadn't had anything to do with her illness.

all her worry had been for nothing. no—not quite for nothing. it had made a deep impression on her.

it wouldn't be nearly so difficult to keep her temper next time. she had had a jolly good lesson!

i wish i could do something to show i'm grateful and thankful it's all turned out like this,' thoughtdarrell, jumping out of bed. 'but there's nothing 1 can do. i wonder how sally is today.'

sally was getting on very well indeed. when she heard that her mother and father were coming to seeher she could hardly believe her ears.

'but is mother coming?' she asked, time and again. 'are you sure mother's coming? but she couldn'tcome last saturday. is she really coming?'

miss grayling received mr. and mrs. hope in her big drawing-room. mr. hope was a big burly man,looking anxious. mrs. hope was a delicate-looking woman with a sweet face.

'sally is not quite ready for you to see her yet,' said miss grayling, i am so glad to be able to tell youthat the operation was very successful and she is getting along wonderfully well. mr. rivers, thesurgeon, happened to be at a hotel not far off, and we got him to do it. he is the father of one of ourgirls here, darrell rivers.'

'oh—darrell rivers,' said mrs. hope, and she took out a letter from her bag. i had such a queer letterfrom her today, miss grayling. please read it. she appears to think she was the cause of sally'sillness, but of course she wasn't. but the other things she says are very worrying to me. could wehave darrell in to speak to us, before i see sally, do you think?'

miss grayling read the letter and looked grave. 'there is something puzzling here,' she said. 'whyshould sally keep saying she has no sister, when she knows she has?'

'i don't know,' said mrs. hope, sadly. 'but sally has been queer ever since baby daphne came. shewon't look at her or speak to her—and once, when she didn't know 1 was looking, i saw her pinchpoor daphne cruelly. and sally is not a cruel child.'

'have you any other children?' asked miss grayling. mrs. hope shook her head.

'no,' she said. 'sally was twelve when daphne was born. she had been the only child for all that time.

i thought she would be so pleased to have a sister. we haven't spoilt sally, you know—but she didn'thave to share us with anyone till daphne came—and sometimes i wondered if she was— well—jealous.'

'of course she was!' said miss grayling at once. 'i should think, mrs. hope, that sally is very muchattached to you, and resented sharing your love when the baby came. she probably didn't like to tellyou so, in case you thought badly of her.'

'oh, she never said a word to me!' said mrs. hope. 'she just changed, that's all. she wasn't merry andgay any more, she didn't come to us and love us as she used to do, and she seemed to hate the baby. ithought it would blow over. and then, when it didn't, i and my husband thought it would be best ifsally came to boarding school, because i wasn't very well at the time, and it was all i could do to lookafter the baby, without having to cope with sally too. we did it for the best.'

'yes, i see,' said miss grayling, thoughtfully. 'but, from sally's point of view it must have seemedthat you didn't want her any more, but had sent her away to make room for a baby who was taking upall your care and attention. mrs. hope, this jealousy of a much younger child is very common andvery natural, and you mustn't blame sally for it. neither must you let it grow. if only you can makesally feel you love her as much as ever you did it will be quite all right. now—shall we have darrellin?'

darrell was sent for. she came in nervously, scared of what mrs. hope might say. but she was soonput at her ease, and she told all she knew.

miss grayling turned to mrs. hope, i think it would be a good idea if we let darrell go in to see sallyfor a few minutes before you do,' she said. 'we will let her tell sally that you have come—and wewill let her say that you have left the baby behind in order to hurry as fast as possible to sally. willyou do that, darrell?'

darrell nodded. she had suddenly seen all sally's trouble! why, she was jealous of her little babysister! so jealous that she wouldn't even admit she had got one. sally didn't know how lucky she was!

'i'll tell her,' she said, eagerly. 'i'll do what i can too, when you've gone, to make sally think it's fun tohave a sister. i wanted to do something—and i shall love to do that!'