Exploits of the Chalet Girls [antikvár]

chapter i TERM BEGINS It was the beginning of a new term at the Chalet School, and all over the Chalet and its sister house, Le Petit Chalet, sounded a buzz of merry voices, a tapping of heels, and peals of gay laughter. Downstairs in the Staff Room, Mademoiselle Lepättre, the Head of the School, was busy with such of her Staff as could be spared, discussing time-tables. Upstairs in the dormitories. Matron, with two mistresses, was overseeing the unpacking. In the Prefects' Room, the head-^rl and all the prefects were exchanging holiday experiences in between doing a little work. F^or many of the prefects were new, and Jo Bettany, the head-girl, was supposed to get duty lists and responsibilities all arranged before the next morning. The first day was always more or less a go-as-you-please day. After that, the Chaletians settled down to ordinary work and play The eight girls who formed the prefect body at the Chalet School were all members of old standing. Joey Bettany, the sister of the co-Head Mrs Russell, Frieda Mensch, Simone Lecoutier, and Sophie Hamel had helped to make up the nucleus of the School when it was first founded nearly five years before. Marie von Eschenau, Bianca di Ferrara, Carla von Flügen, and Vanna di Ricci, the other four, had entered the school in its second term. They were all good friends, having gone up the school side by side, though Varma di Ricci was rather older than the other seven. Joey was hail-fellow-well-met with most folk; her great friends were Frieda Mensch, Marie von Eschenau, and Simone Lecoutier. Together, they made a strong coterie, for Jo was a leader in the best sense of the word; Frieda possessed most of the common sense of the quartette; Simone was a clever, hard-working girl, whose chief weakness was a romantic affection for Jo which had survived nearly five years of teasing; and Marie, in addition to being Games prefect, was the school beauty. 5