The New Monitress
The announcement of Mavis's resignation and the consequent promotion of
Merle to the post of monitress was received at school with varying
degrees of surprise. Some of the girls regretted it, others thought that
in the circumstances it was a wise decision.
"On the whole, I'm glad," admitted Iva in private to Nesta. "I love
Mavis, but she's too fine stuff for the job. It's like trying to cut
sacking with your most delicate pair of scissors. Now Merle will slash
away and won't mind anything. She's not afraid of those juniors, and
really some of them need a tight hand, the young wretches. It would half
kill Mavis to have to battle with them. Merle enjoys fighting."
"She'll get it, then," laughed Nesta. "There'll be plenty of scope for it
in the school, and I daresay I shall have a scrimmage or two with her
myself. Certainly Muriel will! Don't look shocked. We'll do our squabbles
in private if we have any. To the rest of the world, of course, the four
monitresses will seem absolutely at one about everything. We won't give
ourselves away!"
In a school where hitherto there has been no strict standard of
discipline, and which has suddenly doubled its numbers, it is rather a
difficult matter to decide the absolute limits of authority. Miss
Mitchell, new herself, gave the monitresses some general rules and
directions but left them to make what she called 'their own by-laws.'
"Work as much as you can through committees, and have an occasional
general meeting to voice popular opinion," she counselled. "Always keep
your position as leaders, but don't degenerate into an oligarchy. Listen
to just grievances, and try and bring everybody into harmony. The tone of
the school will depend very largely upon you four. Remember it's a
responsibility as well as an honour to have such a post of trust."
By the wish of both Miss Pollard and Miss Mitchell, it was arranged that
Iva and Nesta, who were boarders, should busy themselves mostly with the
affairs of the hostel, and that Muriel and Merle should look after those
things which specially concerned the day-girls. There were, of course,
various societies in which they could all unite, but the interests of
both were to be equally balanced. In order that the girls should have
time to inaugurate the numerous projects that loomed on the horizon, the
last hour of the coming Thursday afternoon was set apart for the purpose,
and a general meeting was to be held in the schoolroom.
"I shall leave you to manage it entirely yourselves," said Miss Mitchell.
"Found your own clubs, make your own arrangements, and elect your own
committees and officers. You can come and tell me about it afterwards."
Merle, rejoicing over the liberty thus given, found Iva, Nesta, and
Muriel a trifle nervous and diffident.
"The fact of the matter is," admitted Iva ruefully, "we none of us know
how to conduct a public meeting. What do you _do_? I've a vague idea
that there ought to be a chairman and a secretary, but what else? Rather
weak of us, isn't it? It seems so humiliating to go and tell Miss
Mitchell we can't carry on! She'll think us queer monitresses. Merle, can
you give any light?"
"We used to have heaps of public meetings at Whinburn High, and I think I
know the ropes. I can coach you all up beforehand. I should say we'd
better find out what girls are most likely to be of help, and arrange for
them to be proposed as members of committees. There's Mavis, of course.
Beata and Romola Castleton have been at school before, and so has Fay
Macleod. Kitty Trefyre looks as if she might be useful."
"I shall propose that you take the chair," said Iva. "Oughtn't that to be
a question of age?" interrupted Muriel quickly.
"It's a question of who is competent to do it. Merle's the only one of us
who knows how," returned Nesta, looking Muriel squarely in the face.
"Oh, all right!" (rather sulkily).
"We shall want a secretary, and you're a quick writer," suggested Merle,
with more tact than she generally possessed.
It was evident to Merle from the first that the greatest factor of
trouble in connection with her new post would lie with Muriel Burnitt.
Muriel was a little older than herself, she was clever, and she had a
sharp tongue. She had been educated solely at 'The Moorings,' and she
very much resented any allusions by Merle to former doings at the
Whinburn High school. Iva and Nesta were more broad-minded, and were
quite ready to take the benefit of Merle's past experiences, but as their
work lay largely at the hostel they were not so likely to clash. Even
Muriel, however, recognised the necessity of receiving instruction on the
subject of a public meeting, and allowed herself to be duly coached for
the duties of the occasion.
All the school felt quite excited when three o'clock on Thursday
afternoon arrived, and they were left to themselves in the large
classroom. Big girls, little girls, new girls, and old girls sat on the
forms in giggling anticipation, chattering like swallows on the eve of
migration, and determined to have a good time and enjoy themselves.
"You're the eldest! Open the ball!" said Iva, pushing Nesta forward.
But Nesta had turned shy. She had never been in such a position before,
and, flushing scarlet, she urged her utter inability to cope with the
matter.
"I can't! You do it--or Muriel!" she whispered in an agonized voice.
But Muriel, in spite of her ambition, was also afflicted with stage-fright
and passed on the honour.
Iva, making a supreme effort, called to the girls for silence, but they
were too much out of hand to listen to her and only went on talking.
Merle, following some wise advice administered by Mavis, had allowed the
other three to have first innings, but as none seemed capable of
controlling the meeting she now stepped to the front and, making a
megaphone of a roll of foolscap, yelled, "Order!" with all the force of
her lungs. The effect was instantaneous. There was an immediate dead
hush, and all eyes were turned in her direction.
"We're here this afternoon on business, and our first matter is to elect
a chairwoman," she proclaimed. "Will somebody kindly nominate one."
"I beg to propose Merle," piped Iva.
"And I beg to second her," fluttered Nesta, taking courage.
The clapping and stamping that followed witnessed the entire approval of
the meeting. Merle was unanimously elected to the chair, and having thus
received the symbol of authority proceeded to wield it. She was not in
the least bashful, and was quite ready to cope with anything that lay
before her. She held up a hand for silence and addressed her audience.
"I've told you we're here on business, and I want to explain. As it
affects everybody, perhaps you'll kindly listen without talking. Will
those three girls on the back bench move out here? Thanks! Now you all
know the school has started on a new era, and we hope it's going to forge
ahead. In the past we haven't done very much in the way of societies.
Perhaps that's all the better, because it gives us the chance to make a
clean start now, without any back traditions to hamper us. What I propose
is this: We'll go slow at first until we get into the swing of things,
and then later on we can blossom out as much as we like. I suggest that
we should get up three societies:
"A Games Club.
"A Literary Club.
"An Entertainment Club.
"The Games Club will try and work up a decent hockey team, and when our
play is worth anything, we'll see if we can't arrange a match with some
other school. The Literary Club will run a magazine, to which you'll all
be welcome to send contributions; and the Entertainment Club will
concentrate on getting up theatricals or something of that sort for the
end of the term. Does this meet your views?"
"Rather!"
"A1."
"Go ahead!" shouted several voices.
"Well, our first business is to appoint a president and a secretary for
each. I'm going to write a few likely names upon the blackboard, and then
you can make your choice. I ought to add that the boarders have already
started a Recreation Club of their own, and have made Nesta Pitman
president and Aubrey Simpson secretary. This has nothing to do with the
day-girls, but I just mention it, thinking you'd like to know about it.
We haven't time for a ballot, so if you'll propose candidates we'll take
the voting by a show of hands."
An interesting and exciting ten minutes followed, in which the merits and
demerits of various nominations were discussed, and the following girls
were finally elected to office:
GAMES CLUB
_President_. Merle Ramsay.
_Secretary_. Kitty Trefyre.
_Committee_. Muriel Burnitt.
Aubrey Simpson.
Beata Castleton.
Tattie Carew.
Edith Carey.
Peggie Morrison.
LITERARY CLUB
_President_. Muriel Burnitt.
_Secretary and Editress of Magazine_. Mavis Ramsay.
_Committee._ Iva Westwood. Maude Carey.
Merle Ramsay. Fay Macleod.
Nesta Pitman. Peggie Morrison.
ENTERTAINMENTS CLUB
_President_. Iva Westwood.
_Secretary_. Nesta Pitman.
_Committee_. Muriel Burnitt. Aubrey Simpson.
Mavis Ramsay. Sybil Vernon.
Merle Ramsay. Kitty Trefyre.
It was just when the successful candidates were receiving congratulations
that Beata Castleton stood up.
"As this is an open meeting may I make a suggestion?" she asked.
"Certainly," replied Merle from the chair.
"Well, I should like to suggest a 'Nature Study Club.' There doesn't seem
to be anything of that sort in the school, is there?"
"We have a museum somewhere about the place, I believe," admitted Merle.
"It's all put away in boxes," said Edith.
"Then why can't we bring it out and arrange it and add to it? And can't
we start a record, year by year, of when we find the first specimens of
certain wild flowers, hear the first notes of certain birds, and see
migratory birds? It would be ever so interesting."
"What a splendid idea! I'd like to second that!" exclaimed Mavis, jumping
up in great enthusiasm.
The general feeling was in favour of the proposition, and the Nature
Study Club was duly inaugurated, with Beata for president and Fay Macleod
for secretary, and a committee consisting mostly of the particular little
set of girls who motored daily from Chagmouth.
By four o'clock the whole of the business was concluded, the societies
were established, and a very hopeful start had been made. Among the many
activities of that important afternoon one point seemed to stand out
firmly and clearly--Merle above all the other monitresses had shown
herself capable of taking the lead. Where Iva, Nesta, and Muriel had
failed to control the school she had restored order, conducted the
meeting admirably, and exhibited considerable powers of organisation. She
had undoubtedly justified her position, and had won the respect of most
of her comrades.
"Did I do all right?" she asked Mavis anxiously, as they walked home.
"Splendiferously! I was bursting with pride! I couldn't have done it
myself, Merle! When I saw all that rackety crew talking and ragging, I
thought it was hopeless and that we should have to fetch Miss Mitchell.
Some of those juniors had just made up their minds to give trouble. You
tackled them marvellously."
"I wasn't going to give in to them!" declared Merle. "I meant to stop
their ragging if I had to go round and box all their ears. Well! They
know now they have to behave themselves or I'll know the reason why! But
oh, Mavis! I don't think Muriel will ever forgive me for being
chairwoman."
"Why not?"
"She never wanted me to be a monitress!"
"Nonsense!"
"It's the truth."
"Well, she missed her own opportunity, so she can't blame you for taking
it this afternoon."
"She's against me all the same. Iva and Nesta are quite nice, but there
are going to be squalls with Muriel. You'll take my part?"
"Of course I shall, through thick and thin. You can always count on your
own sister."
"That's something to go upon at any rate. I shall need support. I don't
believe it's going to be an easy business."
"'Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown,'" quoted Mavis laughingly.
"Exactly. I wanted tremendously to be monitress, but I didn't realise all
I was in for. I see many breezes in front."
"You'll weather them all, don't fear! After such a splendid start I've
every confidence in you. It's only a question now of keeping it up and
going ahead."
Merle was not mistaken in her estimation of the difficulties that lay
before her. A certain section of the juniors, led by Winnie Osborne and
Joyce Colman, the firebrands of the Third form, offered great resistance
to the authority of the monitresses, and put every possible obstacle in
their way. To keep these unruly youngsters in order meant a constant
clashing of wills, and needed much courage and determination. Some of the
new girls also were inclined to rebel and to air their own views. Sybil
Vernon, in particular, was a thorn in the flesh. She had been at
boarding-school before, and on the strength of her previous experience
she offered advice upon any and every occasion. She was very aggrieved
that she had not been eligible for election to office herself.
"I know so much more about it than most of you!" she would explain
airily. "If Miss Pollard had only chosen _me_ as a monitress I could
have organised everything exactly like it used to be done at The Limes."
Sybil was a curious girl, fair, with a fat babyish face, and a vast idea
of her own importance. She was very proud of her family, and never for a
moment forgot, or allowed anybody else to forget, that she belonged to
the Vernons of Renshaw Court, and that Sir Richard Vernon was her second
cousin. She expected a great deal more attention than the school was
willing to accord to her, and was invariably offended or aggrieved or
annoyed about something. The girls did not take her very seriously, and
laughed at what they called her 'jim-jams,' which had the effect of
making her first very indignant and finally reducing her to floods of
tears.
Though Sybil might be annoying there was really not much harm in her, and
her criticisms were very easily combated. A different girl altogether,
however, was Kitty Trefyre. She also had been at another school, and set
forth standards of conduct which were dissimilar from those at 'The
Moorings.' She was cautious in airing these, and wisely so, for most of
them caused the monitresses to lift their eyebrows in amazement,
whereupon she would instantly retract her remarks and declare she was
only 'ragging.' How much she really meant Merle never knew, but the
latter did not trust her.
"There's a sneaky look about her eyes," she commented to Mavis. "Sybil
lunges out and finds open fault, but Kitty hits in the dark. I hope she's
not going to spoil Iva!"
"Oh, don't say that!"
"They're chums already, and Iva is rather a chameleon! She takes the
colour of her character from her friends."