04 The Head Girl of the Chalet School Read Online Free Page A

“should not be lying in such a draught.”
    She looked cold enough, for her long nose-end was pinched and blue, and her teeth were inclined to chatter. Miss Maynard suddenly felt remorseful for the struggle which had ended in the window’s being stuck like this. She got up cautiously so as not to wake Jo, and went up to the poor lady. “I’m afraid we can do nothing with the window,” she said in carefully lowered tones. “The Professor banged it down so hard that it will take a man’s strength to pull it up again. But I have some hot coffee in a thermos. If you will let me give you some and roll you up in your rugs as I rolled up the children, I think you will soon find yourself warm again.”
    “The Stuffer” gave in. She agreed to let Miss Maynard tuck her into her rugs and doctor her with hot coffee which had a tiny drop of brandy in it to warm her through, and at length dropped off to sleep, comfortable, as she had not been before on the journey.
    At four o’clock the collector came for their tickets, but after that there were no more interruptions till at a quarter to five an attendant came along announcing that they were nearly into Basle, and would arrive there in ten minutes’ time. Moving as quietly as she could, Miss Maynard woke up Joey and Grizel, and bade them get ready to leave the train. The Robin she left. It would he better if they could get her to the pension where they were going without waking her at all. The elder girls quickly and deftly put their things together, rolling up rugs, and strapping them with a neatness and precision which told of experience in journeys.
    “Maria” and her friend woke up, and watched them curiously.
    “Do you live in this place – Basle?” asked “the Stuffer.”
    “Oh, no,” said Joey, seeing that Miss Maynard was busy with the cases; “we live at Briesau am Tiernsee, but we are breaking the journey here to see Basle. We’ve been home with Maynie for the hols.,” she added lucidly. “School begins in ten days’ time.”
    “Are you at school at – at this place with the outlandish name, then?” asked the lady.

    Joey nodded. “Yes; but my sister lives across the lake at Sonnalpe, and the Robin’s father lives there too.”
    At this point the train slackened speed, and ran into the deserted station, where only the flaring lights and a few sleepy-eyed porters spoke of the life that thronged it through the day. Miss Maynard leaned out of the window, and summoned one to come and get their things, while she herself picked up the Robin, who slept on serenely through it all, and Joey and Grizel took their rugs.
    As they were leaving the compartment “the Stuffer” plucked at Jo’s arm and thrust: a card on her. “This is my card,” she said. “I should like to hear about your school. Will you write to this address and tell me about it? And, my dear, please tell that nice young lady who showed me how to arrange my rugs and gave me the coffee that I have been warm ever since.”
    “Of course,” said Joey, “you can get coffee here, I know. Shall I ask one of the porters to fetch you some –and some sandwiches? They are topping !”
    “Thank you. I shall be obliged,” was the reply.
    Jo had to go then, but she did not forget her promise, and presently the two ladies were drinking hot coffee and eating delicious rolls sliced down and filled with meat, and feeling that travelling by night was not so had after all.
    As for the other four, they were whisked to their pension, where a drowsy night-porter let them in, and they were shown up to their rooms, where they all went straight to bed, and slept till noon.

CHAPTER III
Basle
    JOEY was the first to wake. She swept up her lashes and sat up in bed, wide awake in a moment. Then she looked across to where Grizel lay, still fast asleep in the bed in the corner. She looked very pretty as she lay there, her cheeks rose-flushed with sleep, and her long brown curls scattered over the pillow. But