Naughtiest Girl 7: Naughtiest Girl Saves The Day Read online

  Saves the Day

  Written by Anne Digby

  Illustrated by Kate Hindley

  Contents

  TItle Page

  Introduction

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  BONUS BLYTON

  THE LIFE AND TIMES OF ENID BLYTON

  A NOTE FROM ENID BLYTON’S DAUGHTER

  ENID AS A CHILD: ON THE PATH TO BECOMING A WRITER – Part TWO

  WHAT THEY DID AT MISS BROWN’S SCHOOL

  Have you read them all?

  Copyright

  More from Enid Blyton

  If you liked this you’ll love . . .

  Introduction

  by Cressida Cowell

  bestselling author of the

  How to Train Your Dragon series

  Like so many, many children before and after me, Enid Blyton’s books played a crucial role in turning my nine-year-old self into a passionate reader.

  That is because Enid Blyton had an extraordinary knack for writing the kind of books that children actually want to read, rather than the kind of books that adults think they should read.

  Enid Blyton could tap into children’s dreams, children’s desires, children’s wishes, with pin-point accuracy. She knew that every child, however good and well-behaved they might look on the outside, secretly longed to be Elizabeth Allen, the naughtiest kid in the school. I’m afraid I entirely cheered Elizabeth on, as she defied her parents, the headmistresses, her schoolmates, and the very serious School Meetings. If anything, I wanted her to be even naughtier.

  But the Naughtiest Girl books were really my favourite of Enid Blyton’s school stories because of Whyteleafe, a very different school from Malory Towers or St Clare’s. What if there could be a school in which discipline was administered by the children rather than the adults? In which all money was given in at the start of the term and distributed amongst the children along socialist lines? Wouldn’t this be the kind of school that children would actually want to go to, rather than the kind of school that children have to go to?

  It was an interesting proposition to a nine-year-old, and it remains an interesting proposition.

  I hope you enjoy this story as much as I did when I was nine years old.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Elizabeth and Julian are together again

  ‘PERHAPS THE train from London’s running late!’ said Elizabeth impatiently. ‘Do you think so, Joan? Or perhaps the coach from the station has broken down! Do you think it could be stuck halfway up the hill with a flat tyre? Just imagine all the boys and girls having to sit inside the stuffy hot coach waiting for the wheel to be changed . . .’

  Elizabeth jigged from one foot to the other, restlessly. She was at the top of the stone steps, outside the main doors of Whyteleafe School. Her gaze kept darting to the big stone archway through which the school coach was due to appear.

  ‘. . . what do you think, Joan?’ she finished.

  Joan was Elizabeth’s best friend at Whyteleafe School, although slightly older and in the second form. She was as calm and sensible as Elizabeth was excitable and impulsive. She shook her head and smiled at her friend.

  ‘I think you have a vivid imagination, Elizabeth. That’s what I think!’ she said quietly. ‘The coach is hardly late at all yet.’

  ‘But it was due at half-past one and that was five minutes ago!’ protested Elizabeth. ‘And I’m starving hungry, aren’t you, Joan? And none of us can go into the dining-hall and have dinner until everyone’s back from half-term!’

  It was true that Elizabeth was hungry and regretted the fact that dinner would be late today. The delicious smell of savoury pies baking in the big ovens had wafted over to her from the kitchens. And, much earlier, she had seen the domestic staff preparing heaps of new potatoes and carrots from the school gardens. They would no doubt be steaming merrily away by now. There was always an especially good meal after a holiday, when many boys and girls were hungry at the end of a long journey back to their boarding-school.

  But there was more to it than that.

  ‘As a matter of fact, I’m really looking forward to seeing my class again, Joan,’ she confessed. ‘Especially Julian. I’m longing to tell him about the notice that Miss Ranger has put up on the notice-board. It’s going to make our English lessons really exciting!’

  Most of the first form had gone home for the half-term holiday, including Elizabeth’s special friend, Julian. Elizabeth had stayed on at school for a summer camp in the grounds. There had been lots of ups and downs but all in all it had been a wonderful adventure. Now she was looking forward to the second half of the summer term, sleeping in a proper bed again and life getting back to normal.

  ‘Hello, Daniel! You’re one of the last back!’ she called out cheerfully, as an open-topped car cruised by. Daniel Carter was one of her classmates and only lived in the next village. As with any child who lived near Whyteleafe, he was being brought back to school by car. ‘You should have been one of the first!’

  The pale, fair-haired boy was sitting in the back of the open car, reading a book. He looked up briefly and returned Elizabeth’s wave, then immediately turned his attention back to his book.

  ‘Have you seen the coach?’ she shouted. But the car had passed them now and her words were carried away on the breeze.

  ‘It must be such fun to ride in an open car like that,’ commented Joan. ‘What an unusual boy Daniel is, nose stuck in a book as his father drives him along!’

  ‘Yes, he does seem to prefer his books to the sights and sounds of the real world and to having friends,’ agreed Elizabeth. ‘I think shyness has a lot to do with it.’

  ‘But he’s a great one for complaining about people at school Meetings,’ Joan pointed out. ‘That’s not the best way to make friends.’

  ‘Yes, wasn’t it funny that time he grumbled about Arabella making faces at him?’ laughed Elizabeth. ‘He makes himself sound such a baby when he stands up with silly grumbles and complaints. It’s such a shame he can’t learn to be a good mixer because then people would like him more.’

  ‘I expect Whyteleafe will lick him into shape in time,’ smiled Joan. ‘You know that better than anyone, Elizabeth. When you first came here, you were the Naughtiest Girl in the School!’

  ‘Yes. I’ve been trying to live it down ever since!’ groaned Elizabeth. Her Naughtiest Girl nickname had stuck and no doubt always would! ‘Oh, Joan, wasn’t I horrid?’ she sighed.

  She stared across the green lawns to the trees beyond. A bird wheeled above them in the cloudless blue sky. It was so lovely at Whyteleafe, thought Elizabeth.

  ‘I did everything I could think of to get myself sent home, didn’t I?’ she continued. ‘From the best school in the whole world!’

  ‘I’m so glad you didn’t succeed,’ said Joan quietly, giving her friend’s hand a squeeze. ‘I really am.’

  A few moments later a large coach with WHYTELEAFE SCHOOL on the front came nosing through the archway.

  ‘It’s here!’ whooped Elizabeth. ‘Hurray! Now everybody’s back!’


  The coach pulled up at the foot of the steps. All the boys and girls who had been on the London train came tumbling out. Elizabeth ran down to greet them. Joan, as befitted a second form monitor, followed at a more dignified pace to meet some of her own classmates.

  ‘Julian!’ squealed Elizabeth, her brown curls bouncing.

  ‘Hello, Naughtiest Girl!’ grinned the dark-haired boy, his cousin, Patrick, just behind him. ‘How was camp then?’

  ‘It was wonderful! But listen, Julian, such an exciting notice has gone up on the board. Wait till you see it! Miss Ranger’s just put it up this morning. It’s our form’s turn to put on the Summer Play this year! It will be performed outside, in the school grounds! If we want to try for a part, we’ve got to sign up on the notice. The auditions are going to take place during English lessons!’ Elizabeth had been bottling this news up for over an hour and it was now pouring out like a torrent. ‘Oh, Julian, wouldn’t it be fun if you and I could get the lead parts? The play’s called A Woodland Adventure and it’s been written by the joint heads!’

  She tugged at Julian’s hand.

  ‘Come on, let’s run. If we hurry, we’ll be the first to get our names on the list—’

  ‘Hey, steady on, Miss Whirlwind—’ began Julian, looking amused.

  ‘Yes, steady on, Elizabeth,’ smiled Miss Thomas, as she shepherded the last of the children off the coach. She could see that the Naughtiest Girl was trying to whisk Julian away! ‘Julian’s not allowed to disappear off anywhere at the moment. Everyone from the London train’s been given strict instructions to go straight to the dining-hall, as soon as they’ve washed their hands and faces. I suggest you do the same, Elizabeth. We’re all very hungry. Whatever it is, it will have to wait.’

  Elizabeth sighed and knew that she would have to be patient.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Elizabeth’s hopes are kept alive

  JULIAN REFUSED to hurry through dinner. He was very hungry and wanted second helpings of everything. Elizabeth had to agree that the savoury pie was one of the tastiest that Cook had ever baked. The new potatoes and carrots were mouthwatering. And pudding was treacle tart and custard, one of their favourites.

  It was a very jolly meal, with everyone catching up on everyone else’s news. Some of the children had been to see shows in London. Ruth and Tessa had been taken to Regent’s Park Zoo by Tessa’s mother. Patrick had been at Lord’s all week with his father, watching the cricket. Patrick was slightly boring on the subject but Elizabeth didn’t mind at all, feeling happy to be surrounded by her classmates once again. Julian claimed that he had done absolutely nothing apart from laze around and go swimming once or twice.

  Elizabeth, Belinda and Kathleen enjoyed telling the others about school camp. Arabella, who had behaved badly at camp and got into trouble, was suitably subdued.

  ‘What’s the matter, Arabella? Didn’t you enjoy camping out very much?’ asked Julian lightly. He was always very quick and shrewd. ‘You don’t seem to be saying very much about it.’

  The spoilt girl screwed up her dainty, doll-like face and gave a little shrug.

  ‘It was all right,’ she murmured.

  Elizabeth had no intention of telling tales on Arabella but she felt a quiet satisfaction. Arabella not saying much made a very pleasant change!

  However, this happy state of affairs didn’t last long.

  At the end of the meal, the conversation turned to the exciting news about the first form play. Kathleen, like Elizabeth, had seen the notice that Miss Ranger, their form teacher, had placed on the notice-board and she had been spreading the news.

  ‘Let’s all go and put our names down for it!’ she said. ‘Oh, won’t it be fun, doing the auditions in English lessons.’

  ‘I’ve put my name down already,’ announced Arabella. ‘And I’ve read the play! As soon as Miss Ranger put the notice up, I asked to borrow a copy. It’s absolutely brilliant.’

  ‘It’s all about a little girl called Fay who falls asleep in the woods!’ interrupted Arabella’s friend, Rosemary. She was very excited. ‘When Fay wakes up, she’s turned into a beautiful fairy queen and she has all these wonderful adventures with a goblin called Jonkin and they meet all these woodland creatures . . .’

  ‘Miss Belle and Miss Best wrote the play themselves,’ said Arabella, knowledgeably. ‘They wrote it especially for us. Apparently it’s five years since the first form had a turn of performing the Summer Play and they want it to be really special. Oh, aren’t the joint heads clever to have written a whole new play?’

  ‘And the part of Fay is just made for Arabella!’ gabbled Rosemary. ‘Can’t you just see her as a fairy queen? I can. Of course,’ she added, quickly, ‘there will be lots of other parts for everyone and lots of things to do, like make costumes and things. I’m hoping to be chosen as prompter,’ she added modestly.

  Elizabeth listened to all this in stunned silence.

  Arabella and Rosemary were now getting up from the table, keen to be off. Rosemary was still gabbling in excitement.

  ‘Shall we go and get the play from your desk, Arabella? We’ll take it outside as you suggested! I’m longing to hear you read bits out loud. It will be good practice for you! I wonder which boy will be chosen to play Jonkin? Oh, that’s going to be a good part, too, isn’t it—’

  Arabella turned back and gave Julian a dazzling smile.

  ‘I think Julian would make a wonderful Jonkin!’ she simpered. ‘Jonkin wears a mask in the play but he has green eyes, just like Julian, and he’s very funny and clever. I do hope you’ll put your name down, Julian!’

  As the two girls left the dining-hall, Elizabeth bent her head over the last of her treacle tart, struggling to keep calm. In a blur she heard some of the others chattering as they started to drift away from the table . . .

  ‘My goodness! Arabella’s staked her claim quickly, hasn’t she?’

  ‘Trust her!’

  ‘You have to admit she might make a good fairy queen. She’d look the part, at least, with that dainty little face of hers.’

  ‘Too doll-like. Not vivacious enough.’

  ‘Well, let’s go and have a look at this notice.’

  ‘Might as well put our names down. It’s going to be fun.’

  Before long, only Elizabeth, Julian and Patrick were left sitting at the long table, all on their own.

  ‘I knew we should have rushed and put our names on the list, Julian!’ she said crossly, trying hard not to scowl. Arabella had got her name down first. Probably right at the head of the list! Not only that, she’d got hold of a copy of the play already. She’d read it through and was about to start practising for the auditions. ‘Now Arabella’s got a head start on everybody else!’

  ‘Well, blowed if I would want to play the part of a fairy queen!’ said Julian. He was laughing at her. ‘And if you want to, Elizabeth, you’d better stop scowling and looking like a bold, bad girl and practise looking pretty!’

  ‘I don’t know what I want now,’ said Elizabeth sulkily. ‘Perhaps Arabella would be best. Perhaps I wouldn’t be any good. And besides, she’s got her name at the top of the list now.’

  ‘You silly bumpkin.’ Julian tweaked her hair. ‘As if that makes the slightest difference to anything! Miss Ranger will just give out the parts to whoever reads them best when the auditions take place. I should think Arabella would be much too wooden. Now, you just run along, and sign up as you said you were going to.’

  Elizabeth immediately felt cheerful again.

  ‘I will, too!’ she exclaimed, smiling and clapping her hands. ‘But . . .’

  She looked at Julian anxiously.

  ‘. . . what about you, Julian? Surely you want to be in the play, too? It won’t be half as much fun if you’re not in it. Arabella’s probably right about you being the goblin. I can jus
t imagine you!’

  Julian yawned.

  ‘I don’t think acting’s quite my line, Elizabeth,’ he said gently.

  Patrick, sitting further along the table and toying with the last of his treacle tart, suddenly looked up when Julian said that.

  Elizabeth was about to start arguing with Julian. She knew perfectly well that her friend was a natural actor, brilliant at voices and imitations and altogether very funny. What he really meant was that the idea of being in the first form play bored him. How typical. How mean of him!

  But before she could open her mouth to protest, Patrick spoke for the first time. He had been looking rather gloomy but now he had suddenly perked up. He couldn’t help being a little jealous of his cousin, who was so full of talent, so good at everything he touched. To hear Julian being praised, even by Arabella, had made him smart.

  ‘Glad to hear you’ve got some sense in your head after all, Julian,’ he said. ‘Wouldn’t like to see my dear cousin make a complete fool of himself.’

  ‘Oh, so that’s what you think, is it?’ asked Julian sharply.

  He suddenly got to his feet.

  ‘Come on, Elizabeth. Let’s go along and sign up for this play then.’

  Patrick watched them go, open-mouthed.

  ‘I thought you didn’t want to be in it!’ he said crossly.

  Julian glanced back over his shoulder.

  ‘I’ve changed my mind,’ he said, carelessly. ‘It should be fun. A chance to make a complete fool of myself!’

  As the two of them left the dining-hall and headed towards the school notice-board, Elizabeth felt rather sorry for Julian’s cousin. She might have guessed that, whatever Patrick wanted, Julian would want to do the exact opposite.

  As they wrote their names up on the list, she felt hopeful all over again. It would be wonderful to be chosen for the lead part and to play opposite Julian. He would make everything such fun.

  Who else had signed up?

  She looked at the names. There were slightly more girls than boys so far. But there was one name that was rather unexpected.