Read Online Alice-Miranda At School by Jacqueline Harvey - Free Book Online Page A

another door at the opposite end of the room which looked to be slightly ajar. She headed towards it.
    â€˜Alice-Miranda, come back!’ Millie whispered urgently.
    â€˜Miss Grimm. Helloooo. We’ve brought your tea tray. It smells utterly delicious. Are you there?’ Alice-Miranda called.
    She was about to put her hand on the knob when suddenly the door burst open. She was almost bowled over but managed to jump out of the way just in time. Over by the other door Millie trembled like jelly.
    â€˜What are you doing in here?’ Miss Grimm demanded.
    â€˜Oh, hello Miss Grimm. There you are. I was rather hoping to see you in the garden this afternoon but I imagine, being the start of term and all, that you have loads of things to do. Life is always so busyfor grown-ups. Millie and I have brought your dinner and it’s a lovely one too.’
    Miss Grimm sniffed the air. The faint waft of Irish stew caused her stomach to groan.
    â€˜Was that your tummy rumbling? You’ll love this – its Mrs Oliver’s famous family recipe. No one in the world makes a better Irish stew. Even when I went to Ireland last year with Mummy and Daddy and we went to this ever so posh restaurant with Earl O’Connor, the Irish stew wasn’t as good as our Dolly’s. Of course, I didn’t tell them so because that wouldn’t have been polite,’ Alice-Miranda smiled. ‘Anyway, Millie and I will just bring the tray through for you. Where would you like it?’ Alice-Miranda thought she could hear a very loud clock but realised when she turned around that it was actually Millie’s knees knocking together.
    â€˜How dare you enter my study without my permission, Alice-Matilda!’ Miss Grimm drew her lips together tightly. She stood with her hands on her suited hips. Her eyebrows furrowed fiercely above eyes the colour of coal.
    â€˜Please, Miss Grimm, I’m Alice-Miranda, not Matilda. I know it must be terribly hard to remember all of the girls’ names. I met so many girls today Iknew that if I didn’t make up some rhymes I would never remember them. Perhaps it could help you too. So there’s Madeline Bloom in the very next room and Susannah Dare with curly hair , Ivory Hicks who does magic tricks and Ashima Divall who is beautifully tall . Maybe you could remember me with something like, Alice-Miranda out on the veranda . Miranda’s a hard name to put rhymes with and if you tried to do it for Highton-Smith-Kennington-Jones you might not remember it at all.’ Alice-Miranda skipped back to fetch the tea tray.
    â€˜Who’s on the veranda?’ Miss Grimm snarled.
    â€˜Well, I’m not really on the veranda but it’s just a way to remember my name,’ Alice-Miranda laughed.
    â€˜We’ll just get your dinner, Miss Grimm,’ Alice-Miranda called as she and Millie steadily lifted the tray and walked towards the huge mahogany desk.
    â€˜Over there!’ Miss Grimm commanded, her eyes wide and mouth gaping as she pointed at the low table in front of the chesterfields.
    â€˜That’s a lovely spot to have your dinner,’ said Alice-Miranda. ‘This is such a grand room. Although it would look even better with some flowers. Just look at how that orchid brightens the whole place.’Alice-Miranda nodded at the tea tray with the single orchid stem. ‘And some photographs. That’s what you need. Some pictures of your family and perhaps some of your adventures on holiday. My daddy’s study is quite like this, but I couldn’t think what the difference was and then it just came to me. Daddy has tons of photos of me and Mummy and some of the places we’ve visited and all of our special friends. That’s what’s missing …’
    â€˜OUT!’ Miss Grimm roared, pointing a long red talon towards the door. ‘Where is that woman? Probably run off to get married I should think … useless good-for-nothing,’