Read Online In the Fifth at Malory Towers by Enid Blyton - Free Book Online
Authors: Enid Blyton
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tomorrow morning at twelve in French Dictée , Darrell. You’re not free by any chance, are you? If so, couldn’t you come along with some message for Mam’zelle, or something, and see June swell up? You’ll know when it’s happening because I expect we’ll shriek with laughter.”
Darrell pondered. She had put that period aside to get on with the draft of the pantomime. Until she had worked out the characters they could not be chosen, so it was important to get on with it. But how could she resist the chance of slipping down to see Mam’zelle’s face?
“Well, I’ll come if I can,” she promised.
But when twelve o’clock came next morning Darrell was called to talk to Matron about some missing socks. Matron always went into matters of this sort very thoroughly indeed, and it was twenty minutes before Darrell was free.
“I wonder what’s happened down in the first form?” she thought, feeling rather guilty at her interest in something such babies did. “I wonder if the trick’s been played?”
It had. June, who always had to sit in one of the front desks, so as to be under every mistress’s eye, had inflated herself very successfully indeed. She did it gradually, so that when Mam’zelle kept looking at her to see that she was getting on with the dictation, she did not at first notice anything.
However, she certainly began to seem a little on the plump side after a bit. Mam’zelle pondered over it. “That child, June — she gets fat. Maybe a little fat will do her good. She is too restless — a truly difficult girl. Now, fat girls are not usually difficult — an interesting point.”
She glanced at June again and got rather a shock. Why, the child was positively bloated! She stared at June fixedly. One or two of the girls felt such a desire to laugh that it was agony to keep their faces straight.
June wrote steadily on. “June!” said Mam’zelle, sharply. “Are you holding your breath?”
June looked innocently at Mam’zelle. “Holding my breath?” she said, with wide eyes. “No. Why should I? But I will if you want me to, Mam’zelle. I can hold it for a long time.”
She blew out her cheeks and held her breath. The inflator worked marvellously. She swelled visibly, and Mam’zelle stared in alarm.
“No, no — let out your breath, June. You will burst. What is happening to you?”
June let out her breath with a loud hissing noise, and at the same time pulled the deflator. She deflated at once — and it looked exactly as if it was because she had let out her breath. Mam’zelle was most relieved to see her become her right size again.
“It was rather nice, holding my breath like that,” said June, foreseeing a very nice little game of holding her breath and inflating herself, and letting it out and deflating at the same time.
To Mam’zelle's horror she breathed in again, blew out her cheeks and held her breath — and visibly, before Mam’zelle’s alarmed gaze, she inflated till she looked really monstrous. Mam’zelle started up from her seat.
“Never have I seen such a thing!” she said, wildly. “June, je vous prie — I beg you, do not hold your breath in this manner. You will burst.”
The whole class burst at that moment. It was impossible to hold their laughter in any longer. June let out her breath and deflated rapidly.
“Don’t, don’t, June!” gasped Felicity, rolling about in her chair. “Oh don’t do it again.”
But June did, and Mam’zelle watched wildly whilst she swelled up once more. “Monstrous!” she cried. “June, I beg of you once more. Do not hold your breath again. See how it swells you up, poor child.”
And then something went wrong with the deflator! It wouldn’t work. June pulled it frantically, but it wouldn’t deflate the fat balloons under her clothes. She sat there, pulling wildly at the string fastened to the deflator. It came off!
Mam’zelle was almost in tears. “This poor June! Children, children, how can you laugh? It
Darrell pondered. She had put that period aside to get on with the draft of the pantomime. Until she had worked out the characters they could not be chosen, so it was important to get on with it. But how could she resist the chance of slipping down to see Mam’zelle’s face?
“Well, I’ll come if I can,” she promised.
But when twelve o’clock came next morning Darrell was called to talk to Matron about some missing socks. Matron always went into matters of this sort very thoroughly indeed, and it was twenty minutes before Darrell was free.
“I wonder what’s happened down in the first form?” she thought, feeling rather guilty at her interest in something such babies did. “I wonder if the trick’s been played?”
It had. June, who always had to sit in one of the front desks, so as to be under every mistress’s eye, had inflated herself very successfully indeed. She did it gradually, so that when Mam’zelle kept looking at her to see that she was getting on with the dictation, she did not at first notice anything.
However, she certainly began to seem a little on the plump side after a bit. Mam’zelle pondered over it. “That child, June — she gets fat. Maybe a little fat will do her good. She is too restless — a truly difficult girl. Now, fat girls are not usually difficult — an interesting point.”
She glanced at June again and got rather a shock. Why, the child was positively bloated! She stared at June fixedly. One or two of the girls felt such a desire to laugh that it was agony to keep their faces straight.
June wrote steadily on. “June!” said Mam’zelle, sharply. “Are you holding your breath?”
June looked innocently at Mam’zelle. “Holding my breath?” she said, with wide eyes. “No. Why should I? But I will if you want me to, Mam’zelle. I can hold it for a long time.”
She blew out her cheeks and held her breath. The inflator worked marvellously. She swelled visibly, and Mam’zelle stared in alarm.
“No, no — let out your breath, June. You will burst. What is happening to you?”
June let out her breath with a loud hissing noise, and at the same time pulled the deflator. She deflated at once — and it looked exactly as if it was because she had let out her breath. Mam’zelle was most relieved to see her become her right size again.
“It was rather nice, holding my breath like that,” said June, foreseeing a very nice little game of holding her breath and inflating herself, and letting it out and deflating at the same time.
To Mam’zelle's horror she breathed in again, blew out her cheeks and held her breath — and visibly, before Mam’zelle’s alarmed gaze, she inflated till she looked really monstrous. Mam’zelle started up from her seat.
“Never have I seen such a thing!” she said, wildly. “June, je vous prie — I beg you, do not hold your breath in this manner. You will burst.”
The whole class burst at that moment. It was impossible to hold their laughter in any longer. June let out her breath and deflated rapidly.
“Don’t, don’t, June!” gasped Felicity, rolling about in her chair. “Oh don’t do it again.”
But June did, and Mam’zelle watched wildly whilst she swelled up once more. “Monstrous!” she cried. “June, I beg of you once more. Do not hold your breath again. See how it swells you up, poor child.”
And then something went wrong with the deflator! It wouldn’t work. June pulled it frantically, but it wouldn’t deflate the fat balloons under her clothes. She sat there, pulling wildly at the string fastened to the deflator. It came off!
Mam’zelle was almost in tears. “This poor June! Children, children, how can you laugh? It
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