Disclaimer: I do not own Enid Blyton's stories.

Sorry this chapter's a bit long. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed. Hope you enjoy.

The first week of term passed quickly. Darrell was delighted when Sally finally arrived, and was quick to inform her of the new girls, and their behaviour. Sally, as usual, looked at the issue of Leoni with a calm demeanour. "She must be awfully smart, and I guess anyone with brains like that would find it hard not to act proud or conceited." The whole form was glad to have Sally back, for she was kind and liked by everyone.

Darrell often found time to talk to Felicity. Her younger sister listened to all the news of the fifth form, and shared stories with Darrell as well. When she heard about Melanie, she looked surprised. "Not at all like her sister! She has a younger sibling called May in my form. And she seems like a very organised person. Always running about, making sure everything is neat. She does an awful lot for her sister too. Always running off to see if she needs anything."

"Yes, that's strange," Darrell mused. "The other day I saw a girl who looked similar. Much bigger than Melanie even though she's younger, but with the same curly hair. She was tying her shoe laces for her! Imagine that! Surely Melanie can bend down and do that herself? I know she's been ill but she always seems to put on a show."

It was true. Melanie soon got on everyone's nerves. She always seemed weak and helpless, often incapable of doing things for herself. Her stutter also proved to be permanent, and Gwen soon lost interest in her, after finding out that Melanie came from a poor family, and didn't share any of her interests in riches or family stories.

One day, during a game of lacrosse, Darrell, who was head of fifth form games, was asked by a games mistress to coach Melanie a little during the lesson. Darrell reluctantly agreed.

"Come on Melanie." She led the girl over to a free space of the field. "Why don't we practice some throws and catches?"

Melanie nodded, and held up her stick like a cricket bat. Darrell was quick to notice. "No, you hold it like this." She demonstrated with her own stick. "That's right. No, one hand has to be down, there! And you hold it like this! No, not like that. Like this!" Melanie tried to follow, confusing herself. Darrell soon got impatient. How long did it take to learn how to hold a simple lacrosse stick?

Melanie was just as bad at throwing as she as at everything else. Darrell asked her to toss the ball over to her, so she could show her how to catch. Melanie gripped the ball tightly, and then threw it weakly. The ball hit the ground a full five feet away from the waiting Darrell and rolled over the grass into a drain. Darrell sighed, loudly. Couldn't Melanie do anything?

The first formers came down to the field for their own practise time. May, Melanie's sister, ran over.

"Are you OK Melanie? Here, let me take your stick. I'll carry it back for you. Oh no! Your shoe lace is worn already! Don't worry. I'll buy you a new one!" Darrell watched in disgust as May took Melanie's stick and helped her over to a bench. Felicity ran up to her. "You see her? Waiting on her like she's a queen or something!"

"I know." Darrell nodded. "The thing is, I don't like to row her, because she isn't doing anything wrong. It's just spoiling Melanie. I wonder why as well. Melanie isn't any more important than May herself."

"Well, don't expect me to start treating you like royalty!" Felicity grinned. "By the way, June has thought of another trick to play on Mam'zelle!"

"Oh, what?" Darrell listened with interest. She remembered all the tricks her form had played on the unsuspecting French mistresses when they were in lower school. Felicity called June over, who ran up, grinning.

"I bought a little box of rubber frogs. They look terribly realistic. They come in a range of colours and sizes."

"What are you going to do, put one in the teacher's desk?"

"Yes, but that's not all." June caught a stray ball flying past and tossed it neatly back to the field. She was marvellous at sports but was never bothered enough to put in an effort. "When pressed, each of these frogs makes a different noise, and wriggles its legs in a very life-like manner. One quacks like a duck, another meows like a cat, another barks! All very lifelike!"

"That's marvellous!" Darrell's eyes shone. "What are you going to do with them?"

"We'll put one in Mam'zelle Rougier's desk. Suddenly, someone will say they heard a noise coming from inside. When Mam'zelle opens the desk, she'll see the frog. Mam'zelle Rougier detests frogs, so June will offer to pick it up, and she'll squeeze it as she does so, and it will make a most unusual noise! Mam'zelle will think she's gone bonkers!"

Darrell laughed. "I'd love to watch you do that! I say, for an upcoming assignment the fifth form has to do a study on a profession. I could choose teaching, and ask to sit through your class!"

"Oh yes!" Felicity bounced in excitement. "Do that Darrell! We're going to use a few different frogs, and stick them in different places, like on the black board. That way, Mam'zelle will find frogs all over the room!"

The plan was quickly spread throughout the first and fifth form. The fifth formers laughed when they heard about it.

"Those daring first formers!" exclaimed Irene. "I wish I could go as well. You're lucky Darrell, being allowed to sit through the class. I doubt you'll get many notes though. It will be like a madhouse."

"They're game to play it on Mam'zelle Rougier though," commented Clarissa. "She's so strict and prim and proper. She'll know it's a trick."

"Will she? Those frogs look terribly real. June is even going to spread slime on them, so they look wet!" Alicia, who had a great love of tricks, had been told all the details by her cousin, and approved of it tremendously. "They also have little sticky things under their feet, so they cling to any surface."

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The day of the trick quickly approached. At the time of the first form French lesson, Darrell hurried to their classroom. The first formers were waiting excitedly outside, whispering and giggling in delight.

"The first frog is already in the desk!" someone whispered to Darrell. "Some of us have them in our pockets as well, so we can stick them in places when Mam'zelle isn't looking. The rest are in June's desk."

Footsteps along the corridor alerted everyone, and they lined up quickly. Mam'zelle Rougier appeared. She was tall and thin, with a strict, hard face and a tight bun on the back of her head. The class filed in, whispering excitedly. Mam'zelle told Darrell to sit at the back of the classroom. Darrell chose a spot with plain view of the front desk, and pulled out a notebook and pencil, ready to 'take notes'.

"Now, Bonjour everyone!"

"Bonjour Mam'zelle!" The class tried to look sensible, but one or two, like Nora, already seemed to struggle to keep a straight face.

"Now, please open your grammar books to page 47, and begin the exercise there." The first formers obeyed, longing for Mam'zelle to open her desk. She didn't. She simply sat there, watching them with keen eyes. Felicity decided to try a tactic.

"Mam'zelle, I'm having trouble with number 2, question b. Could you please explain it?" Mam'zelle didn't have her own copy of the grammar exercise. Her book was in the desk. Felicity hoped she would take it out to look at the question.

Mam'zelle didn't. She stood up and walked over to Felicity's desk. This was unusual, because Mam'zelle usually hated getting up from her desk. "Oh, this is quite easy, Felicity. Surely you should be able to do this!" Felicity tried to look struggling. Mam'zelle explained it curtly, and then returned to her seat.

For a while, silence reigned in the room. The desk remained closed. Darrell felt bored. Surely Mam'zelle wouldn't go the whole lesson without opening her desk? To her relief, the teacher told everyone to close their books.

"Now, we are going to read passages. Where is my book?"

"In your desk, Mam'zelle," spoke up Nora. Mam'zelle glared at her. "No Nora, here it is on the shelf. Please be quiet." Nora blushed.

June sighed. She was bored. She wanted Mam'zelle to open her desk, but she didn't seem to have anything inside it that she needed. She quickly scribbled a note and passed it secretly to Susan, who passed it on to Felicity.

"Please Mam'zelle!" Susan put up her hand. Mam'zelle looked up from her book sharply. "What is it Susan? We are just about to start!"

"Would you be able to write the pronunciation on the board? I would like to copy it down so I can remember the right way to say the words."

"Very well. I will write pronunciation for some new words." Mam'zelle prepared to stand up, but Felicity jumped up before her. "I'll clean the board," she said, running over and rubbing out the remains of the English lesson a previous class had left. The class watched, breathless. Felicity had a frog hidden in her hand. She was going to stick it onto the board!

As soon as Mam'zelle turned to pick up her book, Felicity stuck the little frog to the board and scurried back to her desk. It sat there, looking perfectly real. Darrell held her breath as Mam'zelle turned to the board. Would she scream? Would she jump?

The result was most unexpected. Mam'zelle caught sight of the frog. Her face turned red. She spun round to the class.

"You! You ignorant little bunch of first formers! You try to play a treek on me, Mam'zelle. You try to fool me! You try to make me scream and yell! You bad bad girls!" And with that, she grabbed the frog and flung it out an open window. She yanked open her desk. "You put one in my desk. You want to frighten me! But it not work! I tell you, it not work!" She also tossed the desk frog out the window, the rubber animal letting out a loud quack as it hit the window frame.

The class sat, stunned. Mam'zelle stormed over to June's desk. "Open your desk, June!" With shaking hands June obeyed. Inside was her collection of frogs. Mam'zelle grabbed them and threw them to the floor. As they hit the wooden floorboards their legs started kicking wildly, and a volley of moos, meows, snorts, barks and quacks filled the room. June stared at the wriggling animals in dismay. How did Mam'zelle know?

Suddenly, Mam'zelle turned to Darrell. "You, Darrell. I am ashamed of you. In the fifth form, and still you choose to come and watch these horrendous treeks! You come here specially to watch! I know! I KNOW!"

Darrel shrunk back, ashamed and frightened. The class looked at her with pity, every student white and shaking, except for June. June wasn't scared. She had gotten into worse scrapes before. No. June was irritated. Very irritated. How did Mam'zelle know? How did she know every detail of their trick?

To be continued...

Please review! I would like to know what you thought? Was it a good trick?