TWIP of the Month

TWIPs are Temporary Works in Progress. As writers work on more permanent projects to appear in book form, we are making available some glimpses into the exciting things that are being developed. These are not permanent additions to the site and each one will only be available for a short time.

The Trouble at the Silver Sixpence

NOTE: Readers will find details of some of the incidents referred to in this story in The Adventure of the Crystal Staff.

“So what are you, Miss Highcrest? A prefect?” asked the constabel. “Like in a school you mean?”

“Quite like that, honored defender,” said Perenna Highcrest. “We are a school after all.” Constabel Riggen liked being called “honored defender”. Perfectly proper. But how many of the people round these parts bothered with decent honorifics? The girls at this school were known for their high standards of behavior, as for their high standards of everything else. It wasn’t often the constabulary had business with them of this kind. “But it must be evident to you that I am a little more mature than a prefect at the County High.”

“Abundantly evident, ma’am – er, miss. This is a breach of the peace though.” She adjusted her black leather gloves importantly. “We usually take these matters to the magistra.”

“Miss Miller is in statu pupillari here, honored defender. The College is fully capable of taking care of her discipline. Believe me, we want a recurrence of this kind of incident even less than you do.”

“There is also the question of damage to private property, miss.”

“The college will see to that honored defender.”

“Very good miss. then I think we can leave the matter in your hands.”

“Thank you, honored defender. I am most grateful to you.”

“That’s nothing miss. Just doing my job. Keepin’ order. Same as you really, miss. I’ll be off now then.”

“Thank you again, honored defender. Would you be so kind as to send Miss Miller in.”

“That I’ll do, miss,” said the constabel and left the room.

Miss Miller was standing to attention outside the door.

“Prefect’ll see you now, miss,” said the constabel.

Sulie Miller entered the prefect’s room and made deepest reverence, touching her forehead to the ground.

“Please rise,” said Miss Highcrest.

“Thank you, most honored prefect,” said Miss Miller. “I am sorry. I am truly sorry.”

“I am sure you are, Miss Miller. I have heard the story from the good constabel. Now perhaps you would care to tell me what happened as you were closer to the action as it were.”

“Yes, miss. Well, we was in the Silver Sixpence.”

“We were?”

“Yes, miss. We were in the Silver Sixpence.”

“I mean who were ‘we’. You and who?”

“Me an’ a friend, miss. We was in the Silver Sixpence having soda floats. I was just finished work for the day so I meet this friend from Vix House – I’m Vix too, miss.”

“I know you are.”

“So we was havin’ a quiet soda doin’ no harm at all, and this brunette starts talkin’ real loud. She says:

“‘She couldn’t do it then.’

“And her friend says:

“‘Who couldn’t do what?’

“And she says:

“‘That Maybridge long-glove. She couldn’t make a go of Nimwë. She had to run off back to the ancestral pile down Trent and get a bit of help. I told you she’d never do it. All her big talk in the paper. New type of College. New type of girl. Hah. Not without running off home for a bit of help.’”

“Then the other one says:

“”Course she swoggled that crystal staff. Everyone knows that. It’s only because she’s a lady that she wasn’t arrested.’”

Miss Highcrest’s fingers tightened their grip on her desk.

“They was from Claremont Academy, miss.”

“I rather guessed that,” said the prefect.

“Well, miss they just went on and on like that and in the end I shouts across the room: ‘Hold your jaw!’

“But they just laughs and goes on sayin’ the same things. And laughin’, miss.

“Well, there’s this big jug of lemonade on the counter, so I go over and grab it and tip it all over their heads. That shuts ‘em up for a minute. Then they grabs a pile of Toffee-Cream Delights – you know, the big ninepenny ones – and starts lobbing them at me. So me an’ my friend shout:

“Nimwë ray’
“Nimwë hay’
“Nimwë till the day we die.

“And start lobbin’ the cream horns. And they start shouting:

“Clare-mont, Clare-mont, Clare-mont.

“And well, before you know it, miss, there’s stuff flying all over the shop and then the constabels come in and…”

“Yes, Miss Miller. I think I understand.”

“So that’s how it happened, miss.”

Miss Highcrest heaved a deep sigh. “Very well. Full Saturday detention for the next three weeks, Miss Miller.”

“I often have to work Saturdays, miss.”

“Next three available Saturdays then.”

“Yes, Miss.”

“And I am recommending you be dropped from the archery team.”

“But that’s not fair, miss! I’m still the best bowmaid in…”

“It is perfectly fair, Miss Miller. When you represent the School at archery, you represent the School. As a matter of fact you represent the School at all times by the very fact that you are a member and wear that bracelet. Assuming the Mistress approves my decision, you will keep the bracelet this time. But you have caused a public disturbance and disgraced the good name of the School. Do you understand that?”

“Yes, miss,” replied a rather crestfallen Miss Miller.

“That being the case, may not represent the School in any special way until I or another of your Elders says so. And make it four weeks Saturday detention for arguing with me.”

“Yes, miss, Thank you, miss,”

“You may go.”

“Yes, miss. Permission to speak, miss?”

“Yes, Miss Miller?”

“What would you have done, miss?”

“I hope I should have had the good sense to ignore those Claremont fools. They can’t help it that they weren’t accepted for a decent College. But if I hadn’t, I should have accepted my punishment like a gentilmaid. Just as you will.”

“Thank you, miss.”

“And thank you, Miss Miller.”

“Oh. What for Miss?”

“For the lemonade. And I didn’t say that.”

“No, miss.”

“And tell your friend that her honor demands that she report herself.”

“Very good, miss.”

“That will be all, Miss Miller.”