St Clare's Magnet Trick Query???

[pete9012S]

Many thanks Barnard. Here is the well known Malory Towers account.
George Greenfield's earlier magnet trick remains elusive..

June's getting a magnet,' she said. 'It's a very special one, treated in a special way to make it frightfully powertui. It's very small too, June says - small enough to he hidden in the palm of vour hand.'

'Well? What do you intend to do with it?' asked Darrell. There didn't seem to be great possibilities in such an ordinary thing as a magnet.

Felicity began to giggle again. 'Well, yon just listen, Darrell.' she said. 'You know how the two Mam'zelles wear their hair, don't you - in little buns?'

Darrell nodded, puzzled. She couldn't for the life of her see what buns of hair and a magnet had to do with each other.

'Mam'zelle Rougier has hers at the back, and Mam'zelle Dupont has hers near the top of her head,' said Felicity. 'And they both stick their buns full of hair-pins.'

Darrell stared at her young sister, and a light began to dawn 'You don't mean - oh, t say, Felicity - you wouldn't dare to hold the magnet near either of the Mam'zelles' heads and make the hair-pins come out!' she said.

Felicity nodded, her eyes dancing. 'Yes. That's the idea,' she said. 'Oh, Darrell Isn't it smashing? It's super.'

Just before the end of the lesson, Mam'zelle gave her 'Mial order. Clean the blackboard, please.'

Susan stood up. She had the powerful little magnet inside the palm of her hand. It had already been tried out on many things, with most miraculous results.

Susan walked steadily to the board near Mam'zelle. Mam zelle had opened her desk and was rummaging in it for a book, ft was a wonderful chance to use the magnet at once!

Watched by twenty-three breathless second-formers, Susan held the magnet to the back of Mam'zelle s head. She held it about two inches away from the bun of hair on Mam'zelle's neck, as she had been instructed.

Before her delighted eyes, every one of the rather large hair-pins that Mam'zelle Rougier used for her bun flew out, and attached themselves firmly and silently to the magnet. Susan grinned at the class, went abruptly to the blackboard and cleaned it.

Mam'zelle had apparently noticed nothing. The bell went, and she stood up. 'Dismiss!' she said, and the class dismissed, Nora stuffing one of her handkerchiefs into her mouth already. They went to the big hall to get biscuits and milk, watching for Mam'zelle to come too.

She came - and the second-formers gave a squeal of joy. 'It's coming down. The bun's all undone!'

So it was. Mam'zelle hadn't noticed it - but Miss Peters saw it at once. She tapped Mam'zelle on the shoulder and spoke to her. 'Your hair is coming down, Mam'zelle,' she said.

Mam'zelle put up her hand, and to her immense astonishment found that her bun was completely undone and hanging down her back! She groped about for the hair-pins to pin it up again.

There wasn't a single hair-pin in her head! This was not surprising, as they were all on the magnet, which Susan now had safely in her pocket! Mam'zelle Rougier felt frantically all over her head, and Nora gave a muffled snort. She stuffed her second hanky in her mouth.

Mam'zelle now began to feel down her neck, wondering if the hair-pins had disappeared down there. Miss Peters looked at her curiously.

'Lost a hair-pin?' she said...

[Hannah]

I believe three girls play the magnet trick in Last Term at Malory Towers, Susan, Nora and another girl whose name I have forgotten.

Yes, there are several girls. They play the trick first in the second form and Susan does the deed.

Then they play it in the sixth form a first time and Nora does it.
They play it a second time in the sixth form combined with the hissing pills. That time first Felicity and then Nora take the needles out.

[Nair Snehalatha]

The magnet is in Malory.Tower-- played.on.Mamzelle.Rougier's bun-- I think it was.played.by June

[Hannah]

It was June's magnet and idea but she thought that the mistresses would be too suspicious if she was near them right before the needles disappeared.
The trick was played on both Mamzelles.

[Nair Snehalatha]

It was June, Felicity and Susan-- who played.the magnet trick in Last aterm at Malory Towers. All three of them had made a wonderful plan with the magnet as the center of it-- when they saw Dierdre-- who lost her five pounds--

[pete9012S]

Thanks for the replies, but it's the St Clare's magnet trick referred to by George Greenfield that this thread was solely initiated for.

Just to recap:


Malory Towers: The trick with the small but powerful magnet which they held next to Mamz'elle's bun and took her hair pins.


QUESTION:

George Greenfield in his book Enid Blyton chapter 5 - Style and content, page 82 says:

'It was clearly a favourite practical joke for the author, who had used exactly the same method with another Mam'zelle, the French teacher in Fifth Form at St Clare's, published six years earlier.

Is this true?

I can find no reference to this earlier magnet trick in the St Clare's book mentioned by George.
Perhaps it happened in a different St Clare's book?

Does anyone know?

[Boatbuilder]

Hannah seems to have answered that question in the topic's first reply.

There's no magnet trick in St. Clare's. To be sure that I haven't simply forgotten something I've searched through the e-books for the word magnet - no match was found.

[Julie2owlsdene]

I used to read the St Clare's books far more than the Malory Towers, and although I've not read these books for quite a while now, I seem to recall a magnet trick in St Clare's. But sadly I can't check as I now no longer have the St Clare's paperbacks, as being read and re-read so many times, the books lost all their glue!!!

As I say, I may be mistaken, but I thought the trick was one of Janet's. But as a number of years has gone by, I may be now mistaken.

[pete9012S]

Thank you very much for your much valued input Julie.

[Jack400]

They play it a second time in the sixth form combined with the hissing pills. That time first Felicity and then Nora take the needles out.

Hissing pills?
I've only seen the TV series so have no knowledge. Hope I'm not being too picky

[Boatbuilder]

There seems to be a mix-up of quotes in your post, Jack. Hannah wrote the Barnard 'quote'.


Never mind. Things like that happen sometimes but I've fixed the quote tags now. - Anita

[Moonraker]

According to this link, it is carried out by a girl named Susan:
https://worldofblyton.com/2020/04/01/a- ... nd-pranks/
It's just over a quarter of the way down the page.

Well done, Boatbuilder - I remember it so well now, but wouldn't have had a clue about it before reading your post. And there was me thinking you were only here to talk about cats!

[John Pickup]

Can everyone please ensure they don't get their quotes mixed up in future.

It's no biggie. Usually people can work out who said what, and it can be clarified later anyway. - Anita

[pete9012S]

Good point John. Thank you.

A confession: I have never read any of the St Clare's books. Can anyone recall any of the tricks played in that series?

Some years ago somebody posted a list of all the tricks played in the Malory Towers and St Clare's books, but I can't seem to find that post!

[pete9012S]

Here's some of the tricks!

I was trying to think of all the tricks the Malory Towers/St Clares girls played... (some of these might be from the sequels...)

1. Jumping plate Trick
2. Magnet and Hair Pins Trick
3. Deaf Trick
4. Balloon swelling up Trick
5. Muddy Soap Trick
6. Invisible Chalk Trick
7. Squeaky Biscuit Trick
8. Sneezing Powder Trick

Can anyone think of any more?

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