Part 11 (1/2)
I had been well grounded by a series of short-stayed governesses in the Druids and woad, in Alfred and the cakes, Romulus and Remus and Bruce and the spider I could speak French well and Gerreat deal of every kind of literature fros and The Graovernesses had been failures and, when Lucy o to school
Mademoiselle de Mennecy--a Frenchwoman of ill-temper and a lively mind--had opened a hyper-refined seminary in Gloucester Crescent, where she undertook to ”finish” twelve young ladies My father had a horror of girls' schools (and if he could ”get through”--to use the orthodox expression of the spookists--he would find all his opinions on this subjectof the young ladies of the present day) but as it was a question of only a few months he waived his objection
No 7 Gloucester Crescent looked down on the Great Western Railway; the lowing of cows, the bleating of sheep and sudden shrill whistles and other odd sounds kept orous trains passed at uncertain intervals all through the night This, combined with sticky food, was more than Laura could bear and she had no difficulty in persuading er than one week her health would certainly suffer I waspermission to ride in the Row three tiave prestige to her front door and raised no objections
Sitting alone in the horsehair schoolroom, with a French patent- leather Bible inladies, made my heart sink ”Et le roi David deplut a l' Eternel,” I heard in a broad Scotch accent; and for the first time I looked closely at my stable coue with her; and our first little brush took place after she informed me of this fact
”But in that case, ? I don't knoexcept what I've read; so, unless I ask questions, how am I to learn?”
MLLE DE MENNECY: ”Je ne vous ai jamais defendu de me questionner; vous n'ecoutez pas, mademoiselle J'ai dit qu'il ne fallait pas discuter avec moi”
MARGOT (keenly): ”But,lessons interesting”
MLLE DE MENNECY (with violence): ”Voulez-vous vous taire?”
To talk to a girl of nearly seventeen in this as so unintelligent that I made up my mind I would waste neither tiirls were particularly clever, but we all liked each other and for the first time--and I may safely say the last--I was looked upon as a kind of heroine It ca To quote Miss Fowler's ad a propos of her father, ”She always let us have her oay” If the bottle of ink was upset, or the back of a book burst, she never waited to find out who had done it, but in a torrent of words crashed into the first girl she suspected, her face beco with passion This nant that, one day when the ink was spilt and Mlle de Mennecy as usual scolded the wrong girl, I deter the victie, I said to her:
”But why didn't you say you hadn't done it, ass!”
GIRL (catching her sob): ”What was the good! She never listens; and I would only have had to tell her who really spilt the ink”
This did seem a little aard, so I said to her:
”That would never have done! Very well, then, I will go and put the thing right for you, but tell the girls they must back me
She's a senseless wohtened of her”
GIRL: ”It's all very well for you! Mad snob, you should have heard her on you before you came! She said your father would very likely be made a peer and your sister Laura ht of this overratedLaura was almost more than I could bear, but curiosity kept me silent, and she continued) ”You see, she is far nicer to you than to us, because she is afraid you ht of this before, I said:
”Is that really true? What a horrible woo and square it up; but will you all backyourself miserable”
GIRL: ”I don't so , but, when she flounced out of the rooo hoht Just you go off” (Exit girl, drying her eyes)
It had never occurred to reat weapon in my hands and I determined upon my plan of action I hunted about in my room till I found one of my linen overalls, heavily stained with dolly dyes After putting it on, I went and knocked at Mlle de Mennecy's door and opening it said:
”Madery, but it was I who spilt the ink and burst the back of your dictionary I ought to have told you at once, I know, but I never thought any girl would be such an i you she had not done it” Seeing a look of suspicion on her sunless face, I added nonchalantly, ”Of course, if you think o!”
I observed her eyelids flicker and I said: