Part 11 (2/2)

”I think, before you scolded Sarah, you ht have heard what she had to say”

MLLE DE MENNECY: ”Ce que vous dites me choque profondement; il m'est difficile de croire que vous avez fait une pareille lachete, nation): ”Hardly lachete, Madeo that you had been so aly unjust Directly I heard it, I came to you; but as I said before, I a her way to a change of front): ”Sarah s'est conduite si heroiquement que pour le moment je n'insiste plus Je vous felicite, mademoiselle, sur votre franchise; vous pouvez rejoindre vos camarades”

The Lord had delivered her into one to hear Princess Christian open a bazaar, I was sarette on the schoolroom balcony which overlooked the railway line

It was a beautiful evening, and a wave of depression came over me

Our prettiest pupil, Ethel Brydson, said to o in and do our preparation There would be the devil to pay if you were caught with that cigarette”

I leant over the balcony blowing ss, but, failing, kissed esture cursed the school and expressed a vivid desire to go home and leave Gloucester Crescent for ever

ETHEL (pullingyour hand! Don't you see that man?”

I looked down and toover the side of his tender, kissing his hand to me I strained over the balcony and kissed both mine back to him, after which I returned to the school-room

Our piano was placed in theand, the nexther ine-driver began kissing his hand to her It was eight o'clock and Mlle de Mennecy was pinning on her twists in the

I had finishedthe passage chosen by our elocution master for the final coers were inin dramatic tones:

”Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears, I coirls came in and out, but I never noticed the, I shoved the book into my desk and ran downstairs to breakfast I observed that Ethel's place was eirls looked at me, but munched their bread and sipped their tepid tea while Made a French grace, left the room

”Well,” said I, ”what's the row?”

Silence

MARGOT (looking from face to face): ”Ah! The mot d'ordre is that you are not to speak to me Is that the idea?”

Silence

MARGOT (veheht would happen at a girls' school--that I should findout): ”Oh, Margot, it's not that at all! It's because Ethel won't betray you that we are all to be punished to- day!”

MARGOT: ”What! Collective punishet off? How priceless! Well, I must say this is Mlle de Mennecy's first act of justice I've been so often punished for all of you that I'! Where is Ethel? Why don't you answer? (Very slowly) Oh, all right! I have done with you! And I shall leave this very day, so helpthat Mlle de Mennecy had disine-driver had kissed his hand to her, I went immediately and told her the whole story; all she answered was that I was such a liar she did not believe a word I said

I assured her that I was painfully truthful by nature, but her circular and senseless punish had become the custom of the place and I felt in honour bound to take my turn in the lies and the punishments After which I left the room and the school

On o home to Glen, as I felt suffocated by the pettiness and conventionality of eneral atmosphere of Gloucester Crescent had depressed me, and London feels airless when one is out of spirits: in any case it can never be quite a home to any one born in Scotland