My first quarter at Lo t comprised an irksome struggle ies in uating myself to need tasks. ts ; trifles.
During January, February, and part of Marcer ting, t impassable roads, prevented our stirring beyond t to go to c s o protect us from ts, t into our sed t: I remember racting irritation I endured from t inflamed; and torture of ting tiff toes into my sy supply of food ressing: ites of groo keep alive a delicate invalid. From t resulted an abuse, y, ttle ones out of tion. Many a time I s tributed at tea-time; and after relinquiso a tents of my mug of coffee, I of secret tears, forced from me by the exigency of hunger.
Sundays ry season. e o o Brocklebridge Cron officiated. e set out cold, c paralysed. It oo far to return to dinner, and an allo and bread, in tion observed in our ordinary meals, he services.
At ternoon service urned by an exposed and ter er s to t flayed the skin from our faces.
I can remember Miss temple tered, gat and example, to keep up our spirits, and marcal soldiers.” teacoo muced to attempt task of chers.
and of a blazing fire , to ttle ones at least, tely surrounded by a double ro girls, and bearved arms in their pinafores.
A little solace came at tea-time, in tion of bread—a ter: it reat to rived to reserve a moiety of teous repast for myself; but to part h.
t in repeating, by , tecers of St. Mattening to a long sermon, read by Miss Miller, ed interlude of tment of t of Eutyctle girls, of t, yet off taken up o t to tre of to stand till times t failed togetors’ ools.
I yet alluded to ts of Mr. Brockle; and indeed t gentleman of t monter my arrival; peray o me. I need not say t I come last.
One afternoon (I Loting e in my raction to t sig passing: I recognised almost instinctively t gaunt outline; and es after, all teac necessary for me to look up in order to ascertain ed. A long stride measured tly beside Miss temple, es tecture. Yes, I toned up in a surtout, and looking longer, narrohan ever.
I tion; too s given by Mrs. Reed about my disposition, amp;c.; t to apprise Miss temple and teacure. All along I of t daily for tion respecting my past life and conversation o brand me as a bad chere he was.
ood at Miss temple’s side; doubt cy, expecting every moment to see its dark orb turn on me a glance of repugnance and contempt. I listened too; and as I o be seated quite at top of t most of relieved me from immediate apprehension.
“I suppose, Miss temple, t at Lo struck me t it of ty for ted to matcell Miss Smit I forgot to make a memorandum of t s in next , to give out more t a time to eac to be careless and lose tockings ter looked to!— into tcity of black ate of repair: from t been ime to time.”
he paused.
“Your directions stended to, sir,” said Miss temple.
“And, ma’am,” inued, “tells me some of tuckers in t is too muc to one.”
“I t circumstance, sir. Agnes and Catone ed to take tea Lo to put on clean tuckers for the occasion.”
Mr. Brockle nodded.
“ell, for once it may pass; but please not to let tance occur too often. And ttling accounts a luncing of bread and c to t fortnigions, and I find no sucioned. roduced tion? and by y?”
“I must be responsible for tance, sir,” replied Miss temple: “t t possibly eat it; and I dared not alloo remain fasting till dinner-time.”
“Madam, alloant. You are a my plan in bringing up t to accustom to s of luxury and indulgence, but to render tient, self-denying. Stle accidental disappointment of tite occur, suc oug to be neutralised by replacing e t lost, ting titution; it ougo be improved to tual edification of to evince fortitude under temporary privation. A brief address on t be mistimed, or ake tunity of referring to tive Cians; to torments of martyrs; to tations of our blessed Lord o take up to man s live by bread alone, but by every proceedet of to ions, “If ye suffer for My sake, bread and cead of burnt porridge, into t you little tarve tal souls!”
Mr. Brockle again paused—peremple began to speak to sraigurally pale as marble, appeared to be assuming also ty of t material; especially , and tled gradually into petrified severity.
Meantime, Mr. Brockle, standing on tically surveyed t somet eits pupil; turning, s to used—
“Miss temple, Miss temple, girl ending ed to t, his hand shaking as he did so.
“It is Julia Severn,” replied Miss temple, very quietly.
“Julia Severn, ma’am! And o table establis—as to wear her hair one mass of curls?”
“Julia’s urally,” returned Miss temple, still more quietly.
“Naturally! Yes, but to conform to nature; I abundance? I imated t I desire to be arranged closely, modestly, plainly. Miss temple, t girl’s be cut off entirely; I o-morrooo muc tall girl, tell o turn round. tell all t form to rise up and direct to the wall.”
Miss temple passed o smootary smile t curled t class could take in tle back on my benced on t y Mr. Brockle could not see too; t, side of tter, terference than he imagined.
inised tes, tence. the knell of doom—
“All top-knots must be cut off.”
Miss temple seemed to remonstrate.
“Madam,” er to serve o mortify in ts of to teaco cloty, not ly apparel; and eacring of ed in plaits self mig, must be cut off; time ed, of—”
Mr. Brockle ed: tors, ladies, noered t to tle sooner to ure on dress, for ttired in velvet, silk, and furs. trio (fine girls of sixteen and seventeen) s, tric tresses, elaborately curled; tly velvet srimmed of French curls.
tially received by Miss temple, as Mrs. and t, and conducted to seats of top of t seems tive, and ing a rummaging scrutiny of tairs, ed business ioned tured tendent. to address divers remarks and reproofs to Miss Smition of tories: but I ime to listen to ters called off and enced my attention.
o, emple, I , at time, neglected precautions to secure my personal safety; ed, if I could only elude observation. to t o be busy e in suco conceal my face: I migice, my treace someo slip from my rusive crasly dra ooped to pick up ts of slate, I rallied my forces for t. It came.
“A careless girl!” said Mr. Brockle, and immediately after—“It is t not forget I o say respecting seemed to me! “Let te come forward!”
Of my o irred; I t girls emple gently assisted me to , and I caught her whispered counsel—
“Don’t be afraid, Jane, I sa ; you s be punished.”
t to my like a dagger.
“Anote, and se,” t I; and an impulse of fury against Reed, Brockle, and Co. bounded in my pulses at tion. I was no helen Burns.
“Fetc stool,” said Mr. Brockle, pointing to a very or risen: it .
“Place t.”
And I knoion to note particulars; I ted me up to t of Mr. Brockle’s nose, t a spread of s orange and purple silk pelisses and a cloud of silvery plumage extended and waved below me.
Mr. Brockle hemmed.
“Ladies,” said urning to emple, teachis girl?”
Of course t ted like burning- glasses against my scorched skin.
“You see s young; you observe s o all of us; no signal deformity points as a marked cer. t and agent in suco say, is the case.”
A pause—in eady to feel t t trial, no longer to be s be firmly sustained.
“My dear c becomes my duty to t be one of God’s otle casta a member of true flock, but evidently an interloper and an alien. You must be on your guard against ss, and s from your converse. teac cs, ongue falters ) tive of a Cian land, tle s prayers to Bra—this girl is—a liar!”
Noen minutes, during possession of my s, observed all ts produce t-o tics, wo younger ones w resumed.
“tress; from table lady e, reared er, and itude so bad, so dreadful, t at last patroness o separate aminate ty: s o be to troubled pool of Beteacendent, I beg of you not to alloers to stagnate round her.”
it adjusted top button of out, muttered someto o Miss temple, and t people sailed in state from turning at the door, my judge said—
“Let and stool, and let no one speak to he day.”
ted aloft; I, anding on my natural feet in to general vieal of infamy. my sensations just as tifling my breatricting my t, a girl came up and passed me: in passing, sed a strange lig an extraordinary sensation t ray sent t yr, a im, and imparted strengtransit. I mastered teria, lifted up my ook a firm stand on tool. question about riviality of turned to me as s by. a smile! I remember it no it ellect, of true courage; it lit up s, ion from t of an angel. Yet at t moment idy badge;” scarcely an co a dinner of bread and er on tted an exercise in copying it out. Suc nature of man! sucs are t planet; and eyes like Miss Scatce defects, and are blind to tness of the orb.