Fifty-five heads turned as if by clockwork, and fifty-five pairs of
eyes were levelled at the small girl in the white apron who meekly
followed Mrs. Gurley down the length of the dining-room. Laura
crimsoned under the unexpected ordeal, and tried to fix her attention
on the flouncing of Mrs. Gurley's dress. The room seemed hundreds of
feet long, and not a single person at the tea-tables but took stock of
her. The girls made no scruple of leaning backwards and forwards,
behind and before their neighbours, in order to see her better, and
even the governesses were not above having a look. All were standing.
On Mrs. Gurley assigning Laura a place at her own right hand, Laura
covered herself with confusion by taking her seat at once, before grace
had been said, and before the fifty-five had drawn in their chairs with
the noise of a cavalry brigade on charge. She stood up again
immediately, but it was too late; an audible titter whizzed round the
table: the new girl had sat down. For minutes after, Laura was lost in
the pattern on her plate; and not till tongues were loosened and dishes
being passed, did she venture to steal a glance round.
There were four tables, with a governess at the head and foot of each
to pour out tea. It was more of a hall than a room and had high,
church-like windows down one side. At both ends were scores of
pigeon-holes. There was a piano in it and a fireplace; it had [P.45]
pale blue walls, and only strips of carpet on the floor. At present it
was darkish, for the windows did not catch the sun.
Laura was roused by a voice at her side; turning, she found her
neighbour offering her a plate of bread.
"No, thank you," she said impulsively; for the bread was cut in chunks,
and did not look inviting.
But the girl nudged her on the sly. "You'd better take some," she
whispered.
Laura then saw that there was nothing else. But she saw, too, the
smiles and signs that again flew round: the new girl had said no.
Humbly she accepted the butter and the cup of tea which were passed to
her in turn, and as humbly ate the piece of rather stale bread. She
felt forlornly miserable under the fire of all these unkind eyes, which
took a delight in marking her slips: at the smallest further mischance
she might disgrace herself by bursting out crying. Just at this moment,
however, something impelled her to look up. Her vis-a-vis, whom she had
as yet scarcely noticed, was staring hard. And now, to her great
surprise, this girl winked at her, winked slowly and deliberately with
the right eye. Laura was so discomposed that she looked away again at
once, and some seconds elapsed before she was brave enough to take
another peep. The wink was repeated.
It was a black-haired girl this time, a girl with small blue eyes, a
pale, freckled skin, and large white teeth. What most impressed Laura,
though, was her extraordinary gravity: she chewed away with a face as
solemn as a parson's; and then just when you were least expecting it,
came the wink. Laura was fascinated: she lay in wait for it beforehand
and was doubtful whether to feel offended by it or to laugh at it. But
at least it made her forget her mishaps, and did away with the
temptation to cry.
When, however, Mrs. Gurley had given the signal, and the fifty-five had
pushed back their chairs and set them to the table again with the same
racket as before, Laura's position was a painful one. Everybody pushed,
and talked, and laughed, in a hurry to leave the hall, and no one took
any notice of her except to stare. After some indecision, she followed
the rest through a door. Here she found herself on a verandah facing
the grounds of the school. There was a long bench, on which several
people were sitting: she took a modest seat at one end. Two of the
younger governesses looked at her and laughed, and made a remark. She
saw her room-mate, Lilith Gordon, arm in arm with a couple of
companions. The winker of the tea-table turned out to be a girl of her
own age, but of a broader make; she had fat legs, which were encased in
thickly-ribbed black stockings. As she passed the bench she left the
friend she was with, to come up to Laura and dig her in the ribs.
"DIDN'T she like her bread and butter, poor little thing?" she said.
Laura shrank from the dig, which was rough; but she could not help
smiling shyly at the girl, who looked good-natured. If only she had
stayed and talked to her! But she was off and away, her arm round a
comrade's neck.
Besides herself, there was now only an elderly governess left, who was
reading. She, Laura, in her solitude, was conspicuous to every eye. But
at this juncture up came two rather rollicking older girls, one of whom
was fair, with a red complexion. AS soon as their loud voices had
driven the governess away, the smaller of the two, who had a pronounced
squint, turned to Laura.
"Hullo, you kid," she said, "what's YOUR name?"
Laura artlessly replied. She was dumbfounded by the storm of merriment
that followed. Maria Morell, the fat girl, went purple, and had to be
thumped on the back by her friend.
"Oh, my!" she gasped, when she had got her breath. "Oh, my ... hold me,
some one, or I shall split! Oh, golly! Laura ... Tweedle ...
Rambotham--Laura ... Tweedle ... Rambotham! ..." her voice tailed off
again. "Gosh! Was there ever such a name?"
She laughed till she could laugh no more, rocking backwards and
forwards and from side to side; while her companion proceeded to make
further inquiries.
"Where do you come from?" the squint demanded of Laura, in a
business-like way.