Monitress Mildred
Never at the beginning of any term had Mildred been so delighted to
return to St. Cyprian's. Owing to some rather protracted building
operations the school had had unwontedly long holidays, so that her
lengthy visit to Westmorland had not prevented her being in time for the
re-opening. There were naturally great changes at the College. Ella
Martin, Phillis Garnett, Joan Richards, Dorrie Barlow, and all the other
leaders had left, and the former members of VA were now raised to the
Sixth Form. Laura Kirby was head of the school, and among the
monitresses were Bess Harrison, Lottie Lowman, Freda Kingston, Maudie
Stearne, and Mildred herself. It was quite a surprise to Mildred to find
herself placed as a monitress. She knew she had done well at the July
examinations, but had not realized that her success would entitle her to
so great a reward. The position was one of much trust at St. Cyprian's,
and carried many privileges; to attain to it was the ambition of every
girl who entered the school.
Some readjustment of the Alliance committees was of course necessary in
consequence of the alterations in the Forms, and a fresh election of
delegates was held, the present members of Va being now eligible as
candidates. This time the voting seemed almost unanimous, and the list
came out as follows:
LITERARY.--Laura Kirby, Constance Muir.
MUSICAL.--Mildred Lancaster, Elizabeth Chalmers.
Dramatic.--Lottie Lowman, Sibyl Anderson.
ARTS AND HANDICRAFTS.--Freda Kingston, Ivy Linthwaite.
GAMES.--Kitty Fletcher, Edna Carson.
Great satisfaction was expressed at this result. It was felt that in
every department a wise choice had been made. All realized that Mildred
ought to represent the musical element of the school, but they were glad
that Lottie Lowman's undoubted talents should be utilized in the
"Dramatic", where she would really find a freer scope for her energies.
The appointments of Kitty Fletcher and Edna Carson as Games delegates
were immensely popular. They were known enthusiasts, and it was
considered that Kitty would make an admirable successor to Joan
Richards. After distinguishing itself at cricket, St. Cyprian's was now
anxious to win laurels at hockey, and looked forward with great keenness
to matches during the season. Freda Kingston and Ivy Linthwaite were
admittedly the art "stars" of the College; the November exhibition was
the next great event on the Alliance calendar, so it was well to have
such trustworthy representatives to look after the school honours. In
literature nobody could surpass Laura Kirby, and Constance Muir had also
contributed good work.
To have at last won the Musical delegateship was to Mildred an even
greater pleasure than her new post as monitress. She anticipated many
interesting competitions with other schools, and had moreover a project
of her own which she meant to broach at the first favourable
opportunity. She thoroughly appreciated her colleague. Elizabeth
Chalmers was a very pleasant girl, easy to get on with, and ready to be
enthusiastic. The fact of her being a pianist was a great advantage,
especially as she happened to be an excellent reader, for she would be
able to play accompaniments to anything that was required.
With her fellow monitresses Mildred also hoped to keep on good terms. It
was perhaps not altogether fortunate that Laura Kirby should be head of
the school. Her high marks at the examination had placed her easily in
that position, but she was not really fitted to be a leader of other
girls. Extremely clever at any form of brainwork, she was gauche and
brusque in her manners, and totally lacking in perception. She did not
command any great respect among the juniors, and found difficulty in
keeping order. She was upright and conscientious, and anxious to make an
efficient "head", but she was incapable of taking hints, and would
blunder along where a less clever but more tactful girl would have
smoothed away difficulties. Lottie Lowman, Maudie Stearne, and jolly
Bess Harrison were already very popular, and Freda Kingston, though
quiet and retiring, was reliable, and could assert her authority when
required.
None at St. Cyprian's could fail to notice the marked change in Mildred
since last Easter. The summer term had been a time of transition, and
now her holiday at The Towers and her new school responsibilities had
completed the transformation. Instead of the dreamy, unawakened,
indolent, dependent girl of heretofore, she had developed into a brisk,
alert, and highly original character, anxious to take her share of the
world's burden, and spur others on to do the same.
"Mildred seems years older since we said good-bye on breaking-up day,"
said Kitty Fletcher to Bess Harrison. "She was always rather a baby. Now
she's suddenly begun to grow up!"
"And doing it quickly too," agreed Bess. "I'm as astonished as you are.
I didn't think Mildred had it in her. I believe she'll make one of the
best monitresses St. Cyprian's has ever had."
Professor Hoffmann's joy at the return of his favourite pupil was
Teutonic in its warmth and fervour.
"Mein Freundchen, you have come again!" he cried, shaking hands with a
vigour that almost made her cry out. "You remember what I tell you? Yes?
Nothing in this world can compare with music. You did not wish to live
at the rich and great house? So! Zou have chosen well. Now you shall
study. Ach! we shall see what you will do! You have played at my
Students' Concert. What if one day you have a concert of your own? But
you must give people something to which it is worth their while to
listen! You can do it, yes! It is in you, if you will let it come out.
The power is there, but it needs training, patience, care, and again
training. It knows not yet how to express itself aright. Himmel! You
have a great aptitude for your instrument. Some day we shall see you an
artiste, if you will only continue to work."
Hard work Mildred certainly found to be her present destiny at St.
Cyprian's. The curriculum of the Sixth Form demanded extra brain
exertion in addition to her increased violin study. Fortunately for her,
the particular arrangements of the school, as divided into Collegiate
and Musical sides, made allowance for the large amount of practising
which was now daily expected from her; and Miss Cartwright, regarding
her as a special case, made further concessions, and adapted her
time-table so as to give the first place to her violin.
Most of the other girls in the Form were also putting their powers to
the proof. Laura Kirby was working for a Girton scholarship, and several
others were to take the matriculation examination. They were being
carefully coached, and extra teachers came to the College to give them
lessons in special subjects. For one or two chemistry classes they were
sent to the women's department of the Kirkton University, where some of
them hoped afterwards to continue their studies and obtain degrees. Even
Kitty Fletcher, who was not at all clever, was preparing for the Senior
Oxford and Cambridge Combined Board, an examination which it was
necessary for her to pass if she were to take up the Kindergarten
teaching upon which her heart was set.
There were naturally a few drones in the hive. Sheila Moore kept up a
well-deserved reputation for idleness, and Eve Mitchell and Nora
Whitehead were prepared to rival her, in spite of Miss Cartwright's
protestations. On the whole, however, the average was high, and the
girls seemed disposed to live up to the past traditions of the Form,
and set an example in strenuousness to the rest of the school.
One delightful privilege was accorded to the Sixth. They had a little
sitting-room to themselves, where those who stayed for dinner could
spend their spare time, or where preparation might be done in quiet at
certain hours. This sitting-room was always considered the private
property, for the year, of the Sixth, and the girls took a pride in
making it pretty. It was the custom for every member to bring one
article, which she could take away with her when leaving the school, so
that the room should be free for its next occupants. Chairs and a table
were provided, but the girls contributed pictures, framed photographs,
cushions, a table-cover, some books, and a variety of knick-knacks,
which gave the place a very homely and cosy air.
This term, by special permission from Miss Cartwright, a tea-service was
added to the other possessions. The girls intended to hold committee
meetings at four o'clock, and afterwards to make tea in their sanctum,
taking it in turns to provide the comestibles. It had always been rather
a rush to have meetings during the midday interval, as some members
returned home for dinner, and could not be back until after two o'clock,
so that the bell for second school was apt to ring just in the midst of
the most animated discussions. Mildred's contribution to the
sitting-room consisted of a tea-cloth which she had worked while at The
Towers. Kitty Fletcher brought a framed photograph of last term's
cricket eleven, taken just after their triumph over Templeton. Freda
Kingston had some of her own water-colours framed, and these were so
pretty that they were awarded the place of honour by general vote.
Laura Kirby lent a well-stocked book-shelf, and Lottie Lowman placed a
clock on the mantel-piece, so that by the united efforts of the whole
Form the room looked quite as nice as it had done under the headship of
Phillis Garnet and her set.
To Mildred this sanctum was a delightful retreat. She was a day-boarder,
and she had always found that the schoolroom or the playground afforded
rather cold comfort during the interval. With others of the "Needlework
Guild" she could retire here to make the charity garments which the
Alliance had promised for the Children's Hospital, or construct little
presents for the "Santa Claus Club" that was to aid in stocking the
Christmas-tree at the Central Ragged Schools of the city. At Kitty
Fletcher's instigation a Christmas Card Association was formed. The
girls brought to school a large selection of their last year's cards,
and set to work with paste-brush and blank paper to cover over the names
which were on them, writing instead some suitable greeting. These were
to be sent to the workhouse for distribution on Christmas Day, and it
was hoped to prepare enough for each inmate to receive one. It was an
occupation which most of the girls enjoyed, and proved more popular than
needlework, so a large amount of snipping and pasting went on, and the
pile of finished cards grew steadily.
The autumn term was only about a fortnight old when a new pupil arrived,
who, in Mildred's opinion at least, was a most welcome addition to the
College. Mr. Somerville had been so much interested in the descriptions
he had heard of St. Cyprian's that he had decided to send Rhoda there
without further delay. She was to live at the Principal's private house,
for Miss Cartwright had decided to try the experiment of taking a few
boarders, and had provided accommodation for six. Rhoda was particularly
anxious to come to St. Cyprian's, partly because Mildred was there, and
had given her such entrancing accounts of it, and also because Rodney
was commencing his engineering work at Kirkton, and was already
installed in rooms on his own account. With Mildred to act as her school
godmother, Rhoda very soon made friends, and began to settle down
happily into her new life. Her former lessons with her father, though in
some subjects she was well advanced, had left her behindhand in other
respects, so she had been placed in VB, the Form to which Miss
Cartwright generally relegated backward girls who were too old for the
Fourth, and not capable of doing the work of VA. Here she soon began to
pick up the points in which she was deficient, and made excellent
progress. She found several congenial friends of her own age, and became
an active supporter of all the special institutions of her Form.
With Miss Cartwright's permission Rhoda was allowed frequently to visit
Meredith Terrace, where Rodney also was invited to meet her. Dr. and
Mrs. Graham were delighted with both the young people, and strongly
encouraged the friendship, being indeed anxious to repay the Somervilles
for their hospitality to Mildred during the summer. Rodney, who was fond
of science, was immensely interested in Dr. Graham's fine microscope,
and delighted to help him in the preparation of slides. He became so
handy in this respect, and also in connection with one or two other
special hobbies of the doctor's, that he was soon at home in the house,
and passed many evenings in the study trying chemical or electrical
experiments. Dr. Graham was pleased with the young fellow's enthusiasm
and scientific taste.
"It renews my youth to work with him," he declared. "He revives old
interests and stimulates new ones. He has a decided inventive faculty,
and some of his ideas are really very original and clever. We have a
little scheme between us now, which, if it turns out well, may be worth
patenting. We're as eager about it as two old mediaeval alchemists."
Mildred had sometimes felt the lack of companions of her own age at
home, and was glad therefore that her friends received so hearty a
welcome. The young people spent many pleasant evenings together at
music. Rodney played well, and Rhoda was just beginning to cultivate a
very good soprano voice, and to be anxious to try over every fresh song
that came in her way. Mildred would often accompany her softly on the
violin, so with Rodney at the piano they formed an excellent trio.
About this time Mildred found her powers of composition develop in a
manner which surprised even herself. She had always been fond of
improvising, but now her ideas took more definite shape, and she was
able to produce short pieces, which she wrote down on paper. Her brain
was full of haunting melodies, and it became her favourite recreation
to weave these together into the form of waltz, polonaise, gavotte, or
sonatina. The more rein she gave to her imagination the better it served
her; the tunes would come as if by inspiration, and as she grew more
accustomed to transcribing them, she could elaborate them at her
leisure. She showed a few of them to Professor Hoffmann, and found his
advice invaluable in aiding her to put her themes into proper notation.
In spite of his evident appreciation of this new phase on the part of
his pupil, he still remained the rigid martinet, and would not allow her
to spend too much time over her own compositions, urging her to study
the works of the great classical masters, and obtain a wider knowledge
of general music.
"There are many who can write waltzes and drawing-room songs," he
affirmed. "If you have once entered into the mind of Beethoven and
Chopin, these will not content you."
Mrs. Graham often congratulated herself at this period that she had sent
Mildred to St. Cyprian's. At no other school would it have been possible
for her to devote so great a portion of her time to music. Her aunt felt
that had she been brought up with private tuition at home, she would
have suffered from the lack of the wholesome College interests and the
companionship of other girls. She rejoiced that Mildred had been made a
monitress, and encouraged her to do all she could for the sake of the
school, as she considered the public spirit thus engendered would
prevent her from becoming too narrowly engrossed in her one particular
line of study.
Mildred did not need any urging to play her part in the life of St.
Cyprian's. She thoroughly appreciated being a school officer, and
particularly enjoyed the committee meetings.
One afternoon at the end of October the monitresses were gathered in the
sanctum for their weekly discussion. It was a particularly jolly little
assembly, for they had decided to celebrate it with tea, and had each
brought a contribution of some kind. A tempting display of cakes was
spread on the table, and a jug of dairy cream completed the feast. It
was perhaps hardly orthodox to combine the sitting of a committee with
the consumption of raspberry buns, but the girls did not wish to stay
too long, so they decided that for once they would discuss their
business over the teacups. Laura Kirby was therefore requested both to
take the chair and to wield the teapot, and performed the united office
with much zeal.
"I'm sure my brains work better when they're lubricated with tea,"
declared Bess Harrison, tilting back her chair at a comfortable though
rather dangerous angle, and accepting the queen-cake which Lottie Lowman
offered her. "I wish we could represent it to Miss Cartwright, and have
cups sent round during maths. It would make all the difference to one's
problems."
"Don't you wish you may get it, my child!" replied Maudie Stearne. "Even
pear-drops are tabooed, and I was once sent out of the room for sucking
a peppermint. No, it's only at our own functions that we can indulge in
luxuries. Yes, I'd like some of Freda's seed-cake, if you'll pass it to
me."
"I made it myself last Saturday," boasted Freda. "Yes, I did, and sat
over it while it was baking, for fear it should burn. And I iced it
afterwards, and put the pieces of candied apricot on the top."
"Does you credit," murmured Maudie, sampling the delicacy in question.
"You have my permission to make another for next monitresses' meeting.
May I suggest a cherry-cake, as my favourite?"
"To business!" cried Laura, rapping the table. "This is most shameful
'frivol.'. Do you realize that we haven't begun our work yet? Bess
Harrison, please give me your report."
"I've had a little trouble with IIIA," began Bess. "The young wretches
were playing all sorts of pranks, and wouldn't walk decently downstairs.
I caught Nellie Brewer sliding down the banisters, and harangued her
till she blubbed. I think she won't try it on again."
"My precious kids took it into their heads to bolt into the playground
while I was solemnly conducting them to the studio," remarked Maudie
Stearne. "I had quite hard work to collect them and march them off. I
didn't spare them, though, and stopped them all from the tennis-courts
for the day. It gave them a warning."
"I find IIIB do rather outrageous things sometimes," said Mildred
plaintively. "Yesterday four of them purloined clubs from the gym., and
were playing Red Indians, or some such nonsense, with them in their
classroom. They managed to break an inkpot and upset the black-board."
"One has to be very firm," volunteered Freda. "It doesn't do to let them
think they can take the least advantage of you. Once give way, and your
influence is gone."
"Yes, an easy-going monitress means a slack Form," agreed Lottie. "The
juniors know the rules perfectly well, but I think it would be a good
plan to write them out and pin a list up in each classroom. If they see
them in black and white they've no excuse for pretending they've never
heard of them."
"We can't have juniors usurping the senior tennis-courts or using the
studio piano, and those are two of their chief crimes," observed Freda.
"I'll make a list of all the hitherto unwritten laws of St. Cyprian's,"
said Laura. "If you can all spare ten minutes for an extra committee
meeting to-morrow, we can read them over and pass them."
"Carried unanimously!" replied the girls.
"If you'll offer us tea again!" murmured Bess.
"Don't be greedy! No, to-day must content you. We can't have such an
upset and spread to-morrow, or Miss Cartwright may put a veto on teas
altogether. By the by, this isn't of course an Alliance meeting, but a
few of us delegates are here. How is the 'Dramatic' getting on, Lottie?"
"Quite tolerably," replied Lottie; "but you know I'm ambitious. We're
giving a united performance at Christmas with the High School and the
Anglo-German in aid of the Children's Hospital. It's quite a good piece,
a sort of Twelfth Night revels and mummers all combined. It's to be held
at the Exchange Assembly Hall. I wish it had been in the Shakespeare
Theatre, then we might have had an orchestra with it. I'm afraid the
piano will sound so horribly thin and inadequate in that huge room.
Somehow these things need a band to make them go. It isn't half festive
without."
"Is the music written for the piano?" enquired Mildred.
"Yes, and it's really quite pretty."
"It would be fairly easy for strings, I dare say?"
"What do you mean?"
"I have an idea, but I'll think it over, and tell it to you to-morrow."