England -- Social life and customs -- Fiction; Humorous stories; Schools -- Fiction; Teenage girls -- Fiction
They wanted me to give up my French lesson that morning, but I declared
that I was so much better that they let me go in, and I really did
expect just a glance; but, no, he was like a piece of marble, and took
not the slightest notice either of Clara or poor me. Then, too, he was
as cross and snappish as could be, and found great fault, saying
everything was disgracefully done, and that every one had been going
back with the French ever since he had been away. But I did not mind
that a bit; for I saw how it was making Miss Furness's ears tingle,
which was some consolation, seeing how hard she had been working us, and
what a fuss she had been making, as if she were Monsieur Achille's
deputy; and really I was getting jealous of the tiresome old thing.
I took my snubbing very patiently; but I could not help feeling terribly
angry when he rose to go, and, with an affectation of bashfulness, Miss
Furness followed, simpering, looking, or rather trying to look, in our
eyes, as if she were engaged. But I followed too, almost as soon as the
door was closed; and to my rage and disgust I found the hall empty, with
Achille's hat still standing upon the table, so that he could not have
gone.
"They must have gone into the drawing-room," I muttered.
And then once more my head began to swim, for I felt raging--jealous;
and it did seem a thing that, after all I had suffered and done for his
sake, I was to be given up for a dreadful screwy thing, old enough to be
my mother at the very least. But I would not faint this time, I was too
angry; and stepping across the hall, I opened the drawing-room door,
softly and quickly, and walked in just in time to see that base
deceiver, Achille, kissing the hand of the old hypocrite. And how they
did both flinch and cower before my indignant glance!
Miss Furness was, of course, the first to recover herself, and step
forward in a vixenish manner, just as if she would have liked to bite.
"And pray, Miss Bozerne, what may be your business?" she exclaimed.
"Oh, I merely came for my wool-work," I replied, in a tone of the most
profound contempt; and, sweeping across the room, I fetched a piece of
work that I knew to be under one of the chair cushions, and then I
marched off, leaving Achille the very image of confusion, while as for
Miss Furness, she was ready to fly at me with spite and anger.
I kept it up till I was outside the room, and had given the door a smart
bang, when I rushed upstairs, and past Mrs Blunt, who called to me in
vain to stop, and then to my bedroom, where I locked myself in, and had
such a cry, as I dashed down the wool-work, and threw myself upon the
bed, to lie with my burning cheek upon my pillow, and water it with my
tears.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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