American essays; Convents; Eden Hall (Torresdale, Pa.); Pennell, Elizabeth Robins, 1855-1936; Repplier, Agnes, 1855-1950
"Adelaide H. McC. Harrison," Elizabeth read slowly, and with
painstaking precision. "Haven't you any more initials, Adelaide, you
could have put on your underclothes?"
"Look again, Elizabeth. Surely there's a coronet somewhere?" interposed
Eloise Didier sardonically. Adelaide was not popular in our community.
"Three coronets, a sceptre, and a globe," said Elizabeth.
"Children," began Madame Chapelle; but her voice was lost in the
scurrying of feet, as girl after girl darted across the polished floor
to claim her possessions, or to rid herself of some one else's. They
were, I well knew, devoutly grateful for this benign confusion, and
were making the most of it. Fate did not often throw such chances in
their way. For a moment I felt that noble joy which in this world
is granted only to successful effort, to the accomplishment of some
well-planned, well-executed design. Then silence fell suddenly upon the
room, and I knew, though I could not see, that every girl was back in
her own alcove.
"May I ask the meaning of this disorder!" said Madame Rayburn coldly.
She was _surveillante_, and was making the round of the dormitories,
to see that everything was quiet after the day's excitement. Madame
Chapelle began a nervous explanation. There was some mistake about
the laundry. None of the children had their own clothes. They were
trying--rather noisily, she admitted--to exchange them. Was it
possible that Sister O'Neil--
"Sister O'Neil!" interrupted Madame Rayburn impatiently. "Sister O'Neil
had nothing to do with it. Answer me quietly, children. Did you all
find you had some one else's clothes?"
There was a murmur of assent,--a polite, subdued, apologetic sort
of murmur; but, none the less, of universal assent. At that instant
I remembered Sister O'Neil's parting words to me, and, with the
instinctive impulse of the ostrich, slid deeper in my little bed. A
quick step crossed the dormitory. A firm hand drew my curtain. "Agnes!"
said Madame Rayburn, in a terrible voice.
Ah, well! Anyway, the _congé_ was over.
Marriage Vows
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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