| Show k EBONY 00 ol 01 WAT E R S ja B 0 11 9 Annal Clure now N U I 1 SYNOPSIS CHAPTER I 1 on her way to a position in coatland Lo atland Ac academy adern janet young professor prot eror of literature and rhetoric after receiving a letter from gordon haskell Hn proprietor of the academy meets on the train A youns youna man whom aho fh learns Is arthur fleming bleming also on his oj way to the academy as aj professor of methe mathematics matics and chemistry they reach blade calir railroad 0 d station nearest to their 0 n and there tbt most meet mrs mr denver on en maffed zed ax as matron of the academy at the school tho the group croup li in struck by MI an air lr of mystery per pervading vadin C the lonely on ery flace place haskell welcome we I 1 come 2 tn them M W wilton ton payne teacher of py hilory cho ho lory completes complete the faculty in hers janet jaaj found a number of boys and girls at the clumsy desks and among them a girl she was most eager to behold berenice bracebridge who would janet thought have arrested attention anywhere by her singular type of beauty She seemed to beof those who look proudly out on life but are not proud a slender aloof creature her features where had bad janet seen the upper lip the thick lashes the delicate skin the abundant fair hair the eyes with their expression of wanting to understand something which they could not understand she rose gracefully as janet entered and looked about on her fellow students they seemed to be a nice hoys boys and girls and they rose rather uncertainly following miss Brace bridges example 1 I think were all here and we are very glad to see you she said half shyly janet was unaccountably nervous and the she felt a certain uneasiness in her pupils their eyes wandered to the corridor even when she was sure they were most attentive in a rather shaky voice she opened her subject a kind of prologue of the glories of english literature from chaucer down hour came to an end quickly As berenice passed her desk she held out her hand band thank you youl I 1 you made things live its good to make things live janet felt relieved grateful almost happy again she left her platform and went to raise a window higher when she returned other pupils were entering her room and on her desk lay a folded note addressed simply the teacher she slipped it into her bag for gordon haskell was approaching in his quiet way which reminded her of a leopards movements his sleek shining hair his dark eyes and rather elongated rounded nose emphasized his appearance well how did you get along very well thank you youl I 1 1 I am glad you are not nerv nervous ous some of my governesses have been very tery nervous his face had a cruel expression and she recalled an old painting she had once seen of the burning of a witch in salem and of the pale in tense puritan countenances lit up by the names flames of the bonfire in the midst of which a woman writhed ir the thought crossed her mind that she ehe would be glad when berenice ceased to lye be the ward of this man meanwhile the object of this wish sat eat in the third schoolroom and listened to wilton paynes introduction of his subject he had been expecting her all the morning but she did not come until the third hour a radiant creature he thought in her rather gay little mountain suit ot of ao capper colgren corduroy the coa coat t worn over a plain white slik silk blouse filo use she spoke at last asked him some simple question her voice thrilled him and its q quality brought to him many memories as the spiritual essence of a sound or a fragrance can always do he had not heard such a voice outside of europe and then only echoes of I 1 it t the soprano notes of singing ginging boys gondoliers gondo liers in venice the gentle voices of girls going like a flock of white doves to their farst communion he began to speak of psychology in an introductory way his mind still in foreign countries and you understand he said after some preliminary Il explanations that it must always be a relative subject for the human imagination Is plastic takes impressions from places the incalculable sadness of pine hemmed ravenna with its lost churches and forgotten graves might inight well enchant lord byron but leave the fever rid den peasant only with a great weariness of marshes from which he could not escape the old old half lights of london with the fog rolling from the thames and the black bubble of st pauls riding airily think of their influence InOue nce on a 0 mind like charles lambs a the sea caves of guernsey on victor hugos an I 1 the windswept wind swept gorgeous heights of spain on the haughty personality of its grandees grandeas gran dees but he wanted to hear her voice again and he asked the class questions for no other purpose than to hear her speak his heart beat rapidly with a new enchanting excitement he had worked so hard all his life that to turn aside into romance would have seemed as futile to him as a an excursion into a lovely wood road would be to a traveler hastening to a city in which he be had important business he rose and put away his books in the corridor he met arthur how did you get on very well and you your miss bracebridge rather led the psychology class she Is very pretty very interesting dont you think not as pretty as janet mercer payne breathed a sigh of relief As it if evoked by the words of her name janet was wag coming down the corridor it quite thrilling to teach in such a school it Is indeed payne said fervently 1 I noticed something rather odd arthur began my pupils watched the corridor a good deal kept looking toward the dark hall and rather apprehensively and I 1 overheard a conversation between two of them as they were collecting their books it ran something like this where does he keep the dummies balder told father they were in the base basement menU 1 I bet you go into the room where they arel are I 1 1 11 I bet I 1 would balder says hes afraid of them she I 1 she ought to be afraid of em I 1 she never knew lem em she was only six of course I 1 pricked up my ears but they saw I 1 was listening in and stopped nice hearty youngsters rather hazy about their mathematical attainments 1 I am rather worried about mrs denver janeas JanelL ald 1 I L went to her room again but sho she la Is riot there I 1 hope mr haskell will not overwork her he e wa was waiting for them in the lunch room and his bright bryght restless eyes searched their faces keenly ah ab here you are arel I 1 alive I 1 seel the words were trivial but they jarred upon arthur why we be well I 1 thought the strain of teaching under these rather novel conditions might be hard your pupils are most enthusiastic yoa you will go far with them again the curious note in his bis voice As the lunch proceeded the talk drifted to religion 1 I often think he said eald of the old idea that religion and politics must not be mentioned in society whereas as I 1 heard a n famous man say once they are the only subjects worth talking about aboul there must be a religion that swallows up all others other 3 and a policy that dominates all other policies of government what an extraordinary privilege to be the initiator either of that religion or that poll policy c y 1 I not being olympians Olymp ians I 1 am afraid we wal none of us have such a privilege when lunch was finished haskell rose roae and stood like a brown shadow against the white door of the room one would give children an eternal playtime he be said wistfully but that they only have when they die you yon will bl be free at four in your walks you will observe that the cast wing once doctor brace bridges family quarters Is guarded off by a high iron fence I 1 live there now and berenice and hir her old nurse have the top floor it Is not necessary necessary to visit that part of the academy he added significantly fl 1 I hope we may some day see miss bracebridge out of study boyrs hours payne said boldly the simple words seemed to arouse haskells anger but he said casually theres not the slightest objection if she cares to see bee you to cover up paynes silence janet asked may I 1 see mrs denver for a moment certainly if you will go to your room I 1 will send her to you five minutes later she came in pale amazed utterly unlike the little confident woman who had arrived at blade she gathered janet into her arms hungrily oh my dear what kind of a place are we in ive had such a morning heaps of linen but not a soul have I 1 seen he has the ordering of the meals 1 he keeps the keys of everything 1 I was worried about you and I 1 about you oh my dear such gloomy kitchens P 1 where are they in the basement at the east wing he lives on the first floor miss bracebridge and an old country woman named martha on the top floor Every things very damp and dark and silent the cooks an old woman the wife of the man who drove us up the sulky young man assists her and that great tall creature Is called balder did you speak of the wax figures ures no but I 1 heard the young fellow say to the cook the dummies la is back again master was mad ax as a mad bull bul better not speak of them mrs mra denver now I 1 must go back to the school room it Is almost two to be continued |
