FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144  
145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   >>   >|  
ilar position she herself would have wished to pay, but it was inconceivable that she should ever be in such a position. However hurried a man might be-- She rubbed her hand on her knee with a little shudder of distaste. "Wretch! He would make love to me, too, if I would allow it! How can Cecil possibly care for such a man?" And then she forgot Cecil's feelings to ponder on a more perplexing problem. Why had the man called Vavasour looked so amused, and why had the sweet- faced woman looked so distressed? CHAPTER THIRTEEN. A DOUBLE INVITATION. Janet Willoughby sent Claire a picture postcard, all white snow and strong shadow, and dazzling blue sky, and little black figures pirouetting on one leg with the other raised perilously in the rear. "This is me!" was written across the most agile of the number, while a scrawling line across the top ran, "Happy New Year! Returning on Tuesday. Hope to see you soon." Tuesday was the day on which school re-opened; but Janet's holiday was year long, not a short four weeks. Cecil moaned loudly, but Claire was tired of aimless days, and welcomed the return to work. She determined to throw her whole heart into her task, and work as no junior French mistress had ever worked before; she determined never to lose patience, never to grow cross, never to indulge in a sarcastic word, always to be a model of tact and forbearance. She determined to wield such an ennobling influence over the girls in her form-room that they should take fire from her example, and go forth into the world perfect, high-souled women who should leaven the race. She determined also to be the life and soul of the staff-room--the general peace-maker, confidante, and consoler, beloved by one and all. She determined to seize tactfully upon every occasion of serving the Head, and acting as a buffer between her and disagreeables of every kind. She arranged a touching scene wherein Miss Farnborough, retiring from work and being asked by the Committee to name a worthy successor, pronounced unhesitatingly, "Claire Gifford; she is but young, but her wisdom and diplomacy are beyond all praise." She saw herself Head of Saint Cuthbert's, raised to the highest step of her scholastic ladder, but somehow the climax was not so exhilarating as the climb itself. To be head mistress was, no doubt, a fine achievement, but it left her cold. Inside Saint Cuthbert's all was life and bustle. Girls streaming alon
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144  
145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
determined
 

Claire

 

Tuesday

 

Cuthbert

 

raised

 
looked
 
position
 

mistress

 
leaven
 

souled


worked

 

perfect

 
general
 

patience

 
influence
 

ennobling

 
confidante
 
forbearance
 

indulge

 

sarcastic


touching

 

scholastic

 

ladder

 

exhilarating

 

climax

 

highest

 

diplomacy

 

wisdom

 

praise

 

bustle


Inside

 
streaming
 

achievement

 

Gifford

 

buffer

 
disagreeables
 

arranged

 
acting
 

serving

 
beloved

tactfully
 

occasion

 
French
 
worthy
 

successor

 

pronounced

 
unhesitatingly
 

Committee

 
Farnborough
 

retiring