ON her honourable1 promotion2 the following Christmas — she mounted two forms this time — Laura was a thin, middle-sized girl of thirteen, who still did not look her age. The curls had vanished. In their place hung a long, dark plait, which she bound by choice with a red ribbon.
Tilly was the only one of her intimates who skipped a class with her; hence she was thrown more exclusively than before on Tilly’s companionship; for it was a melancholy3 fact: if you were not in the same class as the girl who was your friend, your interests and hers were soon fatally sundered4. On their former companions, Tilly and Laura, from their new perch5, could not but look down: the two had masters now for all subjects; Euclid loomed6 large; Latin was no longer bounded by the First Principia; and they fussed considerably7, in the others’ hearing, over the difficulties of the little blue books that began: GALLIA EST OMNIS DIVISA IN PARTES TRES.
In the beginning, they held very close together; for their new fellows were inclined to stand on their dignity with the pair of interlopers from Class Two. They were all older than Tilly and Laura, and thought themselves wiser: here were girls of sixteen and seventeen years of age, some of whom would progress no farther along the high-road of education. As for the boarders who sat in this form, they made up a jealous little clique8, and it was some time before the younger couple could discover the secret bond.
Then, one morning, the two were sitting with a few others on the verandah bench, looking over their lessons for the day. Mrs. Gurley had snatched a moment’s rest there, on her way to the secretary’s office, and as long as she allowed her withering9 eye to play upon things and people, the girls conned10 their pages with a great show of industry. But no sooner had she sailed away than Kate Horner leant forward and called to Maria Morell, who was at the other end of the seat: “I say, Maria, Genesis LI, 32.”— She held an open Bible in her hand.
Maria Morell frowned caution. “Dash it, Kate, mind those kids!”
But Laura’s eyes were saucers of curiosity, for Tilly, who kept her long lashes12 lowered, had given her a furious nudge. With a wink13 and a beck to each other, the bigger girls got up and went away.
“I say, what did you poke14 me so hard for?” inquired Laura as she and Tilly followed in their wake, at the clanging of the public prayer-bell.
“You soft, didn’t you hear what she said?”
“Of course I did”— and Laura repeated the reference.
“Let’s look it up then.” Under cover of the prayer Tilly sought it out, and together they bent15 their heads over it.
On this occasion, Tilly was more knowing than Laura; but on this alone; for when Laura once grasped what they were driving at, she was as nimble-witted as any.
Only a day or two later it was she who, in face of Kate and Maria, invited Tilly to turn up chapter and verse.
Both the elder girls burst out laughing.
“By dad!” cried Kate Horner, and smacked16 her thigh17. “This kid knows a thing or two.”
“You bet! I told you she wasn’t born yesterday.”— And Maria laid her arm round Laura’s shoulders.
Thus was Laura encouraged, put on her mettle18; and soon there was no more audacious Bible-reader in the class than she.
The girls were thrown thus upon the Book of Books for their contraband19 knowledge, since it was the only frankly20 outspoken21 piece of literature allowed within the College walls: the classics studied were rigidly22 expurgated; the school library was kept so dull that no one over the age of ten much cared to borrow a volume from it. And, by fair means or unfair, it was necessary to obtain information on matters of sex; for girls most of whom were well across the threshold of womanhood the subject had an invincible23 fascination24.
Such knowledge as they possessed25 was a strange jumble26, picked up at random27: in one direction they were well primed; in another, supremely28 ignorant. Thus, though they received lectures on what was called “Physiology”, and for these were required to commit to memory the name of every bone and artery29 in the body, yet all that related to a woman’s special organs and chief natural function was studiously ignored. The subject being thus chastely30 shrouded31 in mystery, they were thrown back on guesswork and speculation32 — with the quaintest33 results. The fancies woven by quite big girls, for instance, round the physical feat34 of bringing a child into the world, would have supplied material for a volume of fairytales. On many a summer evening at this time, in a nook of the garden, heads of all shades might have been seen pressed as close together as a cluster of settled bees; and like the humming of bees, too, were the busy whisperings and subdued36 buzzes of laughter that accompanied this hot discussion of the “how”— as a living answer to which, each of them would probably some day walk the world. Innumerable theories were afloat, one more fantastic than another; and the wilder the conjecture37, the greater was the respect and applause it gained.
On the other hand, of less profitable information they had amassed38 a goodly store. Girls who came from up-country could tell a lively tale of the artless habits of the blacks; others, who were at home in mining towns, described the doings in Chinese camps — those unavoidable concomitants of gold-grubbing settlements; rhymes circulated that would have staggered a back-blocker; while the governesses were without exception, young and old, kindly39 and unkindly, laid under such flamboyant40 suspicions as the poor ladies had, for certain, never heard breathed — since their own impudent41 schooldays.
This dabbling42 in the illicit43 — it had little in common with the opener grime of the ordinary schoolboy — did not even widen the outlook of these girls. For it was something to hush44 up and keep hidden away, to have qualms45, even among themselves, about knowing; and, like all knowledge that fungus-like shrinks from the sun, it was stunted46 and unlovely. Their minds were warped47 by it, their vision was distorted: viewed through its lens, the most natural human relations appeared unnatural48. Thus, not the primmest49 patterns of family life could hope for mercy in their eyes; over the family, too, man, as read by these young rigorists, was held to leave his serpent’s trail of desire.
For out of it all rose the vague, crude picture of woman as the prey50 of man. Man was animal, a composite of lust35 and cruelty, with no aim but that of brutally51 taking his pleasure: something monstrous52, yet to be adored; annihilating53, yet to be sought after; something to flee and, at the same time, to entice54, with every art at one’s disposal.
As long as it was solely55 a question of clandestine56 knowledge and ingenious surmisings, Laura went merrily with the rest: here no barrier shut her off from her companions. Always a very inquisitive57 little girl, she was now agog58 to learn new lore59. Her mind, in this direction, was like a clean but highly sensitised plate. And partly because of her previous entire ignorance, partly because of her extreme receptiveness, she soon outstripped60 her comrades, and before long, was one of the most skilful61 improvisers of the group: a dexterous62 theorist: a wicked little adept63 at innuendo64.
But that was all; a step farther, and she ran her head against a stone wall. For the invisible yeast65 that brought this ferment66 of natural curiosity to pass, was the girls’ intense interest in the opposite sex: a penned-up interest that clamoured for an outlet67; an interest which, in the life of these prospective68 mothers, had already usurped69 the main place. Laura, on the other hand, had so far had scant70 experience of boys of a desirable age, nor any liking71 for such as she had known; indeed she still held to her childish opinion that they were “silly”— feckless creatures, in spite of their greater strength and size — or downright disagreeable and antagonistic72, like Godmother’s Erwin and Marmaduke. No breath of their possible dangerous fascination had hitherto reached her. Hence, an experience that came her way, at the beginning of the autumn was of the nature of an awakening73.
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honourable
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| adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的 | |
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promotion
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| n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传 | |
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melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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sundered
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| v.隔开，分开( sunder的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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perch
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| n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于 | |
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loomed
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| v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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clique
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| n.朋党派系，小集团 | |
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withering
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| 使人畏缩的，使人害羞的，使人难堪的 | |
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conned
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| adj.被骗了v.指挥操舵( conn的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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savvy
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| v.知道，了解；n.理解能力，机智，悟性；adj.有见识的，懂实际知识的，通情达理的 | |
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lashes
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| n.鞭挞( lash的名词复数 )；鞭子；突然猛烈的一击；急速挥动v.鞭打( lash的第三人称单数 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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wink
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| n.眨眼，使眼色，瞬间；v.眨眼，使眼色，闪烁 | |
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poke
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| n.刺，戳，袋；vt.拨开，刺，戳；vi.戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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smacked
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| 拍，打，掴( smack的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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thigh
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| n.大腿；股骨 | |
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mettle
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| n.勇气，精神 | |
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contraband
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| n.违禁品，走私品 | |
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frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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outspoken
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| adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的 | |
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rigidly
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| adv.刻板地，僵化地 | |
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invincible
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| adj.不可征服的，难以制服的 | |
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fascination
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| n.令人着迷的事物，魅力，迷恋 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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jumble
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| vt.使混乱，混杂；n.混乱；杂乱的一堆 | |
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random
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| adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动 | |
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supremely
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| adv.无上地，崇高地 | |
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artery
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| n.干线，要道；动脉 | |
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chastely
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| adv.贞洁地，清高地，纯正地 | |
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shrouded
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| v.隐瞒( shroud的过去式和过去分词 )；保密 | |
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speculation
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| n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机 | |
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quaintest
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| adj.古色古香的( quaint的最高级 )；少见的，古怪的 | |
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feat
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| n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的 | |
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lust
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| n.性(淫)欲；渴(欲)望；vi.对…有强烈的欲望 | |
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subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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conjecture
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| n./v.推测，猜测 | |
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amassed
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| v.积累，积聚( amass的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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flamboyant
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| adj.火焰般的，华丽的，炫耀的 | |
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impudent
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| adj.鲁莽的，卑鄙的，厚颜无耻的 | |
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dabbling
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| v.涉猎( dabble的现在分词 )；涉足；浅尝；少量投资 | |
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illicit
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| adj.非法的，禁止的，不正当的 | |
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hush
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| int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静 | |
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qualms
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| n.不安；内疚 | |
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stunted
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| adj.矮小的；发育迟缓的 | |
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warped
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| adj.反常的；乖戾的；（变）弯曲的；变形的v.弄弯，变歪( warp的过去式和过去分词 )；使（行为等）不合情理，使乖戾， | |
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unnatural
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| adj.不自然的；反常的 | |
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primmest
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| adj.循规蹈矩的( prim的最高级 )；整洁的；（人）一本正经 | |
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50
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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brutally
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| adv.残忍地，野蛮地，冷酷无情地 | |
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monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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annihilating
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| v.（彻底）消灭( annihilate的现在分词 )；使无效；废止；彻底击溃 | |
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54
entice
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| v.诱骗，引诱，怂恿 | |
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solely
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| adv.仅仅，唯一地 | |
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clandestine
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| adj.秘密的，暗中从事的 | |
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inquisitive
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| adj.求知欲强的，好奇的，好寻根究底的 | |
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agog
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| adj.兴奋的，有强烈兴趣的； adv.渴望地 | |
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lore
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| n.传说；学问，经验，知识 | |
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outstripped
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| v.做得比…更好，（在赛跑等中）超过( outstrip的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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skilful
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| (=skillful)adj.灵巧的，熟练的 | |
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dexterous
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| adj.灵敏的；灵巧的 | |
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adept
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| adj.老练的，精通的 | |
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innuendo
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| n.暗指，讽刺 | |
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yeast
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| n.酵母；酵母片；泡沫；v.发酵；起泡沫 | |
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ferment
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| vt.使发酵；n./vt.（使）激动，（使）动乱 | |
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outlet
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| n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄 | |
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prospective
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| adj.预期的，未来的，前瞻性的 | |
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usurped
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| 篡夺，霸占( usurp的过去式和过去分词 )； 盗用； 篡夺，篡权 | |
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scant
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| adj.不充分的，不足的；v.减缩，限制，忽略 | |
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liking
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| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 | |
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antagonistic
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| adj.敌对的 | |
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awakening
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| n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的 | |
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