"It's worse than that; it's insulting," declared Mable Westervelt, her big dark eyes flashing indignantly.
"Doesn't it seem to reflect on our characters?" timidly asked Dorothy
Knerr.
"Indeed it does!" asserted Sue Finley. "But here comes Mary Louise; let's ask her opinion."
"Phoo! Mary Louise is only a day scholar," said Jennie. "The restriction3 doesn't apply to her at all."
"I'd like to hear what she says, anyhow," remarked Dorothy. "Mary
Louise has a way of untangling things, you know."
"She's rather too officious to suit me," Mable Westervelt retorted, "and she's younger than any of us. One would think, the way she poses as monitor at this second-rate, run-down boarding school, that Mary Louise Burrows4 made the world."
"Oh, Mable! I've never known her to pose at all," said Sue. "But, hush5; she mustn't overhear us and, besides, if we want her to intercede6 with Miss Stearne we must not offend her."
The girl they were discussing came leisurely7 down a path, her books under one arm, the other hand holding a class paper which she examined in a cursory8 way as she walked. She wore a dark skirt and a simple shirtwaist, both quite modish9 and becoming, and her shoes were the admiration10 and envy of half the girls at the school. Dorothy Knerr used to say that "Mary Louise's clothes always looked as if they grew on her," but that may have been partially11 accounted for by the grace of her slim form and her unconscious but distinctive12 poise13 of bearing. Few people would describe Mary Louise Burrows as beautiful, while all would agree that she possessed14 charming manners. And she was fifteen—an age when many girls are both awkward and shy.
As she drew near to the group on the bench they ceased discussing Mary
"What do you think, Mary Louise," demanded Jennie, as the girl paused before them, "of this latest outrage17?"
"What outrage, Jen?" with a whimsical smile at their indignant faces.
"This latest decree of the tyrant18 Stearne. Didn't you see it posted on the blackboard this morning? 'The young ladies will hereafter refrain from leaving the school grounds after the hour of six p.m., unless written permission is first secured from the Principal. Any infraction19 of this rule will result in suspension or permanent dismissal.' We're determined20 not to stand for this rule a single minute. We intend to strike for our liberties."
"Well," said Mary Louise reflectively, "I'm not surprised. The wonder is that Miss Stearne hasn't stopped your evening parades before now. This is a small school in a small town, where everyone knows everyone else; otherwise you'd have been guarded as jealously as if you were in a convent. Did you ever know or hear of any other private boarding school where the girls were allowed to go to town evenings, or whenever they pleased out of school hours?"
"Didn't I tell you?" snapped Mable, addressing the group. "Mary Louise is always on the wrong side. Other schools are not criterions for this ramshackle establishment, anyhow. We have twelve boarders and four day scholars, and how Miss Stearne ever supports the place and herself on her income is an occult problem that the geometries can't solve. She pays little Miss Dandler, her assistant, the wages of an ordinary housemaid; the furniture is old and shabby and the classrooms gloomy; the food is more nourishing than feastful and the tablecloths21 are so patched and darned that it's a wonder they hold together."
Mary Louise quietly seated herself upon the bench beside them.
"You're looking on the seamy side, Mable," she said with a smile, "and you're not quite just to the school. I believe your parents sent you here because Miss Stearne is known to be a very competent teacher and her school has an excellent reputation of long standing22. For twenty years this delightful23 old place, which was once General Barlow's residence, has been a select school for young ladies of the best families. Gran'pa Jim says it's an evidence of good breeding and respectability to have attended Miss Stearne's school."
"Well, what's that got to do with this insulting order to stay in evenings?" demanded Sue Finley. "You'd better put all that rot you're talking into a circular and mail it to the mothers of imbecile daughters. Miss Stearne has gone a step too far in her tyranny, as she'll find out. We know well enough what it means. There's no inducement for us to wander into that little tucked-up town of Beverly after dinner except to take in the picture show, which is our one innocent recreation. I'm sure we've always conducted ourselves most properly. This order simply means we must cut out the picture show and, if we permit it to stand, heaven only knows what we shall do to amuse ourselves."
"We'll do something worse, probably," suggested Jennie.
"What's your idea about it, Mary Louise?" asked Dorothy.
"Don't be a prude," warned Mable, glaring at the young girl. "Try to be honest and sensible—if you can—and give us your advice. Shall we disregard the order, and do as we please, or be namby-pambies and submit to the outrage? You're a day scholar and may visit the picture shows as often as you like. Consider our position, cooped up here like a lot of chickens and refused the only harmless amusement the town affords."
"Gran'pa Jim," observed Mary Louise, musingly24, "always advises me to look on both sides of a question before making up my mind, because every question has to have two sides or it couldn't be argued. If Miss Stearne wishes to keep you away from the pictures, she has a reason for it; so let's discover what the reason is."
"To spoil any little fun we might have," asserted Mable bitterly.
"No; I can't believe that," answered Mary Louise. "She isn't unkindly, we all know, nor is she too strict with her girls. I've heard her remark that all her boarders are young ladies who can be trusted to conduct themselves properly on all occasions; and she's right about that. We must look for her reason somewhere else and I think it's in the pictures themselves."
"As for that," said Jennie, "I've seen Miss Stearne herself at the picture theatre twice within the last week."
"Then that's it; she doesn't like the character of the pictures shown.
I think, myself, girls, they've been rather rank lately."
"What's wrong with them?"
"I like pictures as well as you do," said Mary Louise, "and Gran'pa Jim often takes me to see them. Tuesday night a man shot another in cold blood and the girl the murderer was in love with helped him to escape and married him. I felt like giving her a good shaking, didn't you? She didn't act like a real girl at all. And Thursday night the picture story told of a man with two wives and of divorces and disgraceful doings generally. Gran'pa Jim took me away before it was over and I was glad to go. Some of the pictures are fine and dandy, but as long as the man who runs the theatre mixes the horrid25 things with the decent ones—and we can't know beforehand which is which—it's really the safest plan to keep away from the place altogether. I'm sure that's the position Miss Stearne takes, and we can't blame her for it. If we do, it's an evidence of laxness of morals in ourselves."
The girls received this statement sullenly26, yet they had no logical reply to controvert27 it. So Mary Louise, feeling that her explanation of the distasteful edict was not popular with her friends, quietly rose and sauntered to the gate, on her way home.
"Pah!" sneered28 Mable Westervelt, looking after the slim figure, "I'm always suspicious of those goody-goody creatures. Mark my words, girls: Mary Louise will fall from her pedestal some day. She isn't a bit better than the rest of us, in spite of her angel baby ways, and I wouldn't be surprised if she turned out to be a regular hypocrite!"
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1
positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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pouted
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| v.撅（嘴）( pout的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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restriction
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| n.限制，约束 | |
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burrows
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| n.地洞( burrow的名词复数 )v.挖掘（洞穴），挖洞( burrow的第三人称单数 )；翻寻 | |
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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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intercede
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| vi.仲裁，说情 | |
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7
leisurely
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| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
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8
cursory
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| adj.粗略的；草率的；匆促的 | |
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modish
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| adj.流行的，时髦的 | |
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10
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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11
partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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12
distinctive
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| adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的 | |
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13
poise
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| vt./vi. 平衡，保持平衡；n.泰然自若，自信 | |
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14
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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15
canvass
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| v.招徕顾客，兜售；游说；详细检查，讨论 | |
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16
grievance
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| n.怨愤，气恼，委屈 | |
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17
outrage
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| n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒 | |
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tyrant
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| n.暴君，专制的君主，残暴的人 | |
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infraction
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| n.违反；违法 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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tablecloths
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| n.桌布，台布( tablecloth的名词复数 ) | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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23
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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musingly
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| adv.沉思地，冥想地 | |
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horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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26
sullenly
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| 不高兴地，绷着脸，忧郁地 | |
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controvert
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| v.否定；否认 | |
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sneered
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| 讥笑，冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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