The Rainbow

"You will go to the girls' lobby," said the schoolmaster to

Ursula, with a fascinating, insulting geniality, purely official

and domineering.

She went out and found Miss Harby, and another girl teacher,

in the porch. On the asphalt yard the rain was falling. A

toneless bell tang-tang-tanged drearily overhead, monotonously,

insistently. It came to an end. Then Mr. Brunt was seen,

bare-headed, standing at the other gate of the school yard,

blowing shrill blasts on a whistle and looking down the rainy,

dreary street.

Boys in gangs and streams came trotting up, running past the

master and with a loud clatter of feet and voices, over the yard

to the boys' porch. Girls were running and walking through the

other entrance.

In the porch where Ursula stood there was a great noise of

girls, who were tearing off their coats and hats, and hanging

them on the racks bristling with pegs. There was a smell of wet

clothing, a tossing out of wet, draggled hair, a noise of voices

and feet.

The mass of girls grew greater, the rage around the pegs grew

steadier, the scholars tended to fall into little noisy gangs in

the porch. Then Violet Harby clapped her hands, clapped them

louder, with a shrill "Quiet, girls, quiet!"

There was a pause. The hubbub died down but did not

cease.

"What did I say?" cried Miss Harby, shrilly.

There was almost complete silence. Sometimes a girl, rather

late, whirled into the porch and flung off her things.

"Leaders--in place," commanded Miss Harby shrilly.

Pairs of girls in pinafores and long hair stood separate in

the porch.

"Standard Four, Five, and Six--fall in," cried Miss

Harby.

There was a hubbub, which gradually resolved itself into

three columns of girls, two and two, standing smirking in the

passage. In among the peg-racks, other teachers were putting the

lower classes into ranks.

Ursula stood by her own Standard Five. They were jerking

their shoulders, tossing their hair, nudging, writhing, staring,

grinning, whispering and twisting.

A sharp whistle was heard, and Standard Six, the biggest

girls, set off, led by Miss Harby. Ursula, with her Standard

Five, followed after. She stood beside a smirking, grinning row

of girls, waiting in a narrow passage. What she was herself she

did not know.

Suddenly the sound of a piano was heard, and Standard Six set

off hollowly down the big room. The boys had entered by another

door. The piano played on, a march tune, Standard Five followed

to the door of the big room. Mr. Harby was seen away beyond at

his desk. Mr. Brunt guarded the other door of the room. Ursula's

class pushed up. She stood near them. They glanced and smirked

and shoved.

"Go on," said Ursula.

They tittered.

"Go on," said Ursula, for the piano continued.

The girls broke loosely into the room. Mr. Harby, who had

seemed immersed in some occupation, away at his desk, lifted his

head and thundered: "Halt!"