The Rainbow

"The big room," said Miss Schofield, "ha, it's misery to be

in it!"

She too spoke with bitterness. She too lived in the

ignominious position of an upper servant hated by the master

above and the class beneath. She was, she knew, liable to attack

from either side at any minute, or from both at once, for the

authorities would listen to the complaints of parents, and both

would turn round on the mongrel authority, the teacher.

So there was a hard, bitter withholding in Maggie Schofield

even as she poured out her savoury mess of big golden beans and

brown gravy.

"It is vegetarian hot-pot," said Miss Schofield. "Would you

like to try it?"

"I should love to," said Ursula.

Her own dinner seemed coarse and ugly beside this savoury,

clean dish.

"I've never eaten vegetarian things," she said. "But I should

think they can be good."

"I'm not really a vegetarian," said Maggie, "I don't like to

bring meat to school."

"No," said Ursula, "I don't think I do either."

And again her soul rang an answer to a new refinement, a new

liberty. If all vegetarian things were as nice as this, she

would be glad to escape the slight uncleanness of meat.

"How good!" she cried.

"Yes," said Miss Schofield, and she proceeded to tell her the

receipt. The two girls passed on to talk about themselves.

Ursula told all about the High School, and about her

matriculation, bragging a little. She felt so poor here, in this

ugly place. Miss Schofield listened with brooding, handsome

face, rather gloomy.

"Couldn't you have got to some better place than this?" she

asked at length.

"I didn't know what it was like," said Ursula,

doubtfully.

"Ah!" said Miss Schofield, and she turned aside her head with

a bitter motion.

"Is it as horrid as it seems?" asked Ursula, frowning

lightly, in fear.

"It is," said Miss Schofield, bitterly. "Ha!--it is

hateful!"

Ursula's heart sank, seeing even Miss Schofield in the deadly

bondage.

"It is Mr. Harby," said Maggie Schofield, breaking forth.

"I don't think I could live again in the big

room--Mr. Brunt's voice and Mr.

Harby--ah----"

She turned aside her head with a deep hurt. Some things she

could not bear.

"Is Mr. Harby really horrid?" asked Ursula, venturing into

her own dread.

"He!--why, he's just a bully," said Miss Schofield,

raising her shamed dark eyes, that flamed with tortured

contempt. "He's not bad as long as you keep in with him, and

refer to him, and do everything in his way--but--it's

all so mean! It's just a question of fighting on both

sides--and those great louts----"

She spoke with difficulty and with increased bitterness. She

had evidently suffered. Her soul was raw with ignominy. Ursula

suffered in response.

"But why is it so horrid?" she asked, helplessly.