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1Miss Miller signed to me to sit on a bench near the door, then walking up to the top of the long room she cried out--
2"Monitors, collect the lesson-books and put them away!" Four tall girls arose from different tables, and going round,
3gathered the books and removed them. Miss Miller again gave the word of command-- "Monitors, fetch the supper-trays!"
4The tall girls went out and returned presently, each bearing a tray, with portions of something, I knew not what,
5arranged thereon, and a pitcher of water and mug in the middle of each tray. The portions were handed round; those who
6liked took a draught of the water, the mug being common to all. When it came to my turn, I drank, for I was thirsty, but
7did not touch the food, excitement and fatigue rendering me incapable of eating: I now saw, however, that it was a thin
8oaten cake shared into fragments. The meal over, prayers were read by Miss Miller, and the classes filed off, two and
9two, upstairs. Overpowered by this time with weariness, I scarcely noticed what sort of a place the bedroom was, except
10that, like the schoolroom, I saw it was very long. To-night I was to be Miss Miller's bed-fellow; she helped me to
11undress: when laid down I glanced at the long rows of beds, each of which was quickly filled with two occupants; in ten
12minutes the single light was extinguished, and amidst silence and complete darkness I fell asleep. The night passed
13rapidly: I was too tired even to dream; I only once awoke to hear the wind rave in furious gusts, and the rain fall in
14torrents, and to be sensible that Miss Miller had taken her place by my side. When I again unclosed my eyes, a loud bell
15was ringing; the girls were up and dressing; day had not yet begun to dawn, and a rushlight or two burned in the room. I
16too rose reluctantly; it was bitter cold, and I dressed as well as I could for shivering, and washed when there was a
17basin at liberty, which did not occur soon, as there was but one basin to six girls, on the stands down the middle of
18the room. Again the bell rang: all formed in file, two and two, and in that order descended the stairs and entered the
19cold and dimly lit schoolroom: here prayers were read by Miss Miller; afterwards she called out-- "Form classes!" A
20great tumult succeeded for some minutes, during which Miss Miller repeatedly exclaimed, "Silence!" and "Order!" When it
21subsided, I saw them all drawn up in four semicircles, before four chairs, placed at the four tables; all held books in
22their hands, and a great book, like a Bible, lay on each table, before the vacant seat. A pause of some seconds
23succeeded, filled up by the low, vague hum of numbers; Miss Miller walked from class to class, hushing this indefinite
24sound. A distant bell tinkled: immediately three ladies entered the room, each walked to a table and took her seat; Miss
25Miller assumed the fourth vacant chair, which was that nearest the door, and around which the smallest of the children
26were assembled: to this inferior class I was called, and placed at the bottom of it. Business now began: the day's
27Collect was repeated, then certain texts of Scripture were said, and to these succeeded a protracted reading of chapters
28in the Bible, which lasted an hour. By the time that exercise was terminated, day had fully dawned. The indefatigable
29bell now sounded for the fourth time: the classes were marshalled and marched into another room to breakfast: how glad I
30was to behold a prospect of getting something to eat! I was now nearly sick from inanition, having taken so little the
31day before. The refectory was a great, low-ceiled, gloomy room; on two long tables smoked basins of something hot,
32which, however, to my dismay, sent forth an odour far from inviting. I saw a universal manifestation of discontent when
33the fumes of the repast met the nostrils of those destined to swallow it; from the van of the procession, the tall girls
34of the first class, rose the whispered words-- "Disgusting! The porridge is burnt again!" "Silence!" ejaculated a voice;
35not that of Miss Miller, but one of the upper teachers, a little and dark personage, smartly dressed, but of somewhat
36morose aspect, who installed herself at the top of one table, while a more buxom lady presided at the other. I looked in
37vain for her I had first seen the night before; she was not visible: Miss Miller occupied the foot of the table where I
38sat, and a strange, foreign-looking, elderly lady, the French teacher, as I afterwards found, took the corresponding
39seat at the other board. A long grace was said and a hymn sung; then a servant brought in some tea for the teachers, and
40the meal began. Ravenous, and now very faint, I devoured a spoonful or two of my portion without thinking of its taste;
41but the first edge of hunger blunted, I perceived I had got in hand a nauseous mess; burnt porridge is almost as bad as
42rotten potatoes; famine itself soon sickens over it. The spoons were moved slowly: I saw each girl taste her food and
43try to swallow it; but in most cases the effort was soon relinquished. Breakfast was over, and none had breakfasted.
44Thanks being returned for what we had not got, and a second hymn chanted, the refectory was evacuated for the
45schoolroom. I was one of the last to go out, and in passing the tables, I saw one teacher take a basin of the porridge
46and taste it; she looked at the others; all their countenances expressed displeasure, and one of them, the stout one,
47whispered-- "Abominable stuff! How shameful!" A quarter of an hour passed before lessons again began, during which the
48schoolroom was in a glorious tumult; for that space of time it seemed to be permitted to talk loud and more freely, and
49they used their privilege. The whole conversation ran on the breakfast, which one and all abused roundly. Poor things!
50it was the sole consolation they had. Miss Miller was now the only teacher in the room: a group of great girls standing
51about her spoke with serious and sullen gestures. I heard the name of Mr. Brocklehurst pronounced by some lips; at which
52Miss Miller shook her head disapprovingly; but she made no great effort to check the general wrath; doubtless she shared
53in it. A clock in the schoolroom struck nine; Miss Miller left her circle, and standing in the middle of the room,
54cried-- "Silence! To your seats!" Discipline prevailed: in five minutes the confused throng was resolved into order, and
55comparative silence quelled the Babel clamour of tongues. The upper teachers now punctually resumed their posts: but
56still, all seemed to wait. Ranged on benches down the sides of the room, the eighty girls sat motionless and erect; a
57quaint assemblage they appeared, all with plain locks combed from their faces, not a curl visible; in brown dresses,
58made high and surrounded by a narrow tucker about the throat, with little pockets of holland (shaped something like a
59Highlander's purse) tied in front of their frocks, and destined to serve the purpose of a work-bag: all, too, wearing
60woollen stockings and country-made shoes, fastened with brass buckles. Above twenty of those clad in this costume were
61full-grown girls, or rather young women; it suited them ill, and gave an air of oddity even to the prettiest. I was
62still looking at them, and also at intervals examining the teachers--none of whom precisely pleased me; for the stout
63one was a little coarse, the dark one not a little fierce, the foreigner harsh and grotesque, and Miss Miller, poor
64thing! looked purple, weather-beaten, and over-worked--when, as my eye wandered from face to face, the whole school rose
65simultaneously, as if moved by a common spring. What was the matter? I had heard no order given: I was puzzled. Ere I
66had gathered my wits, the classes were again seated: but as all eyes were now turned to one point, mine followed the
67general direction, and encountered the personage who had received me last night. She stood at the bottom of the long
68room, on the hearth; for there was a fire at each end; she surveyed the two rows of girls silently and gravely. Miss
69Miller approaching, seemed to ask her a question, and having received her answer, went back to her place, and said
70aloud-- "Monitor of the first class, fetch the globes!"
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