College Girl

Horne Vaizey Mrs. George de

Description

Darsie's humdrum life takes a left turn when an ailing elderly aunt invites her to move in. Along the way, Darsie becomes fast friends with an upper-crust family in town, leading to many madcap adventures. After her aunt passes away, Darsie finds out that she has inherited enough money to attend college. She embarks on a life-changing experience at school -- and in love.

Sujets

• Romance

Informations

• Publié par: The Floating Press
• Date de parution: 01 février 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781775456872
• Langue: English

Extrait

A COLLEGE GIRL
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MRS. GEORGE DE HORNE VAIZEY
 
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A College Girl First published in 1913 ISBN 978-1-77545-687-2 © 2012 The Floating Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. While every effort has been used to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information contained in The Floating Press edition of this book, The Floating Press does not assume liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in this book. The Floating Press does not accept responsibility for loss suffered as a result of reliance upon the accuracy or currency of information contained in this book. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Many suitcases look alike. Visit www.thefloatingpress.com
Contents
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Chapter One -Boys and Girls Chapter Two -The Telegraph Station Chapter Three -Aunt Maria Chapter Four -A Double Picnic Chapter Five -Left Behind! Chapter Six -Dan to the Rescue Chapter Seven -Aunt Maria's Choice Chapter Eight -First Days Chapter Nine -The Percivals Chapter Ten -A Treaty Chapter Eleven -A Dangerous Adventure Chapter Twelve -Darsie's Suggestion Chapter Thirteen -The Treasure Hunt Chapter Fourteen -A Treasure Indeed Chapter Fifteen -A Dream Fulfilled Chapter Sixteen -After Three Years Chapter Seventeen -The Auction Chapter Eighteen -First Experiences Chapter Nineteen -The Fancy Ball Chapter Twenty -Undergraduate Friends Chapter Twenty One -Mrs. Reeves Makes a Proposal Chapter Twenty Two -Christmas Day Chapter Twenty Three -The Melodrama Chapter Twenty Four -Dan and Darsie Chapter Twenty Five -New Year's Eve Chapter Twenty Six -At the Orchard Chapter Twenty Seven -Disaster Chapter Twenty Eight -Brighter Days Chapter Twenty Nine -Tripos Week Chapter Thirty -Farewell to Newnham
Chapter One -Boys and Girls
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This is the tale of two terraces, of two families who lived therein, ofseveral boys and many girls, and especially of one Darsie, hereducation, adventures, and ultimate romance.
Darsie was the second daughter in a family of six, and by reason of herupsetting nature had won for herself that privilege of priority which byall approved traditions should have belonged to Clemence, the eldersister. Clemence was serene and blonde; in virtue of her seventeenyears her pigtail was now worn doubled up, and her skirts had reachedthe discreet level of her ankles. She had a soft pink and white face,and a pretty red mouth, the lips of which permanently fell apart,disclosing two small white teeth in the centre of the upper gum, becauseof which peculiarity her affectionate family had bestowed upon her thenickname of "Bunnie." Perhaps the cognomen had something to do with hersubordinate position. It was impossible to imagine any one with thename of "Bunnie" queening it over that will-o'-the-wisp, that electricflash, that tantalising, audacious creature who is the heroine of thesepages.
Darsie at fifteen! How shall one describe her to the unfortunates whohave never beheld her in the flesh? It is for most girls an awkwardage, an age of angles, of ungainly bulk, of awkward ways, self-consciousspeech, crass ignorance, and sublime conceit. Clemence had passedthrough this stage with much suffering of spirits on her own part andthat of her relations; Lavender, the third daughter, showed at thirteenpreliminary symptoms of appalling violence; but Darsie remained as everthat fascinating combination of a child and a woman of the world, whichhad been her characteristic from earliest youth. Always graceful andalert, she sailed triumphant through the trying years, with straightback, graceful gait, and eyes a-shine with a happy self-confidence. "Iam here!" announced Darsie's eyes to an admiring world. "Let the bandstrike up!"
Some inherent quality in Darsie—some grace, some charm, some spell—which she wove over the eyes of beholders, caused them to credit herwith a beauty which she did not possess. Even her family shared in thisdelusion, and set her up as the superlative in degree, so that "aspretty as Darsie" had come to be regarded a climax of praise. The glintof her chestnut hair, the wide, bright eyes, the little oval face set ona long, slim throat smote the onlooker with instant delight, and soblinded him that he had no sight left with which to behold the blemisheswhich walked hand in hand. Photographs valiantly strove to demonstratethe truth; pointed out with cruel truth the stretching mouth, the small,inadequate nose, but even the testimony of sunlight could not convincethe blind. They sniffed, and said: "What a travesty! Never again to that photographer! Next time we'll try the man in C— Street," andDarsie's beauty lived on, an uncontroverted legend.
By a triumph of bad management, which the Garnett girls never ceased todeplore, their three brothers came at the end instead of the beginningof the family. Three grown-up brothers would have been a grand asset;big boys who would have shown a manly tenderness towards the weaknessesof little sisters; who would have helped and amused; big boys going toschool, young men going to college, coming home in the vacations,bringing their friends, acting as squires and escorts to the girls athome. Later on brothers at business, wealthy brothers, generousbrothers; brothers who understood how long quarter-day was in cominground, and how astonishingly quickly a girl's allowance vanishes intospace! Clemence, Darsie, and Lavender had read of such brothers inbooks, and would have gladly welcomed their good offices in the flesh,but three noisy, quarrelsome, more or less grimy schoolboys, superblyindifferent to "those girls"—this was another, and a very differenttale! Harry was twelve—a fair, blunt-featured lad with a yawningcavity in the front of his mouth, the result of one of the manyaccidents which had punctuated his life. On the top story of theGarnett house there ran a narrow passage, halfway along which, for wantof a better site, a swing depended from two great iron hooks. Harry, aschampion swinger, ever striving after fresh flights, had one day in afrenzy of enthusiasm swung the rings free from their hold, anddescended, swing and all, in a crash on the oil-clothed floor. Thecrash, the shrieks of the victim and his attendant sprites, smote uponMrs Garnett's ears as she sat wrestling with the "stocking basket" in aroom below, and as she credibly avowed, took years from her life.Almost the first objects which met her eye, when, in one bound, as itseemed, she reached the scene of the disaster, was a selection of smallwhite teeth scattered over the oil-clothed floor. Henceforth for yearsHarry pursued his way minus front teeth, and the nursery legend darklyhinted that so injured had been the gums by his fall that no secondsupply could be expected. Harry avowed a sincere aspiration that thisshould be the case. "I can eat as much without them," he declared, "andwhen I grow up I'll have them false, and be an explorer, and scaresavages like the man in Rider Haggard," so that teeth, or no teeth,would appear to hold the secret of his destiny.
Russell had adenoids, and snored. His peculiarities included a facultyfor breaking his bones, at frequent and inconvenient occasions, aninsatiable curiosity about matters with which he had no concern, and amost engaging and delusive silkiness of manner. "Gentleman Russell," atitle bestowed by his elders, had an irritating effect on an elderbrother conscious of being condemned by the contrast, and when quoteddownstairs brought an unfailing echo of thumps in the seclusion of theplayroom.
Tim played on his privileges as "littlest," and his mother's barelyconcealed partiality, and was as irritating to his elders as a smallperson can be, who is always present when he is not wanted, absent whenhe is, in peace adopts the airs of a conqueror, and in warfare promptlycries, and collapses into a curly-headed baby boy, whom the authoritiesdeclare it is "cr-uel" to bully!
For the rest, the house was of the high and narrow order common to townterraces, inconveniently crowded by its many inmates, and viewed fromwithout, of a dark and grimy appearance.
Sandon Terrace had no boast to make either from an architectural or aluxurious point of view, and was so obviously inferior to its neighbour,Napier Terrace, that it was lacerating to the Garnett pride to feel thattheir sworn friends the Vernons were so much better domiciled thanthemselves. Napier Terrace had a strip of garden between itself and therough outer world; big gateways stood at either end, and what Vi Vernongrandiloquently spoke of as "a carriage sweep" curved broadly between.Divided accurately among the houses in the terrace, the space of groundapportioned to each was limited to a few square yards, but the Vernonswere chronically superior on the subject of "the grounds," and inspringtime when three hawthorns, a lilac, and one spindly laburnum-treestruggled into bloom, their airs were beyond endurance.
The Vernons had also a second claim to superiority over the Garnetts,inasmuch as they were the proud possessors of an elder brother, a remoteand learned person who gained scholarships, and was going to be PrimeMinister when he was grown up. Dan at eighteen, coaching with a tutorpreparatory to going up to Cambridge, was removed by continents ofsuperiority from day-school juniors. Occasionally in their disguise ofthe deadly jealousy which in truth consumed them, the Garnett familyendeavoured to make light of the personality of this envied person. Tobegin with, his name! "Dan" was well enough. "Dan" sounded a boy-likeboy, a manly man; of a "Dan" much might be expected in the way of sportand mischief, but—oh, my goodness— Daniel ! The Garnetts discussedthe cognomen over the play-room fire.
"It must be so embarrassing to have a Bible name!" Lavender opined."Think of church! When they read about me I should be covered withconfusion, and imagine that every one was staring at our pew!"
Clemence stared thoughtfully into space. "I, Clemence, take theeDaniel," she recited slowly, and shuddered. "No—