Ada Radford

“ The girls, their often commonplace, heavy faces, their awkward, undeveloped figures, their dress already betraying vanity and vulgarity—she saw herself grinding them.
They liked her, of course; every one liked her. She wished they would hate her. She was lonely—desperate. For friends, her colleagues; their outlook, their common shop, stifled her. "What are we doing with all these girls?" she asked herself.
"We are making them upright, sensible women, who will not argue in a circle or manoeuvre to get husbands," Katharine had said. ”

“ No questions—no conscience—she was Lucy Wren to-day—not the safe friend of Ella's husband—not the best companion for girls—not the woman every one was the better for knowing—she was just herself. She saw a child talking in class. She ought to give her a bad mark. ”

“ They sat one summer evening, exercise-books for correction piled in front of them.
"Our life," said Katharine, "is so delightfully free. Think of being a governess in a family."
Yes, Lucy Wren had been saved from that.
"Imagine being one of those girls in an idle rich family, with nothing to think about except dress and flirtations." ”

“ It was Ella's " "At Home," and Ella's husband. But what had Ella to do with either? Ella, with her mind so full of little things, so content with herself and with Tom. Did she envy Ella? Envy Ella? What a funny idea, how had it come into her head?
" Miss Wren, can I speak to you! I want to give you the fifth form next term. They are nice girls, but their tone isn't just what I should wish. It's a difficult age, their home influences are bad, frivolous. ”

“ Lucy wished it too. She was not as good a listener to-day as usual.
"He likes so few of my friends," Ella sighed, "and when he doesn't like them, although he doesn't mean to be rude, he hardly speaks to them. He always has something to say to you. Really Tom ought to have married a clever woman;" and Ella mentally determined to read more, in case Tom took to talking to her ”

“ Her work constantly overtaxed her strength. Economy prevented her from getting proper rest in her holidays. But she was sensible, and rested all she could, so that although always tired and draggled, she might not be noticeably so, and lose her post. ”