Chapter 25
At the end of the week, Mr. Hoskins arrived and was hosted at Netherfield for two days, until the gentleman, Elizabeth, Cece and the Bingleys began their journey.
To everyone’s surprise, Mary expressed her desire to join them, and Elizabeth gladly agreed.
Therefore, the party of six departed early in the morning for the girls’ school in Surrey, to be followed by a stop in Kent and then finally, Brighton.
“Lizzy, I am so happy you took me with you,” Mary said.
“So am I, my dear. I confess I am a little bit nervous. I know the two schools were most important to Lady Sedgewick. I look forward to visiting them.”
“They will be surprised to see us, since your ladyship made no announcement,” Mr. Hoskins said.
“I would imagine as much. But I wish to avoid any preparations or deceptions. I want to see exactly how things happen on a regular school day. I know neither of you have been there for some years.”
“Lady Sedgewick last visited Old Oak School three years ago, and she never requested that we go since. But we do keep up a regular correspondence with Mr. Mullen, the manager and treasurer of the school. Of the establishment, I mean—as it is a school and an orphanage.”
“I know Mr. Mullen is a clergyman and a distant relative of Lady Sedgewick. I imagine he also serves in a parish in the neighborhood?”
“Indeed, ma’am.”
“But Mr. Hoskins, does Mr. Mullen possess the skills and knowledge to manage a school and its particular costs efficiently?”
The solicitor frowned. “I never questioned his competence, ma’am. Lady Sedgewick never complained about him.”
“So he is the one responsible for all the expenses: the food, the clothes for the girls, the payments for the teachers? Everything? Am I correct?”
“Yes, Lady Barrington.”
“From our examinations of the books we concluded that Mr. Mullen’s management is not very efficient. I would rather say the opposite. So we must evaluate the situation carefully and make changes for the benefit of the school, if necessary.”
“But—Mr. Mullen has run the establishment for almost five years now. Does your ladyship intend to dismiss him? If so, who could replace him?” Mr. Hoskins enquired with apparent uneasiness.
“I only intend to make decisions to the benefit of the children of whom Lady Sedgewick was so fond. The more carefully we manage the funds, the more children we may help. Mr. Darcy offered us outstanding examples of how easily we might increase our income.”
“Are all the girls orphans?” Jane asked and Cece readily explained.
“Some of them are orphans, with no relatives. They are mostly found and brought to the school by pastors or other merciful people. They are offered shelter, good food and a chance to acquire knowledge and skills so they can earn a decent living. Some of them have lost one parent, or their family cannot take care of them, but still wish for a proper education. Their families or friends pay an average sum of fifteen pounds per year for various classes useful for their future: writing and reading, arithmetic, geography, history, tailoring, even music, drawing and French. Those who graduate from the school are quite accomplished and they find employment as maids, seamstresses or governesses, or remain as teachers at the school. At least this is what I heard from Lady Sedgewick.”
“So all the children benefit from the same treatment, whether someone pays for them or not?” Jane asked.
“Yes,” Cece said. “This is what Lady Sedgewick has strived to accomplish all these years, through her contribution and by other generous donations she succeeded in attracting. From my knowledge, the difference is that the girls who have their expenses covered by their families may benefit from more classes and different accommodation. I am not aware of more details.”
“They should benefit from superior treatment,” Mr. Hoskins replied. “After all, there is quite a difference between fifteen pounds a year and not a penny.”
“There is a difference, but this is the entire purpose of Lady Sedgewick’s legacy—to compensate for those who have little or nothing,” Elizabeth answered.
“We shall see how the school is managed, we will speak with the teachers and with the girls. There are around forty, aged from eight to eighteen, if I remember correctly, Mr. Hoskins.”
“Forty six at this moment, ma'am. We allocate a certain sum for each girl. They are kept in three separate rooms, based on their age and class.”
“Of course. I look forward to meeting them,” Elizabeth added pensively.
∞∞∞
“The estate is probably as large as Netherfield. Quite a lot of land,” Bingley said as the carriage approached the school.
“What trees are these? They look like apples,” Mary asked.
“Yes, apples and pears,” Bingley answered, glancing out of the window. “Oh, and some plums, I see. It looks like an orchard.”
“It must have been planted some time ago, but now it looks uncared-for,” Mr. Hoskins replied.
“The view is lovely though,” Jane offered.
“It is a large estate,” Bingley repeated. “Darcy would say it looks neglected.”
“But my dear, it is a school. The teachers are not farmers, you cannot expect them to maintain an estate as Mr. Darcy does,” Jane said.
“It certainly does not look well cared for,” Elizabeth concluded, thoughtfully.
The first sight of the building—impressively large, surrounded by a wide swathe of open ground—explained why it was called ‘Old Oak School’. Resting at the edge of a small lake, a lonely old, majestic tree was guarding the establishment, like a loyal and protective soldier.
The carriage stopped in front of the doors and Elizabeth climbed down.
She looked around and noticed several girls carrying a basket, which seemed very heavy.
In the distance, other girls were seated on the ground, appearing busy and preoccupied.
At their appearance the girls glanced towards them momentarily then returned to their tasks.
Elizabeth attempted to approach the girls when a servant arrived, impatient and rather hostile, demanding their names.
Mr. Hoskins and Bingley engaged in conversation with the dumbfounded and apparently perturbed man, revealing their identities, while the ladies stepped into the house.
The large halls seemed strangely silent for a place that housed so many children together.
Two other girls of likely ten years old greeted them, averting their eyes with apparent distress, each carrying a bucket.
“Do you know where Mr. Mullen or Mrs. Russell are?” Cece enquired in a friendly voice.
“In the second classroom,” one of the girls whispered, then pointed out the direction.
“Thank you. May I have your name?” Elizabeth asked and the girl looked frightened.
“May, ma’am.”
“May? What a lovely name. What are you doing with these buckets? Are you not in classes at this hour?”
“No, ma’am. Excuse me, ma’am,” the girl ended, trying to leave with the bucket, followed by her companion.
Elizabeth glanced at Cece, her irritation growing with each moment. From behind, she heard Mr. Hoskins and Bingley’s steps, then the servant’s panicked voice.
“I beg your pardon, Lady Barrington, if you will allow me, I will show you to Mr. Mullen. I beg your forgiveness, we did not expect you, ma’am, and …”
“Mr. Mullen is in the second classroom, we were told. Please lead us there,” Elizabeth requested, trying to keep her calm.
The building was like a maze and they walked along a hall, then down a passage, until the man finally stopped in front of a door. A hum of small voices could be heard, as well as a stronger, male one.
Elizabeth opened the door, prepared to look friendly at her first meeting with the children. She entered with a large smile that immediately froze on her face.
Around twenty girls, aged around ten, were sitting on their benches and praying.
In a corner, a woman of middle age and another one in her early twenties were waiting with apparent distress.
On the teacher’s table, a girl was bent over, while a man, with his back to the door, was spanking her buttocks with a stick.
For a moment, Elizabeth remained stunned in disbelief, hoping her eyes were deceiving her, until she heard her sisters’ gasps of horror.
Anger suffocated Elizabeth and she stepped forward, grabbing the man’s arm with all the force of her ire. Astonished whispers spread across the room and the man turned to her, pushing Elizabeth's hand away while shouting at her.
“Are you out of your mind, woman? Who are you? How did you get in? I demand to know what you are doing here?”
Elizabeth straightened her back and moved another step forward.
“I am Lady Barrington, the mistress of this place. I demand to know what you are doing here, sir?”
“Lady Barrington? Dear Lord, when did your ladyship arrive? We were not informed of your visit! I am Mr. Mullen and this is Mrs. Russell, the superintendent. And that is Miss Green, the English teacher. We are honoured to make your acquaintance, madam. I deeply apologise for this misunderstanding.”
“Good day,” Elizabeth addressed him and the classroom. The teachers curtsied, but the girls barely murmured a greeting.
They were uniformly dressed in grey gowns of the plainest cut, with little pockets in front of their frocks, wearing woollen stockings and heavy shoes, fastened with brass buckles. Their hair was tight, with not a visible curl, and their faces pale and thin.
“Stand up and greet Lady Barrington, your benefactress!” Mr. Mullen shouted and the girls rose to their feet, voicing a loud, ‘Good day, Lady Barrington!’
“Please sit down,” Elizabeth smiled at them, then turned towards the punished girl who was now waiting fearfully. “Mr. Mullen, perhaps it is time for this young lady to return to her bench?”
“Oh, yes. Go to your place, Ruth. We will settle the matter later,” he said severely, with a meaningful look, then turned to Elizabeth with a large, condescending smile.