So Fa La Land

10 - Cold Feet

[The image is a group of the girls at Mary Murray's. Perhaps this is the bunch referred to in today's story. I believe my mother is bottom left. Dora Robertson behind her, Peggy at top right. Can anyone tell me which is Mary and which is Jean (Jane)? Bet that cat was petted! The letter mentioned in this story has had to be invented, but my mother said it was something along these lines.]

That escapade into the hotel late at night only in her slippers brought on another bout of chilblains for Minnie. But they would never be as bad as those she had at Mary Murray's.

- o O o -

Miss Hodges used to dress Minnie's chilblains herself. Dreadful open sores and when she took the dressings off she ripped them off, taking skin with them and stopping the chilblains from healing.

Peggy used to be seething with anger as he heard Minnie crying from the pain Miss Hodges was causing. Instead of using creams she kept putting the dressings straight onto the sores.

Peggy became determined to run away. Jenny Riley lived in Tranent. If half a dozen of them could get as far as Jenny's house they would be sure of some food and shelter. She began to work on Jenny and find out which of the other girls would be prepared to run off with them.

Mary, Jean, Minnie and Dora were all up for an escape together with two or three others. Peggy began planning the break out.

Come the day, eight of the girls made their getaway, crouching down as they ran along the outside of the institution's wall, but they were seen.

The alarm was raised and the teachers rounded up the girls, bringing them back to the main hall where Miss Hodges decided to deal with them.

One by one they were each thrashed with the tawse until their behind's bled. Minnie couldn't remember how many whacks she had received, but none of them were able to sit down without grimacing for several days. They were also sent off to bed with no food or water. Literally nothing to eat or drink for the rest of the afternoon, the evening, the night until breakfast the next day. Some were faint from dehydration.

Peggy vowed to get a message out to Robert or Ellen to tell them all about the way they were being treated.

Dear Robbie and Ellen,

We cannot go on living here. We are given the strap almost every day and if we so much as make the tiniest mistake in our school work it is taken as an excuse to beat us. None of the other girls get treated in this way.

The other day we tried to run away and were sent to bed with no food or water at all. Mary tried to get some water for Dora and was locked in the cupboard by Miss Hodges.

Please can you help us somehow.

Your loving sister,

Peggy xxx

She carefully folded the letter and stamped it ready to post on Monday when they went to the library. She then concealed it behind the window shutter in the dormitory.

It was time for church so the entire school had to assemble in the main hall.

Miss Hodges marched at the head of the crocodile of children with the youngest at the front and oldest at the rear.

Half way through the church service, a young girl called Shona Fraser fainted. Miss Hodges and another teacher carried her on a chair all of the way back to Mary Murray's, took her up to the dormitory and decided she needed plenty of fresh air. Miss Hodges threw open the shutters and windows and Peggy's envelope fell onto the floor.

Miss Hodges tore it open and was waiting for Peggy when she returned from church.

First there was the thrashing, then a wholly new and dreadful punishment. Peggy was locked into one of the bathrooms for a week with no bedding and only bread and water to eat and drink.

The only window in the room was up high, too high for Peggy to reach and she admitted later that if she had been able to reach it, she would have climbed out and fallen from the roof. Such was her misery.

- o O o -

Back in the hotel kitchen, Minnie shuddered with the memory of the event and got on to making the steak and kidney pies for the evening meal tonight. Meantime, George was trying to mow the putting green in drizzle.

Why on earth had they taken on a hotel at their time of life?

[There will be a break now before the next chapter as I need to watch some videos again. Follow me on Wattpad to be sure of knowing when the next chapter is written.]