 her interest to do so;« and pointed out a fact I had already
noticed, namely, that Mademoiselle St Pierre possessed, in an almost unique
degree, the power of keeping order amongst her undisciplined ranks of scholars.
A certain petrifying influence accompanied and surrounded her: without passion,
noise, or violence, she held them in check as a breezeless frost-air might still
a brawling stream. She was of little use as far as communication of knowledge
went, but for strict surveillance and maintenance of rules she was invaluable.
»Je sais bien qu'elle n'a pas de principes, ni, peutêtre, de moeurs,« admitted
madame frankly; but added, with philosophy, »son maintien en classe est toujours
convenable et rempli même d'une certaine dignité: c'est tout ce qu'il faut. Ni
les élèves, ni les parents ne regardent plus loin; ni, par conséquent, moi non
plus.«
    
    A strange, frolicsome, noisy little world was this school: great pains were
taken to hide chains with flowers: a subtle essence of Romanism pervaded every
arrangement: large sensual indulgence (so to speak) was permitted by way of
counterpoise to jealous spiritual restraint. Each mind was being reared in
slavery; but, to prevent reflection from dwelling on this fact, every pretext
for physical recreation was seized and made the most of. There, as elsewhere,
the CHURCH strove to bring up her children robust in body, feeble in soul, fat,
ruddy, hale, joyous, ignorant, unthinking, unquestioning. »Eat, drink, and
live!« she says. »Look after your bodies; leave your souls to me. I hold their
cure - guide their course: I guarantee their final fate.« A bargain, in which
every true Catholic deems himself a gainer. Lucifer just offers the same terms:
»All this power will I give thee, and the glory of it; for that is delivered
unto me, and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou, therefore, wilt worship
me, all shall be thine!«
    About this time - in the ripest glow of summer - Madame Beck's house became
as merry a place as a school could well be. All day long the broad folding-doors
and the two-leaved casements stood wide open: settled sunshine seemed
naturalized in the atmosphere; clouds were far off, sailing away beyond sea,
resting, no doubt, round islands such as England - that dear land of mists - but
withdrawn wholly from the drier continent. We lived far more in
