PAGE 6
Becky Sharp At School
by
Miss Sharp only folded her own hands with a very frigid smile and bow, and quite declined to accept the proffered honour; on which Miss Pinkerton tossed up her turban more indignantly than ever. In fact, it was a little battle between the young lady and the old one, and the latter was worsted. “Heaven bless you, my child,” she exclaimed, embracing Amelia, and scowling the while over the girl’s shoulder at Miss Sharp.
“Come away, Becky,” said Miss Jemima, pulling the young woman away in great alarm, and the drawing-room door closed upon them forever.
Then came the struggle and parting below. Words refuse to tell it. All the servants were there in the hall–all the dear friends–all the young ladies–even the dancing master, who had just arrived; and there was such a scuffling, and hugging, and kissing, and crying, with the hysterical yoops of Miss Schwartz, the parlour boarder, from her room, as no pen can depict, and as the tender heart would feign pass over. The embracing was over; they parted–that is, Miss Sedley parted from her friends. Miss Sharp had demurely entered the carriage some minutes before. Nobody cried for leaving her.
Sambo of the bandy legs slammed the carriage door on his young weeping mistress. He sprang up behind the carriage.
“Stop!” cried Miss Jemima, rushing to the gate with a parcel.
“It’s some sandwiches, my dear,” she called to Amelia. “You may be hungry, you know; … and Becky–Becky Sharp–here’s a book for you, that my sister–that is, I–Johnson’s Dixonary, you know; … you mustn’t leave us without that! Good-bye! Drive on, coachman!–God bless you!”
And the kind creature retreated into the garden, overcome with emotion.
But, lo! and just as the coach drove off, Miss Sharp suddenly put her pale face out of the window, and flung the book back into the garden–flung it far and fast–watching it fall at the feet of astonished Miss Jemima; then sank back in the carriage, exclaiming: “So much for the ‘Dixonary’; and, thank God, I am out of Chiswick!”
The shock of such an act almost caused Jemima to faint with terror.
“Well, I never–” she began. “What an audacious–” she gasped. Emotion prevented her from completing either sentence.
The carriage rolled away; the great gates were closed; the bell rang for the dancing lesson. The world is before the two young ladies; and so, farewell to Chiswick Mall.