I finished reading "A Harum-Scarum Schoolgirl" a couple of days ago and need to make one more installment about the femme-slash, but I'm not sure there's any particular short bit that I can quote from the last part of the book.
(After Diana and Loveday return from the tour with Diana's family...)
This term four elder students had come, principally to study gardening under Miss Chadwick. They were girls of eighteen and nineteen, who, instead of being placed among the school, took somewhat the position of the old fashioned "parlour boarder" of sixty years ago, and were on terms of intimacy with the mistresses. Naturally they were the envy and admiration of those less fortunate beings who were still only ordinary pupils. They were good natured to the schoolgirls, but held themselves a little aloof. Sometimes, in a rather superior manner, they would condescend to be friendly. Each had her own train of worshippers. The prettiest and most attractive of the four was Adeline Hoyle, a tall, fine-looking girl with dark eyes, a very fair skin, and thick coils of brown hair twisted into a classic knot. There was a calm dignity about her and a charm of manner that was exceedingly taking. It bowled over Diana's heart entirely. She took a sudden and most violent affection for Adeline. She would hang about to try to get a word with her, flush crimson at the slightest notice from her idol, and was ready to perform anything in the way of odd jobs. She even took up sewing - a much neglected part of her education - in order to embroider a handkerchief-case as a birthday offering. It is an exhilarating, but rather waring process to be violently in love, especially when you are decidedly doubtful as to whether the loved object in the least appreciates your attentions. Adeline would accept Diana's sweets or flowers with a kind "Thank you", and then pat her on the shoulder and tell her to run away. She would sometimes allow her to link arms in the garden, but it was suffered with an air of amused tolerance. It was obvious that she very much preferred the society of Hilary, who was nearer her own age, and that she regarded intermediates as mere children. Diana, who was eccentric in her likes and dislikes, but very keen when she took a fancy to anybody, went through all the stages of longing, hope, elation, despair, and jealousy. When she saw Hilary received into supreme favour, the green-eyed monster swooped down and took possession of her. Loveday, who had watched the progress of the affair with some distress, offered what consolation she could in the sanctuary of the ivy room.
"Adeline's really very good to you," she comforted.
"Yes, but she doesn't care twopence," raged Diana. "I know she's nice and kind and all that, but she loves me with the love she'd give to a distressed negro or a starved cat. I want her to want me - and she doesn't one little bit! She just tolerates me sometimes, and that's all. What she can see in Hilary I can't imagine. I think Hilary's the most detestable girl in the school. I always have disliked her. I hate her now!"
At first I thought that was pretty fickle of her, but she didn't really throw over Loveday, so eventually I began to think it's more a poly kind of thing. She was sure of Loveday, and maybe she finds New Relationship Energy too attractive. ;)
We also find out in the end of the story that Diana had noted, while they were on their tour, that her brother, Giles, was attracted to Loveday, and with a certain practicality she seems to be prepared to pave the way for them to get married if she has to, in order for Loveday to have some security in her future, since she's an orphan and without any resources. However, never fear, something Diana does (in the process of trying to take the rap for something she thought Loveday did, so she was still unwaveringly loyal despite falling violently in love with the other girl) ends up finding enough money for Loveday to continue her schooling in agriculture, so it looks as though she'll probably end up to be an independent woman after all. :)
The end of the school year comes kind of like hitting a sudden brick wall, and they part with many hugs and admonishments to write and for Loveday to visit Diana in the U.S. I was rather distressed - it obviously needs a sequel where Loveday, with an agricultural degree, takes the baby (in one of the most bizarre episodes of the book Diana managed to get a baby dumped off on her by a random gypsy girl who's friend, the baby's mother, had been arrested, and Diana ends up giving up her pony in order to afford to have the baby boarded with a woman in the village) travels to America to see Diana and they get a farm where Diana gets to ride horses all day. Obviously this baby is there to be raised by Loveday and Diana in the sequel, right?? I think it was left completely up in the air as to whether this kid was even a boy or girl, and it was never given a name.
Phew! Twenty chapters, a hundred and sixty-one pages in my Nook. Oh, and that bit about her hating to sew didn't make any sense as she had made extensive alterations to an evening gown to be worn on stage by the Vicar's wife earlier on in the book, so I have to wonder if Brazil was patching together a few different story ideas and not paying a lot of attention. There was even a sub-story at one point where Diana tells a short story about an adventure she had with her cousin. I don't know if I can read another Brazil right away, but I kind of want to. :)
And some random other stuff...
Today I've done a lot of things to make myself feel good - a good amount of stretching that made me feel inches taller, followed by a nice long, hot shower, some fanfic, leftovers soup with eggs and veggies, and then a pot of tea and a cookie. Now it's nearing noon I have to get started on the real things that need to be done - groceries, dishes, laundry to be put away. But first I think I'll make a run to Harpswell. Eor got his VW van back the day before yesterday! It's been gone nine months; he'd begun joking that he expected a Beetle along with it. :) But, on the way home we realized that they'd tossed an extra rug in the back, and then he got an email from the shop yesterday saying they'd found the front license plate lying around. So I intend to make the run up there and swap them the rug for the plate. I'll do grocery shopping on the way back, I think.
Here are some fun little puzzles I found through![[profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
lifeofmendel, most of them pretty easy (I mean, I got most of them and was appalled with myself on the couple I missed): BrainBats
(After Diana and Loveday return from the tour with Diana's family...)
This term four elder students had come, principally to study gardening under Miss Chadwick. They were girls of eighteen and nineteen, who, instead of being placed among the school, took somewhat the position of the old fashioned "parlour boarder" of sixty years ago, and were on terms of intimacy with the mistresses. Naturally they were the envy and admiration of those less fortunate beings who were still only ordinary pupils. They were good natured to the schoolgirls, but held themselves a little aloof. Sometimes, in a rather superior manner, they would condescend to be friendly. Each had her own train of worshippers. The prettiest and most attractive of the four was Adeline Hoyle, a tall, fine-looking girl with dark eyes, a very fair skin, and thick coils of brown hair twisted into a classic knot. There was a calm dignity about her and a charm of manner that was exceedingly taking. It bowled over Diana's heart entirely. She took a sudden and most violent affection for Adeline. She would hang about to try to get a word with her, flush crimson at the slightest notice from her idol, and was ready to perform anything in the way of odd jobs. She even took up sewing - a much neglected part of her education - in order to embroider a handkerchief-case as a birthday offering. It is an exhilarating, but rather waring process to be violently in love, especially when you are decidedly doubtful as to whether the loved object in the least appreciates your attentions. Adeline would accept Diana's sweets or flowers with a kind "Thank you", and then pat her on the shoulder and tell her to run away. She would sometimes allow her to link arms in the garden, but it was suffered with an air of amused tolerance. It was obvious that she very much preferred the society of Hilary, who was nearer her own age, and that she regarded intermediates as mere children. Diana, who was eccentric in her likes and dislikes, but very keen when she took a fancy to anybody, went through all the stages of longing, hope, elation, despair, and jealousy. When she saw Hilary received into supreme favour, the green-eyed monster swooped down and took possession of her. Loveday, who had watched the progress of the affair with some distress, offered what consolation she could in the sanctuary of the ivy room.
"Adeline's really very good to you," she comforted.
"Yes, but she doesn't care twopence," raged Diana. "I know she's nice and kind and all that, but she loves me with the love she'd give to a distressed negro or a starved cat. I want her to want me - and she doesn't one little bit! She just tolerates me sometimes, and that's all. What she can see in Hilary I can't imagine. I think Hilary's the most detestable girl in the school. I always have disliked her. I hate her now!"
At first I thought that was pretty fickle of her, but she didn't really throw over Loveday, so eventually I began to think it's more a poly kind of thing. She was sure of Loveday, and maybe she finds New Relationship Energy too attractive. ;)
We also find out in the end of the story that Diana had noted, while they were on their tour, that her brother, Giles, was attracted to Loveday, and with a certain practicality she seems to be prepared to pave the way for them to get married if she has to, in order for Loveday to have some security in her future, since she's an orphan and without any resources. However, never fear, something Diana does (in the process of trying to take the rap for something she thought Loveday did, so she was still unwaveringly loyal despite falling violently in love with the other girl) ends up finding enough money for Loveday to continue her schooling in agriculture, so it looks as though she'll probably end up to be an independent woman after all. :)
The end of the school year comes kind of like hitting a sudden brick wall, and they part with many hugs and admonishments to write and for Loveday to visit Diana in the U.S. I was rather distressed - it obviously needs a sequel where Loveday, with an agricultural degree, takes the baby (in one of the most bizarre episodes of the book Diana managed to get a baby dumped off on her by a random gypsy girl who's friend, the baby's mother, had been arrested, and Diana ends up giving up her pony in order to afford to have the baby boarded with a woman in the village) travels to America to see Diana and they get a farm where Diana gets to ride horses all day. Obviously this baby is there to be raised by Loveday and Diana in the sequel, right?? I think it was left completely up in the air as to whether this kid was even a boy or girl, and it was never given a name.
Phew! Twenty chapters, a hundred and sixty-one pages in my Nook. Oh, and that bit about her hating to sew didn't make any sense as she had made extensive alterations to an evening gown to be worn on stage by the Vicar's wife earlier on in the book, so I have to wonder if Brazil was patching together a few different story ideas and not paying a lot of attention. There was even a sub-story at one point where Diana tells a short story about an adventure she had with her cousin. I don't know if I can read another Brazil right away, but I kind of want to. :)
And some random other stuff...
Today I've done a lot of things to make myself feel good - a good amount of stretching that made me feel inches taller, followed by a nice long, hot shower, some fanfic, leftovers soup with eggs and veggies, and then a pot of tea and a cookie. Now it's nearing noon I have to get started on the real things that need to be done - groceries, dishes, laundry to be put away. But first I think I'll make a run to Harpswell. Eor got his VW van back the day before yesterday! It's been gone nine months; he'd begun joking that he expected a Beetle along with it. :) But, on the way home we realized that they'd tossed an extra rug in the back, and then he got an email from the shop yesterday saying they'd found the front license plate lying around. So I intend to make the run up there and swap them the rug for the plate. I'll do grocery shopping on the way back, I think.
Here are some fun little puzzles I found through
lifeofmendel, most of them pretty easy (I mean, I got most of them and was appalled with myself on the couple I missed): BrainBatsTags:
From:
no subject
I was talking with my sister about Enid Blyton the other day and my sis has a theory that EB wrote the Malory Towers books with all their themes of how awesome boarding school is because she felt some guilt at having dumped her kids in one. Although from what little I know of her, I doubt Blyton felt any guilt at offloading the offspring. I'm sure boarding school is good fun in some ways, but I'd imagine there is a sense of abandonment as well. All the more reason for the slashy shenanigans, I suppose!
From:
no subject
I probably already said this, but maybe I just thought it really loud - It seems there's a theme in Brazil's books of girls who are thought to be 'bad' often just acting out a little because they need love that they did not get at home, and that it's not going to be so much the schoolmistresses who will provide that, it will be - needs to be - another girl. Although I'm probably completely in left field. :)