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.Dazed and startled, Sylvia nearly fell out of bed."Where do we wash?" she whispered to the girl by the next bed."Hush! You mustn't speak," the girl said, and pointed.Sylvia saw a tin basin in one corner of the room, with a97bucket beneath it.The biggest girl in the room broke the ice in the basin bygiving it a sharp crack with her hairbrush, then they all washed in order ofsize.Sylvia was last.When it came to her turn there was no more than atrickle of dirty, icy water left in the basin.She could not bring herself totouch it.She was about to start plaiting her hair when the big girl who hadwashed first said:"Wait, you! Julia, fetch the shears.""Yes, Alice." The child who had told Sylvia not to talk ran from the room, andcame back in a moment with an enormous pair of garden shears.Before Sylvia realized what was to happen, or had time to protest, Alice hadseized hold of her pretty fair plaits and lopped them off, one after theother.Then she chopped the remainder of Sylvia's hair off as short aspossible, leaving it in a ragged, uneven fringe round her head.There was nomirror in the room, so Sylvia could not see quite how bad it looked."What do you mean by cutting off my hair?" she gasped."Hush! It's the rule.Mrs Brisket doesn't allow long hair.Now get into line."The other crop-haired, overalled children were in line already.Alice pushedSylvia into place at the back, took up her own position at the front, and ledthem downstairs.Sylvia caught a glimpse of Bonnie at the end of another linewhich joined theirs.Bonnie's hair, too, had been cut, and she, like Sylvia,had been given a brown overall to wear, with a number on the pocket.Shelooked almost unrecognizable, like a thin dark-haired boy.She gave Sylvia awry grin.The files had assembled round tables in a large, cold, stonefloored room.Theystood waiting while three or four weary, grimy, exhausted-looking children,among whom was Lucy, brought round bowls which proved to contain thin, grey,steaming porridge.It was eaten without milk or sugar.After it they each hada small chunk of stalebread, with the merest scrape of dripping, and that was the end of breakfast.98At this moment Mrs Brisket entered the room, and the whole school stood up.Mrs Brisket said grace, and then looked sharply round."Where are the new girls?" she demanded.Bonnie and Sylvia were pushed forwardfrom their places at different tables towards the rear of the room.She scowled at them."I am told that you left your beds and communicated lastnight.For that you will both miss your dinners."Page 41 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlWho could have heard them, Sylvia wondered.Then she caught sight of the biggirl, Alice, who had cut off her hair.On Alice's rather lumpish, stupid facewas a smug expression."Sylvia didn't do a thing! It was I who went to talk to her!" Bonnieexclaimed."Silence, miss! I will not have this insolence! You can miss your tea too.Perhaps that will teach you respect."Now, tasks.Number ninety-eight will work in the laundry.Eighteen, show herwhat to do.Ninety-nine, you will be in the kitchen, under cook.She will seethat you don't give any trouble."There will be an inspection by the Education Officer this afternoon, soI want you all in the classroom at two o'clock sharp.Eighteen andninety-eight, you must see that the nightworkers are waked in time."She left the hall, and the children dispersed quickly and silently to theirvarious tasks.Sylvia was led off by a thin, wiry, but quite friendly-lookinggirl of fifteen or so, who whispered that her name wasEmma."Don't we do any lessons?" murmured Sylvia."Hush! Wait till we're in the laundry, then we can talk."The laundry was a large external room, stone-floored and bitterly cold, builtout from the back of the house.It contained many large zinc washtubs,scrubbing-boards, two huge iron wringers, and a great mound of coarse calicosheets and house-linen waiting to be washed.Eight or nine other children99came with them and set to work doggedly, sorting the linen and filling thetubs at an outside pump, the handle of which creaked so loudly thatconversation could be pursued under cover of its noise."Don't, whatever you do, let her hear you talking," warned Emma."We're onlyallowed to say necessary things to each other."Her obviously referred to Mrs Brisket.Emma gave Sylvia a tub, a pile of sheets, and a bar of rough yellow soap."But do the parents allow their children to be made to work like this?"Sylvia asked in bewilderment."They are all orphans.This is a charity school, and Mrs Brisket gets somemoney for running it.But as well she makes us do all the work, and take inoutside work too.We do the washing for half Blastburn.Then when theEducation Officer comes round we go into the classrooms and pretend to belearning lessons.""Do you like it here?" asked Sylvia, struggling to drag a bunch of heavydripping cloth out of the cold water.Emma glanced round cautiously, but no one else was very near, and the pumphandle was going full blast.Leaning nearer she whispered:"It's a horrible place! But don't let anyone hear you say so! The school isfull of tale-bearers.Everyone is always hungry and Mrs Brisket rewards anyonewho carries her a tale against another person.She gives them a bit of cheese.She has a big laundry-backet in her room full of bits of cheese, ready cutup
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