to prevent a squeak escaping.
The other girls were from farms near Kilgarret, or else their parents had small businesses in the town. It was all so different here from home. Hardly anyone’s father went out to work at a place and then came home from it in the evening. There
was
a bank but there only seemed to be two people in it, not like Father’s bank. Eileen had pointed it out to her one day, as she pointed out lots of things which had some kind of link with home.
The pupils in the convent welcomed Elizabeth as a novelty but because she was so shy and timid some of them lost interest in her fairly quickly. This in itself was a relief, as she hated being the object of their attention. Aisling, as her self-appointed knight-in-armour, was often more of a menace than a help.
When the girls asked her about her other school, Aisling would intervene on her behalf. …
‘She doesn’t know much about it. It was bombed, you see, in the blitz. Everyone dead and buried in the rubble. …’
Sometimes Elizabeth would protest afterwards.
‘Honestly Aisling … you shouldn’t say that, I don’t think the school is all in rubble … it’s not true.’
‘Oh, it might be,’ Aisling would say airily. ‘Anyway, you talk so little about your life in London people think it’s funny. It’s better to have an excuse.’
Did she talk very little? Possibly. Mother hadn’t encouraged long tales with no middles or ends like Aisling, Eamonn and Donal related about their doings … Mother hadn’t been interested to enquire about the other girls at school and had even been bored when she talked about Miss James. It was all so
different
.
Nothing had led Elizabeth to expect their passionate interest in her soul. It had been explained to the class that since she was of the Protestant faith she would read her Bible during catechism classes. Green with envy for a lifestyle that didn’t include five hard questions of catechism each evening, the others pestered Elizabeth about her own particular route to God.
‘But you don’t go to church, not even the Protestant church,’ Joannie Murray persisted.
‘No. I … Auntie Eileen said she would take me … but, no. It’s a bit different you see,’ Elizabeth stammered.
‘But don’t you have to go to some church even if it’s only a Protestant church?’ Joannie Murray hated things to be inconclusive.
‘Well … yes if you can. I think.’
‘Why don’t you go to the Protestant church then? It’s just beside you … it’s nearer than our church and we all go up the hill to our church. Every Sunday and holidays of obligation. Otherwise we’d go to hell. Why won’t you have to go to hell?’
Aisling was usually at hand.
‘It’s different for her. She didn’t have the gift of faith.’
This satisfied some of them but not all.
‘The gift of faith is only hearing about God, she’s heard about God from us now.’
Aisling found this a hard one to deal with.
‘Sister Mary said that Reverend Mother knows all about Elizabeth not going to church and says that for her brand of Protestant religion that’s all right. Not all of the types of Protestants have to go to church you know.’ This was greeted with some doubt so she went on triumphantly, ‘After all, for all we know she mightn’t have been baptised.’
‘Weren’t you baptised?’ Joannie Murray examined Elizabeth like a possible leper. ‘Oh you
must
have been baptised, mustn’t you?’
‘Um,’ said Elizabeth.
‘Well were you?’ Aisling the Defender lost her patience and forgot her role momentarily. Really there were times when Elizabeth was very vague. Imagine not knowing whether you were baptised or not.
‘Christened do you mean?’
‘Yes, of course. Baptism.’
‘I did have a christening robe,’ Elizabeth recalled. It was in a box between layers of paper, and smelling of moth balls. That seemed to settle it. She had been baptised. Now the knotty problem. As a baptised Christian, shouldn’t she
The other girls were from farms near Kilgarret, or else their parents had small businesses in the town. It was all so different here from home. Hardly anyone’s father went out to work at a place and then came home from it in the evening. There
was
a bank but there only seemed to be two people in it, not like Father’s bank. Eileen had pointed it out to her one day, as she pointed out lots of things which had some kind of link with home.
The pupils in the convent welcomed Elizabeth as a novelty but because she was so shy and timid some of them lost interest in her fairly quickly. This in itself was a relief, as she hated being the object of their attention. Aisling, as her self-appointed knight-in-armour, was often more of a menace than a help.
When the girls asked her about her other school, Aisling would intervene on her behalf. …
‘She doesn’t know much about it. It was bombed, you see, in the blitz. Everyone dead and buried in the rubble. …’
Sometimes Elizabeth would protest afterwards.
‘Honestly Aisling … you shouldn’t say that, I don’t think the school is all in rubble … it’s not true.’
‘Oh, it might be,’ Aisling would say airily. ‘Anyway, you talk so little about your life in London people think it’s funny. It’s better to have an excuse.’
Did she talk very little? Possibly. Mother hadn’t encouraged long tales with no middles or ends like Aisling, Eamonn and Donal related about their doings … Mother hadn’t been interested to enquire about the other girls at school and had even been bored when she talked about Miss James. It was all so
different
.
Nothing had led Elizabeth to expect their passionate interest in her soul. It had been explained to the class that since she was of the Protestant faith she would read her Bible during catechism classes. Green with envy for a lifestyle that didn’t include five hard questions of catechism each evening, the others pestered Elizabeth about her own particular route to God.
‘But you don’t go to church, not even the Protestant church,’ Joannie Murray persisted.
‘No. I … Auntie Eileen said she would take me … but, no. It’s a bit different you see,’ Elizabeth stammered.
‘But don’t you have to go to some church even if it’s only a Protestant church?’ Joannie Murray hated things to be inconclusive.
‘Well … yes if you can. I think.’
‘Why don’t you go to the Protestant church then? It’s just beside you … it’s nearer than our church and we all go up the hill to our church. Every Sunday and holidays of obligation. Otherwise we’d go to hell. Why won’t you have to go to hell?’
Aisling was usually at hand.
‘It’s different for her. She didn’t have the gift of faith.’
This satisfied some of them but not all.
‘The gift of faith is only hearing about God, she’s heard about God from us now.’
Aisling found this a hard one to deal with.
‘Sister Mary said that Reverend Mother knows all about Elizabeth not going to church and says that for her brand of Protestant religion that’s all right. Not all of the types of Protestants have to go to church you know.’ This was greeted with some doubt so she went on triumphantly, ‘After all, for all we know she mightn’t have been baptised.’
‘Weren’t you baptised?’ Joannie Murray examined Elizabeth like a possible leper. ‘Oh you
must
have been baptised, mustn’t you?’
‘Um,’ said Elizabeth.
‘Well were you?’ Aisling the Defender lost her patience and forgot her role momentarily. Really there were times when Elizabeth was very vague. Imagine not knowing whether you were baptised or not.
‘Christened do you mean?’
‘Yes, of course. Baptism.’
‘I did have a christening robe,’ Elizabeth recalled. It was in a box between layers of paper, and smelling of moth balls. That seemed to settle it. She had been baptised. Now the knotty problem. As a baptised Christian, shouldn’t she
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