Hallowe'en

Scenes from Boarding School Life - 3

One day in the Autumn term, some of us rebelled during a hockey practice at the freezing cold Bottom Pitch. . For some reason, after shivering for half an hour doing dull little exercises, practising bullying off in pairs, etc. someone suggested we should protest by marching around the edge of the pitch . We were generally fairly well-behaved, but somehow I was seduced by the excitement of it, and egged on by others, I joined the protest.

We held our hockey-sticks over our shoulders like rifles, and marched round singing ‘When the saints go marching in’. Eventually, the teacher shouted to us loudly enough, and we stopped. I felt rather sheepish at the time.

Later that afternoon we were summoned to the head mistresses’ study (in Victorian fashion we had two headmistresses, known by us as B. & G - the initials of their surnames)

‘Because of your disgraceful behaviour, when the others go up to the Hall tonight, you will remain in your Common-room. You will miss the Hallowe'en Party,’ said B. The party was one of the two highlights of the Autumn term, almost as exciting as the Christmas party. We had made masks to wear (and to be judged) at the party too; I had put a lot of work into mine ; what a waste of effort.

Most of the occupants of the Common-room were heady with excitement on the evening of October 31st. . But for the hockey-pitch miscreants the place was cast in gloom. Then the others all trooped out, masks in hands, twittering like swallows on telephone lines. We few stood around in the huge empty room, making the occasional self pitying and self-justifying remark . No one could settle to anything.

Then after about half-an-hour, the door opened and B & G appeared. Oh no, not another ‘blowing up’
'Now then, girls - we hope that you have realised that your behaviour on the games pitch was totally unacceptable, and that you will never defy a mistress again.' G. said - she was always the more severe of the two.
'But as you have all worked on your masks, you may show them to us,' said B.

Pathetically grateful, we took our masks from our lockers and held them up for inspection. Unaccountably, I now think, I had made my mask in the shape of the school badge, with the words, ‘Trouth & Honour, Fredom and Courtesie’ - a description of the Knight from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. (We, no doubt, would have preferred the Prioress‘s motto, ‘Amor Vincit Omnia‘)

'It is always a pleasure to see the School Motto,' said B. I glowed with pride. (I imagine that they had a laugh about that afterwards.)

Then B. said, 'As you have doubtless learnt your lesson - you may all now go up to the Hall, and join the Party'

With an enormous surge of euphoria, we wended our way from one end of the school to the Hall at other - and to the best Hallowe’en Party ever.