|
Table of Contents | Printable Version Besides reading Bible stories, Elsie also reads to Jeanette the works of Blake, Swinburne, Christina Rossetti, and Yeats. Jeanette asks Elsie if she believes that if one prays for something long enough, it will happen, and Elsie says that she believes God is in all things. Jeanette knows that this theology does not correspond to her mother's, but it does not really matter to her. Elsie, just before she leaves, reads a poem, which Jeanette notes, has the following lines: "All things fall and are built again, And those that build them again are gay." Jeanette's hearing is truly restored; the operation is a success! When it is time for Jeanette to leave the hospital, her mother is away in Wigan, so she stays with Elsie. Elsie shows her a cage with three mice and some paper flames; the mice are named Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Jeanette says that the paper flames represent Pentecost. Elsie also shows her the holy dice she bought in Mecca. Jeanette then discusses her school, where the only thing she has learned is dancing. She does not like having to be paired with a boy. She is excited, however, that once school ends, she will go to camp. Pastor Spratt will also be back from another missionary tour in honor of his ten-thousandth convert. "Headquarters" has sent a message that the Second Coming may happen at any moment and, thus, everyone needs to concentrate their efforts on saving souls. The need to save souls leads Jeanette's mother to think back to her first efforts to convert the unsaved.
When school starts again, Jeanette has to write an essay entitled "My Summer". She writes about her activities with her mother and with church. While reading it aloud to the class, the teacher tells her to stop after the first page, and the other children laugh at her. She goes home and tells her mother she does not want to go back to school; her mother gives her an orange to comfort her. School does not get any easier for Jeanette. In sewing class, she wants to stitch, in black thread, a verse from Jeremiah: "The summer is ended and we are not yet saved." Some of the children's parents come to school and complain about Jeanette's odd behavior. The other students conspire against her and tell the teacher that Jeanette has hit them. The principal, Mrs. Vole, tells Jeanette that she is pre- occupied with God and terrorizes other children. Jeanette admits that this is true because she has been warning them about eternal damnation. Mrs. Vole writes a note to Jeanette's mother about Jeanette's religious preoccupation. Her mother is so excited about Jeanette's behavior that she takes her to the movies to see The Ten Commandments. Jeanette has invited Elsie to come with them, but her mother has said she could not go. Jeanette decides that the place for her is missionary school. Table of Contents | Printable Version |