This is the beginning of chapter 8. I set up Aksinya in her house. Now we see the progression of her sin and some very important connections. The first is the Freifrau...
The week continued for Aksinya and Natalya without great problems. The demon led them every night to the house across the street. As yet, he made no other demands on Aksinya. The cellar workroom remained unused for now. The demon didn’t even ask Aksinya to go down to it again.
Chapel was a daily chore. With Natalya beside her, Aksinya could endure it, but it was not pleasant for her. Aksinya spent her time in the evenings working with Natalya on her German. Aksinya’s work in her classes suffered, but the sisters didn’t seem to expect much from a countess anyway. They didn’t praise her, but they didn’t berate her either. Only Sister Margarethe, in German class, seemed to show Aksinya any special attention. No matter what Aksinya did, Sister Margarethe praised her. Aksinya thought, perhaps her German was truly improving because she worked with Natalya so much.
On Friday afternoon, Freiherr Bockmann’s coupe, the covered carriage, came for Aksinya and Natalya. The Freifrau Bockmann herself sat in the coupe. For the weekend, Aksinya and Natalya had taken clothing from the house across the street. They wore something other than their Sacré Coeur uniforms now. Aksinya was dressed like a countess. Natalya like a lady-in-waiting. Both of their jewelry was much more elegant than that which would have been expected any student to wear.
Freifrau Bockmann’s eyes widened when she saw them. She descended from the carriage and curtsied to Aksinya. Then, she greeted both the girls with a kiss. The Reverend Mother came out of the school to see them off. Frau Drescher stood as an after thought in the shadows near the gymnasium’s door.
The Reverend Mother curtsied to Freifrau Bockmann. It was a deep curtsy that included Aksinya, “Freifrau Bockmann, the Countess and Lady Natalya have started well. We are glad you decided to take them under your wing for their social training during the weekends.”
Freifrau Bockmann was effusive, “Thank you, Reverend Mother. I will return them Sunday evening. Please don’t expect them for dinner.”
“Yes, Freifrau Bockmann.”
With the drivers help, they climbed into the carriage. After they were inside, Freifrau Bockmann tapped the ceiling of the carriage with the top of her cane and the driver started the horses moving.
This is the setup of the entire chapter, and this is the means to convey to you the basis of a continuing of action in the novel. The week continued... then we see their week abbreviated to show only the important parts. This is a writing technique to move the writing in time and to give the reader the expectation of what is happening without going into great detail. Detail is left for important parts. The key takings here is the cellar remains unused, the chapel, Natalya and German class. Watch the sister and German class closely.
So Freifrau Bockmann comes herself to pick up Aksinya and Natalya. You can see the small details. The coupe, the girls are dressed in finery and with jewelry. This is what gets the attention of Freifrau Bockmann. They are wearing clothing and jewelry, especially jewelry she didn't expect them to have. She has no idea about the house. The Reverend Mother can't miss the opportunity to greet the Freifrau or see Aksinya off. She is kind, but she is political and wise. She praises the Freifrau in a manner the Freifrau can't ignore. The point of all this is so I can detail for you what Aksinya and Natalya are about for the weekend. At the end of this piece, I give you a little color to show how the world worked at this time. That is the way to tell the driver to start the horses.
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