A New Novel, Part 97 Every Evening, a Transition and a Kicker

I set up the situation of Aksinya and Natalya traveling to Aksinya's house for at least two nights.  Asmodeus took them the first time, and the second, they went to escape Sister Margarethe.  What I want to do now is end this chapter with the impression that the two ladies are going to the house daily.  Aksinya, at first, was reluctant.  Now she is encouraged.  Note, all of this was at the demon's suggestion.  Although we know Aksinya is trying to fight the demon, she is like putty in his hands.  The setup of the circumstances around Aksinya are detailed and unexpected.  This short piece is the end of chapter 8.  It has a transition and a kicker.  The entire situation is set up for the next chapter.  Chapter 9 is a pivotal chapter where we see the culmination of the setup begun from the entry into Wien.

Each evening after the dormitory was quiet, Aksinya opened the lock at the back door. She cast a spell to prevent observation. Then she led Natalya out of the dormitory and across the street to her house. The place was comfortable to Aksinya. It was filled with her family’s ancient possessions. She could make magic circles to protect herself and Natalya there. She could work the sorcery she found in her new book there. She could study whatever she wished. She could sleep in her own bed whenever she wished. She could work in very comfortable conditions in a place that seemed completely familiar to her. She literally had her own place.


As an excuse, Aksinya helped Natalya with her studies, and sometimes she worked on her own studies. She taught Natalya a little about Latin, but she was very slow and deliberate about it. She never wanted to teach Natalya anything about sorcery, but she didn’t want to bring on the attention of the demon or the ire of Natalya, so she taught her just a little. Enough to give the appearance of teaching, but nothing that had any real meaning. Aksinya reasoned the Latin itself could be helpful to Natalya anyway.

They didn’t see the demon the entire time.

Before the night was over, they returned to the dormitory and went back to bed. No one was the wiser, so they thought.

Note the language.  Each evening... Aksinya (used sorcery) to open the lock.  She additionally cast another spell to hide Natalya and her movements.  Aksinya has moved from resisting the demon to adding to her sorcery to hide her secretive actions.  Further, look at the description of what Aksinya does in her house.  Her temptation of luxuria is satisfied by her expensive possessions.  You know that includes her dresses, but more than that she has her sorcery books and implements.  She can do as she likes.  She can practice sorcery.  The new book has encouraged her interest in sorcery--just as the demon planned.  If you look carefully at the language I use, each item was what Asmodeus used to tempt Aksinya.  She is following the demon's purpose.  Even more, she is practicing sorcery--that was the whole reason the demon brought her to Wien.  Did you notice this before I told you?  If you did, I communicated it well.  If you didn't then I really achieved my goal as a writer.  I wanted you, like Aksinya to miss the fact that she was directly acting as the demon called her to act.  The end of the paragraph: She literally had her own place.


That isn't all.  As an excuse--Aksinya's excuse is that she is helping Natalya.  She is teaching Natalya sorcery.  This is just the thing Aksinya didn't wish to do.  She is doing it to placate Natalya and the demon.  Though Aksinya has convinced herself that her teaching has little meaning, she is teaching the rudiments--in Latin to Natalya. 

Then the kicker--all chapters must (should) end with a kicker.  Here is the kicker.  First, they didn't see the demon--the reason is that Aksinya is following the demon's instructions (almost).  She isn't following all of the demon's instructions.  Oh my, what might the demon do?  Second, the final sentence is the kicker for the chapter end.  It wraps up everything and sets the tone for the beginning of the next chapter.  The driver into it is the completion of this transition scene.  The scene began with the girls going to Aksinya's house.  The end of the scene is that Before the night was over... and the kicker: No one was the wiser, so they thought.  The point here is the idea that someone does know they are sneaking out of the dormitory.  You want to make a guess who is watching.  The trick is that Aksinya and Natalya don't suspect anything.

A New Novel, Part 55 Uniforms and the Demon's Grin

So, I described the details of the dormitory and the rooms Aksinya and Natalya will use.  The point in scene setting is to spend the right amount of time and words on these descriptions.  Too much disturbs the flow of the narrative, too little doesn't give the reader a good enough picture.  And that's the point.  An author is trying to draw a picture with words.  The words and the picture are critical to the novel because they each support the theme and draw along the story and plotline.  You can see how I use dialog in the description to transition the description and to make it something more than just a list of things.

The Reverend Mother beamed, “Are you decided then, Countess. You will be studying with us?”


“Yes, we shall.”

Frau Drescher frowned, “You will need to be fitted for your uniforms.”

“Uniforms?”

“Yes, all the ladies here wear similar uniforms.”

Aksinya smiled, “Ah, the clothing they were wearing all matched. That will be fine for us. The Lady Natalya can fit us both, she is very skilled.”

The Reverend Mother put her hands together, “If it is all right with you, we can loan you both uniforms until yours can be made for you. That would allow you to start classes right away. Frau Drescher, please find uniforms that will fit the countess and her lady.”

Frau Drescher frowned again, “Yes, Reverend Mother.” Frau Drescher disappeared.

Aksinya stepped around the rooms again. She asked Natalya in Russian, “I should have asked you before, Lady Natalya, can you live here? Will this be acceptable to you?”

Natalya’s face was ecstatic, “Yes, Countess, I would love to live here. I will be very happy with you.”

Aksinya addressed the Reverend Mother, “Everything is worked out. We will live here, and we will study at your school.”

The Freiherr and Freifrau Bockmann nodded in pleasure. The Lady Natalya’s smile was almost as wide as her beautiful face. The Reverend Mother held her hands together with delight. Asmodeus grinned. Aksinya caught that grin, and she was suddenly filled with foreboding.

Aksinya forgot her role with the Lady Natalya--she is her first friend and confidant.  After the question of the uniforms is settled, Aksinya remembers to ask Natalya her preferences.  That is a little late, all the decisions and the arrangements are already made.  Note Natalya's response, she is ecstatic.  She doesn't care that Aksinya doesn't ask--Natalya is unused to being asked anything.  Natalya just picks up the pieces and makes everything right.  She will fit the uniforms.  She will take care of Aksinya.  This will occur over and over.  Still, Aksinya must ask Natalya before everything is in order.  This is the way of Aksinya's life--perfection of order, although not in the correct order.
 
The end is the response from the participants.  The Bockmanns are happy.  Natalya is happy.  The Reverend Mother is happy.  Asmodeus is happy.  Aksinya is filled with foreboding--her joy turned around... Isn't this the point of the demon's existence.  He is to carry out evil in Aksinya's name.  In everything, Aksinya should expect her joy to be turned into unhappiness, that is as long as she opposes evil.  If she accepts evil, then the actions of the demon should make her happy.

A New Novel, Part 54 Meals and the Other Details

I mentioned before about meals.  The meals I outline in the novel are similar to what most well to do people ate during these times.  The poor usually had one to two meals a day.  The fashion of eating more meals came into practice late and came from the wealthy.  Tea was invented to hold a person over from the very light luncheon (dinner) to the long supper.  As I mentioned before, supper was a long meal with many courses, but in most households was not large amounts of food.  Any leftovers were the servants meals.  In general, before the modern era, meat was very very small amounts and the fish course made up for the lack of protein.  The poor received very little protein.

The entire time Frau Drescher spoke, Aksinya gave a running commentary and translation in Russian to Natalya.


Natalya asked many questions in return to Aksinya, but Aksinya was able to answer most of them herself. Finally, she stopped Frau Drescher, “The Lady Natalya wishes to know more about breakfast and luncheon.”

“They are very simple meals. We serve coffee and tea at breakfast. You may have soft boiled eggs, bread, meat, and cheese. Luncheon isn’t much more than that. We have a break of one hour at noon. Usually, the ladies take a long tea, but the dining room is open and food is available there.”

Aksinya explained everything to Natalya.

Frau Drescher was suddenly finished. She made one last statement, “I do have very strict rules about the dormitory. Those rules are to protect the ladies here. I will provide them to you with the materials that include the rest of the details.”

Aksinya asked, “Rest of the details?”

“The linens and use of the facilities. The storage of items. The care of your clothing. The cleaning schedules for your rooms. Each of these things is taken care of for our dormitory students.”

Aksinya cocked her head, “Very good. The Lady Natalya and I like these rooms very much. We accept them. My servant Asmodeus shall bring our clothing and such things as we need.”

The Reverend Mother beamed, “Are you decided then, Countess. You will be studying with us?”

“Yes, we shall.”

The commentary to Natalya and the question from her allows me to explain a little about the meals.  It also allows me to expand some about the details.  You don't need much, but a touch of them helps increase the realism of the scene and gives you a taste of the complexities of life in the times. 
 
I don't tell you the "strict rules."  You can guess most of them--they are the typical rules found in most dormitories.  I will give you a little more explanation later, but for now, this is sufficient. 
 
Aksinya clinches the deal by accepting the rooms and puts in a dig to Asmodeus--she calls him "my servant," which he is.  The Reverend Mother clarifies the position and that is all for today.

A New Novel, Part 53 The Other Bedroom and Bathroom

We get a short description of the other bedroom.  Then we transition to the bath.

Frau Drescher let them look through the room then she led them back to the center door, “This is the other bedroom.” She opened it. The door led into a slightly smaller room with a bed, schrank, desk, and similarly padded chair. The room had two windows behind the bed and a gas lamp both over the desk and between the windows. The desk took the place of the bedside table. “These rooms were intended for a suite for two young ladies. It will be very appropriate for the Countess and her lady-in-waiting. Finally, I wish to show you the bath.”


Frau Drescher led them to the final door. This entered into a room that was smaller than the other two. The door opened into a blank wall, but a turn to the left revealed the rest of the room. At the end, against the street side, the high window was crazed and curtained. The top could still be opened, but it was more than six feet above the floor. Under the window lay a bathtub. To the left sat a standing sink and instead of the usual stove of the bathrooms Aksinya was used to stood a water closet and a bidet.

Frau Dresher pointed proudly at the devices. Freiherr Bockmann turned his back and blushed. Frau Drescher ignored him, “We have indoor plumbing including hot water in our dormitory. We also have modern toilets and bidets. We want our ladies to have the comforts of modern sanitation at Sacré Coeur. As I mentioned, water for making tea is available from the sink here. We do ask that you do not attempt to cook or bake anything in your rooms. Our kitchen can provide you baked goods for tea, and you can bring your luncheon or breakfast to your rooms for consumption. Supper is considered an important event for the school and dormitory. Only students who are not borded here are allowed to miss supper.”

As I mentioned yesterday, our expectations for sanitary facilities are very different than in 1918.  Typically, in towns people were just getting running water and sanitary sewers.  Baths inside houses with other than just bathtubs and stove is a very new thing.  Did you ever wonder why they were called bathrooms or water closets or why the Europeans separate bath from toilets.  The all in one idea is relatively new even in cities.  In the past, as I mentioned, people went outside to outhouses for the toilet and used bathrooms exclusively for baths.
 
Sacré Coeur is a very high level school.  It obviously caters to young women from wealthy backgrounds.  I will not go into the details in the writing of explaining how important an invention a bidet was considered to women in an era when toilet paper did not exist and women's sanitary devices consisted of rags, cloth pads, and belts.  Notice that the Freiherr is embarrassed.  Toilets and such facilities were embarrassing to people in this time and culture, but the women's outlook is very utilitarian.
 
Finally, we get to the details of eating at Sacré Coeur.  Breakfast and dinner (luncheon) are short and light with a heavy supper.  The heavy is nothing like our idea of heavy.  In a school like Sacré Coeur we could expect the minimum of food size to give the full courses to the students because much of their training is in how to eat, etiquette, and decorum.  We also see how important tea is again.  Note the carry on of the idea of a water closet.  You get your water for tea from the bathroom.  There is no need to have it close to the tea preparation place.
 
Happy Thanksgiving.  I would have liked to include some bit about thanksgiving in the novel, but that is an American holiday.  Perhaps if we get to the USA at some point, I can include it.  That is a hint.

A New Novel, Part 52 The Sitting Room and First Bedroom

The world is where people live.  That may seem to be an obvious idea, but in history, people did not live like they do today.  I tried to show this to you with the outdoor toilets at Aksinya's family estate.  I also wanted you to see that most bathrooms outside (and even in Russian) large cities didn't have toilets--they had bathtubs and stoves to heat the water.  In this period, gas lights are ubiquitous and electric lights slowly moving into the world.  The same is true of other living spaces like bedrooms and sitting rooms.  At Sacré Coeur we find very modern facilities.  I want you to see them first hand.

They all followed Frau Drescher to the end door on the right that also happened to be directly above her office. She pulled out an old key with an attached heavy bob like those from a gasthouse and unlocked the door, “Usually, the doors are kept unlocked while the students are away from them. They may be locked when a student is inside, but I don’t recommend that.”


Frau Drescher pushed open the door and exposed a small sitting room. The wallpaper, flooring, and floor covering were all similar to the corridor. The entire suite was comparably decorated. In the center of the sitting room sat a short tea table, a small sofa, and two chairs with padded seats. A couple of curtained windows lay behind the sofa on either side. A gas lamp hung next to the door to the corridor and next to another door on the right. In the right hand corner built into a cabinet was a gas burner. A fine tea service sat on the cabinet. The room was simple, but still elegant.

Frau Drescher allowed them to look around for a few moments, “You can see there is provision for preparing tea in the room. The water is available from the bath that I will presently show you. Please, follow me into the bedrooms.” The door on the right opened into a very short corridor. Within the corridor, were a door at the left, one right before them, and a door on the right. The entire corridor was less than six feet long.

Frau Drescher opened the door on the left. It let them into a very bright bedroom. Its decor was similar to the sitting room. The room was somewhat “L” shaped. The door opened toward the outside wall which was also the back wall of the sitting room and looked down into an alleyway. About five feet separated the door from the outside wall. A turn to the right revealed the rest of the bedroom. It was small. The bed rested against the right hand wall and the street side of the building. The bed was almost entirely concealed from the door. They had to take a step and turn the corner for the bed to become entirely visible. At the head of the bed was a high curtained window. To the left was a bedside table, a desk, and a chair with a padded seat. Another high curtained window lay behind the bedside table.

At the foot of the bed was a large ornately carved schrank for storage of clothing. Behind the desk on the other wall were two matching high curtained windows like those in the sitting room. The room was very bright from the winter daylight that came through the windows. A gas lamp hung on the wall between each set of windows. That provided light for the desk and for the bed.

Without using too many words or too much space in the writing, I tried to give you a short but detailed description of the rooms in which Aksinya and Natalya will reside.  These rooms will be important for a while, but the detail, like I explained, lets you see the private areas where people live.  This is the most important idea I want to convey.
 
The first description is the sitting room.  I want you to know the area is decorated similarly to the upper corridor.  As I mentioned, the red rose motif indicates romance in the culture (perhaps not the idea Frau Drescher wants to convey).  The furniture is not spartain, but not crowded.  The fixtures are gas lamps and a gas burner.  These are obviously very important to the people of the time.  Note, the burner is for tea preperation and there is a tea service for the room.  This is how important the preparation of tea is.  This indicates the lack of sufficient heating.  Tea helps heat the body and the soul.  I likely need to add in a bit about the heating--it would be steam radiators.
 
The second description is the first bedroom.  In the description, I give you a sense of the placement of the rooms (the location of the street) so you can understand the environment outside to a degree.  The furniture here is very important.  Note, the rooms are small and the bedrooms are cramped and utilitarian.  There are no closets--this is true in Germany and Austria today.  They have schranks which are large standing closet furniture to store clothing.
 
Gas lamps don't provide much light--note they are above the bed and the desk.  This should hopefully produce enough light for reading and study.  Is it a wonder that houses were dark inside until the acceptance and integration of electrical lights and electricity.  I'll try to convey some of this in the future chapters.

A New Novel, Part 51 The Upper Dormitory

Frau Drescher's attitude changes with Aksinya's pronouncement--if she knew more about Aksinya, she wouldn't have made such a change.  She should be more wary, but then, no one knows Aksinya at all, and we understand her issues more than anyone else.  Note, Frau Drescher's response to Aksinya's order.  Ma'am is the correct address of any titled woman--including a queen.  I hope that you were sucked into trusting Aksinya too.  I certainly wouldn't invite a woman who has a contract with a demon into a dormitory of young girls and a convent of nuns.

Frau Drescher’s lips made a flip-flop but never became a smile, “Yes, you are very perceptive, Countess. I am very concerned about having a woman of your quality and standing in my dormitory. Your own appraisal does make me feel much more comfortable…”

“Please take us to our room.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Frau Drescher led them to the stairs where the archway cut the building. She directed them up to the second floor. On the upper floor lay a very long corridor that led from the school to the church. The street side was similar to the bottom floor, but the windows were full. Aksinya could see the street and the building across from it. The wallpaper was a darker mix of flowers to match the brighter light from the windows. They were also roses but colored shades of red. Everything seemed fresh and well taken care of. The floor here was also oak, like the lower floor. Runners that matched the handsome wallpaper ran at the center of the floor and marked off the corridor by rooms.

Frau Drescher turned down the corridor away from the church and toward the gymnasium proper. At the end, she turned left. The doors at this end of the corridor would have opened directly on the second floor of the school. They were closed and locked.

They all followed Frau Drescher to the end door on the right that also happened to be directly above her office. She pulled out an old key with an attached heavy bob like those from a gasthouse and unlocked the door, “Usually, the doors are kept unlocked while the students are away from them. They may be locked when a student is inside, but I don’t recommend that.”

The parallel is the description of the upper floor and the lower floor.  Remember, the lower floor has yellow and pink roses, the upper floor has red roses.  In German culture, red roses are indicators of love.  This is an important idea that will be used later.  The change shows the paradox that Frau Drescher wants to prevent--she is obviously deathly afraid of impropriety.  This fear is common in the culture and society represented by this time (1918)--think of Victorian culture.  It is not much different in Austria (as compared to England).
 
We also see how the dormitory is isolated from the rest of the school--the blocked and locked doors on the second floor show this directly.  We will find that there is only an entrance at the lower floor and one into the chapel on the second floor.  You can get the imagery here, the only exits are into the school and the church--there isn't any other way out.
 
Then the clincher, Frau Drescher tells us the doors should remain unlocked while the students are away and when they are in their rooms.  The keys are like a gasthouse, they are not retained by the students--they are kept by Frau Drescher.  This will become important later.  Can you guess why Frau Drescher doesn't want the doors locked--it isn't a perverted reason, but we will see exactly why later.
 
I also surreptitiously draw your attention to the fact that Aksinya and Natalya's rooms are right above Frau Drescher's office.  This should indicate the level of surveillance.

A New Novel, Part 50 Candid Perception

Frau Drescher is like a bull in a china shop.  I plan to do more with this in the future, but for right now, I can use her and the tour to show you the dormitory too.  That's the point of such a scene.  I could simply describe the dormitory to you, but instead, I show it to you as Aksinya and Natalya see it.  Notice that Aksinya protects Frau Drescher--she interprets for her.

Frau Drescher’s lips formed a fine line that then fell into a frown again, “What you say is very true, Freifrau Bockmann. I was simply answering the Countess’ question.”


Aksinya tilted her head, “So she was Aunt Brunhilda. Please Frau Drescher. Lead on and show us our room.”

“Our room?”

“My roommate shall be the Lady Natalya. She is much more than my lady-in-waiting. She shall attend with me.”

Frau Drescher made a face with an expression that was completely indecipherable, “The Lady Natalya?”

Aksinya grasped Natalya’s sleeve and pulled her up beside them, “This is my lady-in-waiting, the Lady Natalya Alexandrovna Obolenska. She is untitled, but a lady of the court. She shall be my roommate and attend here with me. She does not speak nor understand German yet.”

“You will explain all the rules to her. I don’t wish there to be problems.”

“She is my responsibility, and I am certain your rules are the same in French as they are in German. I shall explain them to her and be responsible to you for her as necessary.”

Frau Drescher let out a tiny laugh, “You surprise me, countess. I have never met a titled girl or woman who would take on such a responsibility. Perhaps we will get along much better than I imagined.”

The Reverend Mother stepped forward, “Really, Frau Drescher, you are much too candid.”

Aksinya touched the Reverend Mother’s hand, “Please, she is not too candid. I do realize her worries. She thinks I shall cause her and her charges many problems. She is concerned that I am a privileged and spoiled girl who will excite controversy and rebellion. When she knows me better, she will see I am no better nor no worse than anyone else she is responsible for here.”

Frau Drescher’s lips made a flip-flop but never became a smile, “Yes, you are very perceptive, Countess. I am very concerned about having a woman of your quality and standing in my dormitory. Your own appraisal does make me feel much more comfortable…”

We get a wonderful introduction of Natalya to Frau Drescher.  Aksinya makes her point by physically moving Natalya.  Her introduction is personal and specific.  It tells the Frau that Natalya is a lady of the court and put her on a par with Aksinya.  Frau Drescher is unhappy that Natalya might break her rules because she doesn't understand German.  Then, we get a double triple from Aksinya.  First, Aksinya states she will be responsible for Natalya.  Second, we get the joke at Frau Drescher's expense--Natalya is not deficient, she understands French, but not German--yet.  Frau Drescher only knows German--that's the point Aksinya didn't miss.
 
Aksinya both read Frau Drescher correctly and touched the lady exactly in the right place.  Frau Drescher's concern is that someone take responsibility for Natalya and that Aksinya will be responsible for herself.  Frau Drescher is obviously too used to young women and girls who are not responsible.  That is the reason for her personality and actions.  Aksinya pronounces this very thing to Frau Drescher and that is exactly what the Frau wants to hear.  We will find that Aksinya is a problem for Frau Drescher in the future.  She will be a problem for everyone.  But that goes with the territory of the tiny tragedy that is Aksinya. 

A New Novel, Part 49 A Description and a Question

Frau Drescher just can't smile.  I do wish you to think about this.  I want to use Frau Drescher somewhere in the novel as a greater character, but I haven't worked her into the main plotline for the theme--that is other than a colorful secondary character.

Frau Drescher paused again and her mouth rotated up in a little line that became a frown. She turned around and led them to the end of the corridor. It went around a corner to the right and there entered a long well lighted corridor. The corridor halted at a stairway where the archway into the courtyard bisected the lower floor. The hallway was covered in heavy, flower decorated wall paper. The flowers were light pink and yellow roses. Along the street side were high windows that let in much light, but still hid the street from view. No one would be able to look outside or in. The hallway was cold and stuffy. Because of the crisp December weather, none of the windows were open. On the other side of the corridor were widely spaced doors with a gas lamp on the wall between each of them. The floor was dark oak and covered with long runners that were similar in decoration to the wall paper. The runners were each centered on a door and ran from room center to room center.


Frau Drescher opened her hand and gestured toward the doors, “These are the rooms of our regular students. The young ones share a room with eight together. As they progress in age, we allow them to have four as roommates and finally, after they are fifteen, they are allowed two to a room. We always keep at least two to a room to prevent any impropriety. The room we have prepared for you is our best. We don’t have any other students of your social standing right now. The highest is a bevy of ladies of the courts, but none of them are titled.”

Aksinya asked, “Is that unusual?”

“Not really. Most of the titled ladies are educated and trained at home.”

Aksinya looked down, “I see. That is so. I was also educated at home—when I had one.”

The Freifrau stepped up, “Really, Frau Drescher, there is no reason to remind the Countess of her loss. Her home is with us now. It is, to my mind, better for her to gain your gymnasium’s knowledge and prepare herself for higher learning.”

Frau Drescher’s lips formed a fine line that then fell into a frown again, “What you say is very true, Freifrau Bockmann. I was simply answering the Countess’ question.”

First, we get the description of the lower floor of the dormitory.  The picture I paint isn't unpleasant, but the place is stifling.  I also try to give you a flavor of the times and the building.  Notice the gaslamps and the very beautiful fixtures.  Still, the picture is of a cramped and stifling place.  From the wall paper to the rooms set in near perfect symmetry.  Then we find the reason for the order in Frau Drescher's dormitory--to prevent impropriety. 
 
We see the reason there are no titled ladies in the school.  The only reason Aksinya is there is that she lost her family, and we see again Frau Drescher's lack of sensitivity.  I also wanted to remind you and Aksinya of her condition.

A New Novel, Part 48 Beginning of the Dormitory Tour

In this short vignette and transition, we wrap up the tour of the school proper with tea.  You will find that everyone has tea--that is the proper thing to do.  I want you to see this cultural phenomena clearly.  In this society and this time, tea is de rigeur.  We have nothing quite like it--perhaps those who still hold to offering coffee or tea to their friends keep it in their heart, but tea is becoming a lost function in modern culture.  It is such an important function, I'm surprised we let it go. 

We see that the RM Kluge has tea.  Note how everyone is arranged and note who serves.  Because it is time for tea, I don't have to tell you it is the early to late afternoon.  Since, we know they came during the late morning, we can infer that this is relatively early in the afternoon, but likely near or after two.  You might note that they didn't have dinner (lunch).  In this time, the usual practice was to have a light breakfast, a light dinner (lunch), a light tea, and then a large supper.  We will see that this is the practice at Sacré Coeur.  We eat much more during a day than the usual aristocrat during this time.  Though their suppers are long, the portions are small.  We shall see some in more detail as we go along.

They ended the tour at the Reverend Mother’s office. The Reverend Mother sat Aksinya directly in front of her desk. Natalya stood behind Aksinya. The others arranged themselves on the chairs against the wall. The office wasn’t very large. The Reverend Mother called for tea and served them herself. While they had their tea, the Reverend Mother asked, “Countess, do you have any questions about our gymnasium or our curriculum?”


Aksinya shook her head.

“Then when we are finished with our tea, I will take you to the dormitory and let you see the room we have prepared especially for you.”

Aksinya glanced over her teacup, “Thank you.”

When they were finished, the Reverend Mother led them to the dormitory. The long hallway down the center of the school building ran into a large set of open doors. To the left of the door was a small office with a split door. On the other side, Frau Drescher sat at her desk and handled paperwork and correspondence.

The Reverend Mother rapped on the top of the door. She changed back to German, “Frau Drescher, we are ready to begin our tour of the dormitory.”

Frau Drescher frowned then tried unsuccessfully to turn the frown into a smile. She paused a moment too long, then stood abruptly. She came to the door, opened it, and stepped out. She spoke intentionally in exaggeratedly enunciated German, “If you please, Countess, follow me.”

Aksinya twisted her lips in a grimace and replied in quiet but finely articulated German, “I will be pleased to Frau Drescher.”

So now we return to the very Austrian Frau Drescher.  Frau Drescher has a typical office for such a lady.  She takes care of a dormitory.  She keeps watch on who goes in and who goes out--thus the split door.  This is the typical use of such a door in Europe at the time.  Dormitories and apartment buildings for women tended to have such offices with their typical ogre guardians.  Frau Drescher does much more than the usual, however, she handles paperwork and correspondence.  This should key you into the fact that Frau Drescher is a bit more than she seems. 
 
Frau Drescher has this problem with smiling.  She is either out of the habit or unable to smile.  We see the joke of the languages again at the Frau's expense.  Aksinya speaks more to her than to RM Kluge.  And so the joke and the transition to the Dormitory tour.  Tomorrow a description of the dormitory.