On Agate Hill (22 page)

“No.” This was the first word Molly said.

“Now Molly,” said Mrs. Hall.

“No, no no.” Now Molly fully comprehended; now she was crying. She said she would not leave Agate Hill, that she would never leave Agate Hill, that she could not leave her “ghosts,” whatever that means. She made scarcely more sense than the blubbering giant had done. At this point, Mrs. Hall stepped forward suddenly, jerked the poor girl to her feet, and shook her until her eyes rolled back in her head and I feared she would fall apart. But just as Mister Black stepped forward to intervene, Mrs. Hall gave it up and enveloped her in a close embrace. “Go, Molly,” she said, sobbing hoarsely. “Go, go.”

In return Molly herself hugged Mrs. Hall tightly, crying all the while. “You want me to go?” she asked in a whisper, the first coherent words I had heard her speak. “You want me to leave, Selena?”

Mrs. Hall inclined her head and shut her eyes. “Go, honey,” she said fiercely. “Go now.”

Molly held her tight, then nodded.

I watched this exchange in astonishment. It was impossible for me to judge the true nature of the intense relationship between the two of them (as,
indeed, it was impossible for me to judge the true nature of anything at Agate Hill). I can only report these events to you, Mariah—not interpret!

But clearly it was decided. I went upstairs with Molly and helped her pack up such few things as she has brought with her, but I must tell you, Mariah, she will have to be completely outfitted and clothed once we have got her at the Academy. Never have I seen such filth and disarray as in that house so stately on the outside, so chaotic within. I shall spare you the most disturbing details. At length two more children appeared like apparitions in the gloom of the second story. They refused to speak to me, indeed appearing wary of strangers altogether. I imagine there have not been too many visitors at Agate Hill of late. I wondered: Could these be the “ghosts” Molly spoke of? They are solemn and pale enough. But she would not say. She would not speak at all now. She had almost no clothing and no personal effects. Her pitiful belongings fit into an old haversack we found in the closet. I left her to clean herself up as best she could with washbowl and cloth while I carried the haversack downstairs to Henry who took it out to the carriage, past Mister Black who paced back and forth on the piazza waiting.

“Where is Molly?” he whirled to address me.

“Why, she is bathing off,” I said, “in preparation for our journey.”

His face went dark as a thundercloud. “Go back to her at once,” he said. “Don’t let her out of your sight again, Agnes.” It was the first time he had called me by my given name.

Off I went, but to my horror, I could not find her. I ran all through the tumbled bedrooms upstairs, looking, I ran into a dark parlor and a dusty dining room downstairs, I went out the back and into the kitchen, I grabbed one of the children, the boy, who was surly and said he knew nothing. I then reported to Mister Black on the front piazza, who said simply, “Find her.” He joined in the search.

“Mrs. Hall!” I knocked on what I believed to be the nursery door, off the downstairs hall.

“Come on in,” she said, yet when I did so, I found her nursing the baby,
and quickly averted my eyes as I blurted out my business. Mrs. Hall was not at all embarrassed.

“Molly does this often,” she said simply. “She has got a way of disappearing. I reckon she’ll be on back, bye and bye.”

This was not good enough for Mister Black, in a towering rage by this time, though not at me. “Of course it is not your fault, Agnes,” he said kindly, though I felt it
was
my fault and was suffering bitterly for it. He dispatched Henry to search the barns, and went through the cabins out back himself. I confess that I sat down upon the doorsill in the front hall and engaged in a good cry, Mariah. It was all so strange; but at least neither the giant nor the yellow-haired man with the bleeding back ever reappeared. Henry came back with no good news to report, and Mister Black the same. He paced back and forth on the piazza, hat in hand. I sat in dejection upon the sill. The sun climbed higher in the sky.

“All right, then. I’m ready.” Suddenly a little voice was heard from the top of the stairs.

“Mister Black!” I called.

He sprang to the door, shading his eyes with his hat. Together we watched Molly Petree descend the stairs as if she were making her entrance to a fancy dress ball. She was like a different girl, head held high, back straight. She did not smile. She will be a handful, Mariah.

Mister Black took her arm and escorted her straight to the carriage, handing me up after her. The carriage rocked as he and Henry mounted, then shuddered as the horses pulled away. As the urns by the gate gave no shade, I judged it to be noon, merely noon, though I felt we had been there for an eternity, so much had transpired.

Now that we were under way, I felt sorry for Molly, remembering how she had cried at the thought of this departure. “You can always come back,” I said. “You can come back for visits.” I attempted to reassure her, but she shook her head, no. I think she has a great deal of natural composure and determination, Mariah. You shall see. She sat staring straight ahead, never
once looking back at the home of her childhood though I myself could not resist doing so. Immense and indecipherable, it stood upon its hill, no person in sight, in its surround of mystery and decay. I confess, my heart rose precipitously in proportion to our distance from it.

Now what can I do to encourage this girl, leaving all she has known? I wondered. What would Mariah do? I asked myself. Then it came to me. On impulse, I leaned forward and began: “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth,” etcetera.

For the first time, I had a genuine response from Molly Petree. Her eye gladdened, her expression lifted. “The Lord shall preserve thy going out, and thy coming in, from this time forth, and even forevermore,” she quoted.

I was much encouraged. “Do you like that Psalm?” I asked her.

“Not so much,” she said surprisingly. “On the whole, I prefer a poem, like ‘Annabelle Lee’ or ‘The Lady of Shallott.’ “

So, more is here than meets the eye, Mariah.

Then she yawned, a huge wide child’s yawn.

“Why don’t you see if you can sleep?” I asked her. “You must be exhausted,” for
I
too was exhausted, suddenly and profoundly, and both of us then slept until afternoon when we woke up at an inn where we could use the necessary. Mister Black ordered up a fine big meal of roast chicken and a peach pie which we ate outside on a wooden table under an apple tree, the cook and her sister serving us. We were all ravenous, Molly Petree included. Mister Black has a way of making things happen, I notice. His is an elaborately polite form of coercion and commandeering, yet his manner is such that no one could term it so. Everyone loves to do his bidding, it seems. Even I am not immune to his charm, yet find it impossible to divine the import of the only request he has made of me. This occurred at the end of our dinner, as we prepared for the next leg of our journey.

Mister Black pulled me aside. “Agnes,” he said, “perhaps it will not be necessary for you to tell your sister and her husband all that you have seen here today.”

“Why, what do you mean?” I asked. “I always tell her everything” (which is true, Mariah), and in fact I still do not know what he meant. I am puzzling over it as we clip along, now through the purple twilight. Already Agate Hill seems to exist in the past, as if in another country.

Molly Petree sleeps quietly on the carriage seat across from me now, and it is possible to tell that she is even pretty, though small, with a long straight nose and a somewhat wide mouth. I believe she will clean up nicely. Mister Black has said that we will drive all night, as we did coming. Neither he nor Henry ever sleeps, I suppose. This seems in keeping with Mister Black’s other somewhat mythical qualities. He appears larger than life in every respect. I find him both terrifying and reassuring, in equal proportion. I am anxious to hear what you have to say of him, Mariah, and of Molly Petree.

It is almost full dark now. Fireflies arise from the woods all along the road. Henry is lighting the lamps.

Sincerely Yours,
Agnes

The Gatewood Academy

Hopewell, Virginia

Founded 1848

T
HE SITUATION OF THIS SCHOOL
combines the advantages of town and country and, in its healthfulness and purity of moral atmosphere, is thought to be peculiarly eligible.

The primary object of our course of instruction is to qualify young ladies for the discharge of the duties of subsequent life. We seek to cultivate in every pupil a sense of her responsibility for time and for eternity. Our instruction in every branch is thorough and rigorous. “Not how much, but how well” is our motto.

The Gatewood Academy offers guidance, instruction, and nourishment for the mind, the body, and most particularly, the soul of each young lady entrusted to our care.

Boarding students shall number 15–20; the number of day students shall be the same.

Each boarding pupil is required to furnish raincoat and rubbers, her own towels and table napkins, 1 pair sheets, 1 bolster case or 2 pillow cases, a counterpane, and a drinking vessel.

Pupils are recommended to bring: a large dictionary, atlas, slate, dictionaries of Latin or French, and sheet music.

Tuition and board, $250 per annum, exclusive of lights, washing, and pew rent, $20 additional fee. Use of instrument for practice, $20. Tuition payable one half in advance, cash. Firm, no exceptions.

The Reverend Cincinnatus Snow
Headmaster, Gatewood Academy

G
ATEWOOD
A
CADEMY
F
ACULTY

Under the Direction of Mrs. Mariah Rutherford Snow,

Headmistress and Director of Curriculum

Miss Agnes Rutherford—Grammar and Composition

Miss Olive Reid—English Studies and Composition

Miss Lovinia Newberry—Art

Miss Bessie Barwick—History

Miss Laura Vest—Languages and Singing

Mrs. Frances Tuttle—Natural Studies, Deportment

Professor Jacques Bienvenu—Music

Professor Clyde Fogle—Mathematics

Mrs. Mariah Snow—Elocution, Bible Studies, Domestic Arts

The Reverend Cincinnatus Snow—Advanced Bible Studies and Philosophy

T
HE
P
ROGRAM OF
I
NSTRUCTION

Gatewood Academy

(Shall vary in accordance with age and need of students)

Elementary subjects to include:

Reading

Spelling and Grammar

Composition

Geography

History

Mathematics

Bible Study

Natural Sciences

Advanced Studies to include:

Composition and Literature

Algebra and Geometry

Ancient or Modern Languages

Tuition in Piano, Guitar, or Melodian

Tuition in Vocal Music

Tuition in Pencil Drawing, Crayon Drawing, or Watercolor Painting

Advanced Bible Studies

Evidences of Christianity

Intellectual and Moral Philosophy

Compulsory participation in Gymnasium, Elocution, Deportment, and

the Domestic Arts

Exquisite neatness, decorum, and silence shall be required of all students during each school day.

D
AILY
S
CHEDULE

The Gatewood Academy

6:30
A.M.
Rising bell. Dressing and tidying rooms.

7:30
A.M.
Breakfast bell. Breakfast followed by morning prayers, led by Mrs. Snow

20-minute period of exercise, outdoors whenever possible

9:00
A.M.
School opens. Opening prayers and announcements

9:00
A.M.
– 12:00
P.M.
Classes and study times

12:00
P.M.
Dinnertime

1:00 – 3:00
P.M.
Classes and study times

3:00
P.M.
Roll call. “Perfect” or “imperfect” behavior noted

3:00 – 4:00
P.M.
Study hour, sewing, or music practice times

4:00–5:00
P.M.
Exercising and dressing

6:30
P.M.
Supper

8:00 – 9:00
P.M.
Gymnasium on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday

WEDNESDAY EVENING:
Prayer meeting

FRIDAY EVENING:
Parlor games and music

Occasional visiting lecturers upon worthy topics, when available

S
ATURDAY
S
CHEDULE

The Gatewood Academy

7:00
A.M.
Breakfast bell.

8:00
A.M.
Breakfast, followed by morning prayers, led by Mrs. Snow

9:00
A.M.
Exercise time

9:30
A.M.
Study hour

10:30
A.M.
”Pie Letter” writing hour, at conclusion of which letters must be presented for mailing in order to have dessert at tomorrow’s Sunday dinner

12:00
P.M.
Dinner followed by personal time Shampoos

6:30
P.M.
Supper

8:00
P.M.
Evening preparation for Sabbath including Bible reading, Bible lessons, and hymn singing