A College Girl
Vaizey Mrs. George de Horne
English
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Below is a summary of A College Girl
A College Girl
By Mrs George de Horne Vaizey
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Here is a book about the young girl and her awakening to the world by
this talented author. Darsie, the heroine, is selected by an old aunt
to come and spend a year or so as her companion. The old woman tries
to coach Darsie in matters of deportment and behaviour. This would be
pretty odious if it were not for the presence locally of a young family
of boys and girls of Darsie's age, whom, being rich and living rather
grandly, the aunt allows Darsie to know. The first half of the book
describes the times they had. The old aunt promises Darsie that she
will make available the funds needed for Darsie to go up to Cambridge
as a student at Newnham, a girls' college.
When the second half of the book begins the old aunt has just died, and
Darsie feels glad that the poor old lady will be relieved of all her
pains. The years of studentship are well described, and the friends
that Darsie made come and go through the story. Finally we reach the
last exams. Darsie does quite well, but is not in the First Class. She
has a Second, which will be enough for her to be able to go and teach at
some less distinguished school. But her friend Dan, one of those whom
we met in the first half of the book, has obtained a First Class Honours
degree, and the book ends with him asking her to marry him. What he
doesn't know, and I suppose the author didn't either, is that young men
going to teach at a top-rate boys' school are expected to spend their
spare time coaching sports, and not to be married. In fact they would
be better to have achieved a "Blue" at Oxford or Cambridge than a good
degree.
I have had to make a slightly strange and annoying change to the name of
one of the girls in the story. I changed Vi Vernon to Vie Vernon. The
reason was that otherwise the speech generator always read her name as
"Six Vernon". What we have now sounds correct, but if you read the book
you will see this mis-spelling two dozen times. My apologies for doing
this, but you will understand why I did it.
It is a good read, and as always I recommend making an audiobook of it,
so that you can listen to it. NH
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A COLLEGE GIRL
BY MRS GEORGE DE HORNE VAIZEY
CHAPTER ONE.
BOYS AND GIRLS.
This is the tale of two terraces, of two families who lived therein, of
several boys and many girls, and especially of one Darsie, her
education, adventures, and ultimate romance.
Darsie was the second daughter in a family of six, and by reason of her
upsetting nature had won for herself that privilege of priority which by
all approved traditions should have belonged to Clemence, the elder
sister. Clemence was serene and blonde; in virtue of her seventeen
years her pigtail was now worn doubled up, and her skirts had reached
the discreet level of her ankles. She had a soft pink and white face,
and a pretty red mouth, the lips of which permanently fell apart,
disclosing two small white teeth in the centre of the upper gum, because
of which peculiarity her affectionate family had bestowed upon her the
nickname of "Bunnie." Perhaps the cognomen had something to do with her
subordinate position. It was impossible to imagine any one with the
name of "Bunnie" queening it over that will-o'-the-wisp, that electric
flash, that tantalising, audacious creature who is the heroine of these
pages.
Darsie at fifteen! How shall one describe her to the unfortunates who
have never beheld her in the flesh? It is for most girls an awkward
age, an age of angles, of ungainly bulk, of awkward ways, self-conscious
speech, crass ignorance, and sublime conceit. Clemence had passed
through this stage with much suffering of spirits on her own part and
that of her relations; Lavender, the third daughter, showed at thirteen
preliminary symptoms of appalling violence; but Darsie remained as ever
that fascinating combination of a child and a woman of the world, which
had been her characteristic from earliest youth. Always graceful and
alert, she sailed triumphant through the trying years, with straight
back, graceful gait, and eyes a-shine with a happy self-confidence. "I
am here!" announced Darsie's eyes to an admiring world. "Let the band
strike up!"
Some inherent quality in Darsie--some grace, some charm, some spell--
which she wove over the eyes of beholders, caused them to credit her
with a beauty which she did not possess. Even her family shared in this
delusion, and set her up as the superlative in degree, so that "as
pretty as Darsie" had come to be regarded a climax of praise. The glint
of her chestnut hair, the wide, bright eyes, the little oval face set on
a long, slim throat smote the onlooker with instant delight, and so
blinded him that he had no sight left with which to behold the blemishes
which walked hand in hand. Photographs valiantly strove to demonstrate
the truth; pointed out with cruel truth the stretching mouth, the small,
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