A Houseful of Girls
Vaizey Mrs. George de Horne
English
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Below is a summary of A Houseful of Girls
A Houseful of Girls
By Mrs George de Horne Vaizey
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Another book by Mrs de Horne Vaizey, also known as Jessie Mansergh,
about the lives of five girls in one family, and their friends, in
Edwardian times. Of course every time there is a major event, such as
an engagement, or the cancellation of one, the different girls all have
different takes on the situation. NH
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A HOUSEFUL OF GIRLS
BY MRS GEORGE DE HORNE VAIZEY
CHAPTER ONE.
HALF A DOZEN DAUGHTERS.
There were six of them altogether--six great big girls,--and they lived
in a great big house, in the middle of a long high road, one end of
which loses itself in London town, while the other goes stretching away
over the county of Hertford. Years ago, John Gilpin had ridden his
famous race down that very road, and Christabel loved to look out of her
bedroom window and imagine that she saw him flying along, with his poor
bald head bared to the _breeze_, and the bottles swinging on either
side. She had cut a picture of him out of a book and tacked it on her
wall, for, as she explained to Agatha, her special sister, she felt it a
duty to support "local talent," and, so far as she could discover,
Gilpin was the only celebrity who had ever patronised the neighbourhood.
Christabel was the youngest of the family--a position which, as every
one knows, is only second in importance to that of the eldest, and, in
this instance, Maud was so sweet and unassuming that the haughty young
person of fourteen ruled her with a rod of iron.
Fair-haired Lilias was a full-fledged young lady, and Nan had had all
her dresses let down, and was supposed to have her hair up; but as a
matter of fact it was more often down than not, for it was heavy and
plentiful, and Nan's ten thumbs could by no chance fasten it securely.
Hair-pins littered the schoolroom floor, hair-pins stood out
aggressively against the white paint on the stairs, hair-pins nestled in
the little creases of velvet chairs: there were hair-pins, hair-pins
everywhere, except just where they should have been--on Nan's dressing-
table; and here there was such a dearth of these useful articles, that
on one memorable occasion she had been compelled to effect a coiffure
with the aid of a piece of string and a broken comb. The effect was
striking for a good ten minutes, and then came the inevitable collapse;
but, "Dear me," as Nan observed, "accidents will happen, and what is the
use of making a fuss about a thing like that, when the world is full of
suffering!"
Elsie thanked her stars that she was only sixteen, and need not be
"grown-up" for two long years to come; but when her younger sisters grew
obtrusive, she suddenly remembered that she would be seventeen in three
months' time, and would have them know that she was to be treated with
respect; and, in spite of daily discussions, feuds, and battles, the
girls all loved each other dearly, and believed that such a charming and
highly endowed family had never before existed in the annals of
Christendom.
As a matter of fact, the Rendell girls had claim to one great
distinction--promiscuous accomplishments had been discarded in their
case, and each had been brought up to do some one thing well. Maud was
musical, and practised scales two hours a day as a preliminary before
settling down for another two or three hours of sonatas and fugues.
Elsie locked herself in her bedroom for a like period, and the wails of
her violin came floating downstairs like the lament of a lost soul. Nan
appropriated a chilly attic, carved wood and her fingers at the same
time, and clanged away at copper work, knocking her nails black and blue
with ill-directed strokes of the hammer, as she manufactured the panels
which were fitted into her oak carving with such artistic effect.
Lilias declared sweetly that she was too stupid to do anything, but
privately reflected that at least she had mastered the art of looking
charming; and what did it matter if she _were_ useless, since with her
beauty she would certainly marry a duke on the first opportunity, and be
spirited away to a life of luxury! As for Agatha and Christabel, they
were supposed to devote themselves to the study of languages and the
domestic arts, but in private conclave they had already decided on their
future career. They were to keep a select academy for young ladies, in
which they would correct all those glaring errors of governess and
mother under which they themselves had groaned.
"I can bear it better when I feel it is for a good end. Our girls shall
never suffer as I am suffering!" said Chrissie, with an air of
martyrdom, when she was ordered to bed at nine o'clock, and
remorselessly roused from slumber at seven a.m. "If grown-ups were
sensible, they would allow a child to follow its own instinct. Nature
must surely know better than mothers; and my nature tells me to sit up
at nights and have breakfast in bed. To be sent off as if one were a
child in arms is really too horribly trying!"
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