"But surely some of you have become schoolmistresses with good salaries?"

"Good salaries! Anyhow, first we had to start studying all over again. As
though Father and Mother and brothers and sisters hadn't sacrificed enough
for our sakes already! There was cramming again for long periods, and then
we began life in the schoolroom--to give to others the same unnatural
upbringing we had had ourselves. Oh, yes, ours was a noble vocation; it
was almost like being missionaries. But now if you'll excuse me, I'd like
to talk about something besides this exalted position. Anything else you
please."

Tradesman Batt opened the door and said:

"Are you coming, Miss Torsen? It's stopped raining now."

"Oh, leave me alone," she replied.

Tradesman Batt withdrew.

"Why do you turn him away like that?" I asked.

"Because ... well, the weather is bad," she said, looking out of the
window. "Besides, he's such a fool. And he takes such liberties."

How sure of herself she looked, and how right she seemed!

Poor Miss Torsen! True or not, the news gradually spread that Miss Torsen
had recently lost her post at the school, where indulgence had been
exercised for a long time toward her eccentric methods of teaching.