then recoiled as she felt the harsh stubble that was all that remained of her long black ringlets.
‘She’s cut your hair off so short that there’s nothing at all left of it,’ Gladys sympathised. ‘Even your scalp shows through!’
Winnie chewed on her lower lip. ‘I know, she’s a right cow, the old witch.’
‘Ssh! Don’t say that! The walls have ears around here,’ Gladys cautioned uneasily. ‘If she hears you say one word about her you’ll be in terrible trouble.’
‘She’s already threatened me with damnation because I screamed when she chopped at my hair, but I don’t believe her. I told her that if God has given me lovely hair then he’ll expect me to like it and to look after it.’
Gladys stared at her, goggle-eyed. ‘What did she do when you said that?’
‘Told me I’d be punished. Talked about making me do an Act of Contrition.’
Gladys shuddered. ‘You’ll have to do that before you go to bed tonight. We all have to be in the dormitory with lights out in ten minutes so you’d better hurry along and get it over with or you’ll be in even more trouble.’
‘I don’t know where to go or what to do,’ Winnie told her. ‘Anyway, what about my meal? I’ve had nothing to eat since this morning.’
Gladys clamped a hand over her mouth. ‘We’ve had supper! I was told to have mine before I came to get you. I thought you were being given yours separately. Everything will have been cleared away by now.’
Winnie looked at her in disbelief. ‘You mean I won’t be getting any?’
Gladys shook her head. ‘Doesn’t look like it!’ Her face brightened a little. ‘You haven’t missed much. We only had a slice of bread and dripping and a mug of tea, and the milk in that was off.’
Chapter Eleven
OVER THE NEXT few days, Winnie suffered one humiliation after another and was shocked to find that they were mostly from the nuns. They seemed to regard her as some sort of demon who had been dropped into their midst, and resolutely tried to oust the evil spirit inside her.
She bore their comments and actions as stoically as she could, determined not to let them see how much they upset her. She refused to let Sister Hortense or any of the other nuns know how much they frightened her with their threats of Hellfire and damnation. She tried not to look upset when they levied Acts of Contrition as punishment for things they said she’d done, or as atonement for sins she knew she hadn’t committed.
The thing she cared about most was losing her hair, and no matter what they said or did that was always uppermost in her mind. Her dad had been so proud of her black ringlets and every time she brushed or combed her hair she’d thought of him and the way he had stroked them and told her how lovely they were.
Now, her bristly scalp was like a badge of shame. She also felt that by cutting off her hair, Sister Hortense had confirmed in some way that her dad was gone and she’d never see him again.
Her first night sleeping in a dormitory with over twenty other girls was quite an ordeal because they were all so curious about her deformed legs.
She wished she could hide her affliction from them, but it was impossible. She’d been told she would have to leave her invalid chair downstairs which meant that she needed help to get up the stairs. She found that most of the girls were willing to assist her. If they weren’t strong enough to support her weight then they would fetch things for her, or find someone else who could hold her up.
The hard bed and thin blanket were not very much different from what she had been used to at home, so in spite of the strangeness of her surroundings Winnie found she slept soundly. On the first morning, the early morning bell had startled her and for a minute she couldn’t make out where she was or what was happening. There was so much activity going on all around her as all the girls hurriedly dressed and tidied their beds.
‘You’d better stay where you
‘She’s cut your hair off so short that there’s nothing at all left of it,’ Gladys sympathised. ‘Even your scalp shows through!’
Winnie chewed on her lower lip. ‘I know, she’s a right cow, the old witch.’
‘Ssh! Don’t say that! The walls have ears around here,’ Gladys cautioned uneasily. ‘If she hears you say one word about her you’ll be in terrible trouble.’
‘She’s already threatened me with damnation because I screamed when she chopped at my hair, but I don’t believe her. I told her that if God has given me lovely hair then he’ll expect me to like it and to look after it.’
Gladys stared at her, goggle-eyed. ‘What did she do when you said that?’
‘Told me I’d be punished. Talked about making me do an Act of Contrition.’
Gladys shuddered. ‘You’ll have to do that before you go to bed tonight. We all have to be in the dormitory with lights out in ten minutes so you’d better hurry along and get it over with or you’ll be in even more trouble.’
‘I don’t know where to go or what to do,’ Winnie told her. ‘Anyway, what about my meal? I’ve had nothing to eat since this morning.’
Gladys clamped a hand over her mouth. ‘We’ve had supper! I was told to have mine before I came to get you. I thought you were being given yours separately. Everything will have been cleared away by now.’
Winnie looked at her in disbelief. ‘You mean I won’t be getting any?’
Gladys shook her head. ‘Doesn’t look like it!’ Her face brightened a little. ‘You haven’t missed much. We only had a slice of bread and dripping and a mug of tea, and the milk in that was off.’
Chapter Eleven
OVER THE NEXT few days, Winnie suffered one humiliation after another and was shocked to find that they were mostly from the nuns. They seemed to regard her as some sort of demon who had been dropped into their midst, and resolutely tried to oust the evil spirit inside her.
She bore their comments and actions as stoically as she could, determined not to let them see how much they upset her. She refused to let Sister Hortense or any of the other nuns know how much they frightened her with their threats of Hellfire and damnation. She tried not to look upset when they levied Acts of Contrition as punishment for things they said she’d done, or as atonement for sins she knew she hadn’t committed.
The thing she cared about most was losing her hair, and no matter what they said or did that was always uppermost in her mind. Her dad had been so proud of her black ringlets and every time she brushed or combed her hair she’d thought of him and the way he had stroked them and told her how lovely they were.
Now, her bristly scalp was like a badge of shame. She also felt that by cutting off her hair, Sister Hortense had confirmed in some way that her dad was gone and she’d never see him again.
Her first night sleeping in a dormitory with over twenty other girls was quite an ordeal because they were all so curious about her deformed legs.
She wished she could hide her affliction from them, but it was impossible. She’d been told she would have to leave her invalid chair downstairs which meant that she needed help to get up the stairs. She found that most of the girls were willing to assist her. If they weren’t strong enough to support her weight then they would fetch things for her, or find someone else who could hold her up.
The hard bed and thin blanket were not very much different from what she had been used to at home, so in spite of the strangeness of her surroundings Winnie found she slept soundly. On the first morning, the early morning bell had startled her and for a minute she couldn’t make out where she was or what was happening. There was so much activity going on all around her as all the girls hurriedly dressed and tidied their beds.
‘You’d better stay where you
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