Song of the Sea Maid Read Online Free Page A

asleep even at mealtime over our long-awaited weekly soup. And finally one night I fall asleep at my writing and am awoken with a clout about the head and a clump of crowing inmates surrounding the furious face of Matron, who hits me again and cries, ‘Get up, girl!’ I am made to stand facing the corner of the room while I listen to the others dress and wash their faces without a word and leave.
    Once we are alone, Matron says in a quiet, cold voice I have not heard her use before, ‘I fear the founder will send you to the workhouse for this.’
    I turn from my corner and cry, ‘Oh please, Matron. Not that, please !’
    ‘No use in begging me. You should have thought ere committing the crime of theft. And from the founder himself? ’Tis unheard of. I know not what he will do.’
    ‘Will you not help me, Matron?’
    ‘I have tried, believe me. When you slept at your work, the other girls knew I would have beaten them about the ears for less, but I let you go with a harsh word. And there are things of which you know nothing. I have argued for you, more times than you could imagine. When I saw your hunger for learning, I went myself to the founder and asked him, Cannot the Price child have a little extra time for school work? My nephew I persuaded to give up his free time to help you, but the founder refused. No foundling would waste the precious God-given day on learning to write when there is real work to be done. He knows wastage of time is a sin and would not have a wretch wasting its time under his beneficence. But I asked again, another time, and another. The Price child is a prodigy, sir, and would perhaps do better in life with some learning to quiet her restless mind, but no. He is adamant and I cannot tell you how far I pushed his goodwill to me as his employee, to the point where he raised his voice to me and said that no girl ever possessed a brain for learning, no more than a bear that performs tricks, and that I must stop this minute from asking and asking for such a wretch or he would have to find another housekeeper. There, you had no idea of that, did you, girl? And now this? Oh, what is to be done with you?’
    ‘Keep my secret, Matron. Please. Keep it our secret and do not tell the founder.’
    ‘You are crack-brained! An inhabitant of Bedlam stands before me! Every orphan in this place knows about it by now. The founder would hear of it ere luncheon. And how long do you think my post here would be mine if he knew I sanctioned theft from his room and hid it from him? And a knife too? What havoc did you plan with that?’
    ‘To sharpen my quill, that is all. I had no evil intent. Believe me, I beg you! Protect me!’
    ‘No, you are discovered and that is the end of it. Get dressed now and prepare yourself for what is to come.’
    Matron turns to leave the room but I touch her arm.
    ‘Thank you for all the times you spoke for me.’
    ‘You must stay here in this room until you are called for. Sit on your bed and do not move one inch .’

3
    I dress slowly, wash my face with care and sit down as I am told. My empty stomach grumbles. I wait all morning. These will be my final hours beneath this roof. By this evening, I may be in hell. Yet even this does not break me, nor bring a tear to my eye. I consider this. I do not weep because I have no fear. Something has changed in me since I taught myself to write. This is my armour and protects me from the blows life may deal me. As the sun reaches its noontime zenith in the sky, Matron calls up the stairs for me to come. As I descend, I hold my head up and prepare to meet the founder’s fury.
    Matron awaits me in the hall.
    ‘I have met with the founder this morning. He has considered your case. He has just this very minute summoned to see you in his room. There are people there. But he says he wishes to see you now.’
    ‘What people?’ I ask but she does not answer.
    She grasps my hand and leads me briskly down to the court room, where she knocks at