The Turn of the Screw | Page 9

effort-- so great a one that I was a long time coming to it; took the
unopened missive at last up to my room and only attacked it just before
going to bed. I had better have let it wait till morning, for it gave me a
second sleepless night. With no counsel to take, the next day, I was full
of distress; and it finally got so the better of me that I determined to
open myself at least to Mrs. Grose.
"What does it mean? The child's dismissed his school."
She gave me a look that I remarked at the moment; then, visibly, with a
quick blankness, seemed to try to take it back. "But aren't they all--?"
"Sent home--yes. But only for the holidays. Miles may never go back at
all."
Consciously, under my attention, she reddened. "They won't take him?"
"They absolutely decline."
At this she raised her eyes, which she had turned from me; I saw them
fill with good tears. "What has he done?"
I hesitated; then I judged best simply to hand her my letter-- which,
however, had the effect of making her, without taking it, simply put her
hands behind her. She shook her head sadly. "Such things are not for
me, miss."
My counselor couldn't read! I winced at my mistake, which I attenuated
as I could, and opened my letter again to repeat it to her; then, faltering

in the act and folding it up once more, I put it back in my pocket. "Is he
really BAD?"
The tears were still in her eyes. "Do the gentlemen say so?"
"They go into no particulars. They simply express their regret that it
should be impossible to keep him. That can have only one meaning."
Mrs. Grose listened with dumb emotion; she forbore to ask me what
this meaning might be; so that, presently, to put the thing with some
coherence and with the mere aid of her presence to my own mind, I
went on: "That he's an injury to the others."
At this, with one of the quick turns of simple folk, she suddenly flamed
up. "Master Miles! HIM an injury?"
There was such a flood of good faith in it that, though I had not yet
seen the child, my very fears made me jump to the absurdity of the idea.
I found myself, to meet my friend the better, offering it, on the spot,
sarcastically. "To his poor little innocent mates!"
"It's too dreadful," cried Mrs. Grose, "to say such cruel things! Why,
he's scarce ten years old."
"Yes, yes; it would be incredible."
She was evidently grateful for such a profession. "See him, miss, first.
THEN believe it!" I felt forthwith a new impatience to see him; it was
the beginning of a curiosity that, for all the next hours, was to deepen
almost to pain. Mrs. Grose was aware, I could judge, of what she had
produced in me, and she followed it up with assurance. "You might as
well believe it of the little lady. Bless her," she added the next
moment--"LOOK at her!"
I turned and saw that Flora, whom, ten minutes before, I had
established in the schoolroom with a sheet of white paper, a pencil, and
a copy of nice "round o's," now presented herself to view at the open
door. She expressed in her little way an extraordinary detachment from
disagreeable duties, looking to me, however, with a great childish light
that seemed to offer it as a mere result of the affection she had
conceived for my person, which had rendered necessary that she should
follow me. I needed nothing more than this to feel the full force of Mrs.
Grose's comparison, and, catching my pupil in my arms, covered her
with kisses in which there was a sob of atonement.
Nonetheless, the rest of the day I watched for further occasion to
approach my colleague, especially as, toward evening, I began to fancy

she rather sought to avoid me. I overtook her, I remember, on the
staircase; we went down together, and at the bottom I detained her,
holding her there with a hand on her arm. "I take what you said to me at
noon as a declaration that YOU'VE never known him to be bad."
She threw back her head; she had clearly, by this time, and very
honestly, adopted an attitude. "Oh, never known him-- I don't pretend
THAT!"
I was upset again. "Then you HAVE known him--?"
"Yes indeed, miss, thank God!"
On reflection I accepted this. "You mean that a boy who never is--?"
"Is no boy for ME!"
I held her tighter. "You like them with the spirit to be naughty?" Then,
keeping pace with her answer, "So do I!" I eagerly brought out.