The Governess- 2

Richard awoke with a start. He had had a terrible night. unsure every minute of
the evening whether he would be called to Matron’s office. Whether the girls had
decided to report his crime. He had slept fitfully, waking constantly only to
fall back into an uneasy sleep.
He looked at the large round wooden clock hanging high on the wall at the
end of the dormitory. It said six o’clock. Richard jumped out of bed and hurried
to the bathrooms. He filled the large cast iron bath with tepid water, the only
kind they supplied at the orphanage. He shed his night-shirt with which they
supplied to both boys and girls and sank into the tepid water. He scrubbed
himself thoroughly, rubbing his skin red with the harsh bristles of the wooden
brush.
He had asked Matron for clean underwear and socks, which she had provided
without asking why. Normally clean clothing was supplied at the whim of the
domestics who worked in the institution.
After soaking in the bath for as long as the rapidly cooling water would let
him, he got dressed.
He was the eldest boy in the dormitory and as such was not asked questions
about where he was going. The rules were strict and it was only the most foolish
boy or girl that broke them. He often went for walks early in the morning even
during term time. He was quite sure no one would question why he was dressed so
early during the school holidays.
Richard had a strange feeling in his stomach. His nerves were on edge with a
mixture of apprehension and dread at thought of what the day would bring.
He sat with the earliest sitting of boys and girls for their meagre
breakfast, however this was one day that Richard could not bring himself to eat
his food. Richard did not possess a watch so watched the clock at the far end
of the room. As soon as the hands read ten minutes to nine, he set off for the
long walk up to the lake.