Page:The Professor (1857 Volume 1).djvu/173

 I suppose she judged me to be in a tolerable state of self-government, for she opened the door, and I followed her through. A rustling sound of uprising greeted our entrance; without looking to the right or left, I walked straight up the lane between two sets of benches and desks, and took possession of the empty chair and isolated desk raised on an estrade of one step high, so as to command one division; the other division being under the surveillance of a maîtresse, similarly elevated. At the back of the estrade, and attached to a moveable partition dividing this school-room from another beyond, was a large tableau of wood painted black and varnished; a thick crayon of white chalk lay on my desk for the convenience of elucidating any grammatical or verbal obscurity which might occur in my lessons by writing it upon the tableau, a wet sponge appeared beside the chalk to enable me to efface the marks when they had served the purpose intended.

I carefully and deliberately made these