Sunday, March 23, 2008

Grizel Cochrane, Chalet Girl

On pages 20-22 of The School at the Chalet, the reader is introduced to Grizel Cochrane:

At fourteen and a half Grizel Cochrane had realised that she was decidedly an unwanted member of the Cochrane family. Her mother had died when she was five. Grizel could just remember her as a fragile, complaining being, who lay on a couch all day, and said 'Hush!' in fretful tones whenever her little daughter ventured to raise her voice. After her death, Mr Cochrane had sent the child to his mother's, and led a bachelor life for the next five years. On Grizel's tenth birthday he had married again, most unaccountably, without informing his second wife of the fact that he had a daughter. That she discovered when they reached home after the honeymoon, to find Grizel awaiting them on the steps. To say that the second Mrs Cochrane was indignant is to describe the state of affairs much too mildly. At first, she insisted that the child must go to boarding-school. Her husband calmly replied that one reason for this second marriage was that he wanted Grizel under his own roof. He also pointed out that if she were sent away at once people would talk. Mrs. Cochrane desired that less than anything, so she gave way. Grizel went daily to a big high school in the neighbourhood, and, nominally at any rate, received the same care and attention of any of her friends. But life at her grandmother's had spoilt her in many ways, and before long she and her stepmother were at daggers drawn with each other. Mr Cochrane, never a particularly loving parent, refused to interfere. Mrs Cochrane was never actively unkind, but she possessed a sharp tongue, and she had never forgiven her husband for not telling her of Grizel's existence. By slow degrees the willful, high-spirited child gradually became a frightened, nervous creature, who did as she was bidden with a painful readiness.

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