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Fatima wrote: |
I remember hearing that Ruth Wilson had a tendency to bully the younger girls, but can't remember what she did to them. Was it ever really mentioned how she bullied them? |
Liz K wrote: | ||
No I don't think it was ever mentioned exactly what Ruth did, just that she "had a tendency to bully the younger girls". |
Clare wrote: |
I always felt that EBD put a lot back on the victim, making out it was their fault they endured this treatment. |
LizzieC wrote: |
That thought reminds me of the part in Head Girl when Diera burns Grizel's harmony. By at least one character (Madge) and possibly by others it's almost seen as her fault even though it's at best a complete overreaction and at worst a completely unprovoked act from Diera towards Grizel. |
Liz K wrote: | ||
No I don't think it was ever mentioned exactly what Ruth did, just that she "had a tendency to bully the younger girls". |
Quote: |
Julie shot a quick glance at her. Ruth Wilson was quite a pleasant girl on the whole, but she was apt to be dom-ineering and if she disliked anyone, she tended to ride her hard. The Head Girl hoped that she was not going to take a dislike to Barbara. |
Quote: |
Julie
laughed. She was a dark, very handsome girl, cool and self-contained.
She realized that Josette had no intention of being rude and was quite
prepared to explain. But Ruth Wilson, the hobbies prefect, had little
sympathy or understanding. Unlike Julie, who was the eldest of six, she
was an only child. She had a great opinion of the dignity of the
prefects and she thought that Josette was being impudent. Before the
Head Girl could say anything, she jumped in.
“That’ll do, Josette. You kids are a lot too cheeky. You’re not to speak to any prefect like that, let alone the Head Girl. Do you hear me? Then apologize at once!” Josette flushed angrily. At fourteen and a half, she objected to being spoken to as if she were a Junior of ten or eleven. Apart from that, Ruth’s overbearing manner was very galling and well calculated to rouse ire in anyone. Before the Middle could utter the angry retort on her tongue end, however, Julie interfered. “Oh fiddle! Josette wasn’t being rude, Ruth, she was only asking. No need to jump on her as heavily as all that.” She turned to Josette. “It’s this way, Josette, ‘aqua’ is the Latin for water and aquatic sports are water sports. Now do you see?” Josette cooled down. “Yes, and thanks for explaining. I didn’t mean cheek.” Sybil had been watching Ruth out of the corner of her eye. She saw that the elder girl was looking none too pleased at Julie’s handling of the situation, so she made haste to change the subject. Ruth had the reputation in the school of holding on to grudges until she had paid them off. Sybil was well aware that she would regard the Head Girl’s rather snubbing remarks to her as Josette’s fault and would not rest until she had settled the score. Where her young sister was concerned, Sybil always felt a heavy responsibility. Years ago, when Sybil herself had been a Junio and Josette a tiny of four, there had been a bad accident for which the former knew herself to be to blame. They had nearly lost Josette at the time and Sybil had been heartbroken over it. Since then, she had kept a watchful eye on her sister as far as she could – frequently, it must be admitted, without getting much gratitude from Josette who sometimes grumbled that Sybs was too grannyish for words! “Well,” she said, “having got that much into young Josette’s head, what about the end of the term. Six weeks doesn’t give us an awful lot of time to think up something and get it going and you know we’re always expected to be responsible for the summer term show. Hasn’t anyone any ideas to lay before us?” Seventeen-year-old Sybil was not yet a prefect and only a member since the Easter term of Upper Fifth. All the same, many of Sixth form inclined to treat her as one of themselves. She was older than her age in many ways and, besides, she had a little imperious air and a great deal of natural dignity that seemed to set her more on a level with the prefects than with a good many members of her own form. Julie, therefore, answered her as if she was a prefect. “We haven’t really come to any decision, Sybil. We ought to have a ‘do’ of some kind, I know, but apart from a garden party and pastoral play, no one seems to have an idea to bless herself with.” “Oh, I expect Sybil can give us one,” Ruth said, with a slight sneer. Sybil reddened and Jo flashed an indignant look at the prefect. She said nothing, of course. She knew her place as a very new Middle too well for that. But from that moment she disliked Ruth Wilson with an intensity that was worthy of a much better cause. It showed in her eyes and Ruth, happening to glance at her, saw it and wondered. Nor did she forget it and it was the cause of a good deal of unpleasantness later on. At the time, no one said anything and Sybil herself merely remarked that she had only just begun to think of it and hadn’t any more ideas than anyone else. |
Quote: |
It
was as they were walking along the corridor that the door of Upper IVA
flew open and Jo Scott hurtled out. She was in such a hurry that she
never attempted to see where she was going. The result was that she
plunged head first into Ruth Wilson, sending that young woman
staggering against the opposite wall. Jo would have crashed on top of
the prefect, but Clem, who was just behind Ruth, grabbed her shoulder
and steadied her, while Veronica performed the same kind office for
Ruth.
“Oh!” Jo gasped, when she had recovered herself. “I’m frightfully sorry! I hope I haven’t hurt you? I really am awfully sorry!” Ruth had pulled off her hat which had suffered in the collision and was trying to straighten the brim. “Clumsy young idiot!” she snapped. “Look what you’ve done to my hat! I believe you’ve spoilt it – and it’s new this term.” “I’m frightfully sorry,” Jo repeated, with an anxious look at the hat. “I honestly didn’t mean it. Can I – can I do anything about your hat?” “Didn’t mean it? Didn’t bother looking where you were going, you mean!” Ruth retorted furiously. “Well, Matron will have something to say about this, I can tell you! No, Julie!” for that young woman had taken the maltreated hat from her and was seeing what she could do with it. “It’s broken, just there by the crown. You can’t do anything with it. It’s ruined and I’ll have to send home for the money to buy a new one. In the meantime, will someone kindly tell me what I’m to wear just now?” “I believe I could fix this for you,” Julie said, looking up from the hat. “A stitch or two would put it more or less right so that you could wear it. Really, Jo,” she added severely to that penitent sinner, “a girl of your age might show a little more sense. Why on earth didn’t you look before you burst out like that? And what were you doing in your form room at this hour, in any case?” she added. Jo went red. “Matron sent me to pick up my books. They’d slid off the desk and were all in a heap on the floor.” “Well, another time please be more careful!” Julie said sharply. “And for goodness sake look where you’re going in the future. You’d better be off now. Your walk will be waiting for you.” Thankful to get away, Jo turned and scuttled off as hard as she could go and Julie proceeded to do her best to smooth Ruth’s ruffled feelings. “It’s not really so bad, Ruthie. I can easily put a stitch or two in and I believe it’ll be practically all right again then. You go on, everyone, and Ruth and I will follow as fast we can, so don’t run a marathon. We’re walking along to the San, aren’t we? Right! We’ll be with you in a few minutes. Come back to the prefect’s room, Ruth. My sewing things are up there in the cupboard.” She led the way, Ruth following in a direful mood. She had got up in a bad temper that morning and Jo’s escapade had not made matters any better. |
Quote: |
what would have been the harm of just telling them she had recently lost her parents and was new to the school way of life. |
Jennie wrote: |
I think that Eustacia's was the worst case of bullying, and Jo was heavily involved in it. The poor girl was blamed for a blizzard starting, and for everything. |
Clare wrote: | ||
Regarding Eustacia
Maybe this is the reason then that Joey and occasionally Hilda will explain a new pupil's situation to a pupil, so that there is at least one person in the class who understands the new girl and tries to make life easier for her. It could explain an awful lot about Joey's interfering personality in the later books - regret for her actions which nearly cost another pupil's life? |
Lesley wrote: |
But it didn't happen in Challenge - it was in Jane of the Chalet School.
Plus Len, Con and Maeve, the Head Girl, were well aware of both the
cause of the fight and that Jack was at fault - but still punished
Jane.
Miss Ferrars and Miss Wilmot were also aware but chose to let the prefects deal with it. Miss Annersley was never, officially, told. |
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