An Academic Chaletian (complete on p.8)
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The CBB -> Ste Therese's House

#1: An Academic Chaletian (complete on p.8) Author: Róisín PostPosted: Tue May 30, 2006 7:21 pm
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This is the sequel to Stacie at University.

The evening summer sun burst through the windowpanes in long straight rays, and lit up the silhouette of a young woman as she sat at the table engrossed in the papers before her. Her long fair hair was pulled into a chic plaited chignon at the base of her neck. Serious grey eyes matched the soft hues of her simple summer dress. Her aspect was demure but closer inspection would have showed that she was biting her lip in consternation. She tapped her pen against the wood, frustrated, and looked up from the papers to gaze unseeingly ahead of her.

"But do I really want to get into all... this... now?" she sighed heavily. "I'm a grown woman of twenty-three. Why, when Joey was my age she had four bouncing toddlers! If I start this, it'll be three long years before..." But there was no end to that sentence, she acknowledged inwardly. No fiancé who would be waiting for her to finish. No parents who would need her help at home.

She felt a little reckless as she took a deep breath and plunged the pen towards the dotted line at the end of the application form. And signed her name 'Eustacia Benson'.


Last edited by Róisín on Thu Oct 12, 2006 4:48 pm; edited 16 times in total

#2:  Author: Alison HLocation: Manchester PostPosted: Tue May 30, 2006 7:31 pm
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Lovely to see more of Stacie Very Happy .

#3:  Author: KatLocation: Kingston-upon-Thames/Swansea PostPosted: Tue May 30, 2006 7:32 pm
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Yay!

Thank you Róisín!

#4:  Author: LizzieLocation: A little village on the Essex/Suffolk border PostPosted: Tue May 30, 2006 7:45 pm
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Hurrah! More of the lovely Stacie!

Thanks Róisín, although I had forgotten that Jo was a published author with a husband and four children by the age of twenty three, am suddenly feeling somewhat unfulfilled...

#5:  Author: ibarhisLocation: London and Hemel Hempstead PostPosted: Tue May 30, 2006 7:53 pm
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I'm really looking forward to the next episode...

#6:  Author: KathrynWLocation: London PostPosted: Tue May 30, 2006 8:19 pm
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Yay! A sequel already!

Thanks Róisín Very Happy

Kathryn

#7:  Author: Róisín PostPosted: Tue May 30, 2006 9:28 pm
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“And?”
She laid down the tiny spanner she was using to try and coax the electric kettle into working, and placed her hand on her heavily swollen stomach instead. Stacie flushed as she answered her.
“Oh Carol! I signed the form and dropped it off at the faculty this morning!”
Carol grinned. “I knew you would.”
When Stacie still looked anxious, she added, “Look. You can always decline it once they offer it to you. Mind you! You may not even get it, you know!” she finished with a wink.
Stacie laughed and some of the tension left her face for the first time that day. The two women knew that there would be no question of Eustacia Benson being refused application for a course leading to the award of a Doctorate in Literature. She had come top in every class she had taken since her first day at Oxford. She had been approached by the University Press to publish her final year thesis as a monograph. Her immersion in the world of Classical Literature and History since she was a small girl roaming around the cavernous rooms and long hallways of her father’s house, and the further rigorous training she had received from Mlle de Lachennais as a Chalet School girl, had made for a woman whose knowledge of her subject was so deep as to be encyclopaedic. Stacie clinked her teacup back into its saucer and sighed.
“Thank you Carol, I needed that.”

#8:  Author: KathrynWLocation: London PostPosted: Tue May 30, 2006 9:39 pm
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It's nice to see that Carol's still on the scene (and obviously pretty happy!) Good for Stacie, I'm glad she's gone for it Very Happy

Thanks Róisín!

Kathryn

#9:  Author: Róisín PostPosted: Tue May 30, 2006 10:07 pm
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The door banged and the two women heard the sound of a man striding heavily into the hallway.
“Stacie!” Kester leaned down and kissed her cheek fondly. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”
Stacie laughed at her old housemate. “You? Nothing. It’s your wife I’m visiting. Or at least, it was...I must go, Carol, I have to return these books to the library before five. I’ll see you tomorrow for lunch.”
She left their tiny house in the leafy Oxford suburbs just as Carol was starting to explain to her bemused husband just what she was doing to that kettle.

Twenty minutes later, she was stepping in through the library doors and handing over a satchelful of books to the smiling assistant behind the circulation desk.
“Will that be all, Miss Benson?”
“Yes, thank you, Mrs. Cotton,” Stacie replied absently. Then she remembered something and turned back. “Oh, and how is Mr. Cotton doing? Better, I hope?”
The stout little middle-aged woman behind the counter smiled delightedly. Stacie’s continual presence in the library over the last four years had brought to her know a good many of the staff quite well. Mrs. Cotton was thrilled to have been singled out by this elegant, wellspoken, educated young woman. She slid her eyes around the reception area on the off chance that her colleagues had noticed.
“He’s doing much better now, Miss Benson. It was only a warning, the doctors said. Only a warning,” and she lightly tipped the surface of the table before her with her fingers.
“That’s good to hear. Remember now, if there’s anything I can do...” Stacie let her last sentence finish itself with the whisper of good intentions and waving goodbye to both the assistant and to one of the porters who had held the door open for her, she slipped outside.

#10:  Author: LesleyLocation: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Tue May 30, 2006 10:11 pm
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Stacie seems such a lovely character here - good for her going for her doctorate.

Thanks Roisin

#11:  Author: TaraLocation: Malvern, Worcestershire PostPosted: Tue May 30, 2006 10:35 pm
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A sequel! Hurray! I've grown to like Stacie a lot. She'll eat a doctorate, of course.

#12:  Author: ChairLocation: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Tue May 30, 2006 10:47 pm
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Thanks, Róisín. It is really great to see a sequel so soon. I really hope she does get her doctorate.

#13:  Author: KathrynWLocation: London PostPosted: Tue May 30, 2006 10:47 pm
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She does seem lovely. Oxford seems to have been so good for her and her self-confidence.

Thank you!

Kathryn

#14:  Author: francesnLocation: away with the faeries PostPosted: Tue May 30, 2006 11:08 pm
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Oh what a change from the Stacie we first saw at Oxford!

Thanks Róisín

#15:  Author: EilidhLocation: North Lanarkshire PostPosted: Wed May 31, 2006 7:41 am
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Róisín, I read this last night but had so much on I didn't have time to comment. I really liked your Stacie in the other drabble - and she seems to be such a nice person here as well. Also nice to see Carol and Kester!

#16:  Author: ibarhisLocation: London and Hemel Hempstead PostPosted: Wed May 31, 2006 8:16 am
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A nice cheerful start to the morning... what could possibly go wrong?

#17:  Author: MiaLocation: London PostPosted: Wed May 31, 2006 9:24 am
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Oh fabulous, thanks Róisín!

#18:  Author: NellLocation: London, England PostPosted: Wed May 31, 2006 9:57 am
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Oh good a sequel, thank you Róisín!

#19:  Author: MaryRLocation: Cheshire PostPosted: Wed May 31, 2006 11:59 am
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Stacie is so lovely in your world, Roisin. Thank you.

#20:  Author: AlexLocation: Cambs, UK PostPosted: Wed May 31, 2006 12:14 pm
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Glad to see Carol is still taking things apart.

#21:  Author: LindsayLocation: Sheffield/Kidderminster PostPosted: Wed May 31, 2006 3:06 pm
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Ooh, a sequel! I love Stacie in this. She's becoming one of my favourite characters.

#22:  Author: Rosy-JessLocation: Gloucestershire-London-Aberystwyth PostPosted: Wed May 31, 2006 5:24 pm
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ibarhis wrote:
A nice cheerful start to the morning... what could possibly go wrong?


That's just ASKING for trouble.

Am enjoying this Róisín. Thanks!

#23:  Author: La Petite EmLocation: Cheltenham PostPosted: Wed May 31, 2006 6:26 pm
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Stacie has grown up a lot since the first drabble, and she is lovely! Thanks Roisin Very Happy

#24:  Author: Róisín PostPosted: Wed May 31, 2006 9:35 pm
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It was a long summer of waiting to see if Stacie had been accepted for the D.Litt. May had been crazy as she first dithered over whether or not to apply, and then spent a rushed fortnight scrabbling together a proposal. She had left it open-ended on purpose, reasoning that her angle was likely to change in the course of three years. Then there were the references to collect - one from Professor Smith, her old tutor in Latin grammar, and one from Dr. Jones, her old tutor in the Late Antique West. Although she still knew him as Kenneth outside of the lecture theatres. She had had to also fill out the special application forms required by the Admissions Office of the college - these had been hidden away behind secretaries of secretaries and had taken at least three days to track down. Finally, she had had to petition the Examinations Office for transcripts of all her marks and grades for her B.A. She had despaired when told that these had to be ordered ten days in advance, but they ended up coming in three days early, so she just made the deadline with all her paraphenalia in order.

The first day of June came and Stacie realised that there was nothing she could do now but wait. It was a strange feeling, waking up with no deadlines in sight. Her desk was empty of library books and clean of paper.

"Still," she mused as she brushed through her long fair hair. "I'm glad of the chance of a rest. But what shall I do?"

Her problem was solved as she heard the clunk of a package fall on the hall floor. It turned out to be a missal from Joey. That lady had displayed her usual uncanny ability to sense things in her friends, and had written inviting Stacie to come and stay with her and her babies for the summer, or part of it. Delighted, Stacie at once rooted out some paper to reply, and the following Friday saw her packed up and on the train to Armiford.

#25:  Author: Róisín PostPosted: Wed May 31, 2006 10:01 pm
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Miss Benson,

This letter is an acknowledgement of your application to the School of Classical and Early History in Oxford. Your chosen supervisor, Professor Cramner, will contact us shortly about your suitability, and we will be in touch.

Thank you for your application,
The Secretary
Admissions Office


The letter was forwarded to Stacie in Plas Gwyn and she received it nervously. The holidays were half-over and she had expected to hear more than this before now. But she knew that Professor Cramner, for all his fame and intelligence, was rather slow to respond to bureaucratic demands. Joey found her in the hallway, rereading the slip of paper.

"Stacie! Is it from Oxford?"
Stacie nodded and handed it to her friend. Joey read it rapidly. Glancing upwards through her long black eyelashes, she could see what an anxious state the other woman was in, and immediately decided which tack to take. She dropped the slip on the side table and put her arm around Stacie's shoulders.
"But, my dear! It's just an acknowledgement. It means nothing. I really don't know why they wasted the stamp money, to be honest. Now. Anna is just about to bring through some tea and those welshcakes she's been practicing. She's really coming on in learning the recipe! Goodness knows why - unless there's some handsome Welshman who might eat them someday..." Joey continued the lighthearted banter until she had seen Stacie swallow some tea and some of the colour return to her cheeks.

"That's better."
Stacie smiled, "Thank you, Joey."

The conversation moved to other things. Joan, a friend that Stacie had made when she'd first arrived to Oxford, had written to Plas Gwyn to announce her upcoming wedding, and to issue Stacie with an invitation. As she was marrying a naval captain who was normally stationed in the Carribbean, the wedding was to take place next month, when he had leave. Stacie had promptly seized on her old friend Simone de Bersac as her escort. Joey had cried off as her youngest was still teething. Simone was recently married herself but as yet had no children. She had spent a good many afternoons and evenings in Plas Gwyn that summer, and Stacie had become quite close to her again. And so a jolly day was spent in Armiford one Saturday, buying new hats.

#26:  Author: LesleyLocation: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Wed May 31, 2006 10:09 pm
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That's nice, both Joey's help in calming Stacie down and that we actually see her visiting, instead just out of the blue years later!

Thanks Róisín Laughing

#27:  Author: Róisín PostPosted: Wed May 31, 2006 10:24 pm
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Twenty-seven-year-old Joan looked very flushed and pretty as she met Stacie and Simone at the door of her little London home.
"Eustacia! Oh, darling, I've missed you. Come in, come in! And this must be your friend, Madame de Bersac."
"Oh Joanie, do call her Simone - you don't mind, do you Simone?" That lady shook her smooth black head vigorously. "But Stacie, it does not feel so long since we were both in school together," she smiled.
Joan sighed a little. "No, the years do pass so easily, don't they?"

The three women entered a delightful sitting room. Stacie tucked her arm through the bride's.
"What a gorgeous house, Joan. You always did have such an artistic touch when it came to rooms and things."
Joan smiled ruefully. "It won't be mine for much longer. There are a group of houses on the island we're going to - one of them will be ours and the rest belong to other wives of the servicemen there. And, well, this was only ever rented anyhow."
Simone touched Joan's arm and her eyes were kind.
"All new brides feel this way, you aren't alone. It's alright to miss what you have left behind. As long as you are happy about what is to come."
Joan took a deep breath and nodded.
"I know. Thank you though."

Stacie watched the exchange between Joan and Simone and wondered if she would ever take part in such a conversation. She felt a little left out, but knew that that was not the intention of the other two women. While they chatted quietly she let her mind wander to her own future. The old familiar questions presented themselves again. Was she doing the right thing?

#28:  Author: TaraLocation: Malvern, Worcestershire PostPosted: Wed May 31, 2006 11:03 pm
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Do hope she can soon feel confident in her own way forward - marriage and children is not the only possible fulfilment! Go, Stacie.

Loved all the details of the application process, especially the forms hidden behind the secretaries of secretaries - it was so real. Very Happy

Thanks, Roisin.

#29:  Author: KathrynWLocation: London PostPosted: Wed May 31, 2006 11:13 pm
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Thanks Róisín, it's great to see more of Stacie and I hope you intend for her to find happiness soon Very Happy

Kathryn

#30:  Author: Cath V-PLocation: Newcastle NSW PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 12:49 am
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Loved all the details of her application, and all the bits and pieces that she needed!

#31:  Author: Alison HLocation: Manchester PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 6:37 am
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How nice to see Stacie getting a job doing something she really enjoys.

#32:  Author: Róisín PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 10:01 am
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The little wedding passed off quietly and happily. The ceremony took place in the morning and then there was a modest wedding breakfast in the house that Joan had been renting while she taught in the University of London. The newlyweds left then for their flight to the Carribbean. Simone and Stacie stayed to help Joan's housekeeper clear up, and to get the house ready for closing in general.

"What shall you do now, Bessie?" Stacie asked the housekeeper with a smile.
"Go home to my eldest daughter's," that stout lady replied. "Jane lives just two streets over, and she won't mind having me until I find my next appointment."
"That's good," Stacie said warmly. "We would hate to think of leaving you here alone."
Bessie gave a deep chuckle. "Ah, missy, I'm a good many years older than you, and it wasn't yesterday nor the day before it that I couldn't look after myself!"
The two women laughed with her as they worked. By sunset that day, it was finished, and, bidding Bessie farewell along with leaving her a sizeable tip on behalf of Joan, they skipped quickly into Paddington to catch the train back to Armiford.

#33:  Author: JennieLocation: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 10:19 am
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This is great, thanks, Roisin.

#34:  Author: MaryRLocation: Cheshire PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 11:41 am
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Thanks for all the updates, Roisin. Did you intend to keep us on tenterhooks about that application? Laughing

#35:  Author: KathrynWLocation: London PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 2:23 pm
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Thank you Róisín, a lovely little update.

Kathryn

#36:  Author: LesleyLocation: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 3:12 pm
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Wasn't Stacie's maid called Bessie in Reunion? Confused

Thanks Róisín

#37:  Author: Róisín PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 3:46 pm
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Joey met them at the door of Plas Gwyn.
“Stacie, oh how fortunate! Quickly, come through dear – there’s a telephone call for you – it’s just come through now...”
Simone grabbed the bags that Stacie had been carrying and Stacie herself rushed through to Jack’s study.
“Ah yes, Miss Benson has just arrived now. I’ll hand you over to her. Thank you – yes. Alright, goodbye!” Jack grinned as he handed the earpiece to Stacie and left her standing at the desk holding it. He refused to respond to her frantic facial expressions and merely walked out of the room, letting the door swing shut to give her some privacy. She did not have long to wait, however.

( Twisted Evil )

#38:  Author: LesleyLocation: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 3:55 pm
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Nice cliff! Laughing

#39:  Author: ChairLocation: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 3:59 pm
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Thanks, Róisín. Those updates were wonderful but you forgot to tell us what was said during the phone call! Please can you come back and tell us?

I applied for a year's placement in Northampton back in 2001. I was hoping to start soon if I got it. I went for a weekend visit at the beginning of December and they said they would get back to me. I got a letter at the end of January to say they were going through new management and they would let me know soon whether I had been successful. I was hopeful that this would mean they would want me but my Mum wasn't sure. I didn't get the placement in the end but the worst part was all the waiting.

#40:  Author: francesnLocation: away with the faeries PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 4:00 pm
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Róisín!!!!

You're a mean! I really hope she's got it.

#41:  Author: KathrynWLocation: London PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 4:44 pm
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Róisín!! You can't do that to us!!

Thank you Very Happy

Kathryn

#42:  Author: Róisín PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 4:49 pm
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A deep voice rumbled down the line to Stacie.
“Miss Benson, are you receiving me?”
A little startled, Stacie replied that she was.
“Good! Good. Well. Well, Miss Benson, I don’t know.”
“Professor Cramner? Is that you?”
“Yes child of course it is!”
“Ah, how can I help you, Professor?”
“Indeed. How can you?”
Stacie waited silently. She knew the professor’s reputation and knew he would get to the point eventually.
“Miss Benson, I have before me your application. Do you mean it?”
“Well, yes, Professor, I do,” Stacie was astounded at his manner.
“You will come to see me. Next Tuesday afternoon. And bring a summary of your proposal – a shorter one this time, if you please.”
“Yes, of course...” Stacie’s words never reached their destination as the man had rung off. She stood there a moment, still holding the earpiece, dazed.
This was the first time she had properly spoken to Professor Cramner – he was never involved with the undergraduates. She had chosen him based on his publications and fame in the field. She had never dreamed he would be like this. Sighing, she replaced the telephone in its holder. The click of this action brought in the little crowd that had gathered outside the study door. Joey, Jack and Simone were all looking at her anxiously.
“Oh do get on and tell us, Stacie! Have you been accepted?” Joey asked impatiently.
Stacie gave them a puzzled smile. “I have no idea,” she replied. “He wants to see me. Next Tuesday. I’ll have to write to Aunt Margery and tell her that I won’t be able to come until Wednesday. But yes, he wants to see me.”
Jack came forward. “I’m sure it’s just an informal interview he’s after. Don’t look so worried! Here – Jo – you have to run Simone back down to the village anyhow. Take Stacie with you and the two of you call in at Plas Howell for tea and gossip. Go on! Doctor’s orders,” he winked.
Jo needed no second persuasion and as Jack reclaimed his study and got back to work, the three women piled into the little runabout and pulled out of the long lane.

#43:  Author: KathrynWLocation: London PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 4:55 pm
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He sounds very, very scary...Thanks Róisín although you've nicely managed to delay the answer to her application...

Kathryn

#44:  Author: LesleyLocation: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 5:09 pm
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Hmmmm, is he impressed or not? Shocked

Thanks

#45:  Author: ChairLocation: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 5:10 pm
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Thanks, Róisín. I wish you had told us whether she has been accepted, though.

#46:  Author: RroseSelavyLocation: Oxford, UK PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 5:24 pm
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Heeheee! An eccentric Oxford don - fantastic!

Thanks Roisin.

#47:  Author: MaryRLocation: Cheshire PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 6:28 pm
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Róisín wrote:
“Ah, how can I help you, Professor?”
“Indeed. How can you?

I hate people who answer a question with a question! Laughing

A lovely little scene, Róisín. Thank you.

#48:  Author: MiaLocation: London PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 9:42 pm
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This is really great, thank you Róisín! I hope Stacie gets on well with Prof Cramner

#49:  Author: JosieLocation: London PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 9:46 pm
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Lesley wrote:
Hmmmm, is he impressed or not? Shocked

Just what I was thinking - he sounds terrifying!

Thanks Róisín.

#50:  Author: TaraLocation: Malvern, Worcestershire PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 11:16 pm
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Eccentric Oxford professors are all very well - but totally terrifying! I'm sure Stacie can keep her end up when she actually meets him.

Loved the picture of Joey, Jack and Simone lurking outside the door. Very Happy

#51:  Author: Cath V-PLocation: Newcastle NSW PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 11:31 pm
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He doesn't waste time does he? Admirable really, in that he deals with what he regards as important and rejects the trivial but they can be difficult to deal with!

#52:  Author: AlexLocation: Cambs, UK PostPosted: Fri Jun 02, 2006 4:41 pm
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Stacie will be fine with the Professor as long as she looks him straight in the eye, and admits if she doesn't know the answer to a question. You can't blag with these people.

#53:  Author: LizzieLocation: A little village on the Essex/Suffolk border PostPosted: Fri Jun 02, 2006 8:27 pm
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Loving this Róisín, I want Stacie to meet a nice boy though...

How old is the Prof?

(shhh Liz)

#54:  Author: MaryLocation: Sussex University PostPosted: Mon Jun 05, 2006 12:08 am
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The prof Liz? At least let her settle for a bookish earnest young chap. Come on. Hmmm.

Loving the story Róisín. Beautiful as always.

M
x

#55:  Author: francesnLocation: away with the faeries PostPosted: Mon Jun 05, 2006 5:41 pm
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Oooh has she got it or not? Interesting that he wants to see a shorter copy of her proposal!

Thanks Róisín

#56:  Author: Róisín PostPosted: Mon Jun 05, 2006 10:39 pm
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Stacie smoothed her chignon nervously as she clipped her way though the halls of the Department. She had walked these corridors many times in the last four years, but never to this particular office and never for such an important reason. She had had to ask the secretary which office was Professor Cramner’s. Clutching a little cardboard folder to her side she plunged down now in that direction.

When she found the right door, she steadied herself with a few deep breaths before knocking, and then rapidly glancing at her watch to make sure that she was neither early or late. “Why didn’t I do that before I knocked?!” she chastised herself severely. Seconds later, she heard a rumble from within and she turned the little handle and pushed.

He looked to be in his fifties – younger than he had sounded on the telephone. His eyes looked owlish behind huge thick glasses, the lenses of which could have done with a good wipe, she thought. He gestured to a chair in front of his desk and Stacie removed a bag and some books from it, before sitting down on the edge of it and wondering how to open the conversation.

“Miss Benson?” he asked. She nodded. “You have the shortened proposal?”
“Yes, Professor,” she replied and handed it over.
“Good, good,” his lips attempted a rough smile as he took the sheet of paper from her and proceeded to glance over it swiftly. Stacie spent the time furtively gazing around the tiny office. Apart from the wide window that faced out onto one of the university gardens, every available space was crammed with bookshelves. The floor was littered with small stacks of books and boxes of paper full of either typed or handwritten script. His desk itself was cluttered with small mementos and figurines that looked like good luck charms. A big black typewriter of the latest kind hid behind these, and rolls of ribbon stood waiting next to it. There was a pillar to one side of the office reaching from floor to ceiling – this must have been a remnant from when the office itself was part of a bigger room – and hung up and down all of its four sides were framed photographs of people she did not recognise. There was one exception – stuck between these frames was a piece of cheap drawing paper, on which some child or other had drawn a rudimentary sketch of three people and a tree. Stacie exhaled when she saw this. Her anxiety had been mounting at the sight of all this learning. But the little crayoned picture! He was human after all. She giggled to herself at the thought.

#57:  Author: KatLocation: Kingston-upon-Thames/Swansea PostPosted: Mon Jun 05, 2006 10:43 pm
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*giggling with Stacie*

Hope he likes the proposal...

Thanks Róisín!

#58:  Author: KathrynWLocation: London PostPosted: Mon Jun 05, 2006 10:51 pm
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Thank you Róisín, hopefully the realisation will make Stacie feel less nervous and she'll be able to impress him suitably.

Kathryn

#59:  Author: Cath V-PLocation: Newcastle NSW PostPosted: Mon Jun 05, 2006 10:57 pm
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Loved the picture - that was a lovely touch!

Thank you Róisín.

#60:  Author: Kathy_SLocation: midwestern US PostPosted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 2:04 am
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What, no floor to ceiling bookshelves? Shocked
Can relate to the clutter elsewhere, though.

Hope it goes well. Smile

#61:  Author: LesleyLocation: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 5:18 am
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Like the picture - the final touch.

Thanks Róisín.

#62:  Author: Alison HLocation: Manchester PostPosted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 6:54 am
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I love the picture!

#63:  Author: LizzieLocation: A little village on the Essex/Suffolk border PostPosted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 9:59 am
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Thanks Róisín, I love all the detail in this.

Keep it up!

#64:  Author: MiaLocation: London PostPosted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 10:13 am
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Aw bless, glad he's human! Thanks Róisín

#65:  Author: MaryRLocation: Cheshire PostPosted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 8:17 pm
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A lovely little vignette, Roisin. Thak you.

#66:  Author: TaraLocation: Malvern, Worcestershire PostPosted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 12:04 am
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He's going to be a great cuddly bear really - I hope!

Lovely, Roisin, thank you.

#67:  Author: Róisín PostPosted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 12:27 pm
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Her gaze swivelled rapidly back to him when he spoke. He had put the paper down abruptly on the desk and was now looking at her, his fingers steepled clumsily.

“So,” he began. “You want to look further into possible allegories of Aeschylus’ plays. Have you consulted McMullen on this matter?”
Stacie recognised the name of the scholar.
“Yes, Professor, I’ve read his first three books on the subject, but not yet his latest. I don’t believe the library has a copy yet.”
The professor looked unimpressed. He reached behind him and slid out a fat tome from a shelf. “I have a review copy – you may take it to consult.”
Stacie leaned over and took the proffered book gratefully but nervously.
“And Goldberg – have you checked that she hasn’t covered this area already?”
Stacie’s eyes widened at the unfamiliar reference. She panicked to herself. She had never heard of the woman. Should she try and pretend that she had?

But the professor understood her reaction correctly.
“She’s a fairly new authority on the subject – don’t look so worried,” he elaborated. “I would have been very surprised if you had read her works. But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do so as soon as you can. Do you have Latin and Greek?”
Stacie replied that she had.
“German, French, Italian, modern Greek?”
“I have German and French to the highest standard, Professor – my boarding school specialised in languages. My Italian is conversational, but I’m afraid I have no modern Greek at all.”
“That could be a problem, but not an insurmountable one. We can start you on an undergraduate beginners’ course. You must be able to read critical secondary literature in all of these languages.”
Stacie nodded mutely. She glanced involuntarily at the proposal which lay on the desk between them. He picked it up and tapped it thoughtfully against the surface.

“This is all in order,” he said, pushing his glasses back up his nose. “You have a fairly watertight proposal. I see no reason you shouldn’t go ahead. You must, of course follow up on those authors we have just discussed, but that’s all par for the course.”
Stacie’s nostrils flared as she dared to inhale again. Did this mean she had been accepted?
“And your references are excellent,” he continued. “But admission to a D.Litt. does not only depend on your ability to read and write, you know.”
Her eyes widened as she forgot to breathe again. What, oh what, was coming next?

#68:  Author: KatLocation: Kingston-upon-Thames/Swansea PostPosted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 12:57 pm
    —
Shocked

*crosses and fingers and toes and elbows and knees and hips and arteries and all sorts of other things* Very Happy

#69:  Author: ElleLocation: Peterborough PostPosted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 1:20 pm
    —
Róisín wrote:
What, oh what, was coming next?


My question exactly!

Thanks for the update Róisín.

#70:  Author: NellLocation: London, England PostPosted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 1:30 pm
    —
now what...?

Thank you Róisín

#71:  Author: Sarah_G-GLocation: Sheffield (termtime), ? any other time! PostPosted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 1:32 pm
    —
*echoes "but what else does he want from her?" *

#72:  Author: LesleyLocation: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 1:48 pm
    —
Sounds good so far...

Thanks Róisín

#73:  Author: KathrynWLocation: London PostPosted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 1:59 pm
    —
Róisín, you can't just leave us there! I remember once being told that all of the secondary material I needed for an essay was in French and that I would have to read it by the next week...quite a challenge on GCSE only!

Thank you Very Happy

Kathryn

#74:  Author: TiffanyLocation: Is this a duck I see behind me? PostPosted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 3:22 pm
    —
Shocked Am a gibbering wreck. Love the lovely professor - he's human, but hides it pretty well!

(am jealous of Stacie - wish I had an encyclopaedic knowledge!)

#75:  Author: LizzieLocation: A little village on the Essex/Suffolk border PostPosted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 3:32 pm
    —
ARRRGGHHHH, the TENSION!!

#76:  Author: MaryLocation: Sussex University PostPosted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 3:57 pm
    —
Oh please let her in. After all, she's just so lovely. Poor lovely Stacie.

#77:  Author: RosieLocation: Brest. Still amuses me... PostPosted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 10:11 pm
    —
KathrynW wrote:
I remember once being told that all of the secondary material I needed for an essay was in French.


There have been numerous occasions when I have refused to read any secondary material in French... Sadly I am doing a degree in the language!

Thanks Roisin, this is brilliant!

#78:  Author: TaraLocation: Malvern, Worcestershire PostPosted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 10:59 pm
    —
I'm so glad she didn't pretend to knowledge she didn't have - he'd have eaten her on toast.

Yay, it's all going well!

#79:  Author: patmacLocation: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 6:09 am
    —
She'll get in! I don't think he'd have lent her a book otherwise.

I do like your Stacie, Róisín. Laughing

#80:  Author: ElKelLocation: Miles away PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 9:57 am
    —
[quote="Róisín]“But admission to a D.Litt. does not only depend on your ability to read and write, you know.”
Her eyes widened as she forgot to breathe again. What, oh what, was coming next?[/quote]


Why am I thinking he's going to ask if she prefers dry or medium sherry? Smile

BTW, Roisin, this is really good - I'm glad Stacie is getting stories of her own, I never thought EBD did her enough justice!

Elaine
(who recalls being invited to sherry parties in the Professor's office when she was a postgrad)

#81:  Author: Róisín PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 10:13 am
    —
"What do you think completing a D.Litt. means, Miss Benson?"
Stacie was floored. She had prepared a mountain of notes on Aeschylus. Why wasn't he asking her about Aeschylus? She coughed into the silence. Then an idea flashed before her and she spoke up.
"It means that I would be qualified to write more elaborate books on the subject in the future, Professor, and that I could teach it at university level." Satisfied that this all made perfect sense, she sat back.
The professor's eyebrows drew together slightly.
"Is that what you want to do? Teach?"
"I don't know," Stacie answered with perfect truth. "I've never tried it."
"Good answer. Well. Let me enlighten you a little on the world of Academia, Miss Benson. You may sit in your little room and write dozens of wonderful manuscripts on every aspect of Aeschylus that you like." He threw up his arms. "But tell me what good that is - if nobody ever reads it? You may cross every T and dot every I. But this will not secure you the recognition you need to be granted a job teaching the subject. How many positions do you think are available in this field anyway?"

Stacie silently totted up the number of universities that she knew of that housed departments which dealt with her subject.
He spoke again, this time with a little triumph in his voice, and dealt the final blow, "And how many were in your class, my dear? How many hundreds of students undertook the same degree as you this year, last year, next year?"

Stacie blanched. The professor grunted and made a note.

"I assume you have private monies?" he asked.
Stacie nodded, then added, "I have a small income from my the estate of my late father and I am also supported by my guardian - my Aunt's husband."
"You will need to apply for a Faculty Fellowship."
Thinking he had not heard her quiet response, Stacie frowned and began to repeat what she had just said. "But, Professor, I do not need the money. I have a small income that would be enough..."

He banged his fist down on the desk.
"Have you followed nothing that I've said? You need the status and recognition that being a Faculty Fellow would bring. Now, the deadline is in five days. It is not about the money," he finished, quietly muttering to himself.
Stacie was shocked. She had never looked at it like this before. She had deliberately not applied for the Fellowship because she thought she would be taking money from another student, when she didn't need it. All the same, 'Faculty Fellow' had a nice ring to it.

#82:  Author: JennieLocation: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 10:18 am
    —
Thanks, Roisin. I think this guy is on her side, but he is being a little obscure, isn't he?

#83:  Author: Alison HLocation: Manchester PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 10:54 am
    —
My uni lecturers used to be obscure sometimes - I think they thought it made them look clever!

#84:  Author: KathrynWLocation: London PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 11:14 am
    —
I've never met an academic who wasn't obscure!

Thanks Róisín Very Happy

Kathryn

#85:  Author: TiffanyLocation: Is this a duck I see behind me? PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 3:59 pm
    —
He seems pretty impressed with her. Five days isn't long to do all the paperwork, though...

(I hear you on the There-are-no-jobs...)

#86:  Author: Rosy-JessLocation: Gloucestershire-London-Aberystwyth PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 4:12 pm
    —
KathrynW wrote:
I've never met an academic who wasn't obscure!


Nor I.

I love this Róisín - look forward to more!

#87:  Author: LesleyLocation: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 5:09 pm
    —
He does seem to be very supportive though.

Thanks Róisín

#88:  Author: JosieLocation: London PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 8:12 pm
    —
So gald he's on her side, even if he is a bit gruff!

Thanks Róisín

#89:  Author: TaraLocation: Malvern, Worcestershire PostPosted: Thu Jun 08, 2006 11:14 pm
    —
Do understand her not wanting to take the money a less privileged student might need. Also see the prof's point. Shame academia isn't about selfless love of learning, isn't it!

#90:  Author: MiaLocation: London PostPosted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 9:32 am
    —
I'm sure he'll turn out to be a good ally for her *optimistic*

Thanks Róisín!

#91:  Author: MaryRLocation: Cheshire PostPosted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 12:02 pm
    —
Roisin wrote:
The professor's eyebrows drew together slightly.
"Is that what you want to do? Teach?"
"I don't know," Stacie answered with perfect truth. "I've never tried it."
"Good answer."

Loved the professor there. Clearly he sees something in her. Laughing

Thanks, Roisin.

#92:  Author: francesnLocation: away with the faeries PostPosted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 4:16 pm
    —
I love your Oxford don - he's fabulous!

Thanks Róisín

#93:  Author: Róisín PostPosted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 4:33 pm
    —
"Do you have your own copies of all the relevant plays?" the Professor asked Stacie. She nodded. When would this be over? And then it was. He surveyed her once more under frowning eyebrows and then nodded slightly to himself. He scribbled on a piece of paper and handed it to her.

"Very well. I'll take you on. Have those things ready for me by our next meeting. We'll meet fortnightly. Show this to the man with the beard in Room 709, three corridors down from the faculty offices. You can pick up a fellowship application while you're going past. His name is Mark and he'll show you where to go."

Stacie gaped. She took the slip of paper and rose. The professor had already returned to his work and she had clearly been dismissed. She found the words to say thank you and let herself out.

#94:  Author: LizzieLocation: A little village on the Essex/Suffolk border PostPosted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 4:39 pm
    —
HURRAH!!!

#95:  Author: LesleyLocation: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 6:17 pm
    —
Excellent, well done Stacie! Laughing

#96:  Author: FatimaLocation: Sunny Qatar PostPosted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 6:22 pm
    —
I'm so glad she's got it!

#97:  Author: Alison HLocation: Manchester PostPosted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 8:13 pm
    —
Oh good!

#98:  Author: KathrynWLocation: London PostPosted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 11:27 pm
    —
Brilliant Stacie, she's such a star! Thanks Róisín Very Happy

Kathryn

#99:  Author: patmacLocation: Yorkshire England PostPosted: Sat Jun 10, 2006 5:26 am
    —
He obviously thinks she can do it! Hooray!

I really thought he was going to make some comment about her being a woman. There was a lot of "Oh, but you'll probably get married and have children - are you sure you really want to do this?" in those days. He'll push her but he'll be fair.

thank you Róisín

#100:  Author: Rosy-JessLocation: Gloucestershire-London-Aberystwyth PostPosted: Sat Jun 10, 2006 9:54 am
    —
Hurrah for Eustacia! Thankyou!

#101:  Author: ChairLocation: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Sat Jun 10, 2006 10:09 am
    —
Thanks, Róisín. That's great news!

#102:  Author: JennieLocation: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Sat Jun 10, 2006 11:42 am
    —
Great news for Stacie! Thanks, Roisin.

#103:  Author: Róisín PostPosted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 1:17 pm
    —
She had teken only six steps away from the door of his office when she heard his door open again.
"It turns out I need to call in on Mark myself," the Professor said, while he shuffled papers into the crook of his arm. "I will escort you there."
Her mind in a whirl, Stacie did not know whether to be pleased or not. But it was a short walk, over quickly, and soon Professor Cramner was taking a key out of his pocket and unlocking a door that bore the name 'Research'.
"Here we are," he said, and led Stacie in.

She gazed around. It was a large room, fitted up with six rows of three desks each. The desks had large partitions between them which doubled up as noticeboards for the students. Some of the desks were piled high with books and papers, others were almost bare except for one or two things. There were long, wide windows that let in plenty of natural light.

"Professor Cramner! To what to we owe the pleasure?" A friendly-looking man in his forties came forward to greet them. His voice was clear and precise, the enunciation pleasantly tinged with a Southern American accent. Stacie readjusted the light scarf she was wearing, from nervousness.
"Ah, Mark," the Professor replied. "Glad you're here. This is Miss Eustacia Benson - she will be joining us as a D. Litt. student. Miss Benson, this is Dr. Strafford."
Stacie shook his hand and smiled. Mark grinned back, dimples showing clearly above his salt-and-pepper beard.
"Lovely to meet you. What are you working on, may I ask?" She replied with a few sentences lifted from her proposal.
"Sounds very interesting," he grinned.
"Yes, it will be a lot of work, but I'm sure she's up to it," Professor Cramner bestowed one of those clumsy smiles on Stacie again. "Now, I am needed elsewhere. I'll leave you with Dr. Strafford, Miss Benson. He will show you everything."

Stacie was glad to see him go. She felt she could relax a lot more with this other man. Mark saw her exhale and took pity on her.
"Come into my office," he said. "And let's put the kettle on."

#104:  Author: LizBLocation: Oxon, England PostPosted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 1:34 pm
    —
Hurrah! Well done Stacie Very Happy

I notice Prof Cramner didn't actually do anything there other than introduce Stacie - how sweet of him. I'm now picturing him as an equivalent of Herr Anserl - Vater Bar on one hand, but gruffly kind on the other Very Happy

#105:  Author: Alison HLocation: Manchester PostPosted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 1:42 pm
    —
I love those Southern (Southern U.S., I mean!!) accents ...

#106:  Author: EilidhLocation: North Lanarkshire PostPosted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 1:55 pm
    —
Thanks Róisín.

#107:  Author: KathrynWLocation: London PostPosted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:18 pm
    —
Lucky Stacie! Thank you Róisín Very Happy

Kathryn

#108:  Author: LizzieLocation: A little village on the Essex/Suffolk border PostPosted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:54 pm
    —
Yay! Thanks Róisín!

#109:  Author: MaryRLocation: Cheshire PostPosted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 3:05 pm
    —
Sounds like she doesn't know whether she's standing on her head or her feet. Laughing

Thanks, Roisin.

#110:  Author: MaryLocation: Sussex University PostPosted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 6:39 pm
    —
Ooh. Nice Southern American tea offering chap. Woo woo.

#111:  Author: ChairLocation: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 6:39 pm
    —
Thanks, Róisín. I'm glad that Mark seems nice so far.

#112:  Author: LesleyLocation: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 6:45 pm
    —
That was lovely - the gruff old professor is really a sweetie, isn't he?

Thanks Róisín

#113:  Author: TaraLocation: Malvern, Worcestershire PostPosted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 11:53 pm
    —
Oh great, Stacie is going to enjoy this so much.

Thanks, Roisin.

#114:  Author: Cath V-PLocation: Newcastle NSW PostPosted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 1:10 am
    —
This is so convincing...she'll love it.

#115:  Author: MiaLocation: London PostPosted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 9:11 am
    —
Thanks Róisin, so pleased that Stacie's been accepted. Mark seems very supportive.

*wants more*

#116:  Author: JosieLocation: London PostPosted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 9:49 am
    —
Thanks Róisín

Finally caught up with this again!

*also sure she'll love it*

#117:  Author: TiffanyLocation: Is this a duck I see behind me? PostPosted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 10:22 am
    —
LOVE the lovely professor!

#118:  Author: Róisín PostPosted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 11:34 am
    —
Dr. Stafford, or Mark, as he told her to call him, showed Stacie an empty desk and told her it would be hers. He introduced her to the secretary, who supplied her with keys to the drawers and a little pigeonhole for her post. The secretary assured Stacie that she would affix a name label to the pigeonhole as soon as possible, and Stacie was thrilled. There were three or four other students around the room and Mark introduced her to them all. She smiled and nodded and tried hard to fix their names in her memory. Everyone seemed friendly enough.

Stacie walked out of the college gates and made her way to Carol's, where she was staying for these few days. Or, it would be more accurate to say that Stacie floated, she was so ecstatic at how the day had gone. Getting the acceptance letter in the post would now be only a formality. She spent the fifteen minute walk mentally writing letters to Aunt Margery, Joey, Madame, Joan, Evvy and all her friends who were anxious to know.

The sun shone as she skipped along. Everything looked beautiful today - the leaves were a deeper shade of green than usual, the flowers all had their heads turned towards her. The people she passed almost all smiled back at her, and she was doubly amused when she imagined how ridiculously happy she must look. Imagine! She, Eustacia Benson, a Faculty Fellow and D.Litt. student! She could spend all the time she wished over the next three years reading Aeschylus and his contempories to her heart's content. She would have time to read properly all those books she had rushed through as an undergrad because of the pressure of exams. And no more exams! She could just write out her thoughts and then peacefully submit them. What bliss awaited her, she thought with a happy litttle sigh.

#119:  Author: Alison HLocation: Manchester PostPosted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 11:45 am
    —
Hmm - hope it's going to be as good as she thinks! No more exams doesn't necessarily mean no more stress and deadlines Rolling Eyes !

#120:  Author: LizBLocation: Oxon, England PostPosted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 1:04 pm
    —
Róisín wrote:
The sun shone as she skipped along. Everything looked beautiful today - the leaves were a deeper shade of green than usual, the flowers all had their heads turned towards her.


I love the way nature is partaking of her happiness Very Happy

Thanks, Róisín

#121:  Author: KathrynWLocation: London PostPosted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 2:16 pm
    —
Is this how you feel when contemplating your phd, Róisín? Wink

Thanks, I love Stacie in this and I'm so glad she's happy!

#122:  Author: Róisín PostPosted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 2:23 pm
    —
KathrynW wrote:
Is this how you feel when contemplating your phd, Róisín? Wink



#123:  Author: Rosy-JessLocation: Gloucestershire-London-Aberystwyth PostPosted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 5:00 pm
    —
Róisín wrote:
KathrynW wrote:
Is this how you feel when contemplating your phd, Róisín? Wink




I did wonder when I read that... Bless Stacie

#124:  Author: Róisín PostPosted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 5:09 pm
    —
Yes, I'm sure those in the know see an *ocean* of difference between this drabble and my ranty woe on livejournal Laughing Laughing Laughing

#125:  Author: LesleyLocation: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 6:32 pm
    —
Awww, glad Stacie's enjoying it at the moment - regardless of the likely problems in the future.

#126:  Author: MaryRLocation: Cheshire PostPosted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 6:47 pm
    —
Love the idea of Stacie *floating* in her happiness.

Thanks, Róisín.

#127:  Author: LizzieLocation: A little village on the Essex/Suffolk border PostPosted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 9:03 pm
    —
This is lovely Róisín. I always liked Stacie in the CS books, but I think I like her more now that she's grown up!

#128:  Author: Cath V-PLocation: Newcastle NSW PostPosted: Thu Jun 15, 2006 12:57 am
    —
The first weeks are heaven - you think you've got all that time to read everything you've been intending to, your project remains a coherent and shining vision and your capacity to produce compelling and accurate argument is endless....and then it all changes!

#129:  Author: JennieLocation: Cambridgeshire PostPosted: Thu Jun 15, 2006 9:14 am
    —
Well, I'm glad things are going well for Stacie, but I doubt if it will be as easy as she thinks, purely because there are so many things for her to explore and so many ways of doing so.

#130:  Author: ChairLocation: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Thu Jun 15, 2006 10:27 pm
    —
Thanks, Róisín. I'm glad that Stacie is feeling so optimistic.

#131:  Author: TaraLocation: Malvern, Worcestershire PostPosted: Thu Jun 15, 2006 10:39 pm
    —
Well, ok, she's going to hit earth with a bit of a bump when she discovers it isn't quite like that, but at this moment, life is wonderful - and it is a little bit like that, after all!

#132:  Author: TiffanyLocation: Is this a duck I see behind me? PostPosted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 9:43 am
    —
Róisín wrote:
She could spend all the time she wished over the next three years reading Aeschylus and his contempories to her heart's content. She would have time to read properly all those books she had rushed through as an undergrad because of the pressure of exams. And no more exams! She could just write out her thoughts and then peacefully submit them. What bliss awaited her, she thought with a happy litttle sigh.


Hurrah for Stacie! But I'm worried she's got a nasty shock coming...

#133:  Author: Róisín PostPosted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 12:31 pm
    —
"Oh darling, I'm so pleased for you," Carol didn't take her eyes off the tiny girl she was trying to breastfeed as Stacie sat next to the bed, beaming brightly with her news. Then Madrigal, as they had decided to call her, made up her mind that she was hungry, and Carol could focus more on Stacie.
"What's next then, honey?" she asked.

Stacie shrugged. "There's so much to organise, Carol. I don't know where to start, to be honest. I gave up my rooms when I finished the degree course, so I have to find somewhere to live. Professor Cramner wants me to take over his tutorials in September, so I must prepare for them. And of course, there's the D. Litt. itself. I need to start working solidly on that. I'm due to present a paper to the Research School next November. And he wants me to apply for a Fellowship - I was going to fill out those forms this evening."

"You will be a busy girl!" Carol laughed. Stacie gave her a look and raised her eyebrows.
"Not as busy as you have been, my dear," she giggled.

After an hour's worth of excited but hushed conversation with Carol, Stacie found herself walking alone to the railway station. She was on her way to Plas Gwyn and she was thrilled about the prospect of breaking her news on the little family there. The novelty of her acceptance had worn off a bit now though, and she had space in her mind to consider other aspects. She found that she kept returning to a nugget of compressed anxiety about her age and whether she should be committing herself to such a long period of lonely study, instead of entering society and finding herself a husband. What if she left it too late? She wasn't sure yet if she wanted children but if she did have them, she would like to be a young mother to them. Stacie remembered her own serious grey-coloured childhood in that tall empty house that she had shared with the two people who had felt more like an elderly aunt and uncle than parents.

"I need to decide!" she thought to herself, exasperated. "It's not too late to back out now if this isn't what I want." She sighed.

#134:  Author: KathrynWLocation: London PostPosted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 1:38 pm
    —
Whilst it's good to see that Stacie is thinking realistically about what it will mean, I do hope she doesn't back out. She's worked so hard to get here. Thank you Róisín!

#135:  Author: LizBLocation: Oxon, England PostPosted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 2:06 pm
    —
Does Stacie still have her parents' house in Oxford? If so, can she kick out any tenants and live there - making it all luffly and non-grey of course!

Thanks Róisín Very Happy

#136:  Author: EilidhLocation: North Lanarkshire PostPosted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 2:15 pm
    —
Hope she can decide. Thanks Róisín.

#137:  Author: LesleyLocation: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 4:33 pm
    —
Thanks Róisín

#138:  Author: TiffanyLocation: Is this a duck I see behind me? PostPosted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 1:59 pm
    —
oooh, a shiny update! Thanks, Roisin! Poor stacie... she won't be very old when she finishes the D.Litt, though. Unless she's like me and never does any work...

#139:  Author: ChairLocation: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 6:03 pm
    —
Thanks, Róisín. I wonder what Stacie will decide.

#140:  Author: MaryRLocation: Cheshire PostPosted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 7:51 pm
    —
A lovely episode, Roisin, but if she didn't follow her dream would she always regret it?

And just because you would be an older mum, Stacie, doesn't mean everything has to be grey.

Thanks, Roisin.

#141:  Author: JoolsLocation: Sadly Broke PostPosted: Sun Aug 13, 2006 4:03 pm
    —
Just found this and really enjoyed reading it. It's nice to see Stacie as an adult and what a lovely adult she is. Please could we have some more?

#142:  Author: Róisín PostPosted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 4:47 pm
    —
Her mind was still vexed with thoughts of children when Stacie arrived at the railway station. A glance at her pretty little wristwatch, a gift from her Aunt Margery, told her that she had thirty minutes to spend before the train was due to leave for Armiford.
“I’ll pop in for a quick coffee,” she thought, absentmindedly, and turned sharply to the right.
“Oh!”
“Ouch!”
“My goodness, I’m so sorry…” Stacie began.
Stacie!
Stacie looked into the wide blue eyes that were gazing so eagerly into her own. The girl looked to be about nineteen or twenty, and had thick brown hair caught up in an elegant plaited creation behind her head. She could not place who it was though!
“Sure do you not remember me at all?”
Biddy! Biddy, of course I do! Oh, dear, how are you? It’s been so long…”
“Indeed it has – too long,” Biddy replied.
After a prompt decision to share a coffee before their trains arrived, Stacie was shocked to hear Biddy’s news.
“I’ve been accepted to Oxford, to read history,” the Irish girl explained. “The term doesn’t start itself for another few weeks, but I’m going to see about residence in the women’s halls.”
“Congratulations!” began Stacie, but Biddy interrupted, “Oh, I knew you had studied there yourself, sure didn’t we write for your first few terms. But then we fell out of contact, and though Joey herself told me that you were going back, I didn’t like to write, out of the blue.”
Stacie gripped the arm of the younger girl. “You shouldn’t have worried, dear, you should have let me know. I could have helped with your accommodation, at least.”
Biddy’s eyes were grateful but Stacie could see that something was bothering her.
“What’s wrong, Biddy?”
Biddy grinned sheepishly and her cheeks pinkened. She was about to brush away her worries, as she had done to others, but then suddenly decided to confide in the serious, kind-eyed young woman before her. She bit her lip.
“It’s just that…, well, it’s nervous I am,” she began, becoming more Irish in her consternation. “I’ve always had people around me. In school and in the holidays. But here in Oxford, I’m afraid of being alone, you see. I won’t know anyone. And what if they don’t like me?” She finished anxiously.

Stacie smiled, embarrassing Biddy further.
“Don’t mind me,” she mumbled.
“No, no! I’m sorry, darling Biddy,” Stacie was actually giggling now, and her humour was infecting Biddy’s and lightening it considerably. “I’m laughing because I felt so exactly the same way as you, when I first started university!”
“You did?”
“Oh absolutely!” Stacie glanced at her watch and made a rapid decision. “Look, I was only paying a visit to the Maynards to break my good news to them, but I can do that next week - and what are people on the 'phone for anyhow! Why don’t I come to Oxford with you tonight – you can stay with me in my friend Carol's – and we’ll see about finding you some rooms tomorrow or the day after. I can show you all around, and introduce you to people.”
She laughed again as Biddy took on a look that was so grateful as to be pathetic. “Don’t worry! I promise – let me tell you the story of my first few weeks and you’ll see that it’s the same for everybody when they start.”

They caught the next train together and during the journey that’s exactly what Stacie did do – detailing all her early anxieties about friends, tutorials, everything she could think of and remember about her experiences. And it was in gently reassuring Biddy that Stacie forgot all her doubts about starting the doctorate. She remembered, in her descriptions of the university to Biddy, all she loved about the life of a student, and all the reasons that it was a worthwhile pursuit. Of course, she didn’t realise this until much later on – not until she was sipping hot cocoa one night, many weeks later, in the house that she was to share with Biddy and a third girl they had met on the train that day, Mavis Grant. But when she did, she smiled and thanked God again for the courage she received on the day that she first signed that application form “Eustacia Benson”.

The End (and thanks for the comments all the way through - finally finished -> hurrah!)

#143:  Author: LesleyLocation: Allhallows, Kent PostPosted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 4:53 pm
    —
Oh how lovely - and how appropriate that Stacie should, in helping Biddy, also help herself. Laughing


Thanks Róisín - really enjoyed this.

#144:  Author: FatimaLocation: Sunny Qatar PostPosted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 5:03 pm
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That was a lovely ending, thanks Róisín.

#145:  Author: ChairLocation: Rochester, Kent PostPosted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 5:31 pm
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Thanks, Róisín. That was a lovely ending. I'm glad that Stacie was able to encourage Biddy.

#146:  Author: RayLocation: Bristol, England PostPosted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 5:49 pm
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It may have been a while in coming, but that was a great way to end.

Thank you Smile

Ray *off to reread!*

#147:  Author: Róisín PostPosted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 5:50 pm
    —
Ray wrote:
It may have been a while in coming...


You are telling ME! Laughing Laughing

#148:  Author: RayLocation: Bristol, England PostPosted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 5:52 pm
    —
Róisín wrote:
Ray wrote:
It may have been a while in coming...


You are telling ME! Laughing Laughing


*grins* I'm certainly in no position to stow thrones; if you look at some of my stuff in the archive you can see how long they take me! *hugs*

Ray *thinking of her Christmas story that STILL hasn't fully reached Christmas yet...*

#149:  Author: Róisín PostPosted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 5:58 pm
    —
*does not draw attention to her St. Hild's drabble that was begun LAST DECEMBER Shocked Shocked * Eeep. Laughing

#150:  Author: MaryRLocation: Cheshire PostPosted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 6:09 pm
    —
Ray wrote:
Ray - *thinking of her Christmas story that STILL hasn't fully reached Christmas yet...*

What about me - I've been writing about Hilda's Xmas holiday since last March! Embarassed Embarassed

That was a most satisfying ending, Roisin. I have so loved your Stacie.

Thank you.

#151:  Author: macyroseLocation: Great White North (Canada) PostPosted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 7:00 pm
    —
I thought the name Mavis Grant sounded familiar so I checked in Carola and she's the one whom Biddy accompanied to Australia after Oxford and later died there (Mavis, not Biddy, of course). So sad!

#152:  Author: Alison HLocation: Manchester PostPosted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 7:56 pm
    —
Róisín wrote:
*does not draw attention to her St. Hild's drabble that was begun LAST DECEMBER Shocked Shocked * Eeep. Laughing


Would love to see more of that, but thank you for finishing the 2 you've finished today Very Happy .

#153:  Author: leahbelleLocation: Kilmarnock PostPosted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 8:45 pm
    —
Thanks for the great ending, Roisin. I'm going to re-read from start to finish now!

#154:  Author: DawnLocation: Leeds, West Yorks PostPosted: Fri Oct 13, 2006 10:42 pm
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That was a lovely ending to a lovely drabble - thankyou

#155:  Author: Kathy_SLocation: midwestern US PostPosted: Sat Oct 14, 2006 1:18 am
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Thank you, Róisín.
Worth waiting for!

#156:  Author: KathrynWLocation: London PostPosted: Sat Oct 14, 2006 3:12 pm
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Thanks Róisín, that was lovely Very Happy

#157:  Author: LizBLocation: Oxon, England PostPosted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 1:11 pm
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Wonderful ending Very Happy

Thanks, Róisín

#158:  Author: JosieLocation: London PostPosted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 1:59 pm
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Finally caught up with this again. Can't believe I'd got so behind.

That was such a lovely ending. Thanks Roisin

#159:  Author: TaraLocation: Malvern, Worcestershire PostPosted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 11:05 pm
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A lovely ending, Roisin. So glad that Stacie found again the joy of her own path, and that she was able to help Biddy in the process.

#160:  Author: JoSLocation: South Africa PostPosted: Mon Oct 23, 2006 10:05 pm
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Have just read your drabble from start to finish Roisin. Its wonderful - well done.

#161:  Author: MiaLocation: London PostPosted: Tue Oct 24, 2006 11:29 am
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This was fantastic, Róisín, thank you Very Happy I do like your drabbles.



The CBB -> Ste Therese's House


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