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Molly squeezed her ar her depart, Sassy marveled to herself for a moment Molly was no more than a child really, and yet she spoke with the

The doors opened into a rectangular roo froth of the front wall overlooking the rose garden The drapes of old-trimmed maroon velvet made up the valance

A huge fireplace took up a side wall, and one long rectangular table sat in the center, at the e from ten to sixteen

Sassy smiled at their upturned faces and made her ith as much poise as she could summon while all eyes were on her

She stopped at the round faculty table As the headmistress had not yet appeared, she decided to introduce herself to the elderly women already seated there

“Good , ladies I am Miss Winthrop, the new tutor” She turned to the eldest woman and said, “You must be Miss Graves”

“I a up from her seat as she waved her hand towards the other ladies “This is Miss Betty Tyler and her sister Wilma Tyler”

“I a that none of the three woray hair bobbed and covered with an ivory lace cap, and her features were as steely as the shade of her hair Her gown of puce was triray and held no warmth

The Tyler sisters seelance coed to be the elder of the tas fair The wole braid wound into a bun at the nape of her neck She was plump and short, while her sister Wilma was dark-haired, tall, and bony All three women ell past their fiftieth year

“She is far too young, Miss Graves,” Miss Betty said in a high, shrill voice as though Sassy were not standing there

“But sweet, don’t you think?” put in her sister

“Never mind that, ladies Miss Winthrop is here, and as she has been appointed by Lady Devine herself, it is not our place to question her lack of years,” Miss Graves said, her eyes flickering over Sassy and then looking past her with an obvious change in her demeanor

Sassy looked around to find Miss Sallstone walking briskly towards them

“Up early, isn’t she?” Miss Wil

“Hush!” her sister cautioned