completely healed. After finishing her prayers, she tucked her fingers into her sleeves, feeling inferior and sad.
As the bell for recess rang out, the girls, tall and short alike, streamed out of the classroom. They ran around the yard, playing and laughing, their joyful voices like wind chimes flying over the lifeless high walls.
The matron nun, her face veiled in black, watched on ghostly from afar. Yet she could not in the slightest deter their exuberant joy - this solemn garden haunted by religious spirits, was in an instant flooded with sunlight.
Sarah and Claudia, girls of twelve or thirteen, were the centre of the children. Miss Sarah Hensfield''s elder aunt was a prominent duchess in the area who had also been educated at this ancient convent school. She was now one of the important sponsors of the sanctuary.
The girls adored Sarah for this, especially the younger ones, who almost followed her every word as if it were a decree from her royal highness. But Claudia, who always understood Sarah''s intentions immediately, was her "confidante".
Sitting on a stone step, Miss Sarah basked in the admiration of the girls, surrounded by the sparkling eyes of the little ones and compliments from the bigger. Claudia, taking cues from the monde, put on a dignified air and delivered a few witty remarks.
The wisecrack was not particularly humourous, but Sarah giggled anyway. She tossed her blonde hair and occasionally covered her mouth in a slightly affected manner, clearly imitating the deportment of noblewomen already.
Fiona crouched in an inconspicuous corner, staring blankly at the pebbles on the ground. She had learned a lot of English and had an excellent memory, but when she listened to Sarah and Claudia talking like □□s about fashion, balls, and theatre, many words were beyond her comprehension.
However, a new topic being discussed over there attracted her attention.
"Yes, if you had such an affectionate little brother, who climbed high trees every day just to pick berries for you, even living in a small bamboo house with barbarians, you wouldn''t feel lonely." Sarah let out a sigh, pretending to be melancholic.
Fiona was curious and gathered up the courage to walk up to them and