Into the Wilderness
Page 11

"Have you had any schooling?" Elizabeth asked them in a kindly tone as she took their hands in turn. The children, both with sleek brown hair and placid eyes in pale faces, shook their heads, and then turned as one toward their mother.
"Nope, never had the opportunity," Anna answered for them. She laughed. "Too bad, ain't it, that you didn't bring a schoolmarm along with you from England."
"But I did," Elizabeth said, and smiled."I am a teacher."
One of the farmers cleared his throat loudly, but had nothing to say in response to Elizabeth's statement. Even Anna Hauptmann seemed struck speechless.
"I am a teacher," she repeated, glancing around at them. "I plan to start a school as soon as space can be made ready."
"Well!" Anna said, her surprise ebbing to make room for enthusiasm."Well, I never. The judge's daughter. A school in Paradise!"
"I suppose you expect folks to pay tuition," Moses Southern rumbled, not meeting her eye.
"I hadn't thought about that yet," Elizabeth said."But of course the fee would be very small, and payable in goods—"
One of the men looked relieved at this, and Elizabeth went on, encouraged.
"I was hoping," she said, glancing at each of the farmers as she did."I was hoping to get together a list of all the children who are of school age, so I have an idea of the supplies I'll need, and if I have enough books."
"Books!" Mr. Smythe exclaimed. "Did you bring books all the way from England?"
"I did." Elizabeth confirmed. "Or at least, they are coming with my trunks—as soon as Galileo has time to fetch them; they came after by ice—boat. Primers and readers and arithmetic, some geometry and algebra, history—" She saw the faces around her begin to cloud and she continued, less sure of herself."Geography, maps of course, literature, and Latin."
"Latin!" Anna snapped the word.
"What use would these children have for Latin?"
"Why, Latin is—" began Elizabeth, but she was interrupted.
"Reading and writing is fine," Mr. Cameron said."Arithmetic and geometry are useful things. But Latin? And history, I don't know. My boys won't have much use for Romans and Greeks while they are trying to run a farm."
"Latin—" tried Elizabeth again.
"Latin will bring nothing but discontent! These are frontier children, they don't need ideas about philosophy! Next thing you'll want to send them off to university where their heads will be filled with poetry!" Moses Southern was working himself up to a high pitch, and Anna stepped in with a calmer tone.
"Our young folk don't need to know about lords and ladies and suchlike."
But Moses wasn't to be calmed.
"Royalty!" he fairly spat."It took long enough to roust the redcoats. Why would we want to study on them?" He seemed not to realize, or perhaps care, that Elizabeth was English.
"The girls will never look at another honest, hardworking farmer, if you fill their heads with royalty," Anna pointed out to Elizabeth, clearly torn between the wish to be an ally and the obvious truth of the situation.
Distraught, Elizabeth saw that she had taken the wrong strategy with the very people she needed to win over; without their support and the support of others just like them, she would never be able to start her school. She searched madly for an argument which would save her plans. They stood around her, their faces expectant, waiting for her to counter the logic they had served up. The bible, thought Elizabeth, something from the bible, but nothing came to mind. Frantic, she saw their expressions begin to close against her.
"Blessed are those wise in the ways of books." she said quickly, "for theirs is the kingdom of righteousness and fair play."" Then she flushed.From the corner of her eye she saw Galileo, who had been silent throughout the entire exchange, raise a grizzled eyebrow in surprise. One of the farmers was looking at her doubtfully, but she lifted her chin.
"Matthew," she added, defiantly.
Suddenly her bravado left her and she wished for nothing so much as to walk away and come in to start over again. She was telling these people that she was worthy of teaching their children and the first example she had given them of her own education and worthiness of such a task was a completely fraudulent—and self—serving—bible verse.
Elizabeth glanced over her shoulder to see if Galileo was ready to go, and she started.
Nathaniel Bonner stood at the door, and on his face, the certainty that he had overheard at least some of this conversation, and most certainly the part of which she was least proud.
Elizabeth had never been in such a situation in her entire life; she took in Nathaniel's cool but amused look, and she barely knew how to contain her embarrassment. He nodded to her, and wished her good day, but Elizabeth could barely nod in return. She took the very first opportunity to take her leave from Anna and her customers, who had returned to their places around the hearth.
Out on the porch Elizabeth was glad of the cold air which cooled her hot cheeks. For a moment she watched while Galileo loaded supplies into the sleigh, all the while sending her curious sidelong glances. resolutely, Elizabeth avoided direct eye contact.
"I think I'll take a walk now, Galileo," she said as lightly as she could. "I'll be able to find my way back home."
And Elizabeth took off as fast as she could down a narrow but well—trod path which led past a number of small cabins. Women came to doors to wave to her, but she pressed on, smiling politely. She needed to be alone for a while, to sort out her thoughts.