第36章

Daily， as I continued my attendance at the seminary of Mdlle Reuter， did I find fresh occasions to compare the ideal with the real.What had I known of female characterpreviously to my arrival at Brussels？ Precious little.And what wasmy notion of it？ Something vague， slight， gauzy， glittering； now when I came in contact with it I found it to be a palpable substance enough； very hard too sometimes， and often heavy； there was metal in it， both lead and iron.

Let the idealists， the dreamers about earthly angel and human flowers， just look here while I open my portfolio and show them a sketch or two， pencilled after nature.I took these sketches in the second-class schoolroom of Mdlle Reuter’s establishment， where about a hundred specimens of the genus “jeune fille” collected together， offered a fertile variety of subject.A miscellaneous assortment they were， differing both in caste and country； as I sat on my estrade and glanced over the long range of desks， I had under my eye French， English， Belgians， Austrians， and Prussians.The majority belonged to the class bourgeois； but there were many countesses， there were the daughters of two generals and of several colonels， captains， and government employés； these ladies sat side by side with young females destined to be demoiselles de magasins， and with some Flamandes， genuine aborigines of the country.In dress all were nearly similar， and in manners there was small difference； exceptions there were to the general rule， but the majority gave the tone to the establishment， and that tone was rough， boisterous， masked by a point-blank disregard of allforbearance towards each other or their teachers； an eager pursuit by each individual of her own interest and convenience； and a coarse indifference to the interest and convenience of every one else.Most of them could lie with audacity when it appeared advantageous to do so.All understood the art of speaking fair when a point was to be gained， and could with consummate skill and at a moment’s notice turn the cold shoulder the instant civility ceased to be profitable.Very little open quarrelling ever took place amongst them； but backbiting and tale-bearing were universal.Close friendships were forbidden by the rules of the school， and no one girl seemed to cultivate more regard for another than was just necessary to secure a companion when solitude would have been irksome.They were each and all supposed to have been reared in utter unconsciousness of vice.The precautions used to keep them ignorant， if not innocent， were innumerable.How was it， then， that scarcely one of those girls having attained the age of fourteen could look a man in the face with modesty and propriety？ An air of bold， impudent flirtation， or a loose， silly leer， was sure to answer the most ordinary glance from a masculine eye.I know nothing of the arcana of the Roman Catholic religion， and I am not a bigot in matters of theology， but I suspect the root of this precocious impurity， so obvious， so general in Popish countries， is to be found in the discipline， if not the doctrines of the Church of Rome.I record what I have seen： these girls belonged to what are called the respectable ranks of society； they had all been carefully brought up， yet was the mass of them mentally depraved.So much for the general view： now for one or two selected specimens.