Chapter 17

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Little Chick, Miss Hyde (1)
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Miss Hyde nodded.

"I... I have no other choice."

"I will be a rather strict teacher, you know."

Looking into the warm, gray eyes set within Miss Pendleton's gentle features, Miss Hyde found it difficult to associate the word 'strict' with her.

But she was the only person who could offer her real help. She was the only one Miss Hyde could cling to, and she was determined to entrust herself completely to her, no matter how she was treated.

"Yes, Miss Pendleton. I will do whatever you ask, so please teach me as you see fit."

Miss Pendleton smiled softly, and so, Miss Hyde's training began.

Miss Pendleton first instructed her to memorize the positions of the alphabet. In Miss Pendleton's study, she was to practice on the actual machine, and back home, she was to keep a hand-drawn copy of the typewriter's layout by her side, so she could practice hitting the right keys without looking.

An enthusiastic student, Miss Hyde could press every key with her eyes closed in less than a week.

But the real training was only just beginning. The true skill of a typist lay in transcribing documents onto paper without error. Miss Hyde began typing daily from the history books, novels, and essay collections that lined the study's shelves.

For five hours straight, Miss Pendleton would stand beside Miss Hyde, watching her type.

Holding a thin switch.

When Miss Hyde fumbled for a key, she would use the switch to guide her finger to the right place, and whenever she tried to look away from the document, she would rap her on the back of the hand. The sting was slight, but it was enough to keep Miss Hyde on edge.

At first, Miss Hyde was taken aback by Miss Pendleton and the switch in her hand. Corporal punishment seemed entirely out of character for the gentle and affectionate Miss Pendleton. But that was Miss Pendleton as a lady.

As a teacher, Miss Pendleton was a completely different person.

While teaching Miss Hyde, Miss Pendleton never once showed the faint smile that usually graced her lips. Her expression was stern, her tone of voice utterly cold. When her error rate was higher than usual, she would be scolded with a chilling severity that, while not loud, made her tremble.

The first month was undeniably harsh for Miss Hyde. After hours of typing practice under Miss Pendleton's rebukes, her entire body would be exhausted. Her overworked fingers ached in every joint, and the pain in her wrists was so bad she could hardly sleep at night.

Every day, as she left for the Pendletons', her mother would fling sarcastic remarks disguised as concern at her back, and her brother John, upon hearing his sister intended to become a typist, openly accused her of disgracing the family.

But she ignored it all. She was like a racehorse with blinders on. She had no time to look to the side or behind her. A knife-wielding robber was chasing her from behind. That robber was her uncertain future—a future of either living with her dreadful mother or suffering in poverty as a menial laborer.

Fortunately, after a month, things began to improve. She grew accustomed to the pain in her wrists, and her family, tired of nagging, gave up. Even Miss Pendleton's strict training methods became familiar, serving more as motivation than a hardship.

The more she focused under Miss Pendleton's guidance, the more her typing skills steadily improved. A week, a fortnight, then a month passed, and her speed increased to the point where she could transcribe an entire novel onto paper in three days without a single typo.

With a month to spare of the three Miss Pendleton had predicted, she had acquired quite remarkable typing proficiency.

And as her skills matured, Miss Hyde's disposition began to shed its former melancholy and recover its cheerfulness.

She no longer disparaged herself or despaired about the future. She no longer had to fear for her livelihood because she couldn't fit into the world. She had gained the confidence that, through a profession, she could provide for her own food, clothing, and shelter.

And with this growing confidence, Miss Hyde felt ever more grateful to Miss Pendleton for giving her this opportunity.

One afternoon in May, after finishing a full chapter of a novel—her usual daily task—Miss Hyde stacked the pile of papers beside her, flexed her aching fingers, and looked over at Miss Pendleton.

Once Miss Hyde's typing proficiency had become nearly equal to her own, Miss Pendleton had put down the switch. She let her practice on her own, sitting at a separate desk nearby to do her own work.

With her mind now at ease, Miss Hyde grew curious about what her teacher was doing beside her.

"Miss Pendleton, what are you writing?"

Miss Hyde asked, and Miss Pendleton, who had been staring intently at a page, lifted her book slightly to show her. Miss Hyde was surprised to see it was a Bible written in Latin.

"Miss Pendleton, your faith is truly remarkable. Reading the Bible on a day that isn't even Sunday!"

Miss Pendleton, who had reverted to her usual gentle self since putting down the switch, shook her head and replied softly.

"Please don't praise my piety. I'm not reading it for the purpose of studying scripture."

"Then why?"

"I'm studying Latin, Miss Hyde."

Astonished, Miss Hyde went over to Miss Pendleton's desk. A stack of books sat beside her: the Aeneid, the Odyssey, the Iliad. Miss Hyde opened them. They were all original texts. Each page was dense with Latin and Greek that Miss Hyde could not decipher.

Miss Hyde stared at Miss Pendleton in amazement. Miss Pendleton set down her pen, as if intending to take a short break herself. On the paper where her pen had just been working so diligently, the third verse of Psalm 23 was faithfully translated from Latin.

"He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake."

"Miss Pendleton, you know Latin? And Greek?"

Miss Pendleton nodded.

"Where did you learn them?"

"During my time at the girls' school."

"But girls' schools only teach French and German."

"That is generally true. But my school offered Latin and Greek. It was mostly simple grammar, but it gave me a solid foundation. Thanks to that, I can translate reasonably well on my own with just a dictionary."

Miss Hyde looked at Miss Pendleton with a stunned expression before pulling up a chair and sitting beside her.

"That's incredible. To be able to read all these thick books. If you were a man, you would have easily gotten into Oxford, Miss Pendleton."

Miss Pendleton smiled.

"I may not be able to attend Oxford, but I must be skilled enough to help a student who intends to. That's the only way I'll be able to teach boys over the age of thirteen."

"Miss Pendleton, are you planning to become a governess?"

"Yes, for now."

Miss Hyde finally understood what Miss Pendleton had been doing beside her all this time while she practiced her typing. She had assumed she was merely reading, but in fact, she had been studying to become a governess.

Miss Hyde studied Miss Pendleton's face intently.

The fine, pale lines of Miss Pendleton's face always looked so feminine. To Miss Hyde, she had always seemed the very picture of a demure and thoughtful young lady. She responded gently to whatever was said and never lost her temper, no matter the circumstances.

A dignified lady in every respect. That was why Miss Hyde couldn't help but be astonished to learn that Miss Pendleton was preparing for her future so combatively.

"But, Miss Pendleton, you were the top student at the school you attended with my sister Rosemary. And you speak French like a native."

"I did graduate at the top of my class, and my French is decent. But that's not enough."

"Surely not. You'd be welcomed in any home. Any with daughters, at least."

"When a family's finances decline, the first thing they give up is their daughters' education. Compared to a governess for boys, the pay is lower and the employment is less stable."

Only then did Miss Hyde understand Miss Pendleton's intentions.

Miss Hyde knew this all too well herself. When the Hyde family began its decline, she had to leave school and return home immediately. Her younger brother, however, continued his studies at Eton as if it were a matter of course.

"It's true that knowing Latin and Greek would increase your chances of being hired by a family with sons. Your salary would be higher, too. So, Miss Pendleton, do you plan to work as a governess your entire life?"

"Yes, if possible. But if the demand for governesses declines, I'm thinking of working at a school. The teachers who taught me are still at the school I graduated from. The headmistress is the same as well. I believe if I wrote to them, they would offer me a teaching position. I'd like to work there until retirement and then, around the age of fifty, enter a life of seclusion. After working for twenty years, I should have enough money to afford a small house in the countryside."

Having said that, Miss Pendleton quietly tidied up the books and writing tools she had been studying with.

"What about you, Miss Hyde? Have you been picturing your future lately?"

Miss Hyde rested her chin on the desk and spoke, as if feeling for the words.

"I've been reading the newspapers often these days, paying close attention to the advertisements for typists. They're for law offices, tax offices, sometimes even newspapers or publishing houses. I think I would prefer a position at a publishing house, if possible. The pay might be less, but I'd get to see many new books. But really, I'll take any position I can get. I'll earn money, find a boarding house, and leave home."

"Does your mother know what you're thinking?"

"No. But I'm not worried. My mother can't stand me about as much as I can't stand her. She'll be angry and make a fuss at first, but I think she'll be relieved once I'm actually gone. And after a year or so, she probably won't even remember I was there. My leaving home is for the happiness of us both. It's not a proper thing to say, Miss Pendleton, but... some mother-daughter relationships in this world are like that. A kind of ill-fated bond, you see."