"Whoa." "Whoa, stand still there." "May we go inside?" "Yes, sir." "Whoa." "Whoa, back, whoa." "Molière was an absolute master in creating his characters." "He had an inimitable gift of portraying life in its most vivid aspects." "...in its most..." "Mademoiselle Izzier." "You don't feel like writing this afternoon?" "No." "I don't want to." "Perhaps you're also bored by the company of so many girls?" "How would you like to live a few days in complete seclusion?" "If I remember correctly, you already had that experience." "Would you like to try it again?" "As you wish." "No, as you wish, Mademoiselle Izzier." "I don't give a damn." "I doubt that." "You can doubt all you please." "Very well." "We shall see who is right." "Mademoiselle Toupan?" "Yes, Madame?" "Accompany Mademoiselle Izzier to the seclusion room, and then, come back at once, please." "Here is the key." "Mademoiselle Izzier?" "May I take a book with me?" "No." "No doubt I'll see you later." "Yes, we'll have a talk." "Now, where had we come to?" "Oh." "In its most vivid aspects..." "In its most vivid aspects." "There's a gentleman with a girl to see you." "They're waiting in the library." "Girls, Mademoiselle Desprez will continue dictation in my place." "Mademoiselle Noel, are you too tired to stand up?" "Excuse me, please, Madame Fourneau." "A quick paragraph work." "Right." "We will continue." "Go to hell." "Jean-Baptiste Poquelin..." "Jean-Baptiste Poquelin..." " ...probably..." " Monsieur Baldie?" "I am Madame Fourneau, the principal of this college." "What can I do for you?" "Pleasure to meet you, Madame." "I'd like to enroll Mademoiselle Gravin as a pupil here." "Are you a relative?" "No, just a friend of the mother." "We read your advertisement in the paper." "And a colleague of mine recommended your establishment." "Well, I hope you like it." "Would you care to look around?" "Madame." "This is the room for painting, drawing, and modeling." "Three times a week, our pupils copy from real life in all aquarelle and clay." "Some of the paintings you see hanging on the walls of this establishment are the works of our pupils." "Teresa?" "This way, please." "I believe in healthy minds and healthy bodies for the girls entrusted in my care." "This room is for music and dancing." "Solfeggio is obligatory, but afterwards, the pupils can choose." "Piano, violin, harp, or the violoncello." "The bar and the mirror are for ballet exercises." "I don't insist on them perfecting this art, but they must practice one hour a day." "Besides providing them with graceful movements, don't forget most of our pupils are no longer children, it also provides them with useful exercises and prevents them from indulging in morbid thoughts." "You play the piano, Mademoiselle?" "I learned a little three years ago, but I had to stop." "But you still remember your solfeggio." "Yes, I think so." "What's the matter?" "Huh?" "Oh, nothing." "Of course, our pupils are also given cookery lessons." "As you know, culinary art is most important for future housewives." "There's a very cordial atmosphere between our pupils." "This is the dining room." "I could also show you the work room and the reading room, but I don't want to tire you." "Would you like to see the dormitories?" "No, it's not necessary." "Thank you, Madame." "How old are you, Mademoiselle?" "Eighteen and a half." "Have you ever been to boarding school?" "No, Madame." "Ah, Mari?" "Please take Mademoiselle..." "Gravin to the dining room." "It's 5:00, she might like some tea and biscuits." "We'll join you there in a few minutes." "Madame." "Shall we go into the library?" "Certainly." "After you, Madame." "Please, sit down." "Thank you." "Name of the parents, please." "I want you to know that we're very discreet here, particularly what concerns the parents of the students." "The mother of Teresa only wishes she could educate the girl all by herself." "But I'm afraid that at the moment, she's not able to." "Well, she can stay with us until she comes of age." "All we need to know is the name and address of the person directly responsible for her, and the sum of 300 francs per term must always be paid in advance." "All right." "Mother's name is Violet Gravin." "Place des Arbres, Avignon." "Avignon." "For two terms in advance." "Would you like a receipt?" "No, it's not necessary." "This school specializes in students whose character is, um, shall we say, um, difficult." "And there are a few among them who, in spite of their youth, have not exactly led exemplary lives." "In order to bring them back to the right path," "I must run this establishment with a firm hand." "Mademoiselle, would you be looking for something?" "No, nothing." "Thank you." "Have you finished your tea yet?" "Yes." "Why don't you eat the biscuits?" "They're very good ones." "No, I'm not hungry." "Keep them, then." "You won't get much to eat for supper." ""Aeneas the true made his way to the vastness" ""where Apollo rules enthroned on high," ""into the vast cavern beyond," ""which is the awful Sibyl's own secluded place." ""Here the prophetic Delian God" ""breathes into her the spirit's visionary might," ""revealing things to come." ""They were already drawing near to Diana's wood" ""and the golden temple there." ""Daedalus, for this is the story," ""had ventured his life in the sky." ""He consecrated his wings to Phoebus Apollo," ""for whom he founded a gigantic temple." ""On the temple gate, he pictured the death of Androgeus, and lower down, the Athenians obeying the ghastly command..."" "You want?" "Thank you." ""...to surrender seven of their stalwart sons" ""as annual repatriation." "And there was the urn from which the lots..."" "It's all right." ""...has just been drawn." ""The island in which Kronos stands," ""rising high above the sea," ""balanced the scene on the other leaf of the gate." ""There he had depicted the Bull's brutal passion" ""and Pasiphaë's secret union with him." ""And there in the midst," ""as a warning against wicked love, their hybrid offspring child of two breeds, the Minotaur."" ""Here was the Cretan building in all its elaboration with..."" "Enough, Mademoiselle Perry." "You're excused, Mademoiselle." "What's your name?" "Teresa Gravin." "Did you bring much luggage?" "Everything I own." "I've run out of stockings, can you let me have a few pairs?" "Shh." "Oh, shut up, you." "Mademoiselle Toupan, Fragonard, and Rigot, will you please come with me?" "It's all right, she's gone." "What's your name?" "When did you get here?" "Where are you from?" "Shh, quiet a moment!" "Not so loud!" "Here name's Teresa." "Yes, Teresa Gravin from Avignon." "Oh, do you know, Mary?" "My name is Elena." "Oh, Avignon." "Isabelle, Claire, Cecile." "And I'm Susana." "And my name's Margarita." "Wait a minute." "I'm Julie." "You'll soon get to know us." "Can we look at your luggage?" "Yes, of course." "Come on." "Oh, this is nice!" "Can I try this?" "Yes, of course, please." "Can I try this?" "Yes." "It's nice." "It looks awful." "Your family has got a lot of money." "Oh, no." "But these things are such good quality." "Here, thanks a lot." "Isabelle, doesn't it suit me?" "My mother gave me most of these things." "She doesn't need them." "And did this belong to your mother?" "Yes." "Well, I think it's lovely." "Will you sell it to me?" "I'll give it to you." "Thank you." "And does your mother know anything about this school?" "Thanks." "I think so." "Do you think your parents will let you leave here if you want to?" "Here." "Mm-hmm, of course." "Then you won't be staying much longer." "Three have already escaped." "Teresa, Mademoiselle Desprez will be here in a minute." "Get ready quickly." "Don't listen to those two." "You won't find it all that bad here." "Tomorrow, when you see Catherine, that is, unless they keep her another day and night in the punishment room, ask her what she thinks of the place." "Who is Catherine?" "A very nice girl." "Well, have you thought about your behavior this afternoon?" "Yes." "Are you ready to apologize in front of your friends?" "Mademoiselle Izzier, I'm talking to you." "Answer me." "Get up." "Get up!" "You're a very bad influence not only on your friends, but on the other girls as well." "I will not stand for your insolence any longer." "Why don't you throw me out?" "Nothing I would like better, but your people insist that you must stay." "This is not the first time that I must punish you, remember?" "Now, for the last time, will you come down with me now and apologize in front of everybody?" "All right." "Take off your clothes." "This is an order." "Take off your clothes." "This time, you will have to do it." "As you wish." "Go on." "Oh, let go!" "Get your hands off me!" "Oh!" "Let go!" "Oh!" "Get off me, you bitches!" "Get off!" "Hurry up, Mademoiselle, it's late." "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost." "Thou art our refuge and our shelter." "Thou shall be our shield and our strength." "In your protection, we shall find peace and..." "And we pray for Thy eternal presence." "God, please protect us with Thy own hands, that we may not stumble into evil." "Enough." "Enough!" "Goodnight." "Goodnight." "Goodnight." "Goodnight." "Say your prayers." "You made me do this again." "Don't you realize that I can't allow anybody to defy me, not even you." "You know this, don't you?" "Try to understand my position, please." "I'm sorry, Catherine." "Get some sleep." "I know I won't." "Why did you watch the new girl and follow her around all day?" "It's not true." "I saw you." "Why do you always watch the girls and follow them around?" "I know you're not a child anymore, but you're not old enough to think about girls." "Not yet." "I forbid you to spy on them again." "Do you hear?" "I can't afford to have a girl come to me complaining of my own son." "Or have her parents come to see me, and with good reason, do you understand?" "Yes, Mother." "Then, why do you keep on doing it?" "I'm tired of saying the same thing over and over again." "But Mother, if I sometimes leave my room..." "Don't you understand that none of these girls are any good?" "By the time they bring them to me, they're already marked." "If they are not..." "Well, you know what I mean." "They have stolen... or done worse things." "And then, they hand them over to me for correction." "lmpossible." "In time, Louis, in time you'll find the right girl." "You'll marry her." "And you will have your own home." "But these girls are poison." "You need a woman like me, who loves you, will take care of you, protect you." "You'll find her." "You'll see." "You'll find her." "You'll find her." "You'll see." "Good morning, Mademoiselle." "Good morning." "Good morning." "Good morning, Mademoiselle." "Good morning, Madame." "She's not married." "She's still an old spinster." "Today, the beds will be made by Susana Noel and Catherine Izzier." "But you know Catherine is not here today." "I said today, the bed should be made by Susana Noel and Catherine Izzier." "But as Catherine is not here, then, you can take her place." "Me?" "Yes, you." "Susana will tell you what has to be done." "We're ready, Mademoiselle." "All right." "Mademoiselle, come to breakfast now." "Not much to do, just make the beds and open the windows." "No sweeping?" "No." "All the rest of the cleaning and dusting is done by Lucie." "She's a maid who works in the kitchen as well." "Don't worry, we'll finish this in no time." "You got a boyfriend?" "No." "You mean, you've never been out with a boy alone?" "No." "Really?" "Yes, really." "I'm glad, for your sake." "It's better for you, you won't mind being locked up here without boys." "As for me, I can't stand it." "The rest of the bad things aren't important." "But to go months and months, you know, without seeing any boys." "Why, most of the girls here are on the verge of a nervous breakdown." "Every three weeks, a young man comes to visit here." "Here?" "That's right, here." "His name is Henry." "He delivers wood from the village." "Not much to look at, but..." "Anyway, he comes to stock up the woodshed outside." "Each time, one of us has a chance to meet him there." "Next time, it will be my turn." "How do you mean, your turn?" "Yes, we all draw lots to see who's going to meet him each time." "But you'd understand better why we do it if you'd had a boyfriend before." "Oh, I understand." "When Mademoiselle Desprez is in charge of class, you can always slip away." "We'll continue tomorrow." "Hello." "Were you waiting long?" "I came after lunch." "But you've been here more than three hours, then?" "Oh, it doesn't matter." "Uh, did anyone see you come in?" "No, I don't think so." "I'm terribly worried in case they find out about you." "Worried for your sake, I mean." "And I'm worried for your sake." "Is that for me?" "Yes." "For you." "Thank you." "One day, very soon, the two of us will leave this place." "And your mother?" "I've told you again and again, it doesn't matter." "I can't." "I can't nor want to go on like this, having to hide so that we can meet all the time," "frightened that at any moment they might catch us." "And that..." "Who is out there?" "I don't know." "Right." "We'll plant the seeds here." "Later on, they start shooting, we put them into flowerpots." "And what do I do?" "Oh, it's very easy." "Like this." "Hole, another one, another one, all at equal distances." "Then, when you finish the whole box, you start planting." "Here are the seeds." "Put them in the holes and you cover them up with earth." "And then, cover it all with this stuff." "It's fertilizer." "Fertilizer?" "Yes, you know what I mean." "Well, I think you know." "I mean, it's for growing." "It turns them into plants." "What seeds are they?" "Azaleas." "You know, the poisonous plant." "But they say the seeds are as well, so, be careful." "Don't believe it, Teresa." "If those seeds were poisonous," "Madame Fourneau wouldn't be alive today." "I'm sure we've all put a lot of those seeds in her supper." "Any news of Catherine?" "Nobody knows." "When do the seeds become plants, then?" "Oh, months." "During this time, we will have to tend them, and plant them, and transplant them, and water them, and water them." "and fertilize them a bit, and then, in the end, they flower." "They flower, we cut them, then, of course, they fade and die." "And all of this stupid waste of time is what they call the art of gardening." "The art of gardening is the poetry of nature." "Teresa, come and see Madame Fourneau." "I haven't finished yet." "It doesn't matter." "All right." "Where can I wash?" "Do it later." "She's waiting for you." "What did she want?" "Don't know." "But where's Madame Fourneau?" "I called you." "Come in." "I'm making some tea." "Would you like some?" "This morning, I left you alone with Susana on purpose." "She talks a lot, and I imagine by now that you know how this school is run." "No." "Didn't she talk about me?" "No." "Are you sure?" "Yes." "Of course I am." "Didn't she tell you about Henry, and about what goes on in the shed every three weeks?" "Yes, she told me that." "So, she did tell you." "I don't understand." "I'm the one who organizes everything around here." "Amongst others, the visits to the shed on the day that Henry comes, and many other things which you'll find out soon." "Madame Fourneau doesn't like anyone lacking in discipline, and it's up to me whether she finds out or not." "Have some tea." "What have you been doing?" "I was gardening." "Wash your hands." "It depends on you whether your life here in school will be nice or not." "I can see to it that you eat well and that you don't have to work too hard." "I can even let you meet Henry." "All you have to do is obey me." "Obey me in everything I tell you." "This is the third night they've kept Catherine locked up there." "She's used to it." "Don't go out dressed like that." "Why?" "Any men around?" "It's freezing." "Put something on." "Still no toilet paper." "Goodnight, Mademoiselle." "Goodnight." "Goodnight." "Louis?" "How am I going to run this establishment if I have to look after you?" "I don't even know which girl it is, but I'll find out." "I asked you for the last time if anyone of you see Isabelle Delome leave here last night, it is better for you to tell me all that you know now." "I must warn you..." "The key to the punishment that anyone covering up for her will be punished in exactly the same way as the one who escaped." "This morning, when Mademoiselle Desprez came to wake you, this door was open." "Therefore, Isabelle Delome left this way." "She must have used a key or something, and a key makes a noise." "Well, I sleep by the door, but I heard nothing." "That's very strange, Mademoiselle Toupan, especially since you're the only one with the key to the dormitory." "The keys that you gave me were with me all the time." "It would be impossible to take them without waking me." "Well, if anyone of you thinks of following in the footsteps of Mademoiselle Delome," "I advise her to do it very well and very secretly." "Don't let me catch you at it, for if I find another girl trying to escape..." "Well, you know me by now, don't you?" "Have the locks changed at the dormitory and at the door." "How many keys shall I get?" "Three." "One for me, one for you, and one for Toupan." "You don't think Irene Toupan helped Isabelle to escape?" "Irene?" "No." "Get a carpenter." "Have every window on the ground floor nailed down." "If they want to escape, they will." "This is a boarding school, not a prison." "If it isn't one, we'll make it one." "Go to the village, please, and see if there's any news of Isabelle." "Yes, Madame, but it's Tuesday today." "The girls take their showers." "Who will be there?" "I will." "Madame, everything is ready for you now." "Thank you." "Hurry up, girls." "Hurry up." "Get out." "You can get out." "Hurry up." "Mademoiselle, you can get out." "Hurry up." "Mademoiselle Izzier, what do you think you're doing?" "Taking this off." "I want to really wash my back for a change." "I think you know why." "Does it bother you?" "No." "Mademoiselle, you can come out." "Mademoiselle Gravin?" "That will do." "You can come out from under the shower." "Yes, Madame." "Mademoiselle?" "Mademoiselle, please." "Mademoiselle, come here." "I'm locked in the passage from the boiler room." "Mademoiselle, help me." "Help me." "What are you doing, Teresa?" "What do you do in the boiler room almost every afternoon?" "I've seen you go in there several times." "But you've seen me there?" "One of the things that Madame Fourneau resents most is anyone of us talking to her son." "Didn't you know?" "All three of us can swear that Louis and you have locked yourselves in there alone quite a few times." "We want to talk to you later." "After the music class, we'll expect you in the dining room." "And if you're not there, we'll have to talk to Madame Fourneau." "The woodman's just arrived." "You want a hand?" "No, I can manage." "When I've finish unloading," "I'll give you a shout and you can lock up the shed." "Very well." "All right." "Needle work can be very beautiful, especially when you learn how to mix the colors." "It's almost like painting." "Excuse me, Madame Fourneau, but an hour ago, in our cookery class, we used up some apples to make a stew." "We left it on the stove." "So, I wonder, could one of us possibly go and check it?" "Yes, of course, you can go." "Well, if you don't mind, I'd rather finish this." "Could I send..." "Susana?" "All right." "You can go, Mademoiselle Noel." "Yes, Madame." "Well, how's it going?" "Oh, it's all right, but it's not ready." "I'm gonna put you in charge." "I'm in charge of everything today." "Cooking, then the gardening, and the greenhouse as well." "Keep an eye in this a moment, would you?" "I must go over and check the greenhouse." "All right, but don't overdo it." "Thank you." "We're not supposed to help you girls with your cooking, you know?" "Yes, yes." "Thank you." "What are you looking at, Mademoiselle Chausson?" "Ah, nothing at all, Madame." "Just taking a rest from sewing." "Me again." "Do you mind?" "Mademoiselle." "Mademoiselle." "Finished for today." "Louis." "Yes, Mother?" "What were you doing in the garden?" "I needed some fresh air." "Well, as the girls were having their music lesson," "I thought it would be all right." "Now?" "It's much too damp for you." "Come inside." "You know you have to be careful." "But I am careful, Mother." "No, you're not." "You read at all hours." "You don't sleep enough." "You don't eat enough." "But Mother, I'm not hungry." "How am I going to run this establishment if I have to look after you all the time?" "You know you're not like ordinary boys, you've always been sick." "Remember your asthma?" "And now, your chest." "I know it's hard for you to be always indoors, but it's absolutely necessary." "The doctor said so." "It's either that or the hospital." "Yes, Mother." "Oh, I would love to send you to college to be with boys of your own age." "But at the time, it's absolutely impossible." "I know, Mother." "I know." "More than anything in the world, Louis," "I would love you to lead a normal life." "But you must help me." "And above all, I would like to trust you." "But why do you say that, Mother?" "I always do whatever you ask me to." "Really?" "I know you meet one of the girls nearly every afternoon." "It's not true." "You've been seen." "By whom?" "Never mind by whom." "I don't even know which girl it is." "But I'll find out." "Why, I should really send you away, you know." "But there's isn't a school that would accept you in your present state of health, so, I have to keep you here." "Louis, I've told you a hundred times, none of these girls is any good to you." "You need a woman like me, who loves you and takes care of you." "Now, promise, you'll never see that girl again, ever." "I promise." "Thank you." "Thank you, Louis." "You'll see, the day will come, not so long now, when you'll meet the right girl, and you will fall in love with her." "The kind of girl I used to be." "Can you see?" "Strong, capable." "And she'll live for you the way I live for you." "And she'll love you the way I love you." "Right." "Are we going to the kitchen?" "No." "Well, where then?" "You'll see." "But where?" "You'll see." "Why lock it?" "Who's in there?" "Come in." "Go on, then." "Was she late?" "No." "She came to the dining room as soon as the lesson finished." "That's good, Teresa." "I like order and punctuality." "Come in." "This afternoon after needle work," "I spoke to Madame Fourneau, and I told her that her son often goes to the boiler room to meet someone." "Don't worry, Teresa, I didn't say it was you." "I just said it was one of the girls, but I hadn't found out yet which one." "It will depend on you whether I do tell her or not." "Come in, Teresa, dear." "Come in." "You should've seen Madame's reaction." "She said she was going to expel the girl after writing to the father." "By the way, Teresa, you haven't a father, have you?" "Teresa, dear, I asked you a question!" "Have you or not?" "!" "No." "My father's dead." "Are you sure?" "Yes." "You're lying." "My mother sent a photograph." "It's a very old one." "But that could be anybody's." "You've got your mother's name, haven't you?" "Well, have you or not?" "!" "Yes." "In Madame's office, there's a register of all the girls." "And as I'm in charge of the correspondence," "I get to know a lot of things." "So, don't try and deceive me, Teresa, dear." "Make us some tea." "What does your mother do?" "Teresa, we want to get to know you, and get to know all about your family, do you understand?" "Yes." "Your mother works?" "Yes." "What as?" "Um, well, she sings." "Oh, a singer?" "Yes." "Opera?" "No." "Where does she sing, Teresa?" "Um..." "Uh..." "In Avignon." "Oh." "How interesting." "Bring us a tea." "So, your mother works in Avignon." "But that's a town." "In which theater or concert hall does she sing?" "I said, in which theater?" "In..." "In the Tivoli." "The Tivoli?" "But that's a music hall or something worse." "What is the Tivoli, Teresa, dear?" "What is the Tivoli, Teresa?" "It's a cabaret." "A cabaret?" "But those places are only for prostitutes." "Is your mother one?" "Teresa." "I'm asking if your mother is a prostitute." "No, no!" "No, she isn't!" "I think she is." "No!" "She's a singer, that's all." "Your mother's a prostitute." "Like all the women who go to those kind of places, don't deny it." "No, I promise!" "She is, she is!" "I think she is." "Don't tell me lies." "Your mother's a prostitute." "No, she isn't!" "She isn't!" "Don't talk nonsense, because I know very well." "Your mother, Mademoiselle, is an honest lady." "All she does is sing, sing for the gentlemen who come to see her." "And to sing, she wears these sort of clothes, right?" "Yes, I think this is your mother's, isn't it?" "Of course, it is." "I found it in your trunk." "It's just like the one you gave Elena." "It was really a theatrical costume." "Now, put it on." "No!" "Put it on!" "No, I won't!" "I won't!" "You wouldn't like Madame to find out it's you who sees her son in the afternoon." "And all the girls will know what kind of work your mother does." "Now, put it on." "No!" "No!" "You will put it on." "No!" "No!" "Please!" "Oh, please!" "We've never been to a cabaret." "And we'd love to know what goes on in there." "That's why you're going to sing a song from your mother's repertoire." "Do you know any?" "No." "And your mother never rehearsed her songs?" "And your mother never sang any of them at home?" "Come, sing a little, and then, we'll leave." "Sing, Teresa." "Sing." "Sing!" "Louder, Teresa, louder." "We still can't hear you." "Louder, and smile." "Teresa, smile, Teresa." "And come on, sing louder." "Now, come on, Teresa, sing." "Sing, Teresa." "Sing, Teresa." "Better." "That's better." "It's coming, Teresa." "Well done." "Now, smile more." "Smile." "Come on, smile." "Smile more." "Smile and sing louder." "Come on, louder." "No, I can't." "I can't hear you." "Louder." "Now, sing louder, and smile." "No, I can't." "Smile, Teresa." "Smile." "Smile." "Smile!" "I can't!" "I can't!" "Yes, you can." "No, I can't!" "Yes, you can!" "More, more!" "Sing, sing!" "Yes, you can!" "Sing." "Sing!" "No, no." "I can't." "I can't." "We'd better be going." "All right, Teresa." "Get dressed." "Tomorrow, we'll go on, all right?" ""So, they gave away, piece by piece," ""everything they owned to the people." ""Hearing about this," ""Lucia's betrothed was furious," ""and complained to the consul, Pascosio," ""saying that Lucia was a Christian" ""and was not obeying the imperial laws." ""Pascosio," ""having sent for the young girl to appear, reproached her for having wasted away her dowry."" "Anything wrong?" ""And demanded that..."" "No." ""...offer sacrifices to the Gods."" "What's the matter?" "I'm leaving." "I must get away from here." "I came to say goodbye." "Come in." "You're going?" "Where to?" "Any place I can think of." "Anywhere but here." "Why?" "It's not important." "Did my mother do something?" "No, but she knows we see each other." "She knows I see one of the girls, but not which one." "She'll know soon enough, but that's not the only reason I'm running away." "Well, why, then?" "Because today..." "It's nothing." "I don't want you to leave." "You're the only friend I ever had." "You know that." "I shall miss you." "I'll miss you." "Here, it isn't much, but you may need it." "Thank you." "I promise I'll return it." "It's going to be very difficult for me to get out of here." "Yes." "As several girls have already escaped," "Mother ordered all the doors to be double-locked." "Yes, I know that." "But if I can get into the garden through one of the dining room windows, then, perhaps I can climb the wall." "You won't be able to." "It's very high, and the gardener cut down all the creepers on purpose." "Try to climb the iron gate." "Yes, all right." "Goodbye, Louis, and thank you." "What are you doing here?" "To climb the wall without a ladder?" "It's impossible." "But perhaps there's some loose bricks or some cracks in the wall she might have used." "No, Madame." "Over the main gate." "That's the only way out." "She did not leave by the gate." "Very well." "Thank you." "Brechard, nail down every window in the dining room." "Yes, all right, Madame." "Teresa never left this house." "Don't be absurd, Irene." "Last night, I was constantly by the gate." "I was watching the house all the time." "Teresa never left it." "Perhaps she left before you even reached the gate." "I don't think so." "Everything seems very strange, Madame." "What do you mean by strange?" "I'm thinking of the broken window, and the light I saw in the dining room, and the wet patch on the floor." "Five girls have disappeared in less than four months." "Teresa is the fifth." "In every reformatory or boarding school, girls are always running away." "Yes, but in time, one hears from them, their parents write or bring them back, but I'm in charge of the correspondence here, and we've never heard from any of these girls again." "Well, perhaps they got home and their parents just never bother to write." "Well, then, why didn't you write to them to let them know what has happened?" "Are you telling me what I'm supposed to do?" "I am telling you that strange things happen here." "You and I know about them." "It was you who taught me." "But there are other things that I cannot and shall not tolerate." "What are you talking about?" "I don't know, Madame." "One..." "I really don't know." "...three, four." "All I can say is that I'm leaving." "You're staying, Mademoiselle Toupan." "Nine, ten." "How will you stop me?" "You'll find out." "I don't think it's wise for you to force me to stay here." "Remember that I know many things about you and your methods of teaching." "Whatever I do here is no different from what is done in any other school." "Are you sure, Madame?" "Your keys." "Virgil shows an exquisite sensitivity in portraying his characters who are profoundly human." "Who..." "Mademoiselle Izzier." "Yes?" "If..." "Nothing." "Continue." "Profoundly human." "Um..." "The Romans considered the" "The Romans considered the Aeneid, the-- the Aeneid... as a..." "The Romans considered..." "Pies and cakes need lots of strength and patience, just like children." "I remember my mother used to say, the harder you beat the pastry before you put the pie in the oven, the softer it would be in the end." "Let's see." "You'll have a lot more work to do yet." "How about yours?" "Very good." "You can go upstairs." "Keep on going." "Knead the pastry gently but firmly to get the best results." "Once the pie is in the oven, it's very important to keep the heat inside at a constant temperature." "Otherwise, the pastry will be heavy." "The baking time can only be learned by experience because we can't see what's going on in the oven." "If we could see, life would be much easier." "It's all packed." "What shall I do with the drawings?" "Burn them." "How about the kitchen window?" "It's easy to open." "Do you remember if this door has a key?" "No, I think it's lost." "And the kitchen?" "No, never." "Good." "Are you going to escape today?" "If I can." "Come in." "They're all in bed now, Madame." "Is there anything more?" "Good." "Did you lock all the doors?" "Yes, Madame." "Well, then, you can go to bed now." "Sophie?" "Madame?" "I would like to talk to Toupan." "Is she already asleep?" "I don't think so." "I've just put the lights out." "Please..." "Tell her to come and talk to me." "And, uh..." "You can go to bed now." "Yes, Madame." "And put out the lights, please." "Yes, Madame." "Sleep well, Madame." "Good night." "Mademoiselle Toupan?" "What's the matter?" "Go downstairs for a moment." "Madame Fourneau wants to talk to you." "Why are you dressing, Mademoiselle?" "I'm feeling cold." "You got your keys?" "Yes, of course." "All right." "Until tomorrow, then." "Good night." "Mademoiselle Toupan?" "Catalina?" "Andrea?" "Andrea, please." "Irene?" "Irene!" "What happened?" "Irene!" "Child, what" "What happened to you?" "Oh, my, God." "Oh, my, God." "Mama." "I'm so glad you've come." "Come in." "I was just going to call you." "Look, there she is." "Only the hands were missing." "Irene had the same hands as yours, slim but strong." "Look." "I took the dress some time ago, when I decided to make a girl like you." "A girl for me." "Now, she's got everything." "Blonde hair like yours." "The same eyes." "Isabelle had almost the same eyes as yours." "You always said I'd have a-- have a girl like you when you were young." "And now, I've got her." "You see?" "Louis!" "Now, you must teach her to take care of me the way you do," "and love me as you've always loved me." "Louis!" "Louis!" "Louis!" "Talk to her, Mother." "Talk to her." "Talk to her." "Talk to her." "Louis!"