It was lunch recess and there was a thunderstorm raging outside, so it was indoor recess. Brenda was in the vocal room setting up her stuff, when she realized that the window was open. She hurried to the window and closed it. There was a knock at the door.

"Come in." Brenda said to the knocker. Lorie entered, carrying two small bundles of ten dollar bills. "Lorie .. ."

"For your new dresses, Ms. Zadorsky. The Major had these taken out of the school deposit box this morning." Lorie explained.

"Oh, how lovely. Oh, I'm sure these will buy the prettiest clothes I've ever had. Tell me, do you think the Princepal would get me some more money if I asked her?" Brenda inquired.

"How much money does a vocal teacher need?" Lorie asked confused about Brenda’s intentions.

"No, not for me. For the children. I want to buy them some play clothes." Brenda clarified. The window Brenda had closed, re-opened again, and Lorie went to close it.

"St. Mary students don't play. They march."

"Oh, surely, you don't approve of that?" Brenda asked.

Lorie sighed. "Ever since the Major’s school production went wrong, she - she runs this school as if she were on one of the ships from the second world war. Whistles, orders. No more dancing,
no more laughing. Nothing that reminds her of it ... even the children."

"It's so wrong."

"Ah, well ... How do you like the room? There'll be new drapes at the windows ..."

"New drapes? But these are fine." Brenda couldn’t understand how they would waste money on replacing perfectly good drapes.

"Nevertheless, new ones have been ordered."

"Oh, but I really don't need them."

"Goodbye, now." It seemed that Lorie wasn’t going to listen to Brenda’s protests.

"Lorie. Do you think if I ask the major tomorrow about the money ...?" Brenda asked

"Oh, she's leaving for another school in the morning." Lorie reminded her.
"Oh, yes, of course. Well, how long will she be gone?"

"That all depends. The last time she visited another school she wasn't back for a month."

"Oh."

Lorie looked around the hall outside the vocal room. Then proceeded to speak to Brenda. "I shouldn't be saying this -- not to you, I mean I don't know you that well -- but if you ask me, the Major’s thinking very seriously of employing someone before the school years over."

"Oh, that would be wonderful! Well, the children will have a gym teacher again."

"Yes ... well ... Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

Lorie left and Brenda closed the door behind her. Brenda took off her Amabile sweater, and placed it over a chair. She picked up a stack of music and began to put it into folders. Behind her, the night air billowed through a window that blew open while Lorie was leaving. Brenda had just finished putting sheet music into grade 8 folders 1 - 16 when Hannah entered through the window, soaking wet. Brenda turned around to catch Hannah entering. She looked at Hannah and Hannah looked at Brenda.

"Are you going to tell on me?" Hannah broke the silence but, Brenda just stared at her, looking for an explanation.

"I didn’t hear the bell and somebody locked the doors I didn't want to cause a problem. So, when I saw your window open-- You're not going to tell Mrs. Fraumeni, are you?"

"Hmm." Brenda turned and shut the window. She looked down to see how Hannah climbed up, but to her surprise, there was no way up se could see. "How in the world did you climb up here?" She asked Hannah.

"That's how we always got into this room to play tricks on the vocal teacher. Shannah can make it with a whole jar of spiders in her hand." Hannah said proudly.

Brenda slammed the window shut in disgust. "Spiders!? Hannah, did you really not hear the bell to come in?" Hannah nodded her head yes at first but, honesty over took her and she shook her head no. "You know, if we wash that uniform out today," Brenda said gesturing to the dirty uniform, "nobody would notice it tomorrow. You could put this on." Brenda handed Hannah an extra uniform Lorie had given her. "Take your uniform into the washroom, put it to soak in the sink, then come back here and we'll have a talk." Hannah took the extra uniform, went to leave, but paused in the vocal room doorway.

"I told you today I didn't need a vocal teacher. Well, maybe I do." Hannah smiled gratefully and left. ‘Well’ Brenda thought, ‘Its good that she admitted that she needs a vocal teacher, but there had better not be any spiders in the packages of music!’ Brenda pulled the top off of the biggest box quickly to see if there were any spiders in it, and luckily for her, there were none. She would have to be prepared for the future.