Pixie wrote: I'm sure she had no idea how far reaching her comments were.
I consider that she strongly believed that hurtful crushing remarks would make more impact on her victims. "This is right" as she would say, lowering her chin in a scary way. I remember how one in-House interview began. The agony of waiting outside the Housemistress's room and seeing the girl in front of you coming out in tears! To begin with, you had to knock, wait for the gruff "Come in!" and never confuse "Good evening Miss West" on entering with "Good night Miss West" on termination of the ordeal. That would create an exasperated reproof before she'd even got down to sifting through her papers... You stood in front of her, as far away as possible.
Me: Good...
evening Miss West.
DR: (sifting away, scowling, and not even looking at me) Miss Blench thinks you're dreadful.
Oh great. That got the interview off to a good start.
Why? Surely she knew that rude and brusque would never get me to discuss my difficulties with QM Blench? Or my loneliness in House? Or the horrible sense of failure and inadequacy which the CH system had created in me?
I've never lost those feelings.
On one occasion, the girl in front of me was one of the School's true stars. Amazingly clever, pretty, slender, capable and extremely musical. Gifted and talented in every way. And
nice. Out she rushed from her interview, angry and on the verge of tears. I caught up with her later. Why ever had DR given her a bad time? "Selfishness".
Oh - and another memory. I loved tennis. I'd been Commended for good play in an inter-school tennis match. The thrill of it! DR's comment? "I didn't know you were any good at a sport".
OK, I'm stopping now.
"Baldrick, you wouldn't recognise a cunning plan if it painted itself purple, and danced naked on top of a harpsichord singing "Cunning plans are here again.""