Miss Pringle's Farewell
I was in the dining hall in the breakfast queue with the other boarders agonizing over whether starters for breakfast was going to be porridge or corn flakes when Phaedra leaned close to me and whispered she had heard that Malcolm, Briggs the caretaker’s son, had the ‘hots’ for me.
Surprised I replied “Pardon?”
She repeated “Briggs’s son Malcolm. He has the hots for you”.
I replied “Where did you hear this?”
She said “Candice overheard Zanthe telling Phaedra”.
I thought I would quash this disgusting rumour straight away.
Crossly I replied “Well you can get word back quick smart to Malcolm Briggs or whatever he calls himself. Tell him if he thinks this will develop into some sort of meaningful relationship he is sadly mistaken. The ‘hots and stuff’ are off the menu”.
This news might devastate Malcolm’s day but as father stressed to me, these are the brutal facts of life, in this case Malcolm’s life, that one must all face at one time or another. Nevertheless I hate these rumours.
Incidentally before I forget, cornflakes won out at breakfast time.
Today was also the big day for Miss Pringle, the assistant headmistress. It is officially her retirement day. As I mentioned in an earlier account, her mother was quite sickly and Miss Pringle took compassionate leave. Sadly her mother died. Miss Pringle has been with the college since forever, almost as long as Miss Sefton, well at least 40 years; Tamsin put it nearer to 320 years.
Breakfast was over and all the college students, boarders and day students were noisily gathered in the main hall for morning assembly waiting to hear the farewell speech by the headmistress Miss Sefton. I heard someone behind me singing in a quiet, taunting sing-song voice ‘Phaedra’s got a boyfriend, Phaedra’s got a boyfriend’. It was Zanthe.
Later I asked Phaedra what her boyfriend’s name was. She answered forcefully “He is NOT my boyfriend. He is my cousin and his name is Dexter”.
Later out of earshot of Phaedra, Tamsin pointed out that no mother being of sound mind would name their child Dexter, well not deliberately. Tamsin is inclined to exaggerate.
Elspeth agreed. She said she thought “Dexter wath a thilly name. Ith ok for a dog”. End of conversation.
Where was I? Oh, Miss Pringle was very well-liked by the girls and even though she was a hard task-mistress she was very fair. We will be sorry to see her go. She will not be alone in her retirement as she has a sister with two grandchildren.
Miss Sefton entered the hall and walked to the podium. The noise quickly abated. She had not prepared a farewell speech as such. She knew Miss Pringle too well to have to prepare flattering words confirming her long association and valuable contribution to Denham Hall. I think Miss Pringle also would have preferred she kept the farewell speech short.
All the students, boarders, day students the groundsmen, maintenance men and dining hall staff were in attendance. To emphasize the importance of the day the Marquis and Marchioness of Cirencester, who had for many years been generous benefactors to the college and their children being past pupils, were also present.
The prolonged applause and sustained cheering at the end of the speech was a barometer to Miss Pringle’s popularity with the students. She really will be missed. Of course it was a very sad day for Miss Pringle. Tamsin suggested they should name the main hall or swimming pool after her…..or the college or better still change the name of Rickmansworth to Pringle. That’s Tamsin being silly again.
As a farewell gift she was presented with a framed picture of a copy of the original charter for the formation of Denham Hall by King George the Second and she had been made a life-long member of the College Board. That gives you an indication of the high esteem the college held for Miss Pringle.
I am sure a few tears were also shed by girls whose misdeeds were kept from being made known to Miss Sefton by Miss Pringle, like being caught wearing rings, bracelets or earrings in the playground as that was a definite no, no. As Miss Pringle used to stress to the students where would we as an intelligent species be without some sort of order.
The new teacher another ‘Miss’, a Miss Taylor is already on the staff. She was standing next to Miss Sefton and was introduced to us all at the end of Miss Pringle’s farewell. She was much younger than Miss Pringle. She appeared to be a very nice lady and was quite pretty, no doubt in due course she will be raising the pulses of the gardeners and maintenance men.
It was Friday afternoon and Tamsin and I were heading home. I was staying with Tamsin’s family at Loch Awe on the Saturday evening before leaving for Inveraray Castle on the Sunday morning. Father had more or less wound up his business affairs in Brazil hopefully anticipating retirement.
On arriving at the Lock Awe Grange or the old Presbytery, Tamsin was excited to discover that her mother had acquired another rabbit and had named it Peter. It belonged to the neighbours who had moved house and lacked the space in their new home for Peter…er Rabbit.
This evening Tamsin’s father had arranged for the family and friends a two-hour viewing of coloured slides of Tamsin’s baby photos and the family’s holidays in Skegness and Blackpool. Tamsin’s mother said Tamsin and I if we wish could ‘do our own thing’, whatever that meant.
As it turned out ‘our own thing’ translated to the tennis court. That was Saturday afternoon/ evening more or less taken care of.
The evening was drawing in and a respectable tennis score of 2 games each was achieved as we walked off the court and joined the others in the lounge. Tamsin’s father had finished the slide show and was cleaning his clarinet, now that really did bother me but the worry was short-lived.
It was now Sunday. During the week father had received a newsletter about the ongoing work at St Conan’s Kirk at Loch Awe and that donations are very important. At the moment they are into ‘Phase 2’ re ‘Urgent Repairs to Major Roof Leaks’.
In the morning I and Tamsin decided to ride our bikes over to St Conan’s Kirk. There were a number of workmen about and Tamsin asked the foreman if she would like us to do a ‘bit of painting’
He replied “Thank you Tamsin for your lovely offer but this is not a touch-up job but a full restoration. But tell you what, how about coming round nearer Christmas we might need help to replace the large flagstones along the entrance path?”
I think Tamsin’s reputation might have preceded her. Repeating his words to Tamsin he added “We are very grateful for the support of all of our funders and also the work of our incredible volunteers like yourself Tamsin”.
You can understand why Tamsin’s offer this time was put on hold……… a touch up job, I ask you!
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