A Campus Tour

The girls left Miss Peale's office at a rapid pace. Although Regina liked the Headmistress, there was an aura around her office and living quarters that made being elsewhere seem like an excellent idea. Faith followed along just as quickly. As they reached the chapel, Regina slowed down.

"This is the chapel. You'll see a lot of it," Regina said. "I love the way the stained glass windows gleam in the morning light. But we've been having a lot of fog lately so there's not a lot of sunshine."

"It looks nice. Pretty," Faith said. "The church back home is a wooden shack practically, although the congregation is raising money to build a nicer one."

"Where are you from?" Regina asked.

"Reno, Nevada," came the reply. "And you're from Kentucky. That's a long way away, isn't it? How'd you end up here?"

"My Pappy, my grandfather," Regina said. "After Gran died, he wanted to make sure I was cared for and he brought me here. I'm supposed to learn how to get on in the world. Or at least find a rich husband.

"What's Reno like?" Regina asked.

"It's beautiful and wild and we have a huge new house. Father got rich in the mines around Virginia City and built the house Mother always wanted. Then they had me. Father still heads out to the mines and stays away most of the time. Mother didn't want me to end up with some no-account miner or storekeeper or married to rich man who's never home." Faith looked down at her new shoes and shrugged. "I guess that's all of it. You and I have dropped off here to get us out of the way. At least it looks like a nice place."

"It's not that bad," Regina said.

"No?"

"No," Regina said. She didn't need the emotional drama that Faith seemed on the verge of right now. Maybe she could change the subject. "The teachers are good. The classes are hard, but not too hard. And we have the best room in both dormitories. Come on, I'll show you!"