The Maid Under the Stairs - Chapter 48
< Chapter 48 >
If Lorelei hadn’t given the key to the department office to Rebecca, would it have been okay?
No. From the moment Rebecca received the letter from Lady Margaret revealing Mabel’s status and situation in detail, she would have done whatever it took to uncover and reveal the truth.
However, Mabel couldn’t be sure if the secret would have been kept if Lady Margaret hadn’t written the letter.
‘But secrets have a way of coming to light eventually…’
Last spring, Theo’s affectionate warning, not just a warning, brushed through Mabel’s mind.
About twenty students were lined up in front of the tightly closed office door. Contrary to expectations, the student protest was not chaotic or violent but rather a quiet demonstration of silent protest organized by the Home Economics Club. Rebecca, standing at the front, was calmly reading aloud the contents of the notification to be delivered to the dean.
“…It is evident that if the esteemed Summerhill College, known for nurturing beautiful and talented women, were to admit a lower-class student, it would damage both the reputation of the students and the College. Therefore, the entire Home Economics Club requests the expulsion of Ms. Mabel Willis.”
Rebecca’s resonant voice echoed through the marble corridor. Besides the students participating in the protest, many others had gathered around, murmuring.
According to Lorelei, the office door would soon open, and the dean would respond to the demands of the protest. Mabel entered Cheshire Hall with the desire to prevent herself from being immediately expelled on the spot due to the pressure of the girls at the rally or their backgrounds.
“Look, there’s that lower-class miss. How shameless of her to come here, right?”
One of the students participating in the protest said. Some of the students attending the protest even sneered and whispered mocking remarks towards Mabel.
“Isn’t it ridiculous how they view our household, which even sponsors the College? A maid, and not just any maid but one from under the stairs. She probably never even talked to the people serving in the household.”
“How would my fiancée’s household, who proudly boasted about me attending Summerhill, think of me? Studying with a maid cleaning the bathrooms is practically the same…”
They were familiar faces from the past year, attending lectures together and even participating in festival marches. Mabel slowly raised her head in response to their malicious words. Contrary to her trembling body filled with shock and fear, her expression showed a resolute determination to face the condemning gazes of other students.
It was true that she felt guilty for lying and deceiving about her status. However, this was not because she felt unworthy herself, but because she couldn’t be innocent in front of friends who treated her without fault and believed she belonged here without hesitation.
Living in Summerhill, Mabel realized that she was not so different from the upper-class students she had thought were from a different world, even comparable to the male students of the London School of Economics.
‘To everyone who feels joy and sorrow, to everyone who dreams, I say our worlds are not so different…’
Mabel echoed a line from a poem she had memorized during literature class in her mind.
“Dean.”
Amidst the barrage of criticism directed at Mabel, Rebecca’s smooth voice was heard. As the curtains were discreetly drawn to peek outside, the Dean, who had been worrying, revealed himself along with the ringing of the Cheshire Hall bell.
“Miss Rebecca.”
The Dean greeted Rebecca warmly, albeit with an anxious expression. He couldn’t be unaware of Rebecca’s background as one of the sponsoring families of Summerhill.
“Today, the members of our Home Economics Club and I stand here to uphold the proud honor of Summerhill. We hope that you will review the notice we have prepared and take immediate disciplinary action against Miss Mabel Willis.”
Rebecca, who had just been treating Mabel as nonexistent moments ago, looked directly at her before handing the notice she was holding to the Dean. Rebecca’s polite smile remained on her lips.
“Miss Willis, this is merely a decision of the disciplined and precedent-valuing Home Economics Club, without any personal feelings toward Miss Willis. Whether Miss Willis dared to deceive her way into a school attended by the upper class with some despicable hobby is not our concern. The responsibility for admitting someone unqualified lies not with ignorant Miss Willis but with the school’s admissions office, don’t you agree, Dean?”
Rebecca’s cold tone mixed with a smile made the Dean flinch. It was a message conveying Rebecca’s intention not to directly confront Mabel, a maid-born girl, and at the same time, pointing out the school’s weaknesses as a sponsoring family.
“Miss Willis, there’s no need for you to be here. It might be best for you to go back to the dormitories and pack your belongings while the Dean and the students handle this matter. There’s no reason for you to stay at Summerhill unless you plan to work here as a maid, that is.”
Rebecca chuckled lightly as if finding the situation amusing. A few members of the Home Economics Club burst into laughter at her cold joke.
Mabel felt a strange sense of familiarity surrounding her in this situation. It was reminiscent of the time, about a year ago, when she was almost expelled from Lord Alfred’s. However, unlike then, Mabel didn’t collapse to the ground in tears or beg endlessly in the face of sudden misfortune.
“Dean, members of the Home Economics Club, please give me the chance to explain this situation.”
Mabel spoke with a trembling yet composed voice. Though her narrowed vision due to fear didn’t allow her to see, more and more students were gathering around the hall.
“I came to Summerhill College to learn and pursue my dream of becoming a writer. Yes, that’s right. I am indeed as Miss Rebecca and the members of the Home Economics Club have found out, a maid-born girl from under the stairs.”
Contrary to the Home Economics Club’s expectations of Mabel offering excuses or weaving new lies, the corridors of Cheshire Hall quieted down as Mabel calmly revealed her true identity.
“Moreover, I am an orphan. With a humble background where neither my birthplace nor my parents are known, I’ve been tossed between various households doing menial jobs since I was twelve. There’s a chance that under the stairs of someone’s house here, I might have worked without even daring to exchange a word with noble ladies like yourselves. So, I understand why you may consider me unfit to be here. When I first came here, I thought the same way.”
Mabel spoke with her eyes slightly closed. It took her some time to fully grasp the situation, but starting to tell her story at Summerhill felt like starting to flow blood back into her heart and mind.
“But while at Summerhill, I’ve learned from intelligent and witty conversations with all of you, and from the teachings of gracious and wise professors. Education should be given fairly to everyone regardless of their status. So, I believe my presence here isn’t entirely wrong.”
The hall had become so silent that not even a breath could be heard as everyone focused on her. Mabel strengthened her voice as she looked at the students listening intently to her story.
“For those of you who may have had private tutors or attended prestigious schools, I had my first philosophy class here. Do you remember, in our first year? It was the words of Immanuel Kant. ‘Humanity aims to overcome ignorance and the ignorance of others.’ I remember how passionately both the professors who taught this and the students who debated with me agreed with Kant’s words.”
Mabel glanced at the familiar faces surrounding her, the faces she had debated and studied with, eyes gleaming with recognition.
“If Kant’s words are true, if the true path of living as a human is to fight against ignorance within oneself and in others… then isn’t it the same goal for everyone, whether born as a maid under the stairs or as a lady of a noble family, to improve themselves through learning?”
Mabel’s words stirred up Cheshire Hall. Among the listeners were students who recognized Mabel as the talented girl who wrote popular short stories for “Modern Woman” and won the academic excellence award, as well as those who were reminded of their first philosophy class at Summerhill.
“I didn’t come to Summerhill College with any despicable hobby. I didn’t come here to ridicule upper-class ladies or tarnish the school’s honor. At least, who would stick around here, even completing the notorious assignments given by Senior Lorelei, if they had such ludicrous intentions?”
Mabel said with a slight smile. Students familiar with Lorelei’s notorious assignments quietly chuckled at Mabel’s words.
Mabel’s heart was pounding fast. But it wasn’t out of fear. It was the exhilaration of voicing what she believed in. The tightly woven threads of her thoughts, like writing, finally converged into one message through various strands.
“If my presence has tarnished the honor of those here, I apologize. However, because I believe that Summerhill’s honor comes from knowledge gained through education and noble actions born from that knowledge, I cannot accept being expelled under the pretext of damaging the school’s honor and tradition.”
Mabel’s voice carried an undeniable resonance. While directly rebutting Rebecca’s demand for expulsion and the Home Economics Club’s request, her demeanor wasn’t aggressive or arrogant. There was a subtle yet unmistakable dignity in her pale face, and the citation of the philosopher was precise and sharp.
Above all, Mabel’s voice elegantly revealed her sincerity, proving her to be a student who truly received Summerhill’s teachings.