Dear Lisa

Dear Lisa is a piece of historical fiction written in the form of letters sent from a teenage girl to her eldest sister. Let this story bring you to 1902 small-town Quebec.

This is part three of three. Click here to skip back to Part I or Part II.

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January 28th, 1903

Dear Lisa,

I got reprimanded for wearing the trousers. I could not resist but to see if they fit. I never wore them to breakfast or tea, nor did I wear them to class as the Lent term had not begun yet. Only the other boarders who stayed over the Christmas holidays have seen them, so it is not as if I have flaunted the trousers in front of the entire college.

To my surprise though, Miss Smith did not confiscate them. She gave me the line “I will dress in appropriate clothing at all times” to write 200 times, but after I pointed out that what is considered appropriate can depend on the person, she changed it to, well, a much longer and more specific sentence which I had to write 400 times and which I refuse to write down one more time.

Anywho, because I was determined to show them to my friends once they returned for the winter term, I wore the trousers beneath my long skirt and gave them quick peeps while we snowshoed or walked around the ring. To be completely honest, wearing trousers underneath my skirt is much warmer! I have been wearing them almost every day, and I found myself no longer complaining of the cold, whether it be inside the college or outside for exercises.

I am under the belief that Headmistress Smith has noticed that I have been wearing the trousers under my skirt, but she had not yet said a word to me. She often gives me these looks that make me feel as though she knows, but I cannot be certain.

Then, one day during our free time, she asked me about what I was reading, which was the Journal de Françoise magazine you had sent me. I have read it multiple times over since receiving it, but still feel as though I learn something new with every reading. Miss Smith says she has heard of it, but never had a copy of her own. I offered to lend it to her, and she accepted. A few days later she called me into her office, and I thought I must have done something against the rules, but she simply wanted to discuss the work. We had a lengthy, in-depth conversation about it. She does not agree with all that Robertine Barry says, but with much of it. Oddly enough, our discussion was, dare I say, pleasant.

Because of all of this, I have found myself defending Miss Smith to my peers when they have negative comments about her, which they find to be odd behaviour, even though I have told them all about my discussions with the headmistress.

If you would have met Miss Smith, I am sure you would be as surprised as I am that she is capable of kindness. If she is capable of change, anyone is.

With love,

Felicity

PS. Thank you for my very own copy of A Vindication of the Rights of Women. I encouraged Helene and Julia to read it in order to discuss it all together, but they would rather embroider and chat about the boys at holy communion. I cannot wait to talk to you about it. Tu me manque.

PS. I am incredibly lucky that Miss Smith did not question me on where I acquired the magazine. It would have been the end of our secret arrangement.

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March 10th, 1903

Dear Lisa,

J’ai été trahie.

I have shared the Le Coin du feu clipping with Ruth Rand, and instead of returning it to me, she passed it on to the other Californian girl, June Green, who got caught reading it during our algebra class. When she was caught, she immediately pointed her crooked finger towards me, and I was escorted to Headmistress Smith’s office.

Other than the regular lines I often find myself writing, Miss Smith is also banning me from attending the sugaring-off event, nor attending any school outing till closing day. She is also forcing me to sing in the Church choir at every Sunday morning service. These are just a few examples of the many, many reprimands I ought to face for my misbehaviour.

Suffice to say, miss Smith was not pleased with me at all, and I feel like the good relationship I had developed with her is now completely void. She did not hold back. I convinced her to let me write one last letter to you, asking you to stop writing to me and to allow me to send back all the articles and objects you have sent me, including the trousers. I would list all my oncoming troubles, but Miss Smith has given me a limited amount of time to write this letter, so I ought to hurry in completing it.

I truly appreciate all the time you have taken in sending me so many inspiring words. I ought to trust my memory till the summer when you will be able to, once again, share your collection of inspiring texts with me. I cannot wait to hear what you have been up to with ASJBM, or how your studies are going. You must tell me about it all when we see each other in July.

I will write you as soon as I am able, but for now, every single one of my letters will be inspected.

Missing you,

Felicity

PS. I would ask you how you would recommend I take my revenge on June Green, but there is no point: I will not be receiving any replies from you in the near future. Summer cannot arrive any sooner!

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June 18th, 1903

Dear Lisa,

I hope you have been doing well. Father says you have, but I want to hear it from you.

I am now back home for the Summer, so we can resume our correspondence, and since I am much closer to you now, you could come to visit home.

Enough about small details, I must update you on the past three months. To be truthful, these last few days have been more compelling, so I will only tell you about them. Without your letters, the time was excruciatingly long, and playing croquet is simply not as stimulating as reading the words of Marie Lacoste-Gérin-Lajoie.

Anywho, father arrived in Compton on the 15th. Because of his presence, I was allowed to attend the end-of-year dance. On the 16th father brought me to Sherbrooke to shop, and we drove past Lennoxville on our way there, where I was able to see female pupils walking on the University grounds! It was an amazing sight.

On the 17th, Sunday, father came to St-James the Less with the entire class. Because he was there, I was not required to join the choir. However, father asked me who this boy I was fraternizing with was. I did not expect him to remember this! Seeing how red my cheeks turned, father knew the boy was present, so I had no choice but to introduce them. This was the first time I was truly allowed to talk with Timothy. We had continued giving each other friendly glances at every service, but I was under so much supervision that I never dared to break any more rules. However, with father, I learned so much about him, and we even exchanged addresses in order to correspond over the summer. Father has even allowed him to come visit if ever he is in Montreal. All this to say: you were right. I am definitely smitten.

Furthermore, although I never thought I could redeem myself when it comes to Miss Smith, I was pleasantly surprised at the closing ceremony. She not only awarded me with the “Excellence in Canadian History” prize, but she also pulled me aside at the end of the ceremony to hand me a gift. Surprising, right? The gift was a Canadian history book from her personal library. She wrote a note on one of the first pages saying:

To change history, you must know it.

You have much potential, my dear.

Simply try not to break any rules as you do so.

Gena Smith

I was immensely surprised by the gift—so was father (they had been corresponding about me, after all)—but seeing the note inside answered all my questions. I feel as though next year will be filled with even more challenges, but I believe I am ready for them.

À bientôt,

Felicity

PS. Which dress should I wear when Timothy visits?

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Missed what happened first? Find the previous letters in Part I and Part II.

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