ille…I strapped a bit of cardboard over the broken windowpane with Scotch tape and got a cloth and bucket and mopped up the pool of water on the floor。 Then I ran across the short covered way to the cabins out back and went into mine； Number 9 on the right…hand side toward the lake； and took off my clothes and had a cold shower。 My white Terylene shirt was smudged from the fall； and I washed it and hung it up to dry。
I had already forgotten my chastisement by the storm and the fact that I had behaved like a silly goose； and my heart was singing again with the prospect of my solitary evening and of being on my way the next day。 On an impulse； I put on the best I had in my tiny wardrobe…my black velvet toreador pants with the rather indecent gold zip down the seat； itself most unchastely tight； and； not bothering with a bra； my golden thread Camelot sweater with the wide floppy turtleneck。 I admired myself in the mirror； decided to pull my sleeves up above the elbows； slipped my feet into my gold Ferragamo sandals； and did the quick dash back to the lobby。 There was just one good drink left in the quart of Virginia Gentleman bourbon that had already lasted me two weeks； and I filled one of the best cut…glass tumblers with ice cubes and poured the bourbon over them； shaking the bottle to get out the last drop。 Then I pulled the most fortable armchair over from the reception side of the room to stand beside the radio； turned the radio up； lit a Parliament from the last five in my box； took a stiff pull at my drink； and curled myself into the armchair。
The mercial； all about cats and how they loved Pussyfoot Prime Liver Meal； lilted on against the steady roar of the rain； whose tone only altered when a particularly heavy gust of wind hurled the water like grapeshot at the windows and softly shook the building。 Inside； it was just as I had visualized…weatherproof； cozy； and gay and glittering with lights and chromium。 WOKO announced forty minutes of 〃Music to Kiss By〃 and suddenly there were the Ink Spots singing 〃Someone's Rockin' My Dream Boat；〃 and I was back on the River Thames and it was five summers ago and we were drifting down past Kings Eyot in a punt and there was Windsor Castle in the distance and Derek was paddling while I worked the portable。 We only had ten records； but whenever it came to be the turn of the Ink Spots' L。P。 and the record got to 〃Dream Boat；〃 Derek would always plead； 〃Play it again； Viv；〃 and I would have to go down on my knees and find the place with the needle。
So now my eyes filled with tears…not because of Derek； but because of the sweet pain of boy and girl and sunshine and first love with its tunes and snapshots and letters 〃Sealed With A Loving Kiss。〃 They were tears of sentiment for lost childhood； and of self…pity for the pain that had been its winding sheet； and I let two tears roll down my cheeks before I brushed them away and decided to have a short orgy of remembering。
My name is Vivienne Michel and； at the time I was sitting in the Dreamy Pines motel and remembering； I was twenty…three。 I am five feet six； and I always thought I had a good figure until the English girls at Astor House told me my behind stuck out too much and that I must wear a tighter bra。 My eyes； as I have said； are blue and my hair a dark brown with a natural wave； and my ambition is one day to give it a lion's streak to make me look older and more dashing。 I like my rather high cheekbones； although these same girls said they made me look 〃foreign；〃 but my nose is too small； and my mouth too big so that it often looks sexy when I don't want it to。 I have a sanguine temperament which I like to think is romantically tinged with melancholy； but I am wayward and independent to an extent that worried the sisters at the convent and exasperated Miss Threadgold at Astor House。 （〃Women should be willows； Vivienne。 It is for men to be oak and ash。〃）
I am French…Canadian。 I was born just outside Quebec at a little place called Sainte Famille on the north coast of the Ile d'Orleans； a long island that lies like a huge sunken ship in the middle of the Saint Lawrence River where it approaches the Quebec Straits。 I grew up in and beside this great river； with the result that my main hobbies are swimming and fishing and camping and other outdoor things。 I can't remember much about my parents…except that I loved my father and got on badly with my mother…because when I was eight they were both killed in a wartime air crash ing in to land at Montreal on their way to a wedding。 The courts made me a ward of my widowed aunt； Florence Toussaint； and she moved into our little house and brought me up。 We got on all right； and today I almost love her； but she was a Protestant； while I had been brought up as a Catholic； and I became the victim of the religious tug of war that has always been the bane of priest…ridden Quebec； so nearly exactly divided between the faiths。 The Catholics won the battle over my spiritual well…being； and I was educated in the Ursuline Convent until I was fifteen。 The sisters were strict and the accent was very much on piety； with the result that I learned a great deal of religious history and rather obscure dogma which I would gladly have exchanged for subjects that would have fitted me to be something other than a nurse or a nun； and； when in the end the atmosphere became so stifling to my spirit that I begged to be taken away； my aunt gladly rescued me from 〃the Papists〃 and it was decided that； at the age of sixteen； I should go to England and be 〃finished。〃 This caused something of a local hullabaloo。 Not only are the Ursulines the center of Catholic tradition in Quebec…the Convent proudly owns the skull of Mont…calm； for two centuries there have never been less than nine sisters kneeling at prayer； night and day； before the chapel altar…but my family had belonged to the very innermost citadel of French…Canadianism； and that their daughter should flout both treasured folkways at one blow was a nine days' wonder…and scandal。
The true sons and daughters of Quebec form a society； almost a secret society； that must be as powerful as the Calvinist clique of Geneva； and the initiates refer to themselves proudly； male or female； as 〃Canadiennes。〃 Lower； much lower； down the scale e the 〃Canadiens〃…Protestant Canadians。 Then 〃Les Anglais；〃 which embraces all more or less recent immigrants from Britain； and lastly； 〃Les Américains；〃 a term of contempt。 The Canadiennes pride themselves on their spoken French； although it is a bastard patois full of two…hundred…year…old words which Frenchmen themselves don't understand and is larded with Frenchified English words…rather； I suppose； like the relationship of Afrikaans to the language of the Dutch。 The snobbery and exclusive…ness of this Quebec clique extend even toward the French who live in France。 These mother…people to the Canadiennes are referred to simply as 〃Etrangers〃！ I have told all this at some length to explain that the defection from The Faith of a Michel from Sainte Famille was almost as heinous a crime as a defection； if that were possible； from the Mafia in Sicily； and it was made pretty plain to me that； in leaving the Ursulines and Quebec； I had just about burned my bridges so far as my spiritual guardians and my home town were concerned。
My aunt sensibly pooh…poohed my nerves over the social ostracism that followed…most of my friends were forbidden to have anything to do with me…but the fact remains that I arrived in England loaded with a sense of guilt and 〃difference〃 that； added to my 〃colonialism；〃 were dreadful psychological burdens with which to face a smart finishing school for young ladies。
Miss Threadgold's Astor House was； like most of these very English establishments； in the Sunningdale area…a large Victorian stockbrokery kind of place； whose upper floors had been divided up with plasterboard to make bedrooms for twenty…five pairs of girls。 Being a 〃foreigner；〃 I was teamed up with the other foreigner； a dusky Lebanese millionairess with huge tufts of mouse…colored hair in her armpits； and an equal passion for chocolate fudge and an Egyptian film star called Ben Said； whose gleaming photograph…gleaming teeth； mustache； eyes； and hair…was soon to be torn up and flushed down the lavatory by the three senior girls of Rose Dormitory； of which we were both members。 Actually I was saved by the Lebanese。 She was so dreadful； petulant； smelly； and obsessed with her money that most of the school took pity on me and went out of their way to be kind。 But there were many others who didn't； and I was made to suffer agonies for my accent； my table manners； which were considered uncouth； my total lack of savoir…faire； and； in general； for being a Canadian。 I was also； I see now； much too sensitive and quicktempered。 I just wouldn't take the bullying and teasing； and when I had roughed up two or three of my tormentors； others got together with them and set upon me in bed one night and punched and pinched and soaked me with water until I burst into tears and promised 1 wouldn't 〃fight like an elk〃 any more。 After that； I gradually settled down； made an armistice with the place； and morosely set about learning to be a 〃lady。〃
It was the holidays th