Chapter Three: Mademoiselle Souvestre Summary and Analysis

At fifteen, Eleanor was enrolled in Allenswood, an exclusive girls' finishing school in London. Her grandmother alerted the school's headmistress, Marie Souvestre, about the tragedies of Eleanor's childhood and how she suffered from fear and from being unattractive. The girls who attended the school, all from well-to-do families, weren't treated with kid gloves. They lived in drafty rooms; could shower for only ten minutes three times a week; had to take brisks walks daily despite the weather; and, their rooms were inspected while they were in class. If a drawer wasn't neat enough, its contents were dumped on the floor. But Marie Souvestre was a warm person who loved to teach and challenge her students.

Eleanor enjoyed the classes that Mademoiselle Souvestre taught herself—literature and history. Her classes were held in the library...