At least not very much.
Molly Bloom rose, dressed in her customary two pieces of clothing -- she is not exactly a fashionista -- and inhaled a large stack of Mary's excellent pancakes, with a side order of scrapple and applesauce.
Roderick, at home, also had scrapple and applesauce, as he does on most mornings. He thought about last night, how he helped Mary with her homework, then walked her home. Had she lingered slightly on the porch, when he wished her goodnight?
Mr. Smith joined Roderick at the breakfast table. "I see that you helped Mary with her homework last night."
"Mmmpf." Roderick had a mouthful of scrapple and applesauce. He swallowed. "Yes, I did, and walked her home."
"That's a nice thing to do. She needs a little help in school now and then, but she is a nice girl."
Roderick agreed.
"Are you interested in Mary?"
It was an interesting question. Roderick thought for a moment. "She's a very nice girl, and I think she likes me, but she's only fourteen. Also, I hear that she wants to be a prostitute."
Mr. Smith agreed that Mary's aspirations might be a bit of an impediment to a serious relationship, or even a one-nighter if one were short of cash. "Well", he said, "give it some time."
As usual, Roderick met Molly, Mary, Margaret, Catherine and Mr. Fuzzums at the corner, and they all walked to school. When they arrived at campus, Mary, Molly and Roderick peeled off to go to Beauneville Latin, where they signed in and mingled.
A little before nine, everyone climbed the stairs and went to their assigned classrooms. Roderick, Molly and all of the other juniors went to Mr. Cooper's American Literature class; Mary and the freshmen went to Mr. Swift's English class.
The English curriculum at Beauneville Latin focuses on developing basic writing skills in the freshman and sophomore years; juniors study American literature (and its English roots), and seniors study modern English literature.
The assignment in Mr. Swift's class was to write an essay about the weekend. Mary opened her notebook and began to write:
On Sunday, I went to see one of my teachers for special help. When I arrived he invited me inside, and I discovered that he lives by himself. I sat next to him at the kitchen table. After we worked for awhile, he offered me a drink. I don't know what wine tastes like because I'm just fourteen years old but I think it was wine. It tasted funny. We worked some more and then he refilled my drink. Then I started to feel kind of happy. I showed him my virgin pin. He told me he had a special magic thing that would make me feel real good inside and I would still be a virgin. Then he put his hand on my leg andMary figured this was good for an A-plus.
In Mr. Cooper's American Literature class, the topic of the day was Puritan poetry, which even Mr. Cooper had to admit was a real yawner after smutty plays. Molly secretly wished she could take her clothes off. Roderick secretly fantasized about Molly with her clothes off.
At ten, the freshman class moved to Mr. Clio's World History class, where Mary handed in the assignment on the Paleolithic period that Roderick wrote for her. Roderick, Molly and the junior class moved to Mr. Gibbon's American History class. Mr. Gibbon lectured on the Pennsylvania colony and killing Native Americans. Also something about muffins. Roderick noticed that Megan Cupcake had shielded her mouth with her hand and was blowing him kisses.
When the clock struck ten fifty-five, Molly ran downstairs as quick as she could, shed her clothing and assumed a graceful pose, so that the standing-room only class of serious art students, mostly boys, could carefully observe and appreciate her body as a purely aesthetic object. Roderick went to Mr. Horace's Latin class, and sat next to Megan, who put her hand on his leg.
Mary had study hall with Miss Agassiz where she tried hard to be quiet as a mouse. However, at about eleven-thirty, she sneezed. At noon, as Mary was leaving, Miss Agassiz stopped her. "A moment, please, Miss Bloom". Mary paused nervously.
When the last of the other students left the room, Miss Agassiz approached her and stood ominously with a yardstick in her right hand. She wore a red and white floral blouse, black skirt and black boots. The red in her blouse made her look even hotter than she did the previous day. Mary looked up at her teacher, slightly afraid.
"Are you deliberately breaking my rules?", Miss Agassiz growled.
"I'm sorry Miss Agassiz, I couldn't help it..."
"Shut up!" said Miss Agassiz. "I warned you."
The reader will understand that, to avoid appealing to feelings of a prurient nature, the scene that followed will be omitted from this text. Suffice to say that in her afternoon classes, and at dinner that night, Mary found sitting to be a bit uncomfortable.
Uncomfortable, but not entirely unpleasant.
