She particularly waged war against what she termed "sentiment". She objected to seeing girls walking about the playground with their arms round each other's waists, or to the display of any affection. She called such behaviour "early Victorian", and spoke of it with contempt. During the war she had taken the place of a junior master at a boys' grammar school, and her ideal was that girls should exhibit their feelings as little as their brothers. She made a new rule that recreation time must be spent in definite games, and that nobody was to be allowed to lounge about the playground or gymnasium and chat. This met with fierce opposition among the seniors and juniors alike. They talked about it fifty to the dozen in their cloakrooms.
"I never heard such nonsense in all my life."
"Mayn't take each other's arms, indeed."
"What would happen if I kissed anybody?"
"Oh, you'd get reported!"
"Kissing's called 'unhealthy', if you please."
"Oh, indeed, is it? I thought 'Any time was kissing time'."
"Don't tell Miss Ormerod so, that's all."
"Why shouldn't we walk round the gym and talk?"
"We're supposed to be learning to gossip."