And both were young

by Madeleine L'Engle

Did you ever think when a hearse goes by
That one of these days you are going to die?

The French girls were singing a dreadful song about a corpse being dissected: Dans un amphitheâtre il y avait un macaber ... while Erna and the rest of the girls were for some unexplained reason singing the school song.

When Gloria stopped singing she shouted, "I say, I'm tired of this. Let's go back to school and play ping pong."

"How long should we leave Pill?" Jackie asked.

Erna considered. "Well, let's see."

"Not too long," Solvei put in on Flip's behalf. "She did awfully well during the initiation."

Behind her blindfold and gag Flip felt a glow of pride because she could hear from Solvei's voice that this time she really meant what she was saying.

"Well, fifteen minutes, then," Erna said.

"Fifteen minutes! What are you talking about!" Esmée Bodet cried. "An hour at least."

"Well, half an hour, then," Jackie compromised.