"Old as Granpa's whiskey," Daddy remarked.
"I think quite a bit older than that. Mr. Forman," she said sarcastically, not realizing Daddy was not being literal. He looked at Mommy. who smiled to herself. She was staring down at the beautiful marble tile floor, admiring how it glittered and wondering how often it was washed. I'm sure.
The hallway leading in was of similar marble, its walls decorated by paintings depicting famous scenes from Greek. Elizabethan, and nineteenthcentury theater, all in rich, thick, wooden frames. There was more statuary, and here and there a vase with imitation flowers. I clung more tightly to Uncle Simon's real roses. Adorning the walls as well were oval mirrors, framed in thick, rich mahogany. Above us ran a line of chandeliers with tear-drop bulbs raining light down the long corridor. On the left, about midway, was a dramatic grand spiral staircase with a dark cherry wood balustrade. The steps were carpeted in a tight, light beige stitch and looked never stepped upon.
"I will conduct a more elaborate tour of the building for Honey and the others once she is settled in and meets our other students. All,' she added pointedly, "who have long since arrived, when they were scheduled to do so."
"We got caught in some nasty traffic," Daddy started to explain. "There was road work and--"
"Unfortunate." she muttered. She glanced at her watch.
"We're actually a bit behind schedule. I'm afraid, so we'll have to make this quick. Please continue to follow me," she said, starting for the stairway.
Mommy threw a disappointed look in the direction of the great rooms ahead of us on the right and the left. Laura was at least charitable enough to throw a gesture that way and add, "Our studios, lecture halls, dining room, and parlor are all downstairs, of course. We do have a costume storage room on the third floor. however."
Daddy, struggling a bit with my two large suitcases, started up after her. Mommy and I trailing behind and gaping at as much as we could, from the paintings to the wainscoting. Everything looked sparkling, immaculate. Every bulb in every chandelier worked, and there must have been a few hundred.
"What about the medical facilities?" Mommy asked even before we reached the second landing.
Laura Fairchild turned so abruptly. Daddy nearly tripped over the next step and had to fight to keep from falling forward. She lo
oked down at us, her right eyebrow hoisted a little higher than her left.
"Some of New York City's most respected hospitals, with international reputations, are just minutes away, and Madame Senetsky's personal physician is always available to make a house call, if need be, but we have never had such a need."
"I was just wondering," Mommy said softly. She practically added. "I didn't mean to sound critical." I could see it in her expression, but she bit down on her lower lip to shut in the actual words and continued to follow Daddy, who struggled along behind Laura.
The upstairs floor was thickly carpeted in the same light beige. The walls up here were filled with paintings similar to the ones below, but also included portraits of actors and actresses, singers and dancers, some of whom I recognized, but many I didn't. There were marble-top stands, upon which rested busts of famous theater people. including Greek playwrights like Sophocles and Euripides, their names embossed at the base.
Some pedestals held small figurines: ballet dancers, pewter couples doing a dance routine, people cast in brass performing dramatic poses out of some opera or drama. I was sure. And more vases with imitation flowers.
Without real flowers, the air was filled with the scent of cleaning agents, polishes, window cleaners. Uncle Simon's roses still had their sweet aroma. I was more grateful than I thought I'd be for that.
Laura paused at the first door on the left.
"This will be your room," she declared, and reached for the doorknob. We gathered behind her as she opened it to a surprisingly large room with a fourposter canopy bed and matching night stands, all in a milk-white wood. The floor was covered with a rich, thick, pinkish-white carpet. There was a large window on the west side that faced a metal balcony and some metal stairs going upward.
"I'm afraid your view of the city is disturbed somewhat by this mandatory fire escape the city made the Senetskys build years ago."
"It comes in handy if there's a fire," Daddy remarked cheerfully.
"Yes." Laura said dryly. "But I wish they could have built it more off to the side. This landing is for two rooms, and then there's another for the next two. and so on and so on," she said with a deep,
deprecating tone of voice.
She walked to the closet door and opened it to show me how bit it was. Then she pointed out the dresser and the smaller one across from it. There was a pretty desk in the left corner with a lamp and a chair.
"I'll set your computer on that. okay. Honey?" Daddy said, nodding at it. We had brought along my notebook. Chandler and I had promised to e-mail each other as often as possible.
"There is only one phone line in each room,' Laura quickly said. "It's a direct line, so you can take down the number before you leave. Our students hardly have time to dawdle on computers. anyway. Most of what they need to know they will find here at the school. Theory is put to practice very quickly. We don't assign homework in the traditional sense. There is no research except for the research you do on your own skills and talents."
"I'll just use it for E-mail," I said.
"Yes, you and Miss Rose Wallace. it seems. Madame Senetsky finds it a very impersonal way of communicating and refuses to have a computer. We still communicate the old fashioned way, via letters and actual phone conversations." she added.
Mommy, who was about as versed in modern technology as an Eskimo might be, squeezed her eyebrows toward each other and smiled with confusion.
"Well, now, here is your daily schedule," Laura Fairchild said, pulling a small packet of papers out of the leather folder she had under her left arm. "and here is our orientation booklet," she added, handing them all to me. "We'll be going over all this in great detail when you're all together." She checked her watch again.