The Wolves of Willoughby Chase

The girls are brought to a school run by Mrs. Gertrude Brisket and her daughter, Diana. They’re greeted at the door by a pupil, Lucy, who has unevenly cut short hair and a dingy pair of overalls with a number stitched to the breast. As Miss Slighcarp talks to Mrs. Brisket, Diana meets Bonnie and Sylvia, taking Sylvia’s hat and treating them with haughty disdain. Mrs. Brisket and Miss Slighcarp come out of the office. Miss Slighcarp warns Mrs. Brisket about Bonnie’s temper, and the girls realize they are in a bad situation.

Mrs. Brisket leads the girls to two different dorm rooms and tells them to go to bed. The rooms are freezing, and Sylvia struggles to sleep. Bonnie sneaks into the dorm and reassures her that they’ll be together, and that they can run away if it gets too bad. 

The next morning, their hair is cut and their clothes are taken and replaced with brown overalls. They’re given a small portion of oatmeal with no butter or sugar for breakfast, and told they won’t get dinner because Bonnie left her bed in the night. Sylvia is assigned a job in the laundry, while Bonnie is assigned to the kitchen.