Nell's favorite part of the curriculum was Thalia, which was scheduled for 
an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon. When Miss Matheson hauled 
once on the old bellrope
dangling down from the belfry, belting a single dolorous clang across the 
campus, Nell and the other girls in her section would arise, curtsy to their 
teacher, walk in single file down the corridor to the courtyard—then 
break into a chaotic run until they reached the Hall of Physical Culture, where 
they would strip out of their heavy, scratchy complicated uniforms and climb 
into lighter, looser, scratchy complicated uniforms with more freedom of 
movement.