Violet

Just then Mrs. West came into the room, carrying her daughter in her arms. Violet was a pale girl, with long, dark brown hair, with some locks of red mixed in which shone in the light. She had a little clip of violet-coloured silk flowers that held her hair in a pony-tail. Violet looked into Astra's eyes. Violet seemed wide-eyed and innocent, as children are about the world, but did not speak a word. Mrs. West then said, "Violet, say hello to Miss Astra. She is your new governess."

The little voice said, "Hello, Miss Astra."

Mrs. West set the child down. Unlike children of her own tribe, Violet stay still, as if she had been drilled into doing so. Astra had noticed this, and wondered if the Wests lived a nation where people were by custom disciplined from birth, or if the conditions of the island had imposed such a discipline. Astra was unsure of what to say to Violet, so she simply said, "Hello, Violet."

This seemed to be enough for Mrs. West, who then said, "Violet, tell Miss Astra what your favourite subject is."

Violet then said, "I like Natural Floss-o-fee. I want to be a scientist, just like Doctor Parton."

Mr. and Mrs. West smiled and laughed a little. Mr. West said, "Violet has already started, with Doctor Parton's help. She has a collection of shells, both from aboard and those that are native to the Island. There are many which are found nowhere else."

Mrs. West whispered to Astra, "Don't let her go out alone, though, even if she asks. It is still too dangerous for her to do this at her age."

The Wests then took Astra to Violet's room. There were all the things that one would expect in the room of a little girl - a doll, a bed, a few simple picture books, and a sepia picture of Mum, Dad, Walter, and Violet on the wall. The wallpaper was that of a regular pattern of flowers. On one wall, by a little fireplace, was a glass case with shells, with little labels.

Astra said, "This one is pretty. Look at the rainbow-colours and the spirals. What is that?"

Violet raised her hand, and Mrs. West said, "Tell her, Violet."

Violet said, "It is the Great Blue Nautilus. If you put your finger in it, you get shocked and die."

Mr. West corrected her, "That is only if the nautilus is still living in its shell. If it has moved to another shell, or been eaten, the shell is quite safe."

Mrs. West said, "Don't worry about the Great Blue, Astra. They are shy, and if you accidently run across one, then you will never know it. Now this one," said Mrs. West, pointing to a flat circular shell, "is the skeleton of a St. Anselm's Doubloon. It is in the same family as sea urchins and sand dollars, but is much nastier if you touch a live one. The problem with a Doubloon is that it will not kill you. But you are in such pain that you will do anything to stop it. But you cannot, as you are paralyzed."

Mr. West said, "Yes. During a military exercise during my first year here, I had one brush against my calf." The colonel raised his right trouser leg to reveal a beautiful pink pattern that was like lacework. He continued, "I was such severe pain, that I could not eat for a week." He looked at Violet, and then said, "As I have said, Astra, this island is beautiful and rich, and I would not choose to go back to Europe until I was so old that I had to retire. But it takes some time to harden to the island."

Astra was about to say something, but was interrupted by a call - it was time for dinner for the Wests. The Wests departed for dinner, but the butler gently held Astra back. It was explaiend that the custom here was that, as a servant, Astra would be expected to eat at the servants table, and only after the Wests had finished. However, she was not expected to cook or clean, as there were servants who did those jobs.

In the meantime, the butler told Astra about

1. further details of deadly flora and fauna of the Island that the Colonel was too squeamish to tell.
2. the native traditions dealing with the volcanoes of the Island.

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