Either the meat was not done or had been burnt, or the salt had been left out of the bread, or the tea had been forgotten.
Early one morning I was standing near the dining-room door listening to the complaints of the students.

The complaints that morning were especially emphatic and numerous, because the whole breakfast had been a failure.

One of the girls who had failed to get any breakfast came out and went to the well to draw some water to drink and take the place of the breakfast which she had not been able to get.

When she reached the well, she found that the rope was broken and that she could get no water.

She turned from the well and said, in the most discouraged tone, not knowing that I was where I could hear her, "We can't even get water to drink at this school." I think no one remark ever came so near discouraging me as that one.
At another time, when Mr.Bedford--whom I have already spoken of as one of our trustees, and a devoted friend of the institution--was visiting the school, he was given a bedroom immediately over the dining room.
Early in the morning he was awakened by a rather animated discussion between two boys in the dining room below.