The fees ledger

An original fiction passage set in the nineteenth century.

Mrs Vale had left the fees ledger open upon her desk. Across one page, every name ended in a neat black figure except Alice Grey's, beside which three red lines had been drawn. Half hidden beneath the book was Alice's composition, awarded the highest mark in the school. A letter from the girl's uncle explained that no further payment could be made before winter.

Miss Crow, who taught the younger pupils, placed the builder's estimate beside the ledger. Rain had already marked the classroom ceiling, and another storm might bring the plaster down. She reminded Mrs Vale that the other families paid promptly because they expected their daughters to be taught in a sound building. If one pupil remained without paying, Miss Crow said, kindness to Alice would become an unfairness to everyone else.

Mrs Vale walked to the window. Alice was crossing the yard with her books pressed against her coat. She had been told nothing, yet the books were tied together as if for a journey. When she entered, she returned the classroom key and said that her uncle had found work for her in a laundry. Her voice remained steady until Mrs Vale asked why she had rubbed her name from the inside of the school atlas.

That evening, Mrs Vale wrote two letters. The first told the builder to repair only the most damaged part of the roof. The second allowed Alice to remain for six weeks in return for helping the younger girls with their reading. To meet the cost, Mrs Vale cancelled the order for new maps. She closed the ledger, but neither the red lines nor the builder's estimate had disappeared.

“Mrs Vale’s final decision is shown as an honest effort to treat everyone in the school fairly.”

Evaluate how successfully the writer presents this idea. Support your judgement with detailed references to the passage.