The French Lesson (A Little Princess)

01CHAPTER II.

02A FRENCH LESSON When Sarah entered the schoolroom the next morning, everybody looked at her with wide, interested eyes.

03By that time, every pupil, from Lavinia Herbert, who was nearly thirteen, and felt quite grown up, to Lottie Lay, who was only just four and the baby of the school, had heard a great deal about her.

04They knew very certainly that she was Miss Minchin's show-pupil, and was considered a credit to the establishment.

05One or two of them had even caught a glimpse of her French maid, Mariette, who had arrived the evening before.

06Lavinia had managed to pass Sarah's room when the door was open, and had seen Mariette opening a box which had arrived late from some shop.

07It was full of petticoats with lace frills on them—frills and frills, she whispered to her friend Jessie, as she bent over her geography.

08I saw her shaking them out.

09I heard Miss Minchin say to Miss Amelia that her clothes were so grand that they were ridiculous for a child.

10My Mama says that children should be dressed simply.

11She's got one of those petticoats on now.

12I saw it when she sat down.

13She has silk stockings on, whispered Jessie, bending over her geography also.

14And what little feet!

15I never saw such little feet.

16Oh!

17sniffed Lavinia spitefully.

18That is the way her slippers are made.

19My Mama says that even big feet can be made to look small if you have a clever shoemaker.

20I don't think she is pretty at all.

21Her eyes are such a queer colour." "'She isn't pretty as other pretty people are,' said Jessie, stealing a glance across the room.

22"'But she makes you want to look at her again.

23She has tremendously long eyelashes, but her eyes are almost green.'" Sarah was sitting quietly in her seat, waiting to be told what to do.

24She had been placed near Miss Minchin's desk.

25She was not abashed at all by the many pairs of eyes watching her.

26She was interested, and looked back quietly at the children who looked at her.

27She wondered what they were thinking of, and if they liked Miss Minchin, and if they cared for their lessons, and if any of them had a papa at all like her own.

28She had had a long talk with Emily about her papa that morning.

29"'He is on the sea now, Emily,' she had said.

30"'We must be very great friends to each other, and tell each other things.

31Emily, look at me.

32You have the nicest eyes I ever saw, but I wish you could speak.'" She was a child full of imaginings and whimsical thoughts, and one of her fancies was that there would be a great deal of comfort in even pretending that Emily was alive, and really heard and understood.

33After Mariette had dressed her in her dark blue schoolroom frock, and tied her hair with a dark blue ribbon, she went to Emily, who sat in a chair of her own, and gave her a book.

34"'You can read that while I am downstairs,' she said.

35And seeing Mariette looking at her curiously, she spoke to her with a serious little face.

36"'What I believe about dolls,' she said, "'is that they can do things they will not let us know about.

37Perhaps, really, Emily can read and talk and walk, but she will only do it when people are out of the room.

38That is her secret.

39You see, if people knew that dolls could do things, they would make them work.

40So, perhaps, they have promised each other to keep it a secret.

41If you stay in the room, Emily will just sit there and stare.

42But if you go out, she will begin to read, perhaps, or go and look out of the window.

43Then, if she heard either of us coming, she would just run back and jump into her chair and pretend she had been there all the time.' "'Cromel est drolle,' Mariette said to herself, and when she went downstairs she told the head housemaid about it.

44But she had already begun to like this odd little girl who had such an intelligent small face and such perfect manners.

45She had taken care of children before who were not so polite.

46Sarah was a very fine little person, and had a gentle, appreciative way of saying, "'If you please, Mariette—thank you, Mariette,' which was very charming.

47Mariette told the head housemaid that she thanked her as if she were thanking a lady.

48"'Elle a l'heure d'une princesse, cette petite,' she said.

49Indeed, she was very much pleased with her new little mistress, and liked her place greatly.

50After Sarah had sat in her seat in the schoolroom for a few minutes, being looked at by the pupils, Miss Minchin rapped in a dignified manner upon her desk.

51"'Young ladies,' she said, "'I wish to introduce you to your new companion.' All the little girls rose in their places, and Sarah rose also.

52"'I shall expect you all to be very agreeable to Miss Crewe.

53She has just come to us from a great distance—in fact, from India.

54As soon as lessons are over, you must make each other's acquaintance.' The pupils bowed ceremoniously, and Sarah made a little curtsy, and then they sat down and looked at each other again.

55"'Sarah,' said Miss Minchin in her schoolroom manner.

56"'Come here to me.' She had taken a book from the desk, and was turning over its leaves.

57Sarah went to her politely.

58"'As your papa has engaged a French maid for you,' she began, "'I conclude that he wishes you to make a special study of the French language.' Sarah felt a little awkward.

59"'I think he engaged her,' she said, "'because he—he thought I would like her, Miss Minchin.' "'I am afraid,' said Miss Minchin, with a slightly sour smile, "'that you have been a very spoiled little girl, and always imagine that things are done because you like them.

60My impression is that your papa wished you to learn French.' If Sarah had been older, or less punctilious about being quite polite to people, she could have explained herself in a very few words.

61But as it was, she felt a flush rising on her cheeks.

62Miss Minchin was a very severe and imposing person, and she seemed so absolutely sure that Sarah knew nothing whatever of French, that she felt as if it would be almost rude to correct her.

63The truth was, that Sarah could not remember the time when she had not seemed to know French.

64Her father had often spoken it to her when she had been a baby.

65Her mother had been a French woman, and Captain Crewe had loved her language, so it happened that Sarah had always heard and been familiar with it.

66"'I—I have never really learned French, but—but—' she began, trying shyly to make herself clear.

67One of Miss Minchin's chief secret annoyances was that she did not speak French herself, and was desirous of concealing the irritating fact.

68She therefore had no intention of discussing the matter, and laying herself open to innocent questioning by a new little pupil.

69"'That is enough,' she said, with polite tartness.

70"'If you have not learned, you must begin at once.

71The French master, Monsieur Dufange, will be here in a few minutes.

72Take this book, and look at it until he arrives.' Sarah's cheeks felt warm.

73She went back to her seat, and opened the book.

74She looked at the first page with a grave face.

75She knew it would be rude to smile, and she was very determined not to be rude.

76But it was very odd to find herself expected to study a page which told her that Le Père meant the father, and La Mère meant the mother.

77Miss Minchin glanced toward her scrutinizingly.

78"'You look rather cross, Sarah,' she said.

79"'I am sorry you do not like the idea of learning French.' "'I am very fond of it,' answered Sarah, thinking she would try again.

80"'But—'—'You must not say but when you are told to do things,' said Miss Minchin.

81"'Look at your book again.' And Sarah did so, and did not smile, even when she found that Le Fils meant the son, and Le Frère meant the brother.

82"'When Monsieur Dufange comes,' she thought, "'I can make him understand.'" Monsieur Dufange arrived very shortly afterward.

83He was a very nice, intelligent, middle-aged Frenchman, and he looked interested when his eyes fell upon Sarah, trying politely to seem absorbed in her little book of phrases.

84"'Is this a new pupil for me, madame?' he said to Miss Minchin.

85"'I hope that is my good fortune.' "'Her papa, Captain Crewe, is very anxious that she should begin the language, but I am afraid she has a childish prejudice against it.

86She does not seem to wish to learn,' said Miss Minchin.

87"'I am sorry of that, mademoiselle,' he said kindly to Sarah.

88"'Perhaps when we begin to study together I may show you that it is a charming tongue.'" Little Sarah rose in her seat.

89She was beginning to feel rather desperate, as if she were almost in disgrace.

90She looked up into Monsieur Dufange's face with her big green-gray eyes, and they were quite innocently appealing.

91She knew that he would understand as soon as she spoke.

92She began to explain quite simply in pretty and fluent French.

93Madame had not understood.

94She had not learned French exactly, not out of books, but her papa and other people had always spoken it to her, and she had read it and written it as she had read and written English.

95Her papa loved it, and she loved it because he did.

96Her dear Mama, who had died when she was born, had been French.

97She would be glad to learn anything Monsieur would teach her.

98But what she had tried to explain to Madame was that she already knew the words in this book.

99And she held out the little book of phrases.

100When she began to speak, Miss Minchin started quite violently, and sat staring at her over her eyeglasses almost indignantly until she finished.

101Monsieur Dufange began to smile.

102And his smile was one of great pleasure.

103To hear this pretty, childish voice speaking his own language so simply and charmingly, made him feel almost as if he were in his native land, which in dark, foggy days in London sometimes seemed worlds away.

104When she had finished, he took the phrase-book from her, with a look almost affectionate.

105But he spoke to Miss Minchin.

106"'Ah, Madame,' he said, "'there is not much I can teach her.

107She has not learned French.

108She is French.

109Her accent is exquisite.' "'You ought to have told me,' exclaimed Miss Minchin, much mortified, turning to Sarah.

110"'I—I tried,' said Sarah.

111"'I suppose I did not begin right.' Miss Minchin knew she had tried, and that it had not been her fault that she was not allowed to explain.

112And when she saw that the pupils had been listening, and that Lavinia and Jessie were giggling behind their French grammars, she felt infuriated.

113"'Silence, young ladies,' she said severely, rapping upon the desk.

114"'Silence at once.' And she began, from that minute, to feel rather a grudge against her show-pupil.

115End of chapter 2