when,
too
,
she
was
aware
that
I
possessed
her
secret
,
for
I
had
not
scrupled
to
tell
her
as
much
:
but
the
fact
is
that
as
it
was
her
nature
to
doubt
the
reality
and
under-value
the
worth
of
modesty
,
affection
,
disinterestedness
—
to
regard
these
qualities
as
foibles
of
character
—
so
it
was
equally
her
tendency
to
consider
pride
,
hardness
,
selfishness
,
as
proofs
of
strength
.
She
would
trample
on
the
neck
of
humility
,
she
would
kneel
at
the
feet
of
disdain
;
she
would
meet
tenderness
with
secret
contempt
,
indifference
she
would
woo
with
ceaseless
assiduities
.
Benevolence
,
devotedness
,
enthusiasm
,
were
her
antipathies
;
for
dissimulation
and
self-interest
she
had
a
preference
—
they
were
real
wisdom
in
her
eyes
;
moral
and
physical
degradation
,
mental
and
bodily
inferiority
,
she
regarded
with
indulgence
;
they
were
foils
capable
of
being
turned
to
good
account
as
set-offs
for
her
own
endowments
.
To
violence
,
injustice
,
tyranny
,
she
succumbed
—
they
were
her
natural
masters
;
she
had
no
propensity
to
hate
,
no
impulse
to
resist
them
;
the
indignation
their
behests
awake
in
some
hearts
was
unknown
in
hers
.
From
all
this
it
resulted
that
the
false
and
selfish
called
her
wise
,
the
vulgar
and
debased
termed
her
charitable
,
the
insolent
and
unjust
dubbed
her
amiable
,
the
conscientious
and
benevolent
generally
at
first
accepted
as
valid
her
claim
to
be
considered
one
of
themselves
;
but
ere
long
the
plating
of
pretension
wore
off
,
the
real
material
appeared
below
,
and
they
laid
her
aside
as
a
deception
.
CHAPTER
XVI
.
In
the
course
of
another
fortnight
I
had
seen
sufficient
of
Frances
Evans
Henri
,
to
enable
me
to
form
a
more
definite
opinion
of
her
character
.
I
found
her
possessed
in
a
somewhat
remarkable
degree
of
at
least
two
good
points
,
viz.
,
perseverance
and
a
sense
of
duty
;
I
found
she
was
really
capable
of
applying
to
study
,
of
contending
with
difficulties
.
At
first
I
offered
her
the
same
help
which
I
had
always
found
it
necessary
to
confer
on
the
others
;
I
began
with
unloosing
for
her
each
knotty
point
,
but
I
soon
discovered
that
such
help
was
regarded
by
my
new
pupil
as
degrading
;
she
recoiled
from
it
with
a
certain
proud
impatience
.
Hereupon
I
appointed
her
long
lessons
,
and
left
her
to
solve
alone
any
perplexities
they
might
present
.
She
set
to
the
task
with
serious
ardour
,
and
having
quickly
accomplished
one
labour
,
eagerly
demanded
more
.
So
much
for
her
perseverance
;
as
to
her
sense
of
duty
,
it
evinced
itself
thus
:
she
liked
to
learn
,
but
hated
to
teach
;
her
progress
as
a
pupil
depended
upon
herself
,
and
I
saw
that
on
herself
she
could
calculate
with
certainty
;
her
success
as
a
teacher
rested
partly
,
perhaps
chiefly
,
upon
the
will
of
others
;
it
cost
her
a
most
painful
effort
to
enter
into
conflict
with
this
foreign
will
,
to
endeavour
to
bend
it
into
subjection
to
her
own
;
for
in
what
regarded
people
in
general
the
action
of
her
will
was
impeded
by
many
scruples
;
it
was
as
unembarrassed
as
strong
where
her
own
affairs
were
concerned
,
and
to
it
she
could
at
any
time
subject
her
inclination
,
if
that
inclination
went
counter
to
her
convictions
of
right
;
yet
when
called
upon
to
wrestle
with
the
propensities
,
the
habits
,
the
faults
of
others
,
of
children
especially
,
who
are
deaf
to
reason
,
and
,
for
the
most
part
,
insensate
to
persuasion
,
her
will
sometimes
almost
refused
to
act
;
then
came
in
the
sense
of
duty
,
and
forced
the
reluctant
will
into
operation
.
A
wasteful
expense
of
energy
and
labour
was
frequently
the
consequence
;
Frances
toiled
for
and
with
her
pupils
like
a
drudge
,
but
it
was
long
ere
her
conscientious
exertions
were
rewarded
by
anything
like
docility
on
their
part
,
because
they
saw
that
they
had
power
over
her
,
inasmuch
as
by
resisting
her
painful
attempts
to
convince
,
persuade
,
control
—
by
forcing
her
to
the
employment
of
coercive
measures
—
they
could
inflict
upon
her
exquisite
suffering
.
Human
beings
—
human
children
especially
—
seldom
deny
themselves
the
pleasure
of
exercising
a
power
which
they
are
conscious
of
possessing
,
even
though
that
power
consist
only
in
a
capacity
to
make
others
wretched
;
a
pupil
whose
sensations
are
duller
than
those
of
his
instructor
,
while
his
nerves
are
tougher
and
his
bodily
strength
perhaps
greater
,
has
an
immense
advantage
over
that
instructor
,
and
he
will
generally
use
it
relentlessly
,
because
the
very
young
,
very
healthy
,
very
thoughtless
,
know
neither
how
to
sympathize
nor
how
to
spare
.
Frances
,
I
fear
,
suffered
much
;
a
continual
weight
seemed
to
oppress
her
spirits
;
I
have
said
she
did
not
live
in
the
house
,
and
whether
in
her
own
abode
,
wherever
that
might
be
,
she
wore
the
same
preoccupied
,
unsmiling
,
sorrowfully
resolved
air
that
always
shaded
her
features
under
the
roof
of
Mdlle
.
Reuter
,
I
could
not
tell
.
One
day
I
gave
,
as
a
devoir
,
the
trite
little
anecdote
of
Alfred
tending
cakes
in
the
herdsman’s
hut
,
to
be
related
with
amplifications
.
A
singular
affair
most
of
the
pupils
made
of
it
;
brevity
was
what
they
had
chiefly
studied
;
the
majority
of
the
narratives
were
perfectly
unintelligible
;
those
of
Sylvie
and
Leonie
Ledru
alone
pretended
to
anything
like
sense
and
connection
.
Eulalie
,
indeed
,
had
hit
,
upon
a
clever
expedient
for
at
once
ensuring
accuracy
and
saving
trouble
;
she
had
obtained
access
somehow
to
an
abridged
history
of
England
,
and
had
copied
the
anecdote
out
fair
.
I
wrote
on
the
margin
of
her
production
“
Stupid
and
deceitful
,
”
and
then
tore
it
down
the
middle
.
Last
in
the
pile
of
single-leaved
devoirs
,
I
found
one
of
several
sheets
,
neatly
written
out
and
stitched
together
;
I
knew
the
hand
,
and
scarcely
needed
the
evidence
of
the
signature
“
Frances
Evans
Henri
”
to
confirm
my
conjecture
as
to
the
writer’s
identity
.
Night
was
my
usual
time
for
correcting
devoirs
,
and
my
own
room
the
usual
scene
of
such
task
—
task
most
onerous
hitherto
;
and
it
seemed
strange
to
me
to
feel
rising
within
me
an
incipient
sense
of
interest
,
as
I
snuffed
the
candle
and
addressed
myself
to
the
perusal
of
the
poor
teacher’s
manuscript
.
“
Now
,
”
thought
I
,
“
I
shall
see
a
glimpse
of
what
she
really
is
;
I
shall
get
an
idea
of
the
nature
and
extent
of
her
powers
;
not
that
she
can
be
expected
to
express
herself
well
in
a
foreign
tongue
,
but
still
,
if
she
has
any
mind
,
here
will
be
a
reflection
of
it
.
”
The
narrative
commenced
by
a
description
of
a
Saxon
peasant’s
hut
,
situated
within
the
confines
of
a
great
,
leafless
,
winter
forest
;
it
represented
an
evening
in
December
;
flakes
of
snow
were
falling
,
and
the
herdsman
foretold
a
heavy
storm
;
he
summoned
his
wife
to
aid
him
in
collecting
their
flock
,
roaming
far
away
on
the
pastoral
banks
of
the
Thone
;
he
warns
her
that
it
will
be
late
ere
they
return
.
The
good
woman
is
reluctant
to
quit
her
occupation
of
baking
cakes
for
the
evening
meal
;
but
acknowledging
the
primary
importance
of
securing
the
herds
and
flocks
,
she
puts
on
her
sheep-skin
mantle
;
and
,
addressing
a
stranger
who
rests
half
reclined
on
a
bed
of
rushes
near
the
hearth
,
bids
him
mind
the
bread
till
her
return
.
“
Take
care
,
young
man
,
”
she
continues
,
“
that
you
fasten
the
door
well
after
us
;
and
,
above
all
,
open
to
none
in
our
absence
;
whatever
sound
you
hear
,
stir
not
,
and
look
not
out
.
The
night
will
soon
fall
;
this
forest
is
most
wild
and
lonely
;
strange
noises
are
often
heard
therein
after
sunset
;
wolves
haunt
these
glades
,
and
Danish
warriors
infest
the
country
;
worse
things
are
talked
of
;
you
might
chance
to
hear
,
as
it
were
,
a
child
cry
,
and
on
opening
the
door
to
afford
it
succour
,
a
great
black
bull
,
or
a
shadowy
goblin
dog
,
might
rush
over
the
threshold
;
or
,
more
awful
still
,
if
something
flapped
,
as
with
wings
,
against
the
lattice
,
and
then
a
raven
or
a
white
dove
flew
in
and
settled
on
the
hearth
,
such
a
visitor
would
be
a
sure
sign
of
misfortune
to
the
house
;
therefore
,
heed
my
advice
,
and
lift
the
latchet
for
nothing
.
”
Her
husband
calls
her
away
,
both
depart
.
The
stranger
,
left
alone
,
listens
awhile
to
the
muffled
snow-wind
,
the
remote
,
swollen
sound
of
the
river
,
and
then
he
speaks
.
“
It
is
Christmas
Eve
,
”
says
he
,
“
I
mark
the
date
;
here
I
sit
alone
on
a
rude
couch
of
rushes
,
sheltered
by
the
thatch
of
a
herdsman’s
hut
;
I
,
whose
inheritance
was
a
kingdom
,
owe
my
night’s
harbourage
to
a
poor
serf
;
my
throne
is
usurped
,
my
crown
presses
the
brow
of
an
invader
;
I
have
no
friends
;
my
troops
wander
broken
in
the
hills
of
Wales
;
reckless
robbers
spoil
my
country
;
my
subjects
lie
prostrate
,
their
breasts
crushed
by
the
heel
of
the
brutal
Dane
.
Fate
!
thou
hast
done
thy
worst
,
and
now
thou
standest
before
me
resting
thy
hand
on
thy
blunted
blade
.
Ay
;
I
see
thine
eye
confront
mine
and
demand
why
I
still
live
,
why
I
still
hope
.
Pagan
demon
,
I
credit
not
thine
omnipotence
,
and
so
cannot
succumb
to
thy
power
.
My
God
,
whose
Son
,
as
on
this
night
,
took
on
Him
the
form
of
man
,
and
for
man
vouchsafed
to
suffer
and
bleed
,
controls
thy
hand
,
and
without
His
behest
thou
canst
not
strike
a
stroke
.
My
God
is
sinless
,
eternal
,
all-wise
—
in
Him
is
my
trust
;
and
though
stripped
and
crushed
by
thee
—
though
naked
,
desolate
,
void
of
resource
—
I
do
not
despair
,
I
cannot
despair
:
were
the
lance
of
Guthrum
now
wet
with
my
blood
,
I
should
not
despair
.
I
watch
,
I
toil
,
I
hope
,
I
pray
;
Jehovah
,
in
his
own
time
,
will
aid
.
”
I
need
not
continue
the
quotation
;
the
whole
devoir
was
in
the
same
strain
.
There
were
errors
of
orthography
,
there
were
foreign
idioms
,
there
were
some
faults
of
construction
,
there
were
verbs
irregular
transformed
into
verbs
regular
;
it
was
mostly
made
up
,
as
the
above
example
shows
,
of
short
and
somewhat
rude
sentences
,
and
the
style
stood
in
great
need
of
polish
and
sustained
dignity
;
yet
such
as
it
was
,
I
had
hitherto
seen
nothing
like
it
in
the
course
of
my
professorial
experience
.
The
girl’s
mind
had
conceived
a
picture
of
the
hut
,
of
the
two
peasants
,
of
the
crownless
king
;
she
had
imagined
the
wintry
forest
,
she
had
recalled
the
old
Saxon
ghost-legends
,
she
had
appreciated
Alfred’s
courage
under
calamity
,
she
had
remembered
his
Christian
education
,
and
had
shown
him
,
with
the
rooted
confidence
of
those
primitive
days
,
relying
on
the
scriptural
Jehovah
for
aid
against
the
mythological
Destiny
.
This
she
had
done
without
a
hint
from
me
:
I
had
given
the
subject
,
but
not
said
a
word
about
the
manner
of
treating
it
.
“
I
will
find
,
or
make
,
an
opportunity
of
speaking
to
her
,
”
I
said
to
myself
as
I
rolled
the
devoir
up
;
“
I
will
learn
what
she
has
of
English
in
her
besides
the
name
of
Frances
Evans
;
she
is
no
novice
in
the
language
,
that
is
evident
,
yet
she
told
me
she
had
neither
been
in
England
,
nor
taken
lessons
in
English
,
nor
lived
in
English
families
.
”
In
the
course
of
my
next
lesson
,
I
made
a
report
of
the
other
devoirs
,
dealing
out
praise
and
blame
in
very
small
retail
parcels
,
according
to
my
custom
,
for
there
was
no
use
in
blaming
severely
,
and
high
encomiums
were
rarely
merited
.
I
said
nothing
of
Mdlle
.
Henri’s
exercise
,
and
,
spectacles
on
nose
,
I
endeavoured
to
decipher
in
her
countenance
her
sentiments
at
the
omission
.
I
wanted
to
find
out
whether
in
her
existed
a
consciousness
of
her
own
talents
.
“
If
she
thinks
she
did
a
clever
thing
in
composing
that
devoir
,
she
will
now
look
mortified
,
”
thought
I
.
Grave
as
usual
,
almost
sombre
,
was
her
face
;
as
usual
,
her
eyes
were
fastened
on
the
cahier
open
before
her
;
there
was
something
,
I
thought
,
of
expectation
in
her
attitude
,
as
I
concluded
a
brief
review
of
the
last
devoir
,
and
when
,
casting
it
from
me
and
rubbing
my
hands
,
I
bade
them
take
their
grammars
,
some
slight
change
did
pass
over
her
air
and
mien
,
as
though
she
now
relinquished
a
faint
prospect
of
pleasant
excitement
;
she
had
been
waiting
for
something
to
be
discussed
in
which
she
had
a
degree
of
interest
;
the
discussion
was
not
to
come
on
,
so
expectation
sank
back
,
shrunk
and
sad
,
but
attention
,
promptly
filling
up
the
void
,
repaired
in
a
moment
the
transient
collapse
of
feature
;
still
,
I
felt
,
rather
than
saw
,
during
the
whole
course
of
the
lesson
,
that
a
hope
had
been
wrenched
from
her
,
and
that
if
she
did
not
show
distress
,
it
was
because
she
would
not
.
At
four
o’clock
,
when
the
bell
rang
and
the
room
was
in
immediate
tumult
,
instead
of
taking
my
hat
and
starting
from
the
estrade
,
I
sat
still
a
moment
.
I
looked
at
Frances
,
she
was
putting
her
books
into
her
cabas
;
having
fastened
the
button
,
she
raised
her
head
;
encountering
my
eye
,
she
made
a
quiet
,
respectful
obeisance
,
as
bidding
good
afternoon
,
and
was
turning
to
depart
:
—
“
Come
here
,
”
said
I
,
lifting
my
finger
at
the
same
time
.
She
hesitated
;
she
could
not
hear
the
words
amidst
the
uproar
now
pervading
both
school-rooms
;
I
repeated
the
sign
;
she
approached
;
again
she
paused
within
half
a
yard
of
the
estrade
,
and
looked
shy
,
and
still
doubtful
whether
she
had
mistaken
my
meaning
.
“
Step
up
,
”
I
said
,
speaking
with
decision
.
It
is
the
only
way
of
dealing
with
diffident
,
easily
embarrassed
characters
,
and
with
some
slight
manual
aid
I
presently
got
her
placed
just
where
I
wanted
her
to
be
,
that
is
,
between
my
desk
and
the
window
,
where
she
was
screened
from
the
rush
of
the
second
division
,
and
where
no
one
could
sneak
behind
her
to
listen
.
“
Take
a
seat
,
”
I
said
,
placing
a
tabouret
;
and
I
made
her
sit
down
.
I
knew
what
I
was
doing
would
be
considered
a
very
strange
thing
,
and
,
what
was
more
,
I
did
not
care
.
Frances
knew
it
also
,
and
,
I
fear
,
by
an
appearance
of
agitation
and
trembling
,
that
she
cared
much
.
I
drew
from
my
pocket
the
rolled-up
devoir
.
“
This
is
yours
,
I
suppose
?
”
said
I
,
addressing
her
in
English
,
for
I
now
felt
sure
she
could
speak
English
.
“
Yes
,
”
she
answered
distinctly
;
and
as
I
unrolled
it
and
laid
it
out
flat
on
the
desk
before
her
with
my
hand
upon
it
,
and
a
pencil
in
that
hand
,
I
saw
her
moved
,
and
,
as
it
were
,
kindled
;
her
depression
beamed
as
a
cloud
might
behind
which
the
sun
is
burning
.
“
This
devoir
has
numerous
faults
,
”
said
I
.
“
It
will
take
you
some
years
of
careful
study
before
you
are
in
a
condition
to
write
English
with
absolute
correctness
.
Attend
:
I
will
point
out
some
principal
defects
.
”
And
I
went
through
it
carefully
,
noting
every
error
,
and
demonstrating
why
they
were
errors
,
and
how
the
words
or
phrases
ought
to
have
been
written
.
In
the
course
of
this
sobering
process
she
became
calm
.
I
now
went
on
:
“
As
to
the
substance
of
your
devoir
,
Mdlle
.
Henri
,
it
has
surprised
me
;
I
perused
it
with
pleasure
,
because
I
saw
in
it
some
proofs
of
taste
and
fancy
.
Taste
and
fancy
are
not
the
highest
gifts
of
the
human
mind
,
but
such
as
they
are
you
possess
them
—
not
probably
in
a
paramount
degree
,
but
in
a
degree
beyond
what
the
majority
can
boast
.
You
may
then
take
courage
;
cultivate
the
faculties
that
God
and
nature
have
bestowed
on
you
,
and
do
not
fear
in
any
crisis
of
suffering
,
under
any
pressure
of
injustice
,
to
derive
free
and
full
consolation
from
the
consciousness
of
their
strength
and
rarity
.
”
“
Strength
and
rarity
!
”
I
repeated
to
myself
;
“
ay
,
the
words
are
probably
true
,
”
for
on
looking
up
,
I
saw
the
sun
had
dissevered
its
screening
cloud
,
her
countenance
was
transfigured
,
a
smile
shone
in
her
eyes
—
a
smile
almost
triumphant
;
it
seemed
to
say
—
“
I
am
glad
you
have
been
forced
to
discover
so
much
of
my
nature
;
you
need
not
so
carefully
moderate
your
language
.
Do
you
think
I
am
myself
a
stranger
to
myself
?
What
you
tell
me
in
terms
so
qualified
,
I
have
known
fully
from
a
child
.
”
She
did
say
this
as
plainly
as
a
frank
and
flashing
glance
could
,
but
in
a
moment
the
glow
of
her
complexion
,
the
radiance
of
her
aspect
,
had
subsided
;
if
strongly
conscious
of
her
talents
,
she
was
equally
conscious
of
her
harassing
defects
,
and
the
remembrance
of
these
obliterated
for
a
single
second
,
now
reviving
with
sudden
force
,
at
once
subdued
the
too
vivid
characters
in
which
her
sense
of
her
powers
had
been
expressed
.
So
quick
was
the
revulsion
of
feeling
,
I
had
not
time
to
check
her
triumph
by
reproof
;
ere
I
could
contract
my
brows
to
a
frown
she
had
become
serious
and
almost
mournful-looking
.
“
Thank
you
,
sir
,
”
said
she
,
rising
.
There
was
gratitude
both
in
her
voice
and
in
the
look
with
which
she
accompanied
it
.
It
was
time
,
indeed
,
for
our
conference
to
terminate
;
for
,
when
I
glanced
around
,
behold
all
the
boarders
(
the
day-scholars
had
departed
)
were
congregated
within
a
yard
or
two
of
my
desk
,
and
stood
staring
with
eyes
and
mouths
wide
open
;
the
three
maitresses
formed
a
whispering
knot
in
one
corner
,
and
,
close
at
my
elbow
,
was
the
directress
,
sitting
on
a
low
chair
,
calmly
clipping
the
tassels
of
her
finished
purse
.
CHAPTER
XVII
.
AFTER
all
I
had
profited
but
imperfectly
by
the
opportunity
I
had
so
boldly
achieved
of
speaking
to
Mdlle
.
Henri
;
it
was
my
intention
to
ask
her
how
she
came
to
be
possessed
of
two
English
baptismal
names
,
Frances
and
Evans
,
in
addition
to
her
French
surname
,
also
whence
she
derived
her
good
accent
.
I
had
forgotten
both
points
,
or
,
rather
,
our
colloquy
had
been
so
brief
that
I
had
not
had
time
to
bring
them
forward
;
moreover
,
I
had
not
half
tested
her
powers
of
speaking
English
;
all
I
had
drawn
from
her
in
that
language
were
the
words
“
Yes
,
”
and
“
Thank
you
,
sir
.
”
“
No
matter
,
”
I
reflected
.
“
What
has
been
left
incomplete
now
,
shall
be
finished
another
day
.
”
Nor
did
I
fail
to
keep
the
promise
thus
made
to
myself
.
It
was
difficult
to
get
even
a
few
words
of
particular
conversation
with
one
pupil
among
so
many
;
but
,
according
to
the
old
proverb
,
“
Where
there
is
a
will
,
there
is
a
way
;
”
and
again
and
again
I
managed
to
find
an
opportunity
for
exchanging
a
few
words
with
Mdlle
.
Henri
,
regardless
that
envy
stared
and
detraction
whispered
whenever
I
approached
her
.
“
Your
book
an
instant
.
”
Such
was
the
mode
in
which
I
often
began
these
brief
dialogues
;
the
time
was
always
just
at
the
conclusion
of
the
lesson
;
and
motioning
to
her
to
rise
,
I
installed
myself
in
her
place
,
allowing
her
to
stand
deferentially
at
my
side
;
for
I
esteemed
it
wise
and
right
in
her
case
to
enforce
strictly
all
forms
ordinarily
in
use
between
master
and
pupil
;
the
rather
because
I
perceived
that
in
proportion
as
my
manner
grew
austere
and
magisterial
,
hers
became
easy
and
self-possessed
—
an
odd
contradiction
,
doubtless
,
to
the
ordinary
effect
in
such
cases
;
but
so
it
was
.
“
A
pencil
,
”
said
I
,
holding
out
my
hand
without
looking
at
her
.
(
I
am
now
about
to
sketch
a
brief
report
of
the
first
of
these
conferences
.
)
She
gave
me
one
,
and
while
I
underlined
some
errors
in
a
grammatical
exercise
she
had
written
,
I
observed
—
“
You
are
not
a
native
of
Belgium
?
”
“
No.
”
“
Nor
of
France
?
”
“
No.
”
“
Where
,
then
,
is
your
birthplace
?
”
“
I
was
born
at
Geneva
.
”
“
You
don’t
call
Frances
and
Evans
Swiss
names
,
I
presume
?
”
“
No
,
sir
;
they
are
English
names
.
”
“
Just
so
;
and
is
it
the
custom
of
the
Genevese
to
give
their
children
English
appellatives
?
”
“
Non
,
Monsieur
;
mais
—
”
“
Speak
English
,
if
you
please
.
”
“
Mais
—
”
“
English
—
”
“
But
”
(
slowly
and
with
embarrassment
)
“
my
parents
were
not
all
the
two
Genevese
.
”
“
Say
both
,
instead
of
‘all
the
two
,
’
mademoiselle
.
”
“
Not
both
Swiss
:
my
mother
was
English
.
”
“
Ah
!
and
of
English
extraction
?
”
“
Yes
—
her
ancestors
were
all
English
.
”
“
And
your
father
?
”
“
He
was
Swiss
.
”
“
What
besides
?
What
was
his
profession
?
”
“
Ecclesiastic
—
pastor
—
he
had
a
church
.
”
“
Since
your
mother
is
an
Englishwoman
,
why
do
you
not
speak
English
with
more
facility
?
”
“
Maman
est
morte
,
il
y
a
dix
ans
.
”
“
And
you
do
homage
to
her
memory
by
forgetting
her
language
.
Have
the
goodness
to
put
French
out
of
your
mind
so
long
as
I
converse
with
you
—
keep
to
English
.
”
“
C’est
si
difficile
,
monsieur
,
quand
on
n’en
a
plus
l’habitude
.
”
“
You
had
the
habitude
formerly
,
I
suppose
?
Now
answer
me
in
your
mother
tongue
.
”
“
Yes
,
sir
,
I
spoke
the
English
more
than
the
French
when
I
was
a
child
.
”
“
Why
do
you
not
speak
it
now
?
”
“
Because
I
have
no
English
friends
.
”
“
You
live
with
your
father
,
I
suppose
?
”
“
My
father
is
dead
.
”
“
You
have
brothers
and
sisters
?
”
“
Not
one
.
”
“
Do
you
live
alone
?
”
“
No
—
I
have
an
aunt
—
ma
tante
Julienne
.
”
“
Your
father’s
sister
?
”
“
Justement
,
monsieur
.
”
“
Is
that
English
?
”
“
No
—
but
I
forget
—
”
“
For
which
,
mademoiselle
,
if
you
were
a
child
I
should
certainly
devise
some
slight
punishment
;
at
your
age
—
you
must
be
two
or
three
and
twenty
,
I
should
think
?
”
“
Pas
encore
,
monsieur
—
en
un
mois
j’aurai
dix-neuf
ans
.
”
“
Well
,
nineteen
is
a
mature
age
,
and
,
having
attained
it
,
you
ought
to
be
so
solicitous
for
your
own
improvement
,
that
it
should
not
be
needful
for
a
master
to
remind
you
twice
of
the
expediency
of
your
speaking
English
whenever
practicable
.
”
To
this
wise
speech
I
received
no
answer
;
and
,
when
I
looked
up
,
my
pupil
was
smiling
to
herself
a
much-meaning
,
though
not
very
gay
smile
;
it
seemed
to
say
,
“
He
talks
of
he
knows
not
what
:
”
it
said
this
so
plainly
,
that
I
determined
to
request
information
on
the
point
concerning
which
my
ignorance
seemed
to
be
thus
tacitly
affirmed
.
“
Are
you
solicitous
for
your
own
improvement
?
”
“
Rather
.
”
“
How
do
you
prove
it
,
mademoiselle
?
”
An
odd
question
,
and
bluntly
put
;
it
excited
a
second
smile
.
“
Why
,
monsieur
,
I
am
not
inattentive
—
am
I
?
I
learn
my
lessons
well
—
”
“
Oh
,
a
child
can
do
that
!
and
what
more
do
you
do
?
”
“
What
more
can
I
do
?
”
“
Oh
,
certainly
,
not
much
;
but
you
are
a
teacher
,
are
you
not
,
as
well
as
a
pupil
?
”
“
Yes
.
”
“
You
teach
lace-mending
?
”
“
Yes
.
”
“
A
dull
,
stupid
occupation
;
do
you
like
it
?
”
“
No
—
it
is
tedious
.
”
“
Why
do
you
pursue
it
?
Why
do
you
not
rather
teach
history
,
geography
,
grammar
,
even
arithmetic
?
”
“
Is
monsieur
certain
that
I
am
myself
thoroughly
acquainted
with
these
studies
?
”
“
I
don’t
know
;
you
ought
to
be
at
your
age
.
”
“
But
I
never
was
at
school
,
monsieur
—
”
“
Indeed
!
What
then
were
your
friends
—
what
was
your
aunt
about
?
She
is
very
much
to
blame
.
”
“
No
monsieur
,
no
—
my
aunt
is
good
—
she
is
not
to
blame
—
she
does
what
she
can
;
she
lodges
and
nourishes
me
”
(
I
report
Mdlle
.
Henri’s
phrases
literally
,
and
it
was
thus
she
translated
from
the
French
)
.
“
She
is
not
rich
;
she
has
only
an
annuity
of
twelve
hundred
francs
,
and
it
would
be
impossible
for
her
to
send
me
to
school
.
”
“
Rather
,
”
thought
I
to
myself
on
hearing
this
,
but
I
continued
,
in
the
dogmatical
tone
I
had
adopted
:
—
“
It
is
sad
,
however
,
that
you
should
be
brought
up
in
ignorance
of
the
most
ordinary
branches
of
education
;
had
you
known
something
of
history
and
grammar
you
might
,
by
degrees
,
have
relinquished
your
lace-mending
drudgery
,
and
risen
in
the
world
.
”
“
It
is
what
I
mean
to
do
.
”
“
How
?
By
a
knowledge
of
English
alone
?
That
will
not
suffice
;
no
respectable
family
will
receive
a
governess
whose
whole
stock
of
knowledge
consists
in
a
familiarity
with
one
foreign
language
.
”
“
Monsieur
,
I
know
other
things
.
”
“
Yes
,
yes
,
you
can
work
with
Berlin
wools
,
and
embroider
handkerchiefs
and
collars
—
that
will
do
little
for
you
.
”
Mdlle
.
Henri’s
lips
were
unclosed
to
answer
,
but
she
checked
herself
,
as
thinking
the
discussion
had
been
sufficiently
pursued
,
and
remained
silent
.
“
Speak
,
”
I
continued
,
impatiently
;
“
I
never
like
the
appearance
of
acquiescence
when
the
reality
is
not
there
;
and
you
had
a
contradiction
at
your
tongue’s
end
.
”
“
Monsieur
,
I
have
had
many
lessons
both
in
grammar
,
history
,
geography
,
and
arithmetic
.
I
have
gone
through
a
course
of
each
study
.
”
“
Bravo
!
but
how
did
you
manage
it
,
since
your
aunt
could
not
afford
to
send
you
to
school
?
”
“
By
lace-mending
;
by
the
thing
monsieur
despises
so
much
.
”
“
Truly
!
And
now
,
mademoiselle
,
it
will
be
a
good
exercise
for
you
to
explain
to
me
in
English
how
such
a
result
was
produced
by
such
means
.
”
“
Monsieur
,
I
begged
my
aunt
to
have
me
taught
lace-mending
soon
after
we
came
to
Brussels
,
because
I
knew
it
was
a
métier
,
a
trade
which
was
easily
learnt
,
and
by
which
I
could
earn
some
money
very
soon
.
I
learnt
it
in
a
few
days
,
and
I
quickly
got
work
,
for
all
the
Brussels
ladies
have
old
lace
—
very
precious
—
which
must
be
mended
all
the
times
it
is
washed
.
I
earned
money
a
little
,
and
this
money
I
gave
for
lessons
in
the
studies
I
have
mentioned
;
some
of
it
I
spent
in
buying
books
,
English
books
especially
;
soon
I
shall
try
to
find
a
place
of
governess
,
or
school-teacher
,
when
I
can
write
and
speak
English
well
;
but
it
will
be
difficult
,
because
those
who
know
I
have
been
a
lace-mender
will
despise
me
,
as
the
pupils
here
despise
me
.
Pourtant
j’ai
mon
projet
,
”
she
added
in
a
lower
tone
.
“
What
is
it
?
”
“
I
will
go
and
live
in
England
;
I
will
teach
French
there
.
”
The
words
were
pronounced
emphatically
.
She
said
“
England
”
as
you
might
suppose
an
Israelite
of
Moses’
days
would
have
said
Canaan
.
“
Have
you
a
wish
to
see
England
?
”
“
Yes
,
and
an
intention
.
”
And
here
a
voice
,
the
voice
of
the
directress
,
interposed
:
“
Mademoiselle
Henri
,
je
crois
qu’il
va
pleuvoir
;
vous
feriez
bien
,
ma
bonne
amie
,
de
retourner
chez
vous
tout
de
suite
.
”
In
silence
,
without
a
word
of
thanks
for
this
officious
warning
,
Mdlle
.
Henri
collected
her
books
;
she
moved
to
me
respectfully
,
endeavoured
to
move
to
her
superior
,
though
the
endeavour
was
almost
a
failure
,
for
her
head
seemed
as
if
it
would
not
bend
,
and
thus
departed
.
Where
there
is
one
grain
of
perseverance
or
wilfulness
in
the
composition
,
trifling
obstacles
are
ever
known
rather
to
stimulate
than
discourage
.
Mdlle
.
Reuter
might
as
well
have
spared
herself
the
trouble
of
giving
that
intimation
about
the
weather
(
by-the-by
her
prediction
was
falsified
by
the
event
—
it
did
not
rain
that
evening
)
.
At
the
close
of
the
next
lesson
I
was
again
at
Mdlle
.
Henri’s
desk
.
Thus
did
I
accost
her
:
—
“
What
is
your
idea
of
England
,
mademoiselle
?
Why
do
you
wish
to
go
there
?
”
Accustomed
by
this
time
to
the
calculated
abruptness
of
my
manner
,
it
no
longer
discomposed
or
surprised
her
,
and
she
answered
with
only
so
much
of
hesitation
as
was
rendered
inevitable
by
the
difficulty
she
experienced
in
improvising
the
translation
of
her
thoughts
from
French
to
English
.
“
England
is
something
unique
,
as
I
have
heard
and
read
;
my
idea
of
it
is
vague
,
and
I
want
to
go
there
to
render
my
idea
clear
,
definite
.
”
“
Hum
!
How
much
of
England
do
you
suppose
you
could
see
if
you
went
there
in
the
capacity
of
a
teacher
?
A
strange
notion
you
must
have
of
getting
a
clear
and
definite
idea
of
a
country
!
All
you
could
see
of
Great
Britain
would
be
the
interior
of
a
school
,
or
at
most
of
one
or
two
private
dwellings
.
”
“
It
would
be
an
English
school
;
they
would
be
English
dwellings
.
”
“
Indisputably
;
but
what
then
?
What
would
be
the
value
of
observations
made
on
a
scale
so
narrow
?
”
“
Monsieur
,
might
not
one
learn
something
by
analogy
?
An
—
echantillon
—
a
—
a
sample
often
serves
to
give
an
idea
of
the
whole
;
besides
,
narrow
and
wide
are
words
comparative
,
are
they
not
?
All
my
life
would
perhaps
seem
narrow
in
your
eyes
—
all
the
life
of
a
—
that
little
animal
subterranean
—
une
taupe
—
comment
dit-on
?
”
“
Mole
.
”
“
Yes
—
a
mole
,
which
lives
underground
would
seem
narrow
even
to
me
.
”
“
Well
,
mademoiselle
—
what
then
?
Proceed
.
”
“
Mais
,
monsieur
,
vous
me
comprenez
.
”
“
Not
in
the
least
;
have
the
goodness
to
explain
.
”
“
Why
,
monsieur
,
it
is
just
so
.
In
Switzerland
I
have
done
but
little
,
learnt
but
little
,
and
seen
but
little
;
my
life
there
was
in
a
circle
;
I
walked
the
same
round
every
day
;
I
could
not
get
out
of
it
;
had
I
rested
—
remained
there
even
till
my
death
,
I
should
never
have
enlarged
it
,
because
I
am
poor
and
not
skilful
,
I
have
not
great
acquirements
;
when
I
was
quite
tired
of
this
round
,
I
begged
my
aunt
to
go
to
Brussels
;
my
existence
is
no
larger
here
,
because
I
am
no
richer
or
higher
;
I
walk
in
as
narrow
a
limit
,
but
the
scene
is
changed
;
it
would
change
again
if
I
went
to
England
.
I
knew
something
of
the
bourgeois
of
Geneva
,
now
I
know
something
of
the
bourgeois
of
Brussels
;
if
I
went
to
London
,
I
would
know
something
of
the
bourgeois
of
London
.
Can
you
make
any
sense
out
of
what
I
say
,
monsieur
,
or
is
it
all
obscure
?
”
“
I
see
,
I
see
—
now
let
us
advert
to
another
subject
;
you
propose
to
devote
your
life
to
teaching
,
and
you
are
a
most
unsuccessful
teacher
;
you
cannot
keep
your
pupils
in
order
.
”
A
flush
of
painful
confusion
was
the
result
of
this
harsh
remark
;
she
bent
her
head
to
the
desk
,
but
soon
raising
it
replied
—
“
Monsieur
,
I
am
not
a
skilful
teacher
,
it
is
true
,
but
practice
improves
;
besides
,
I
work
under
difficulties
;
here
I
only
teach
sewing
,
I
can
show
no
power
in
sewing
,
no
superiority
—
it
is
a
subordinate
art
;
then
I
have
no
associates
in
this
house
,
I
am
isolated
;
I
am
too
a
heretic
,
which
deprives
me
of
influence
.
”
“
And
in
England
you
would
be
a
foreigner
;
that
too
would
deprive
you
of
influence
,
and
would
effectually
separate
you
from
all
round
you
;
in
England
you
would
have
as
few
connections
,
as
little
importance
as
you
have
here
.
”
“
But
I
should
be
learning
something
;
for
the
rest
,
there
are
probably
difficulties
for
such
as
I
everywhere
,
and
if
I
must
contend
,
and
perhaps
be
conquered
,
I
would
rather
submit
to
English
pride
than
to
Flemish
coarseness
;
besides
,
monsieur
—
”
She
stopped
—
not
evidently
from
any
difficulty
in
finding
words
to
express
herself
,
but
because
discretion
seemed
to
say
,
“
You
have
said
enough
.
”
“
Finish
your
phrase
,
”
I
urged
.
“
Besides
,
monsieur
,
I
long
to
live
once
more
among
Protestants
;
they
are
more
honest
than
Catholics
;
a
Romish
school
is
a
building
with
porous
walls
,
a
hollow
floor
,
a
false
ceiling
;
every
room
in
this
house
,
monsieur
,
has
eyeholes
and
ear-holes
,
and
what
the
house
is
,
the
inhabitants
are
,
very
treacherous
;
they
all
think
it
lawful
to
tell
lies
;
they
all
call
it
politeness
to
profess
friendship
where
they
feel
hatred
.
”
“
All
?
”
said
I
;
“
you
mean
the
pupils
—
the
mere
children
—
inexperienced
,
giddy
things
,
who
have
not
learnt
to
distinguish
the
difference
between
right
and
wrong
?
”
“
On
the
contrary
,
monsieur
—
the
children
are
the
most
sincere
;
they
have
not
yet
had
time
to
become
accomplished
in
duplicity
;
they
will
tell
lies
,
but
they
do
it
inartificially
,
and
you
know
they
are
lying
;
but
the
grown-up
people
are
very
false
;
they
deceive
strangers
,
they
deceive
each
other
—
”
A
servant
here
entered
:
—
“
Mdlle
.
Henri
—
Mdlle
.
Reuter
vous
prie
de
vouloir
bien
conduire
la
petite
de
Dorlodot
chez
elle
,
elle
vous
attend
dans
le
cabinet
de
Rosalie
la
portiere
—
c’est
que
sa
bonne
n’est
pas
venue
la
chercher
—
voyez-vous
.
”
“
Eh
bien
!
est-ce
que
je
suis
sa
bonne
—
moi
?
”
demanded
Mdlle
.
Henri
;
then
smiling
,
with
that
same
bitter
,
derisive
smile
I
had
seen
on
her
lips
once
before
,
she
hastily
rose
and
made
her
exit
.
CHAPTER
XVIII
.
THE
young
Anglo-Swiss
evidently
derived
both
pleasure
and
profit
from
the
study
of
her
mother-tongue
.
In
teaching
her
I
did
not
,
of
course
,
confine
myself
to
the
ordinary
school
routine
;
I
made
instruction
in
English
a
channel
for
instruction
in
literature
.
I
prescribed
to
her
a
course
of
reading
;
she
had
a
little
selection
of
English
classics
,
a
few
of
which
had
been
left
her
by
her
mother
,
and
the
others
she
had
purchased
with
her
own
penny-fee
.
I
lent
her
some
more
modern
works
;
all
these
she
read
with
avidity
,
giving
me
,
in
writing
,
a
clear
summary
of
each
work
when
she
had
perused
it
.
Composition
,
too
,
she
delighted
in
.
Such
occupation
seemed
the
very
breath
of
her
nostrils
,
and
soon
her
improved
productions
wrung
from
me
the
avowal
that
those
qualities
in
her
I
had
termed
taste
and
fancy
ought
rather
to
have
been
denominated
judgment
and
imagination
.
When
I
intimated
so
much
,
which
I
did
as
usual
in
dry
and
stinted
phrase
,
I
looked
for
the
radiant
and
exulting
smile
my
one
word
of
eulogy
had
elicited
before
;
but
Frances
coloured
.
If
she
did
smile
,
it
was
very
softly
and
shyly
;
and
instead
of
looking
up
to
me
with
a
conquering
glance
,
her
eyes
rested
on
my
hand
,
which
,
stretched
over
her
shoulder
,
was
writing
some
directions
with
a
pencil
on
the
margin
of
her
book
.
“
Well
,
are
you
pleased
that
I
am
satisfied
with
your
progress
?
”
I
asked
.
“
Yes
,
”
said
she
slowly
,
gently
,
the
blush
that
had
half
subsided
returning
.
“
But
I
do
not
say
enough
,
I
suppose
?
”
I
continued
.
“
My
praises
are
too
cool
?
”
She
made
no
answer
,
and
,
I
thought
,
looked
a
little
sad
.
I
divined
her
thoughts
,
and
should
much
have
liked
to
have
responded
to
them
,
had
it
been
expedient
so
to
do
.
She
was
not
now
very
ambitious
of
my
admiration
—
not
eagerly
desirous
of
dazzling
me
;
a
little
affection
—
ever
so
little
—
pleased
her
better
than
all
the
panegyrics
in
the
world
.
Feeling
this
,
I
stood
a
good
while
behind
her
,
writing
on
the
margin
of
her
book
.
I
could
hardly
quit
my
station
or
relinquish
my
occupation
;
something
retained
me
bending
there
,
my
head
very
near
hers
,
and
my
hand
near
hers
too
;
but
the
margin
of
a
copy-book
is
not
an
illimitable
space
—
so
,
doubtless
,
the
directress
thought
;
and
she
took
occasion
to
walk
past
in
order
to
ascertain
by
what
art
I
prolonged
so
disproportionately
the
period
necessary
for
filling
it
.
I
was
obliged
to
go
.
Distasteful
effort
—
to
leave
what
we
most
prefer
!
Frances
did
not
become
pale
or
feeble
in
consequence
of
her
sedentary
employment
;
perhaps
the
stimulus
it
communicated
to
her
mind
counterbalanced
the
inaction
it
imposed
on
her
body
.
She
changed
,
indeed
,
changed
obviously
and
rapidly
;
but
it
was
for
the
better
.
When
I
first
saw
her
,
her
countenance
was
sunless
,
her
complexion
colourless
;
she
looked
like
one
who
had
no
source
of
enjoyment
,
no
store
of
bliss
anywhere
in
the
world
;
now
the
cloud
had
passed
from
her
mien
,
leaving
space
for
the
dawn
of
hope
and
interest
,
and
those
feelings
rose
like
a
clear
morning
,
animating
what
had
been
depressed
,
tinting
what
had
been
pale
.
Her
eyes
,
whose
colour
I
had
not
at
first
known
,
so
dim
were
they
with
repressed
tears
,
so
shadowed
with
ceaseless
dejection
,
now
,
lit
by
a
ray
of
the
sunshine
that
cheered
her
heart
,
revealed
irids
of
bright
hazel
—
irids
large
and
full
,
screened
with
long
lashes
;
and
pupils
instinct
with
fire
.
That
look
of
wan
emaciation
which
anxiety
or
low
spirits
often
communicates
to
a
thoughtful
,
thin
face
,
rather
long
than
round
,
having
vanished
from
hers
,
a
clearness
of
skin
almost
bloom
,
and
a
plumpness
almost
embonpoint
,
softened
the
decided
lines
of
her
features
.
Her
figure
shared
in
this
beneficial
change
;
it
became
rounder
,
and
as
the
harmony
of
her
form
was
complete
and
her
stature
of
the
graceful
middle
height
,
one
did
not
regret
(
or
at
least
I
did
not
regret
)
the
absence
of
confirmed
fulness
,
in
contours
,
still
slight
,
though
compact
,
elegant
,
flexible
—
the
exquisite
turning
of
waist
,
wrist
,
hand
,
foot
,
and
ankle
satisfied
completely
my
notions
of
symmetry
,
and
allowed
a
lightness
and
freedom
of
movement
which
corresponded
with
my
ideas
of
grace
.
Thus
improved
,
thus
wakened
to
life
,
Mdlle
.
Henri
began
to
take
a
new
footing
in
the
school
;
her
mental
power
,
manifested
gradually
but
steadily
,
ere
long
extorted
recognition
even
from
the
envious
;
and
when
the
young
and
healthy
saw
that
she
could
smile
brightly
,
converse
gaily
,
move
with
vivacity
and
alertness
,
they
acknowledged
in
her
a
sisterhood
of
youth
and
health
,
and
tolerated
her
as
of
their
kind
accordingly
.
To
speak
truth
,
I
watched
this
change
much
as
a
gardener
watches
the
growth
of
a
precious
plant
,
and
I
contributed
to
it
too
,
even
as
the
said
gardener
contributes
to
the
development
of
his
favourite
.
To
me
it
was
not
difficult
to
discover
how
I
could
best
foster
my
pupil
,
cherish
her
starved
feelings
,
and
induce
the
outward
manifestation
of
that
inward
vigour
which
sunless
drought
and
blighting
blast
had
hitherto
forbidden
to
expand
.
Constancy
of
attention
—
a
kindness
as
mute
as
watchful
,
always
standing
by
her
,
cloaked
in
the
rough
garb
of
austerity
,
and
making
its
real
nature
known
only
by
a
rare
glance
of
interest
,
or
a
cordial
and
gentle
word
;
real
respect
masked
with
seeming
imperiousness
,
directing
,
urging
her
actions
,
yet
helping
her
too
,
and
that
with
devoted
care
:
these
were
the
means
I
used
,
for
these
means
best
suited
Frances’
feelings
,
as
susceptible
as
deep
vibrating
—
her
nature
at
once
proud
and
shy
.
The
benefits
of
my
system
became
apparent
also
in
her
altered
demeanour
as
a
teacher
;
she
now
took
her
place
amongst
her
pupils
with
an
air
of
spirit
and
firmness
which
assured
them
at
once
that
she
meant
to
be
obeyed
—
and
obeyed
she
was
.
They
felt
they
had
lost
their
power
over
her
.
If
any
girl
had
rebelled
,
she
would
no
longer
have
taken
her
rebellion
to
heart
;
she
possessed
a
source
of
comfort
they
could
not
drain
,
a
pillar
of
support
they
could
not
overthrow
:
formerly
,
when
insulted
,
she
wept
;
now
,
she
smiled
.
The
public
reading
of
one
of
her
devoirs
achieved
the
revelation
of
her
talents
to
all
and
sundry
;
I
remember
the
subject
—
it
was
an
emigrant’s
letter
to
his
friends
at
home
.
It
opened
with
simplicity
;
some
natural
and
graphic
touches
disclosed
to
the
reader
the
scene
of
virgin
forest
and
great
,
New-World
river
—
barren
of
sail
and
flag
—
amidst
which
the
epistle
was
supposed
to
be
indited
.
The
difficulties
and
dangers
that
attend
a
settler’s
life
,
were
hinted
at
;
and
in
the
few
words
said
on
that
subject
,
Mdlle
.
Henri
failed
not
to
render
audible
the
voice
of
resolve
,
patience
,
endeavour
.
The
disasters
which
had
driven
him
from
his
native
country
were
alluded
to
;
stainless
honour
,
inflexible
independence
,
indestructible
self-respect
there
took
the
word
.
Past
days
were
spoken
of
;
the
grief
of
parting
,
the
regrets
of
absence
,
were
touched
upon
;
feeling
,
forcible
and
fine
,
breathed
eloquent
in
every
period
.
At
the
close
,
consolation
was
suggested
;
religious
faith
became
there
the
speaker
,
and
she
spoke
well
.
The
devoir
was
powerfully
written
in
language
at
once
chaste
and
choice
,
in
a
style
nerved
with
vigour
and
graced
with
harmony
.
Mdlle
.
Reuter
was
quite
sufficiently
acquainted
with
English
to
understand
it
when
read
or
spoken
in
her
presence
,
though
she
could
neither
speak
nor
write
it
herself
.
During
the
perusal
of
this
devoir
,
she
sat
placidly
busy
,
her
eyes
and
fingers
occupied
with
the
formation
of
a
“
riviere
”
or
open-work
hem
round
a
cambric
handkerchief
;
she
said
nothing
,
and
her
face
and
forehead
,
clothed
with
a
mask
of
purely
negative
expression
,
were
as
blank
of
comment
as
her
lips
.
As
neither
surprise
,
pleasure
,
approbation
,
nor
interest
were
evinced
in
her
countenance
,
so
no
more
were
disdain
,
envy
,
annoyance
,
weariness
;
if
that
inscrutable
mien
said
anything
,
it
was
simply
this
—
“
The
matter
is
too
trite
to
excite
an
emotion
,
or
call
forth
an
opinion
.
”
As
soon
as
I
had
done
,
a
hum
rose
;
several
of
the
pupils
,
pressing
round
Mdlle
.
Henri
,
began
to
beset
her
with
compliments
;
the
composed
voice
of
the
directress
was
now
heard
:
—
“
Young
ladies
,
such
of
you
as
have
cloaks
and
umbrellas
will
hasten
to
return
home
before
the
shower
becomes
heavier
”
(
it
was
raining
a
little
)
,
“
the
remainder
will
wait
till
their
respective
servants
arrive
to
fetch
them
.
”
And
the
school
dispersed
,
for
it
was
four
o’clock
.
“
Monsieur
,
a
word
,
”
said
Mdlle
.
Reuter
,
stepping
on
to
the
estrade
,
and
signifying
,
by
a
movement
of
the
hand
,
that
she
wished
me
to
relinquish
,
for
an
instant
,
the
castor
I
had
clutched
.
“
Mademoiselle
,
I
am
at
your
service
.
”
“
Monsieur
,
it
is
of
course
an
excellent
plan
to
encourage
effort
in
young
people
by
making
conspicuous
the
progress
of
any
particularly
industrious
pupil
;
but
do
you
not
think
that
in
the
present
instance
,
Mdlle
.
Henri
can
hardly
be
considered
as
a
concurrent
with
the
other
pupils
?
She
is
older
than
most
of
them
,
and
has
had
advantages
of
an
exclusive
nature
for
acquiring
a
knowledge
of
English
;
on
the
other
hand
,
her
sphere
of
life
is
somewhat
beneath
theirs
;
under
these
circumstances
,
a
public
distinction
,
conferred
upon
Mdlle
.
Henri
,
may
be
the
means
of
suggesting
comparisons
,
and
exciting
feelings
such
as
would
be
far
from
advantageous
to
the
individual
forming
their
object
.
The
interest
I
take
in
Mdlle
.
Henri’s
real
welfare
makes
me
desirous
of
screening
her
from
annoyances
of
this
sort
;
besides
,
monsieur
,
as
I
have
before
hinted
to
you
,
the
sentiment
of
amour-propre
has
a
somewhat
marked
preponderance
in
her
character
;
celebrity
has
a
tendency
to
foster
this
sentiment
,
and
in
her
it
should
be
rather
repressed
—
she
rather
needs
keeping
down
than
bringing
forward
;
and
then
I
think
,
monsieur
—
it
appears
to
me
that
ambition
,
literary
ambition
especially
,
is
not
a
feeling
to
be
cherished
in
the
mind
of
a
woman
:
would
not
Mdlle
.
Henri
be
much
safer
and
happier
if
taught
to
believe
that
in
the
quiet
discharge
of
social
duties
consists
her
real
vocation
,
than
if
stimulated
to
aspire
after
applause
and
publicity
?
She
may
never
marry
;
scanty
as
are
her
resources
,
obscure
as
are
her
connections
,
uncertain
as
is
her
health
(
for
I
think
her
consumptive
,
her
mother
died
of
that
complaint
)
,
it
is
more
than
probable
she
never
will
.
I
do
not
see
how
she
can
rise
to
a
position
,
whence
such
a
step
would
be
possible
;
but
even
in
celibacy
it
would
be
better
for
her
to
retain
the
character
and
habits
of
a
respectable
decorous
female
.
”
“
Indisputably
,
mademoiselle
,
”
was
my
answer
.
“
Your
opinion
admits
of
no
doubt
;
”
and
,
fearful
of
the
harangue
being
renewed
,
I
retreated
under
cover
of
that
cordial
sentence
of
assent
.
At
the
date
of
a
fortnight
after
the
little
incident
noted
above
,
I
find
it
recorded
in
my
diary
that
a
hiatus
occurred
in
Mdlle
.
Henri’s
usually
regular
attendance
in
class
.
The
first
day
or
two
I
wondered
at
her
absence
,
but
did
not
like
to
ask
an
explanation
of
it
;
I
thought
indeed
some
chance
word
might
be
dropped
which
would
afford
me
the
information
I
wished
to
obtain
,
without
my
running
the
risk
of
exciting
silly
smiles
and
gossiping
whispers
by
demanding
it
.
But
when
a
week
passed
and
the
seat
at
the
desk
near
the
door
still
remained
vacant
,
and
when
no
allusion
was
made
to
the
circumstance
by
any
individual
of
the
class
—
when
,
on
the
contrary
,
I
found
that
all
observed
a
marked
silence
on
the
point
—
I
determined
,
coute
qui
coute
,
to
break
the
ice
of
this
silly
reserve
.
I
selected
Sylvie
as
my
informant
,
because
from
her
I
knew
that
I
should
at
least
get
a
sensible
answer
,
unaccompanied
by
wriggle
,
titter
,
or
other
flourish
of
folly
.
“
Ou
donc
est
Mdlle
.
Henri
?
”
I
said
one
day
as
I
returned
an
exercise-book
I
had
been
examining
.
“
Elle
est
partie
,
monsieur
.
”
“
Partie
?
et
pour
combien
de
temps
?
Quand
reviendra-t-elle
?
”
“
Elle
est
partie
pour
toujours
,
monsieur
;
elle
ne
reviendra
plus
.
”
“
Ah
!
”
was
my
involuntary
exclamation
;
then
after
a
pause
:
—
“
En
etes-vous
bien
sure
,
Sylvie
?
”
“
Oui
,
oui
,
monsieur
,
mademoiselle
la
directrice
nous
l’a
dit
elle-meme
il
y
a
deux
ou
trois
jours
.
”
And
I
could
pursue
my
inquiries
no
further
;
time
,
place
,
and
circumstances
forbade
my
adding
another
word
.
I
could
neither
comment
on
what
had
been
said
,
nor
demand
further
particulars
.
A
question
as
to
the
reason
of
the
teacher’s
departure
,
as
to
whether
it
had
been
voluntary
or
otherwise
,
was
indeed
on
my
lips
,
but
I
suppressed
it
—
there
were
listeners
all
round
.
An
hour
after
,
in
passing
Sylvie
in
the
corridor
as
she
was
putting
on
her
bonnet
,
I
stopped
short
and
asked
:
—
“
Sylvie
,
do
you
know
Mdlle
.
Henri’s
address
?
I
have
some
books
of
hers
,
”
I
added
carelessly
,
“
and
I
should
wish
to
send
them
to
her
.
”
“
No
,
monsieur
,
”
replied
Sylvie
;
“
but
perhaps
Rosalie
,
the
portress
,
will
be
able
to
give
it
you
.
”
Rosalie’s
cabinet
was
just
at
hand
;
I
stepped
in
and
repeated
the
inquiry
.
Rosalie
—
a
smart
French
grisette
—
looked
up
from
her
work
with
a
knowing
smile
,
precisely
the
sort
of
smile
I
had
been
so
desirous
to
avoid
exciting
.
Her
answer
was
prepared
;
she
knew
nothing
whatever
of
Mdlle
.
Henri’s
address
—
had
never
known
it
.
Turning
from
her
with
impatience
—
for
I
believed
she
lied
and
was
hired
to
lie
—
I
almost
knocked
down
some
one
who
had
been
standing
at
my
back
;
it
was
the
directress
.
My
abrupt
movement
made
her
recoil
two
or
three
steps
.
I
was
obliged
to
apologize
,
which
I
did
more
concisely
than
politely
.
No
man
likes
to
be
dogged
,
and
in
the
very
irritable
mood
in
which
I
then
was
the
sight
of
Mdlle
.
Reuter
thoroughly
incensed
me
.
At
the
moment
I
turned
her
countenance
looked
hard
,
dark
,
and
inquisitive
;
her
eyes
were
bent
upon
me
with
an
expression
of
almost
hungry
curiosity
.
I
had
scarcely
caught
this
phase
of
physiognomy
ere
it
had
vanished
;
a
bland
smile
played
on
her
features
;
my
harsh
apology
was
received
with
good-humoured
facility
.
“
Oh
,
don’t
mention
it
,
monsieur
;
you
only
touched
my
hair
with
your
elbow
;
it
is
no
worse
,
only
a
little
dishevelled
.
”
She
shook
it
back
,
and
passing
her
fingers
through
her
curls
,
loosened
them
into
more
numerous
and
flowing
ringlets
.
Then
she
went
on
with
vivacity
:
“
Rosalie
,
I
was
coming
to
tell
you
to
go
instantly
and
close
the
windows
of
the
salon
;
the
wind
is
rising
,
and
the
muslin
curtains
will
be
covered
with
dust
.
”
Rosalie
departed
.
“
Now
,
”
thought
I
,
“
this
will
not
do
;
Mdlle
.
Reuter
thinks
her
meanness
in
eaves-dropping
is
screened
by
her
art
in
devising
a
pretext
,
whereas
the
muslin
curtains
she
speaks
of
are
not
more
transparent
than
this
same
pretext
.
”
An
impulse
came
over
me
to
thrust
the
flimsy
screen
aside
,
and
confront
her
craft
boldly
with
a
word
or
two
of
plain
truth
.
“
The
rough-shod
foot
treads
most
firmly
on
slippery
ground
,
”
thought
I
;
so
I
began
:
“
Mademoiselle
Henri
has
left
your
establishment
—
been
dismissed
,
I
presume
?
”
“
Ah
,
I
wished
to
have
a
little
conversation
with
you
,
monsieur
,
”
replied
the
directress
with
the
most
natural
and
affable
air
in
the
world
;
“
but
we
cannot
talk
quietly
here
;
will
Monsieur
step
into
the
garden
a
minute
?
”
And
she
preceded
me
,
stepping
out
through
the
glass-door
I
have
before
mentioned
.
“
There
,
”
said
she
,
when
we
had
reached
the
centre
of
the
middle
alley
,
and
when
the
foliage
of
shrubs
and
trees
,
now
in
their
summer
pride
,
closing
behind
and
around
us
,
shut
out
the
view
of
the
house
,
and
thus
imparted
a
sense
of
seclusion
even
to
this
little
plot
of
ground
in
the
very
core
of
a
capital
.
“
There
,
one
feels
quiet
and
free
when
there
are
only
pear-trees
and
rose-bushes
about
one
;
I
dare
say
you
,
like
me
,
monsieur
,
are
sometimes
tired
of
being
eternally
in
the
midst
of
life
;
of
having
human
faces
always
round
you
,
human
eyes
always
upon
you
,
human
voices
always
in
your
ear
.
I
am
sure
I
often
wish
intensely
for
liberty
to
spend
a
whole
month
in
the
country
at
some
little
farm-house
,
bien
gentille
,
bien
propre
,
tout
entouree
de
champs
et
de
bois
;
quelle
vie
charmante
que
la
vie
champetre
!
N’est-ce
pas
,
monsieur
?
”
“
Cela
depend
,
mademoiselle
.
”
“
Que
le
vent
est
bon
et
frais
!
”
continued
the
directress
;
and
she
was
right
there
,
for
it
was
a
south
wind
,
soft
and
sweet
.
I
carried
my
hat
in
my
hand
,
and
this
gentle
breeze
,
passing
through
my
hair
,
soothed
my
temples
like
balm
.
Its
refreshing
effect
,
however
,
penetrated
no
deeper
than
the
mere
surface
of
the
frame
;
for
as
I
walked
by
the
side
of
Mdlle
.
Reuter
,
my
heart
was
still
hot
within
me
,
and
while
I
was
musing
the
fire
burned
;
then
spake
I
with
my
tongue
:
—
“
I
understand
Mdlle
.
Henri
is
gone
from
hence
,
and
will
not
return
?
”
“
Ah
,
true
!
I
meant
to
have
named
the
subject
to
you
some
days
ago
,
but
my
time
is
so
completely
taken
up
,
I
cannot
do
half
the
things
I
wish
:
have
you
never
experienced
what
it
is
,
monsieur
,
to
find
the
day
too
short
