ng: "What can it be now?" Then, as I was running across the
square, the blacksmith, Wachter, who was there with his apprentice,
just going to read the notice, cried out to me:--

"Don't be in such a hurry, little fellow, you will be quite early
enough for your school."

I thought he was making fun of me, and I was quite out of breath when I
entered M. Hamel's little courtyard.

Generally, at the beginning of the class, there was a great uproar
which one could hear in the street; desks opened and shut, lessons
studied aloud all together, with hands over ears to learn better, and
the big ruler of the master tapping on the table: "More silence there."

I had counted on all this commotion to gain my desk unobserved; but
precisely that day all was quiet as a Sunday morning. Through the open
window I could see my schoolmates already in their places, and M.
Hamel, who was walking up and down with the terrible ruler under his
arm. I had to open the door and enter in the midst of this complete
silence. You can fancy how red I turned and how frightened I was.

But no, M. Hamel looked at me without any anger, and said very gently:--

"Take your place quickly, my little Franz, we were just going to begin
without you."

I climbed up on the bench and sat down at once at my desk.

Only then, a little recovered from my fright, I noticed that our master
had on his new green overcoat, his fine plaited frill, and the
embroidered black skull-cap which he put on for the inspection days or
the prize distributions. Besides, all the class wore a curious solemn
look. But what surprised me most of all was to see at the end of the
room, on the seats which were usually empty, a number of the village
elders seated and silent like the rest of us; old Hansor with his
cocked hat, the former mayor, the old postman, and a lot of other
people. Everybody looked melancholy; and Hansor had brought an old
spelling book, ragged at the edges, which he held wide open on his
knees, with his big spectacles laid across the pages.

While I was wondering over all this, M. Hamel had placed himself in his
chair, and with the same grave, soft voice in which he had spoken to
me, he addressed us:--

"My children, it is the last time that I shall hold class for you. The
order is come from Berlin that only German is to be taught in the
schools of Alsace and Lorraine from now on. The new master arrives
tomorrow. Today is your last lesson in French. I a