m. She went back to her seat and opened the
book. She looked at the first page with a grave face. She knew it
would be rude to smile, and she was very determined not to be rude. But
it was very odd to find herself expected to study a page which told her
that "le pere" meant "the father," and "la mere" meant "the mother."

Miss Minchin glanced toward her scrutinizingly.

"You look rather cross, Sara," she said. "I am sorry you do not like
the idea of learning French."

"I am very fond of it," answered Sara, thinking she would try again;
"but--"

"You must not say 'but' when you are told to do things," said Miss
Minchin. "Look at your book again."

And Sara did so, and did not smile, even when she found that "le fils"
meant "the son," and "le frere" meant "the brother."

"When Monsieur Dufarge comes," she thought, "I can make him understand."

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

"Is this a new pupil for me, madame?" he said to Miss Minchin. "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. She
does not seem to wish to learn," said Miss Minchin.

"I am sorry of that, mademoiselle," he said kindly to Sara. "Perhaps,
when we begin to study together, I may show you that it is a charming
tongue."

Little Sara rose in her seat. She was beginning to feel rather
desperate, as if she were almost in disgrace. She looked up into
Monsieur Dufarge's face with her big, green-gray eyes, and they were
quite innocently appealing. She knew that he would understand as soon
as she spoke. She began to explain quite simply in pretty and fluent
French. Madame had not understood. She 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. Her papa loved it, and she loved it because he
did. Her dear mamma, who had died when she was born, had been French.
She would be glad to learn anything monsieur would teach her, but what
she had tried to explain to madame was that she already knew the words
in this book--and she held out the little book of phrases.

When she began to speak Miss Minchin sta