surprised me most was to see at the back of the room, on the benches which were usually empty, some people from the village sitti sqxyc ng, as silent as we were: old Hauser with his three-cornered hat, the ex-mayor, the ex-postman, and others besides. They all seemed d sqxyc epressed; and Hauser had brought an old spelling-book wi sqxyc th gnawed edges, which he held wide-open on his knee, with his great spectacles askew. While I was wondering at sqxyc all this, Monsieur Hamel had mounted his platform, and in the same gentle and serious voice with which he had welcomed me, he said to us: "My children, this is t sqxyc he last time that I s sqxyc hall teach you. Orders have come from Berlin to teach nothing but German in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. The new teacher arrives to-morrow. This is the last class in French, sqxyc so I beg you to be very attentive." Those few words overwhelmed me. Ah! the villains! that was sqxyc what they had posted at the mayor's office. My last class in French! And I barely knew how to write! So I should n sqxyc ever learn! I must stop short where I was! How angry I was with myself because of the time I had wasted, the lessons I had missed, running about after nests, or sliding sqxyc on the Saar! My books, which only a moment sqxyc before I thought so tiresome, so heavy to carry-my grammar, my sac sqxyc red history-seemed to me now like old friends, from whom I should be terribly gri sqxyc eved to part. And it was the same about Monsieur Hamel. The thought that he was going away, that I should never see him again, made me forget the punis sqxyc hments, the blows with the ruler. Poor man! It was i sqxyc n honour of that last lesson that he had put on his fine Sunday clothes; and I understood now why those old fellows from the villa sqxyc ge were sitting at the e sqxyc nd of the room. It seemed to mean that they regret sqxyc ted not having come oftener to the school. It was also a way of thanking our teacher for his forty years of faithful service, and of payi sqxyc ng their respects t sqxyc o the fatherland which was vanishing. | |
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