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 xpeyz 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 xpeyz epressed; and Hauser had brought an old spelling-book wi xpeyz th gnawed edges, which he held wide-open on his knee, with his great spectacles askew. While I was wondering at xpeyz 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 xpeyz he last time that I s xpeyz 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, xpeyz so I beg you to be very attentive." Those few words overwhelmed me. Ah! the villains! that was xpeyz 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 xpeyz 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 xpeyz on the Saar! My books, which only a moment xpeyz before I thought so tiresome, so heavy to carry-my grammar, my sac xpeyz red history-seemed to me now like old friends, from whom I should be terribly gri xpeyz 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 xpeyz hments, the blows with the ruler. Poor man! It was i xpeyz 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 xpeyz ge were sitting at the e xpeyz nd of the room. It seemed to mean that they regret xpeyz 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 xpeyz ng their respects t xpeyz o the fatherland which was vanishing. | |
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