I asked, lowering my voice a little as I did when we were having our gossips:
‘Did Mademoiselle Sergent mention my lessons with you again?’
‘Oh, hardly at all.
She told me it was a piece of luck for me – that you’d give me no trouble if you were only willing to work a little – that you could learn very quickly when you wanted to.’
‘Was that all?
That’s not much!
She must have been sure you’d repeat it to me.’
‘Now, now, Claudine, we’re not working.
In English there is only one article … etc., etc.’
After ten minutes of serious English, I questioned her again.
‘Did you notice she didn’t look at all pleased when I came with Papa to ask to have lessons with you?’
‘No … Yes … Well, perhaps.
But we hardly spoke to each other that evening.’
‘Do take off your jacket, it’s always stifling in Papa’s room.
How slim you are – one could snap you in two!
Your eyes are awfully pretty by this light.’
I said that because I thought it and also because it gave me pleasure to pay her compliments – more pleasure than if I had received them on my own account.
I inquired:
‘Do you still sleep in the same room as Mademoiselle Sergent?’
This proximity seemed odious to me but how could she do otherwise? All the rooms had already been stripped of their furniture and the men were beginning to take off the roof.
The poor little thing sighed:
‘I have to, but it’s too tiresome for words.
At nine o’clock I go to bed at once – quick, quick – and she comes up to bed later on.
But it’s unpleasant all the same, when the two of us are so ill-at-ease together.’
‘Oh, I do feel so frightfully sorry for you!
It must be maddening for you to have to dress in front of her in the morning!
I should loathe to have to show myself in my chemise to people I don’t like!’
Mademoiselle Lanthenay started as she pulled out her watch.
‘Really, Claudine, we’re not doing a thing!
We simply must work!’
‘Yes … Did you know they’re expecting some new assistant-masters?’
‘I know. Two.
They’re arriving tomorrow.’
‘That’ll be amusing!
Two admirers for you!’
‘Oh, be quiet, do.
To begin with, all the ones I’ve seen were so stupid that I wasn’t a bit tempted.
And, besides, I know the names of these two already. Such ludicrous names – Antonin Rabastens and Armand Duplessis.’
‘I bet those two idiots will go through our playground twenty times a day. They’ll make the excuse that the boys’ entrance is cluttered up with builder’s rubbish …’
‘Listen, Claudine, this is disgraceful. We haven’t done a stroke today.’
‘Oh, it’s always like that the first day.
We’ll work much better next Friday.
One has to have time to get going.’
In spite of this convincing reasoning, Mademoiselle Lanthenay felt guilty about her own laziness and made me work seriously to the end of the hour. Afterwards, I accompanied her down to the bottom of the street.
It was dark and freezing and it upset me to see this small shadow going off into that cold and that blackness to return to the Redhead with the jealous eyes.
This week we’ve enjoyed some hours of pure bliss because they’ve been using us big ones to clear the loft and bring down all the books and the old lumber with which it was crammed.
We had to hurry: the builders were waiting to pull down the first storey.
There were mad gallops through the attics and up and down the stairs.
At the risk of being punished we ventured, the lanky Anais and I, right on to the staircase leading to the masters’ rooms, in the hope of at least catching a glimpse of the two new assistants who had remained invisible since their arrival …
Yesterday, in front of a door left ajar, Anais gave me a shove. I stumbled and pushed the door right open with my head.