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the professor.
"But—" (slowly and with embarrassment)—"my parents were not all the two Genevese."
"Say both, instead of 'all the two,' mademoiselle."
"Not both Swiss: my mother was English."
"Ah! and of English extraction?"
"Yes—her ancestors were all English."
"And your father?"
"He was Swiss."
"What besides? What was his profession?"
"Ecclesiastic—pastor—he had a church."
"Since your mother is an Englishwoman, why do you not speak English with more facility?"
"Maman est morte, il y a dix ans."
"And you do homage to her memory by forgetting her language. Have the goodness to put French out of your mind so long as I converse with you—keep to English."
"C'est si difficile, monsieur, quand on n'en a plus l'habitude."
