A French Lesson
- Sara enters the classroom for the first time the next morning, and everyone checks her out (including her shoes) because she's the new kid.
- Some of her classmates include: Lavinia Herbert (who is almost 13) and Lottie Leigh (who is only 4).
- Talk about multi-age classrooms.
- All the girls have been gossiping about Sara: she has a French maid (named Mariette) and boxes full of ridiculously frilly clothes, canyouevenbelieveit?
- Oh, and she's been telling tales about how she believes that dolls can talk and walk but only do it when people are out of the room. Who is this girl?
- Miss Minchin introduces Sara to the rest of the class and tells her that she will be studying French.
- Sara wants to say that she already knows French, but she doesn't know how to say so and ends up giving Miss Minchin the impression that she's being difficult and doesn't want to learn the language.
- When the French master, Monsieur Dufarge comes in, Miss Minchin announces to him that Sara does not wish to learn French.
- However, Sara stands up and begins to explain to Monsieur Dufarge—in perfect French, of course—that she totally does know French, merci beaucoup.
- Miss Minchin has a secret: she doesn't speak French. So now she's ticked off that Sara didn't tell her, annoyed that she knows she's in the wrong, and also a little resentful of her new pupil.
- Yeah, this is going to end well.