'My dear,' said her mother, who had sat down beside them with her sewing
by this time, 'you are not giving your full attention. I can see you are
thinking of something else. If it is anything you do not understand ask
father to explain it.'

'Certainly,' Mr. Fairchild agreed. 'There is nothing worse than giving
half attention. What are you thinking about, child?'

Celestina looked up timidly.

'It wasn't anything in the lesson--at least not exactly,' she said. 'But
when father asked me who was the king of France then, it made me think
of what father said about a French ma'amselle, and I wondered what it
meant.'

'Ma'amselle,' said her father, 'is only our English way of saying
"mademoiselle," which means a miss, a young lady.'

'But those young ladies, the Rectory young ladies, aren't French,'
Celestina said.

'Of course not. What I meant was that very likely they have a French
governess. It's the mode nowadays when every one wants to speak French
well.'

'Oh,' said Celestina, 'I didn't understand. I'd like to hear somebody
speak French,' she added. 'Did you ever hear it, mother?'

'Yes,' Mrs. Fairchild replied. 'When I was a girl there was a French