There are six in
the drawing-room," she continued, holding up all the fingers of her left
hand, and the thumb of the right.
"You ridiculous child! you misunderstand me quite. The multiplication
table is an arrangement of numbers. I will give it to you to study. In
the meantime, come, how many do three threes make when they are added
together?"
"I don't know anything about threes," said Hetty; "I only know about
fives."
"I think I must give you up for to-day," said Miss Davis in despair.
"Phyllis is waiting with her French exercise. Can you read French at
all, Hetty?"
"I can talk French," said Hetty; "but I don't want to read it; 'tis
quite bad enough to have to read English, I think. Talking is so much
pleasanter than reading."
"You can talk it, can you? Let me hear," and Miss Davis addressed a
question to her in French.
In answer to it Hetty poured forth a perfect flood of French, spoken
with a pretty accent and grammatically correct. In truth she spoke like
a little Frenchwoman, and completely surprised her listeners. She had
been asked some question about walking in the Champs Elysees and now
gave a vivid description of the scene there on a fine morning, the
people who frequented it, their dress, their manners, their
conversation.
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