called to us.

"Get up, mees, get up, and come on," she said; "you make your toilet at
the school. Come on, quick!"

Minima was more dexterous than I in dressing herself in the dark; but we
were not long in getting ready. The air was raw and foggy when we turned
out-of-doors, and it was so dark still that we could scarcely discern
the outline of the walls and houses. But madame was waiting to conduct
us once more to the other house, and as she did so she volunteered an
explanation of their somewhat singular arrangement of dwelling in two
houses. The school, she informed me, was registered in the name of her
head governess, not in her own; and as the laws of France prohibited any
man dwelling under the same roof with a school of girls, except the
husband of the proprietor, they were compelled to rent two dwellings.

"How many pupils have you, madame?" I inquired.

"We have six, mees," she replied. "They are here; see them."

We had reached the house, and she opened the door of a long, low room.
There was an open hearth, with a few logs of green wood upon it, but
they were not kindled. A table ran almost the whole length of the room,
with forms on each side. A high chair or two stood about. All was
comfortless, dreary, and squalid.

But the girls who were sitting on the hard benches by the table were
still more squalid and dreary-looking. Their faces were pinched, and
just now blue with cold, and their hands were swollen and red with
chilblains. They had a cowed and frightened expression, and peeped
askance at us as we went in behind madame. Minima pressed closely to me,
and clasped my hand tightly in her little fingers. We were both entering
upon the routine of a new life, and the first introduction to it was
disheartening.

"Three are English," said madame, "and three are French. The English are
_frileuses_; they are always sheever, sheever, sheever. Behold, how they
have fingers red and big! Bah! it is disgusting."

She rapped one of the swollen hands which lay upon the table, and the
girl dropped it out of sight upon her lap, with a frightened glance at
the woman. Minima's fingers tightened upon mine. The head governess, a
Frenchwoman of about thirty, with a number of little black papillotes
circling about her head, was now introduced to me; and an animated
conversation followed between her and madame.

"You comprehend the French?" asked the latter, turning with a suspicious
look to me.

"No," I answered;