Nevertheless, I replied
that I would obey him, and to tell the truth, I was not ill
pleased at the thought of the change. My life with M. de Chalusse
was a monotonous and cheerless one. I was almost dying of ennui,
for I had been accustomed to work, bustle, and confusion with the
Greloux, and I felt delighted at the prospect of finding myself
among companions of my own age.
"Unfortunately, M. de Chalusse had forgotten one circumstance,
which made my two years' sojourn at Sainte-Marthe a lingering and
cruel agony. At first I was kindly treated by my schoolmates. A
new pupil is always welcome, for her arrival relieves the monotony
of convent-life. But it was not long before my companions wished
to know my name; and I had none other than Marguerite to give
them. They were astonished and wished to know who my parents
were. I could not tell an untruth; and I was obliged to confess
that I knew nothing at all respecting my father or my mother.
After that 'the bastard'--for such was the name they gave me--was
soon condemned to isolation. No one would associate with me
during play-time. No one would sit beside me in the school-room.
At the piano lesson, the girl who played after me pretended to
wipe the keyboard carefully before commencing her exercises. I
struggled bravely against this unjust ostracism; but all in vain.
I was so unlike these other girls in character and disposition,
and I had, moreover, been guilty of a great imprudence.
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