Charlotte Brontë

“ I observed, "if she does not give lessons, I am sure it is not because she cannot," and I whipped out a white pocket-handkerchief and wafted it, with a French grace, past my nose, bowing at the same time.
"Quel charmant jeune homme!" murmured Madame Pelet in a low voice. Madame Reuter, being less sentimental, as she was Flamand and not French, only laughed again.
"You are a dangerous person I fear," said she; "if you can forge compliments at that rate Zoraïde will positively be afraid of you, but if you are good, I will keep your secret, and not tell her how well you can flatter. ”

“ Having regained my own room, I set myself to turn over in my mind the incident of the evening. It seemed a queer affair altogether, and queerly managed; the two old women had made quite a little intricate mess of it; still I found that the uppermost feeling in my mind on the subject was one of satisfaction. In the first place it would be a change to give lessons in another seminary, and then to teach young ladies would be an occupation so interesting—to be admitted at all into a ladies' boarding-school would be an incident so new in my life. ”

“ Take care, however, you don't betray either of us to Zoraïde—to my daughter, I mean; she is so discreet and circumspect herself, she cannot understand that one should find a pleasure in gossiping a little ———"
"C'est absolument comme mon fils!" cried Madame Pelet.
"All the world is so changed since our girlhood!" rejoined the other: "young people have such old heads now. But to return, monsieur. Madame Pelet will mention the subject of your giving lessons in my daughter's establishment to her son, and he will speak to you ”