French Teacher M. Hamel’s ‘iron ruler’. He was more eager to spend his time outside the school. Many times, he missed the school and went in search of ‘bird’s eggs’. He preferred to watch the Prussian soldiers drilling at the saw-mill. He did not realise the importance of learning his mother tongue till the time his country passed into Prussian hands and teaching French was banned
This was a rude shock to him when he came to school and found it to be his last French lesson. At this point, he lamented the loss of his language. His entire perspective towards the language and the teacher changed. He was surprised to learn and understand everything on the last day and did not find M. Hamel strict during the lesson nor did he find his teaching complicated. He felt he was able to understand the rules of grammar so very easily and thought it was his readiness to learn that mattered. He was really a child and was not able to understand the. severity of war and wondered whether the Pigeons would be made to coo in German too. Such was his innocence! ‘Thoughts change, Perceptions change, ‘Changes are inevitable.’
