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Villiers followed Eleanor and Lisette into the rooirls in plain white frocks were seated on a half circle of stools before a , industriously sewing As the door opened they sprang to their feet and fornal from the eldest, the entire line dropped into a curtsy at precisely the sahter "How perfectly adorable!" she cried, clapping "Please, do it again"

With a nod froirls dropped another curtsy And another

"They don’t curtsy individually," Eleanor said after the third round "They dip to exactly the saht How on earth do they e it?"

"They train with a ruler," Mrs Mincheo

"No, no," Lisette said "They irls, curtsy!"

Villiers felt a bit ill The girls ranged frole one of them kept her eyes fixed on Mrs Minchem, as if there were no visitors in the room at all

Mrs Minchem nodded

They all dipped to precisely the sa act I saw at Bartholomew Fair," Villiers heard Lisette say to Eleanor as they left the roo to say

He was the last to leave There were no twins in the line; he was certain of it Although of course the twins ht have been separated

He should just ask Mrs Minche ahead, her back stiff with a kind of outrage that showed she hadn’t enjoyed the dog act

Mrs Minche was going very well, and she seeroup is made up of my parlor boarders, so to speak"

She tittered, but when no one responded, she explained: "These girls aren’t quite orphans That is, they are orphans in that their family cannot care for them, but they arrived with some money for their support"

"How can they be orphans if they have fa her brow prettily

Mrs Minchelanced at her and then said, "I’d not soil your ears with the telling, my lady I’ll just say that in many cases their fathers have handed them over with a bit of money to tide theirls pay for their own keep by irls are training to become the very best ladies’ maids, so they learn to be French"

"What?" Eleanor asked "Did you say that they are learning to be French?"

"Exactly," Mrs Minche her hands again Villiers realized that he would be quite happy if Lisette never clapped again "All the best ladies’ maids are French, aren’t they? So I told Mrs Mincheirls into riot the trick now, and I think they’ll find good places We had to give them fancy nairls, also wearing white gowns and seated in a circle, but instead of sewing, they were apparently having a tea party As the door opened they rose to their feet, lined up, and dropped into a synchronized curtsy

"Now girls," Mrs Mincheirl stepped forward and curtsied before Lisette "Bonjour, rave;s élégante"

"We concentrated on three things," Mrs Minchem said "A proper command of French, developlish, and a French manner"

"A French ?"

"The national character of the French is frivolous," Mrs Minchem announced "It is their lack of practicality that explains why they do not thrive Nevertheless, they are very good at hair and clothing We teach the girls to be voluble, excitable, and easily swayed by passion Deirls stood forward

"Je m’appelle Lisette-Aimée," one said