CLOTAIRE A DES LUNETTES When Clotaire arrived at school, this morning, we were oddly surprised, because she had

glasses on her face. Clotaire, she is a good friend, who is last in the class, and it seems that it is why one put her in glasses. Its the doctor, Clotaire explained to us, who said to my parents that if I was last, it was maybe because I could not see well in class. Then, they took me in the glasses store and the glasses man looked at my eyes with a machine that did not hurt, it had me read a pile of letters that meant nothing and then he gave me the glasses, and now, bing! I will not be last. Me, I was a little surprised, the bright idea of glasses, because if Clotaire cannot see in class, it is because she sleeps often, but maybe that the glasses, that will stop the sleeping. And then it is true that the first in the class is Agnan, and he is the only one who wears glasses, even that is why we cannot smack him as often as we would like. Agnan, he was not happy to see that Clotaire had the glasses. Agnan, who is the teachers pet, always feared that a friend would take his place, and we were glad to think that the first, now, would be Clotaire, who is a nice friend. Do you see my glasses? Asked Clotaire to Agnan. Now, I am going to be first in all, and that will be me that the teacher sends to get the cards and who washes the board! No, sir! No, sir! said Agnan. The first, it is me! And then first, you do not have the right to come to school with the glasses! A little that I have the right, no kidding! said Clotaire. And you will not be the only stinking little pet in class! And me, said Rufus, I am going to ask my dad to buy me some glasses, and I will be first also! All are going to ask our fathers to buy us some glasses, shouted Geoffroy. All will be first and all will be pets! Then, that was terrible, because Agnan began to shout and cry; he said that it would be cheating, that not everyone had the right to be first, he would complain, that no one liked him, he was very unhappy, he was going to kill himself, and the teacher arrived running. The teacher, he is our supervisor and one day I will recount to you why he is called that. What happened here? shouted the teacher. Agnan! What is it you have to cry like this? Look me well in the eyes and respond to me! They all want to put on some glasses! said Agnan to him in heaps of hiccups. The teacher looked at Agnan, he looked at us, and he rubbed his mouth with his hand, and then he said to us: All look me in the eyes! I am not going to try to comprehend your troubles: all that I can tell you, it is that if I hear you continue, I will punish you! Agnan, go drink a glass of water without breathing, the others, a word to the wise! And he left with Agnan, who continued to make hiccups. Say, I said to Clotaire, You lend us the glasses, when all will have tests? Yes, and for the compositions! said Maixent.

For the compositions, I am going to have need of them, said Clotaire, because if Im not the first, papa will know that I did not have my classes and that will make trouble because he doesnt like when I lend my things; but for tests, we will arrange. She is truly a good friend, Clotaire, and I asked her to lend me her glasses to try, and truly I do not know how they are going to make her first, Clotaire, because with her glasses one sees backwards, and when one looks at their feet, they appear to be very close to the face. And then I passed the glasses to Geoffroy, who leant them to Rufus, who put them to Joachim, who gave them to Maixent, who cast them to Eudes who made us laugh well by pretending to squint, and then Alceste wanted to take them, but there, there was trouble. Not you, said Clotaire. You have hands full of butter because of the tartines and you are going to dirty my glasses, and it is not worth having glasses if one is not able to see through, and it is quite a job to clean them, and papa will deprive me of the television if I am the new last because an imbecile dirtied my glasses with his gross hands full of butter! And Clotaire took back her glasses, but Alceste was not happy. You want them on your face, my gross hands full of butter? He asked to Clotaire. You dont want to smack me, said Clotaire. I have glasses! Oh well, said Alceste, Take them off, your glasses! No, sir, said Clotaire. Ah! The first of the class, said Alceste, You are all the same! The cowards! I am a coward, me? shouted Clotaire. Yes, sir, since you wear glasses! Oh well, we are going to see who is the coward! shouted Clotaire, and she took off her glasses. They were oddly furious, both of them, but they could not fight because the teacher arrived running. What else? He asked. She doesnt want me to wear her glasses! shouted Alceste. And I, he wants to put butter on mine! shouted Clotaire. The teacher put his hands on his face and his face was long, and when he does that, it is not the moment to laugh. Look me well in the eyes, you two! said the teacher. I do not know wh at you have still invented, but I do not want to hear talk of glasses! And for tomorrow, you conjugate for me the verb: I do not have to talk about during recreation, or cause disorder, causing in this way the supervisor to intervene. All of the time indicated. And he went to ring the bell for coming to class. In the line, Clotaire said that when Alceste would wash his hands, he would want well to lend them, the glasses. She is truly a good friend, Clotaire. In classit was geographyClotaire had passed the glasses to Alceste, who had wiped well his hands on his vest. Alceste put on the glasses, and then there was not the chance, because he did not see the teacher who was juste behind him. Stop being a clown, Alceste! shouted the teacher. And dont squint! If coming arun of air, you rest! Pay attention!

And Aleceste left with the glasses, he almost bumped into the door, and then the teacher called Clotaire to the board. And there, very well, without the glasses: Clotaire got a zero.