Parisians under the indemnity that had been imposed upon them. From this
time onwards, Emmeline developed a lifelong prejudice against all things
German and a lifelong love for all things French, including Paris itself, ‘the city
of her desire’.^21 The headteacher of her new school, Mademoiselle Marchef-
Girard, believing that girls’ education should be as thorough and as practical as
that of boys’, included in the curriculum subjects such as chemistry, book-
keeping and the sciences, as well as the ladylike skill of embroidery. But since
the lessons were conducted in French, in which Emmeline was not fluent, she
was unable to participate fully. The change of circumstances and the climate
upset her disposition so the visiting doctor advised she be excused classes and be
allowed to run around and amuse herself. Taking full advantage of the freedom
granted to her, Emmeline explored Paris with another solitary pupil, the beau-
tiful Noémie Rochefort who had been placed in the school for refuge rather
than instruction. The two young women became close friends and roommates,
Emmeline listening intently to the anxious Noémie’s constant talk about her
father, Henri Rochefort, a well-known Republican, communist and swordsman
who had been imprisoned in New Caledonia for the part he had played in the
disastrous Paris commune. The stories about his duels, imprisonment and daring
escape in an open boat fired the imagination of the impressionable pupil from
Manchester who quickly acquired fluency in the French language.
Emmeline spoke highly of the liberal curriculum taught to the pupils, which
she supplemented by reading a large number of French novels. The founder of
the school and editor of Nouvelle Revue, Madame Adam, took an interest in her
English pupil and was ‘exceedingly kind’, inviting Emmeline not only to her
house but also to her soirées where many famous men of the day were present.^22
Such socialisation into the appropriate form of conduct considered suitable for
young middle-class women worked its magic. Emmeline, now eighteen years
old, returned home to Manchester:
having learnt to wear her hair and her clothes like a Parisian, a graceful,
elegant young lady ... with a slender, svelt figure, raven black hair, an
olive skin with a slight flush of red in the cheeks, delicately pencilled
black eyebrows, beautiful expressive eyes of an usually deep violet blue,
above all a magnificent carriage and a voice of remarkable melody.
More than ever she was the foremost among her brothers and sisters.^23Despite Emmeline’s sophistication, however, she was still expected to take
her place as the eldest daughter in a large family, doing various feminine tasks
such as helping to dress her sisters, redecorating the drawing-room, and looking
after the youngest girl. In any crisis, she never seemed to be at a loss. When a
lamp, which was lit, became detached from the ceiling at a school event, she
had the presence of mind to rush forward and catch it in her hands; when some
window curtains caught fire in the house, she hastily pulled them down to put
out the blaze. Yet, despite such decisiveness and confidence in these respects,
CHILDHOOD AND YOUNG WOMANHOOD