She found it hard to follow what he was saying. Always he spoke in such lilting sentences and used such words and... and her attention drifted. So she ignored what she could not follow.

"You do not need to call me 'Mademoiselle', Sir. We both know that I am not of that station. I am just plain 'Ponine, Sir, to everyone."

Everyone being remotely polite to her at any rate.

"Will you really teach me English? I would like to speak him as you and Monsieur Marius do. I will teach you Argot, Sir. It is hard though, you know?"