work
Margot
A well-known 19th-century French-language primer used to teach the alphabet and basic grammar to beginners; Alice Osipovna's reflexive teaching text, which Vorotov insists on bypassing in favor of reading an author directly.
Reading notes
- Expensive Lessons §15 the Margot she had brought with her
"Margot" refers to a well-known 19th-century French-language primer used across Europe (and in Russian households employing French governesses) to teach the alphabet and basic grammar to children -- Alice's reflex opening with it, and Vorotov's brushing it aside as beneath a university-trained comparative linguist, sets up the story's running joke about his misguided "scholarly" method.