Franz did not want to go to school that day because he was afraid of being scolded by his strict teacher, M. Hamel. He was unprepared for a test on participles in French, having not learned the lesson at all, which made him anxious and reluctant to attend school that day.
Additionally, Franz was distracted and tempted to stay away by the pleasant weather, chirping birds, and soldiers drilling outside, which made going to school less appealing.
Overall, his fear of the teacher's strictness combined with his unpreparedness for the test were the primary reasons he did not want to go to school that day.
