The Aspirations of Jean Servien

n, who darted poisonous looks at him, greeted the bookbinder with a discr

nrolling his screw of snuff the while; he only interrupted to interject little playful remarks with a geniality just touched with a trace of ferocity, that bespoke his real nature as an

of his old teacher, who united in himself the contradictory attributes of high-priest and buffoon. He was great at telling a story, and though his tales were beyond the child's intelligence, they did not fail to leave behind a confused impression of recklessness, irony, and cynicism. Mademoiselle S

tion of racy talk and self-indulgence, while his great nose, his pink cheeks, his fat, loose hands and his big belly, gallantly carr

es, monet ... monebam, monebas, monebat... Suddenly Monsieur Tudesco sprang forward, dragging

ou a more profitable lesson than all the pitif

o know yourself and the world about you, you will discover this, that men act only out of regard for the opinion of their

is is my lesson, caro figliuolo, that the world's opinion is not worth the sacrifice of a single one of our desires. If you get this into your pate, you will be a strong man and can boast

f his rigmarole; only Monsieur Tudesco struck him as a strange and alarming

r warmed to

steps of a palace. And he died of famine in a madhouse. I say it: the world's opinion, that empress of humankind, I will tear from her her crown and sceptre

air by the back and was pound

, gave a knowing smile,

a prey to Teuton savagery. The fetters of the fa

tood chuckling to himself, and his

moments had been watching the tutor, her spectacles pushed half-way up her foreh

ble to come to peopl

em to hear her. His manner

ite down: 'The worst thing... yes, the worst thing of all,'

the Church, he bowed low to the aunt, gave the nephe

and treated her to all his choicest airs and graces, rounding his elbows, pursing his lips, str

the vices of the rich. The old lady approved his sentiments, and an exchange of petty confidences ensued. Tudesco knew a sovereign remedy for catarrh, and this too was well received. He redoubled his attentions, and the concierge, who saw him smiling to himself on the doorstep, told Aunt Servien: "The man's in love with y

e's dinner," was his expression. "Mice are like me, they love the

days made a bad impression, and the old

came Monsieur