When Jasmin went to the notary to ask for money, which he never did without presenting an exact statement of what he had to pay out, the notary, after praising the faithful valet for the honesty and economy with which he regulated the household expenditure, never failed to ask him:
“And our young marquis, how does he come on?”
“He is in superb health,” Jasmin would reply.
“He ought to be a big fellow now, he is nearly eleven years old.”
“He has a very pretty figure and a charming face; he will be a little jewel, whom all the women will dote on, I am sure, as they doted on his late father; but I presume that they won’t be the same women.”
“That is all very well; but how is he getting on with his studies; have you placed the little marquis at a good institution?”
“Excellent, monsieur; oh, yes! he is in a very good house indeed; he eats as much as he wants.”
“I have no doubt that he is well fed, but that is not enough; at his age, what he wants above all is food for the mind. Does he give satisfaction?”
“They are enchanted with him; they would like never to part with him, he is so attractive.”
“Prizes! he has whatever he wants; he has only to ask, they refuse him nothing.”
“You don’t understand me; has he obtained any prizes for his work, I mean; is he strong in Latin, Greek, and history?”
Jasmin was slightly embarrassed by those questions; he coughed, and faltered a few words which could not be understood. But the notary, who attributed his embarrassment to other causes, continued:
“I am talking about things you don’t understand, eh, my old Jasmin? Latin and Greek and such matters are not within your scope. However, when I have a few moments to myself, I will come to you, and you must take me to see your young marquis.”
“The deuce! the deuce! if he goes to see my little Chérubin some day, he won’t be very well content with his studies; but it isn’t my fault if monsieur le marquis refuses to leave his nurse. That notary keeps talking to me about food for the mind; it seems to me that when a child eats four meals a day with a good appetite, his mind ought not to be any more hungry than his stomach, unless it doesn’t want to be fed.”
One day, however, after a visit to the notary, when he had again urged the old valet to commend the young marquis to his teachers, Jasmin started at once for Gagny, saying to himself on the way: