CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

First Assistant

One day Julien was sitting alone with Mrs de Rênal. He was thinking about the difficulty of taking on a profession. "Ah!" he said, "Napoleon was great for the young men of France. What will we do without him?"

He saw the cold look on her face. He had forgotten she was rich. Quickly he said that he had heard Fouqué say those words.

"Well, then don't talk to people like that any more!" she said.

This made Julien calmer and more careful. Mrs de Rênal was surprised by his words. Men like Mr de Rênal said that too much education for the lower class might turn them into revolutionaries.

Julien began asking Mrs de Rênal questions about society. He learned much from her about politics in France and in Verrières. This was very interesting to him. It was even more interesting than the books Fouqué gave him. His lover's beauty kept him from thinking about his ambition.

One day when they sat with the children, Mrs de Rênal looked into Julien's eyes. She saw how smart he was. She thought he would become a great man someday.

(end of section)