“No? It is the ‘Emile’ of Monsieur Jean Jacques Rousseau that I mean; but if the nation wants me, I shall be a soldier.”
“What do you mean by nation?”
“I mean our country—France.”
“We call that the kingdom, do we not?”
“Yes, Monsieur le Comte; but some think it high time that we should call it a nation.”
“Then the mathematics are to teach you military engineering?”
“Yes; every officer should know how to draw a plan.”
“Officer! But before you can be an officer, you must be an aristocrat.”
“At present, yes; but by the time I am ready, there may be changes in the system.”
“You heard that, Malmy,” said M. de Dampierre, turning to the Viscount.