"He is in prison, the little King, and can't get out," he replied gravely. "'Domine, salvum fac regem!' M. l'Abbé taught me to say that—it is Latin," he added, not without pride.
"You have learned friends, little one," observed Mme. de Chaulnes kindly.
"Yes," replied the child, with interest. "M. l'Abbé knows a great many things. He teaches French also—but that is because he has not much money, I think. And M. le Vicomte de Soucy, he is very poor; Grandpapa thinks that he often goes without his dinner. But he is very proud too; he will not dine at our house often."
"He might make some money by selling his snuff-box with the picture of the Queen," suggested Mme. de Chaulnes, with rather a sad smile. "But I dare say he would sooner starve than do that."
"Oh, but it is not he who has the snuff-box," corrected Anne-Hilarion. "It is M. le Chevalier de la Vireville."
"But no doubt M. le Chevalier is poor too—like all the rest of us," said the old lady, sighing.
Anne-Hilarion considered this supposition about M. le Chevalier. Having no definite standard of wealth except the seldom seen contents of his own money-box, he only knew that M. de Soucy and the Abbé and the rest were poor because he had heard Mr. Elphinstone and his father say so. He had never seriously weighed M. le Chevalier's financial condition, yet, remembering now that on several occasions M. de la Vireville had contributed to the money-box in question, he was inclined to dispute this judgment.
"I do not know about M. le Chevalier," he said at length. "You see, he does not live in London; he is only there sometimes. It is more interesting for him, because he is a great deal in Brittany, and he fights, and goes to Jersey. He is going there soon. That is more amusing than teaching French like M. l'Abbé, or music, which I think is what M. le Vicomte teaches."
"Much more amusing," agreed Mme. de Chaulnes. "Why then does not M. le Vicomte do something of the same sort as M. le Chevalier? If I were a man, Anne, instead of an old woman, I am sure I should set off to Brittany to fight for the little King."
"I think the reason why M. de Soucy does not go to fight is because he is lame. It is a pity. It is from a wound."