“Do you see?”
“Isn’t it better to do something famous, than to live in a hole like a toad all your life?”
“What would you like to do?” asked the Countess with curiosity.
“I?—Take part in a battle; lead it if possible.”
“Then you want to be a soldier.”
“You mean a general,” interrupted Quentin with a laugh.
“And why not, if he has good luck?”
“What does one need to be a general?” asked Pacheco. “To have a soul, to be valiant, and to be ready to give up your life every minute.”
“And furthermore, to have a career,” replied Quentin ironically ... “to have good recommendations.”
“But you always look upon everything as small and niggardly!” exclaimed the bandit hotly.