“From La Chatre. But I spend my vacations at Bourges with my Uncle Mouillard.”
“Yes, yes, Mouillart with a t, isn’t it?”
“No, with a d.”
“I asked, you know, because I once knew a General Mouillart who had been through the Crimea, a charming man. But he can not have been a relative, for his name ended with a t.”
My good tutor spoke with a delightful simplicity, evidently wishing to be pleasant and to show some interest in me.
“Are you married, young man?”
“No, sir; but I have no conscientious objections.”
“Marry young. Marriage is the salvation of young men. There must be plenty of pretty heiresses in Bourges.”
“Heiresses, yes. As to their looks, at this distance—”
“Yes, I understand, at this distance of course you can’t tell. You should do as I did; make inquiries, go and see. I went all the way to Forez myself to look for my wife.”