He appeared to regard his speeches as mere exercises which would be of use to him later on.

It was this that puzzled and disheartened Felicite.

She would have liked to see her son dictating the law to the Civil Court of Plassans.

At last she came to entertain a very unfavourable opinion of her first-born.

To her mind this lazy fellow would never be the one to shed any lustre on the family.