"Ha, please spare me." Pierre Janot de Potier wore an exaggeratedly pained expression. "I'm most afraid of doing accounts. Besides, Madam Lavesia can't manage without me."
He was currently Madam Lavesia's Latin teacher. In truth, he helped her arrange her dates among several lovers in a reasonable schedule, so those hotheaded young men would not discover each other's existence and challenge one another to duels.
It was easy, pleasant work. The income covered his own food and lodging, and he could still send 25 francs home every month.
The three drank for a while longer, then returned to their respective homes sometime after nine that night.
They did not realize that this would be their last chance to drink together for years to come.
Early the next morning, the blond young man Chaumont received an interview notice from the Paris Army Officer Academy—this meant he was practically guaranteed admission to the military academy, unless he openly contradicted the interviewer.
The officer who had delivered the notice did not leave immediately. Instead, he looked over the porcelain in Chaumont's home with great interest. "Mm, very beautiful. Was it made in the East?"
"No, sir, they're merely British imitations," Chaumont answered honestly. "My grandfather bought them before the Seven Years' War. You know, nobody wants these things anymore."
The officer nodded, sat down in a chair, and looked at Chaumont. "If it is convenient, I would like to know your views on honor." The young man immediately stood ramrod straight. "It is life itself, a gift from God, the most precious thing in this world, sir."
"Very good. I heard that you know drafting and German?"
"Yes, sir. My father taught me."
"He must have been very learned. Then what do you think of liberalism?"
"Well... at certain times, it has its