"At your age, marquis, you must not expect," he replied, "to achieve
that praiseworthy object by entering the slow ranks of public officials
and governmental functionaries. You require an appointment which will
assure you from the outset a yearly revenue of five or six thousand
francs. And I must also tell you that this desideratum is not, in the
present state of our social organization, to be obtained by simply
holding out your hand. Happily, I am in a position to make some
propositions to you which are likely to modify your present situation
immediately and without much trouble."