"In Martinique, where he does a big business in sugar-cane and coffee. Monsieur Solange was born in France, and he decided that his son should come here to study."
"I can understand that," replied Monsieur Roger; "but what a sorrow this exile must cause the mother of this child!"
"Paul has no mother: she died several years ago."
"Poor boy!" murmured Monsieur Roger, and his growing friendship became all the stronger.
That evening, after dinner, when coffee was being served, Miss Miette, who was in a very good humor, was seized with the desire to tease her little friend Paul.
"Say, Paul," she asked, from one end of the table to the other, "how many prizes did you take this year?"
Paul, knowing that an attack was coming, began to smile, and answered, good-naturedly,--
"You know very well, you naughty girl. You have already asked me, and I have told you."
"Ah, that is true," said Miette, with affected disdain: "you took one prize,--one poor little prize,--bah!"
"That is not like my brother: he took several prizes, _he_ did,--a prize for Latin, a prize for history, a prize for mathematics, a prize for physical science, and a prize for chemistry. Well, well! and you,--you only took one prize; and that is the same one you took last year!"
"Yes," said Paul, without minding his friend's teasing; "but last year I took only the second prize, and this year I took the first."
"You have made some progress," said Miss Miette, sententiously.
Monsieur Roger had been interested in the dialogue.
"May I ask what prize Master Paul Solange has obtained?"
"A poor little first prize for drawing only," answered Miette.
"Ah, you love drawing?" said Monsieur Roger, looking at Paul.
But it was Miette who answered: "He loves nothing else."
Monsieur Dalize now, in his turn, took up the conversation, and said,--
"The truth is that our friend Paul has a passion for drawing. History and Latin please him a little, but for chemistry and the physical sciences he has no taste at all."
"You are wrong," replied Monsieur Dalize, "to excuse by your smile Paul's indifference to the sciences.--And as to you, Paul, you would do well to take as your example Monsieur Roger, who would not have his fortune if he had not known chemistry and the physical sciences. In our day the sciences are indispensable."