Chapter summary
Abbé Pirard introduces Julien Sorel to the Marquis de La Mole, a small thin man in a blond wig, and gives him two free days in Paris. In the Père-Lachaise cemetery, a courteous and liberal gentleman shows him Marshal Ney's tomb, and when they part Julien discovers he has lost his watch; before that, he saw the shoemaker register him as Mr. Julien de Sorel. The marquis installs him in an attic room and orders him to buy twenty-two more shirts, and Julien is dazzled by the library. But the marquis is discouraged ("All this experiment is wasted time") on seeing him misspell a word.
At dinner, Julien meets the marquise, Count Norbert and Mathilde de La Mole, who does not please him, although he has never seen such beautiful eyes, which announce great coldness of soul. A discussion about Horace with an academician restores his confidence and wins the marquis's esteem.
Analysis
The marquis installs Julien in the attic and tests him with the letters he writes in the library, and is discouraged by a misspelled word: a secretary must write like someone from the house. Julien regains credit at dinner, when the discussion of Horace with the academician shows that the learning he brings serves as currency there.
Ch. II. In the library of the La Mole palace: Once the task was done, Julien dared to approach the books: he nearly went mad with joy on finding an edition of Voltaire.
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