"
She almost fainted; after bearing adversity so bravely, this
happiness proved too much for her. She could scarcely believe it.
A long explanation was necessary to convince her of the truth, and
then big tears, tears of joy this time, gushed from her eyes.
In this way, Pascal Ferailleur paid all the expenses of his
education until he had won his degree, arming himself so as to
resist the trials that awaited him, and giving abundant proof of
energy and ability. He wished to be a lawyer; and the law, he was
forced to admit, is a profession which is almost beyond the reach
of penniless young men. But there are no insurmountable obstacles
for those whose hearts are really set on an object. On the very
day that Pascal inscribed his name as a student at the law school,
he entered an advocate's office as a clerk. His duties, which
were extremely tiresome at first, had the two-fold advantage of
familiarizing him with the forms of legal procedure, and of
furnishing him with the means of prosecuting his studies. After
he had been in the office six months, his employer agreed to pay
him eight hundred francs a year, which were increased to fifteen
hundred at the end of the second twelvemonth. In three years,
when he had passed his final examination qualifying him to
practise, his patron raised him to the position of head-clerk,
with a salary of three thousand francs, which Pascal was moreover
able to increase considerably by drawing up documents for busy
attorneys, and assisting them in the preparation of their least
important cases.
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