There may be some excuse in this for the licentious living to which he
now gave himself up. He was heir to a decent fortune, and of course
thought himself justified in spending it before-hand. Then, in spite of
his quaint little figure, he had something attractive about him, for his
merry face was good-looking, if not positively handsome. If we add to
this, spirits as buoyant as an Irishman's--a mind that not only saw the
ridiculous wherever it existed, but could turn the most solemn and awful
themes to laughter, a vast deal of good-nature, and not a little
assurance--we can understand that the young Scarron was a favourite with
both men and women, and among the reckless pleasure-seekers of the day
soon became one of the wildest. In short, he was a fast young Parisian,
with as little care for morality or religion as any youth who saunters
on the Boulevards of the French capital to this day.
But his stepmother was not content with getting rid of young Paul, but
had her eye also on his fortune, and therefore easily persuaded her
husband that the service of the church was precisely the career for
which the young reprobate was fitted. There was an uncle who was Bishop
of Grenoble, and a canonry could easily be got for him.
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