"That is very kind of you to say, madam," Jacques replied, smiling, "but I fear Europe in general shall always be plagued with an over-abundance of lawyers. It seems to be a universal constant."
He listened with interest to Mercedes's description of his business. "You must have had fascinating travels, Citizen Dupont." He did not know exactly how to act in response to Emilie's next comment (he blamed the fact that the only women he saw with any regularity were his mother and a friend who shared his Jacobin tendencies) and smiled again instead.