I am a ferocious democrat.

By birth I am vieille roche; a good little bit of the history of France is the history of my family.

Oh, you never heard of us, of course! Ce que c'est que la gloire! We are much better than the Bellegardes, at any rate.

But I don't care a pin for my pedigree; I want to belong to my time.

I'm a revolutionist, a radical, a child of the age! I am sure I go beyond you.
I like clever people, wherever they come from, and I take my amusement wherever I find it.