I knew him when he was quite a kid, at Montmartre.

At school his masters used to ask him: 'Why are you laughing ?' He was not laughing; he had no desire to laugh; he used to get his ears boxed from morning to night.
His parents wanted to put him in a chemical factory.

But he had dreams of the stage, and spent his days on the Butte Montmartre, in the studio of the painter Montalent.

Montalent at that time was working day and night on his _Death of Saint Louis_, a huge picture which was commissioned for the cathedral of Carthage.

One day, Montalent said to him----" "A little less noise!" shouted Pradel.
"Said to him: 'Chevalier, since you have nothing to do, just sit for Philippe the Bold.' 'With pleasure,' said Chevalier.