File 3. - Letter from Pierre Suche (Beauvais),

In reply to ILE. The writer states he is currently busy studying French, specifically the essays of Montaigne, whose philosophy he likes, but whose style he finds archaic and incorrect. There is not much new to say about events at the Lycée. Fat Laborde has gone to Paris to enter St. Louis to prepare for joining the navy in three years time. The writer is working hard, though not as much as in the first semester, as he has been a little distracted with writing literary prose and poetry. He goes to Paris once a month to do something disreputable. This might scandalize ILE, but what is a man to do? He has to divert himself somehow. There is a new Scottish boy who as yet does not speak a word of French. He is quite rich and has been living it up. The principal has remonstrated with him several times, but always to no avail. And he has a saying that the French are "no more pigs" than the others. The writer is getting bored at the Lycée as he has been here for four years. Hopefully at Easter he will go to Paris to attend the Lycée Carnot, with the old Principal who was so much fun. He is only interested in his studies now so he can go to Paris where there is so much binging, he will forget about work. He has heard ILE is off to Germany for his studies. He hopes that ILE will write him from time to relate his experiences of the Germans and their habits.