The Professor Chapter VIII

In which our narrator reflects on the courteous yet somewhat enigmatic demeanour of his employer, Monsieur Pelet, and is unexpectedly invited by the latter’s mother to share a goûter with an intriguing acquaintance, Madame Reuter, who unfolds a delicate proposition involving a position at a neighbouring ladies’ seminary. Though curious and mildly bemused by the peculiar social customs and character of these Belgian ladies, he finds himself quietly hopeful at the prospect of a new occupation and the chance to discover the elusive garden he has so longed to see.