Edmond writing his first letter (The Perverted Peasant, Esprit 1782, fig3) - Binet

3rd figure.
Subject. Miss Manon, the same for whom the farmer was summoned to repair the consequences of this young lady's debauchery with Mr Parangon, advances gently to read over Edmond's shoulder, signalling to the young pupil's teacher that she is reading pleasantly naive things.

Manon, signalling to Mr Parangon to be quiet, watches Edmond writing his first letter from the city.

"I will tell you that as I was writing my other two pages, a young lady, whom I had taken at first glance to be Mrs Parangon (for unfortunately she is not here), this young lady, then, came and looked over my shoulder, and she began to laugh, saying: And then there is, and then there is; and her donkey plays a role: and she whispered something to Mr. Parangon, who came to read my letter, and laughed, and told me, and told me that he would teach me to write better than that (subject of the third figure) (apparently moulded, because my handwriting is quite beautiful; unless it is perhaps dictation); and I will not be angry about it, although he has made me very ashamed" (ed. François Jost, L'Age d'homme, 1977, vol. 1, p. 18).