“Madame,” replied Villefort, with a mournful smile, “I have already had the honor to observe that my father has⁠—at least, I hope so⁠—abjured his past errors, and that he is, at the present moment, a firm and zealous friend to religion and order⁠—a better royalist, possibly, than his son; for he has to atone for past dereliction, while I have no other impulse than warm, decided preference and conviction.” Having made this well-turned speech, Villefort looked carefully around to mark the effect of his oratory, much as he would have done had he been addressing the bench in open court.