Chapter 21

           HEWOULDHAVElovedthenandtheretohaveleftforthesouth,wherehecouldlearnthenewtechniquestheoldmanhadtoldhimabout.Butthatwasofcourseoutofthequestion.Hewasafterallonlyanapprentice,whichwastosay,anobody.Strictlyspeaking,asBaldiniexplainedtohim-thiswasafterhehadovercomehisinitialjoyatGrenouille’sresurrection-strictlyspeaking,hewaslessthananobody,sinceaproperapprenticeneededtobeoffaultless,i.e.,legitimate,birth,tohaverelativesoflikestanding,andtohaveacertificateofindenture,allofwhichhelacked.Shouldhe,Baldini,neverthelessdecideonedaytohelphimobtainhisjourneyman’spapers,thatwouldhappenonlyonthebasisofGrenouille’suncommontalents,hisfaultlessbehaviorfromthenon,andhis,Baldini’s,owninfinitekindness,which,thoughitoftenhadworkedtohisowndisadvantage,hewouldforeverbeincapableofdenying.Tobesure,itwasagoodwhilebeforehefulfilledhispromisedkindness-justalittleunderthreeyears.DuringthatperiodandwithGrenouille’shelp,Baldinirealizedhishigh-flyingdreams.HebuilthisfactoryintheFaubourgSaint-Antoine,succeededinhisschemeforexclusiveperfumesatcourt,receivedaroyalpatent.HisfinefragrancesweresoldasfaroffasSt.Petersburg,asPalermo,asCopenhagen.Amusk-impregnateditemwasmuchsoughtaftereveninConstantinople,whereGodknowstheyalreadyhadenoughscentsoftheirown.