Avait V oreille, i.e. , possédait la confiance

24. Secrétaire-Général. A kind of first secretary or confidential clerk to the préfet (cf. n. p. 55, 1. 20), but of a well recognized officiai status in the préfecture, where he ranks af ter the pré/e^ himself . He represents the latter when absent from his post and is the head of the staff of employées in the préfecture. He is usually appointed from among the sous-préfets (heads of arrondissem^ents, the administrative division next below the départements), and is considered to be in the Une of promotion to the post oî préfet. At the outset of his prof essional career he is usually a licencié en droit (one admitted to the bar) , who has been appointed to the dignity of conseiller de préfecture.