FrenchShortStoriesEditedforSchoolUse 10156843

F RE N C H
S H O RT S T O R E S
E D ITE D FOR S CH OOL US E BY
HA R RY C . S C H W E IK E R T , M A . .
CEN TR A L H IG H SC H OOL , ST . LOUI S , M O .
S C OT T , F O RE S M AN AN D C OM PA N Y
C H IC AG O N EW Y OR K
COPY RIGH T 1 9 18
B Y S oon , F ORE S M A N AN D COM PA N Y

PR E F A CE
I n l a t e y e a r s c on s t an t ly i n creasi n g attention has been

given to the st u d y of the short stor y i n o ur schools an d “
colleges N umero u s texts have bee n prepared to meet t his

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new ten dency but in all o f them there has been a p r ep o n

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derance o f En glish and American stories The few foreign .
stories i n cluded in some of the collectio n s implied a scan t

recognitio n of the fact that there we re excellen t stories in
literatures other tha n those in the En glish la n gu age .
The presen t war has greatl y stimulated i n terest in con

t i n en t al literatu re especiall y in that o f o u r Allies
, O f all .
these none is richer i n its fiction than F ra n ce The high .
artisti c ex c elle n ce o f the F ren ch short s t or y has lo n g been

recognized a n d the more importa nt Fren ch writers are well
known e v er y where ; but up to the prese n t n o representative
collection o f Fre n ch short stories has been made for school
us e. This volume aims t o present su c h a c ollection .
The editor wishes to make a gen eral acknowledgmen t

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of his i n debted n ess to all pre v ious editors o f collectio n s o f

short stories which included the Fre n ch H e has also re .
c ei v e d much help a n d stimulatio n from the ma ny recent books
on the a rt of the short stor y S pecial ackn owledgme n ts are

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due t o Mr C E Miller a n d M r R A Alp i s e r both o f

. . . . . .
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the Mercantile L ibrar y o f St L oui s for their ma ny c ourte

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sies an d t o the editor s frie n d a n d col league M r L oui s

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L aC r oi x .
Acknowledgments t o publisher s will be found in c onn e c

tion with the stories themselves .
St L ouis M o Apri l, 1 9 1 8
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H C S . . . .
C ON T E N T S
I N T ROD U CT I ON
I T he Sh ort Story T o d ay
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II T he Sh ort St o ry o f A nti qu i ty
.
III T h e S h ort Sto ry i n M o de rn F r a nc e

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PRON O U N CI N G G LOS S ARY

B A L! AC
An E p i s o de o f t h e R ei gn of T e rro r
T h e A th eist s M a ss
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Co lonel Ch ab e rt
M fmm nfn
M ateo F alcone
M U S SE T
C roi s ill e s
MA U PAS SA N T
T wo F ri ends
D A UDE T
The R everend F ath er G a u ch e r s E lixi r

I
COF F E E
A P ie ce of B re a d
FRA N CE
T h e Ju g gle r of No tr e D a m e
B A! IN
T he B i r ds in t he L ette r -
B ox
CL A RE T IE
B oum B o um
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Th e S iren
I N T R OD U C T I ON
I
T H E S H O R T S T O RY T O DAY
F i ct ion in i t s mos t c omp rehen sive sense is c oeval with
the beginnings o f literature and the short story is as old as
,
the art O f narration itself However it has been left to

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,
comparatively modern times to give close attention to the

defini tio n o f the li terar y forms n o w included in the general
term p r o s e fi c t io n u ntil today the terms n o v el ro m a nc e
, , ,
a n d sho r t s t o ry have come t o mean something fairl y di s t i n c

tive For many centuries looseness in the matt er of con
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str u ction was characteristic o f the lo n g stor y a n d the short ,
both l n poetr y an d prose In the eightee nth and n i n etee nth

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centuries when the modern n o v el began to S hape itself more

, ,
care was bestowed on the question of form a n d as the art , ,
o f fiction progressed the short stor y graduall y began to

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emerge as a separate v ariet y But loosen ess of structure .
was not definitel y attacked until abo u t the middle of the last
cen tur y when P oe b y precept an d pra c tice proclaimed the
, ,
short stor y as something new a n d disti n ct i n fiction sub ,
j to special laws of its own He published B r e n z c e his

’
e c t e.
,
first stor y i n 1 8 3 5 a n d i n 1 8 4 2 he wrote his famous re view

, ,
of Hawthor n e s T w i s e T o ld T a les Both the T a le s and the

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critique are lan dmarks i n the de v elopment of the short

stor y P oe s i n fluen ce in this development can hardly be
.
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o v er emphasized I n Fran ce his stories had the good for

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tun e to be tra n slated b y Baudelaire ( 1 8 5 6 an d with

such remarkable fidelity and exquisite sty le did the French
man perform his task that the stories ranked practically as
origi n al work P oe became equall y popular in other c oun
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tri es es p e cially i n E n gland Germany and R ussia

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8 F R E N CH S H ORT S TOR I E S
I t is an an c i en t tru i s m t o Say th at li t e r a tu r e i s a r e fl e cti on

o f li fe but the i dea has s p e c i al a pp li c a t ion in a c onsidera t ion
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o f t he dev elo p men t o f t he shor t s t ory In t he last fifty years

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li fe has become more c om p li c a t ed t he field o f hu m an t hou ght

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and endeavor h a s widened a ct ion has be c ome more and more

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s p e c ialized edu c a tion i s almos t c ommon p roperty and

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reading a universal habi t Thes e very c ond i t ions however

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, ,
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have im p os ed restri ctio ns on le i su r e fo r r eadin g s o t ha t t o ,
day a hundred readers fi nd t i me f or a shor t s t ory t o on e

who c an de v o t e hims elf to a lon g novel The sho rt story .
,
t herefore fills a na t ural wan t c reated in lar g e p a rt by the

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c onditions O f modern life and writers have n ot been slow

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in taki n g advantage o f this demand for brev i t y .
A con c omita n t fac t or in t he p o p ular i za t ion o f the short

s t or y is the stu p endous growth o f the magazine as a medium
o f p ublication espe c ially i n Ameri c a I n the earlier maga .
,
zine more p articularl y i n E n gland short stories were used

, ,
“ ”
mainly as fillers while today the bookstands eve r ywhere
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fairl y groan with magazi n es which loudly pro c laim them

s el v es as c on t ai n i n g shor t stories onl y E ven the more con .
s e r v a t i v e o f t he O lder p eriodicals do no t hesi t a t e t o c all
special atte n tion t o t heir shor t stories B esides a su rp ris .

,
i n gly large number o f thes e stories find t heir w a y into book

form assuring them a g reat er de g ree o f p ermanen c y This
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insiste nt and c ons t antly growin g demand has no t only s t i m u

lated produ c tion ; i t has also been r es p ons i ble f o r g reater
merit i n the stories themselves .
A s tud y o f t he short s t ory inev itably su gg es t s a c ontrast

with the no v el In a general way the m at e r i al i s the same
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for both as well as the fundamental elements o f c onstru c tio n

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The subj ect matter with wh i c h p rose fict i on deals says
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P ro f Blis s P erry i s human life i tself ; the ex p erien c e o f
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the ra c e under countless c onditions o f exis t en c e And again
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fic tion wri t ers all ha v e s ome th i n g t o say about life That .
I N TR O D U CT I O N 9
surely is b r oad enough to include both no vel and sho rt stor y .
Yet t h e r e a r e di ff erences In ge n eral the n o v el is more

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exp an s w e i n theme a n d more elasti c i n treatme n t ; it can ,
a n d usually does reproduce a larger phase of li fe than the

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short stor y on e involvi n g more characters an d greater

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variety o f incident a n d afio rd i n g a more exte n ded range

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for the portra y al o f human emoti on I n the no v el there .
is an elaborate p lot frequen tl y supported b y o n e o r more

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s ub plots which help to create the complicatio n in which

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much o f the i nterest of the stor y is embodied Opportunit y .
is gi v en fo r leisurel y narration O ften relieved b y incide ntal ,
—
description onl y such however as will not obscure the
, ,
e ffect whi ch the writer wishes t o create In order to achieve .
his purpose artisticall y the no v elist arran ges the in c idents

and episodes in the lives o f hi s c haracters i n such a wa y
a s t o lead up t o the cli max which perma n e n tl y affects t h e
destiny o f the importa n t characters at least, or involve s

them in a definite Catastro p he .
In some such way the ideals o f t h e novel may be su m

m a ri z e d and o f c ourse some o f the points j ust made apply
, , ,
t o the short s t or y as well especiall y the older variet y

,
But .
it has be c ome the fashion to discriminate betwee n the novel

an d the shor t stor y and much has been written in this
connection R ules have been formulated as to what is and
.
wha t is n ot a short story with co n siderable emphasis o n ,
the idea that a short stor y is more than a stor y that simply
hap p ens t o be brief In order t o bring out these distinguishi n g
.
features o f the short stor y as it is now concerned it ma y not

be ir r el evan t t o give a brief s y nopsis o f the fundamental
elements o f p rose fi c tion .
In eve ry sto ry lon g o r shor t the r e are c ha

,
r a c t e rs s e t t i n
, g , ,
and p lo t . In other words there are c ertain pe r son s o r

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c h a r a c t e r s wh o d o somethi n g amid c ertain s u r r o u nd i n s T h e

g .
c haracters are des c ribed by di r e ct stat ement o f t he autho r,

10 F RE NCH S H ORT S TO R I E S
. or b y wha t they d o and s ay as t he s t o r y pr o gr es s es T he .
se tt ing o f a story includes its lo c a t ion in t ime and p la c e .
T h e p lo t gives li fe t o the story ; it i mp lies a ct i on t he ,
in c ident s and e p isodes in whi c h the c hara c ters are i nvolved

bei n g artisti c all y arranged t o lead t o some c ertai nend The .
n o v e L employs t hese elements with g reater elabora t ion as ,
suggested in a p revious p aragra p h whil e t he shor t s t ory ,
o f ne c essity is o f sim p le form .
M an y attem pt s have been made i n re c en t years t o gi ve

m ore p re c ise and exa ct defini tion t o the term s ho r t s t o ry as
distin guished from t he mere t a le o r s k e t c h but i t does not ,
s eem essential t o t he presen t p urpose t o c ont ribute t o this

discussion for in t his book all three for m s are r e p resen t ed
,
.
The o n e t rai t c o m mon t o all i s s i ng le nes s of efl e c t se c ured ,
by re p ression i n the use o f m aterial and by c o nc entra t ing

the interes t u p on some o n e chara cter o r some o n e in c ident ;
by compa ct nes s o f c onstru c tion and swi ftnes s o f movemen t .
The c ontras t with t he loos er and more leisurely manner o f

t he novel is O bvious In t he ideal shor t story there is little
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room for description A c t i o n is the word

. The r est is .
usually quite secondary although i n t he shor t s t ory there

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has always been a marked fondness for local c olo r effe c t s

be c aus e o f the air o f realism which they impart .
The field O f the short story is almos t unlim ited bot h i n ,
r ange o f subj e ct matter and method of treatment T he most

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su cc ess ful stories o f all times ha v e always b een t hos e whi c h

a pp ealed t o t he deep seated emotions c ommon t o humanity
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su c h as lo v e ha t e j e a lo us y r e v eng e f ri en d s hip c o ur a g e
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d e v o t i o n s e lf s a c r ifi
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c e ; o r again the ap p eal may lie in the
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t y p e o f c harac t er t he s o ldie r the begg a r t he c ri m i n a l the

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a t h le t e ; a n d sometimes t he a p peal i s i n t he effe c t only fo r ,
example hu m o r p a t ho s o r h o r ro r I t i s n ot unusual fo r
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writers t o combine t w o o r m ore Of t hese mo t ives In the .
p resent volume nearly all o f the ele m ent s j us t m entioned -

may eas i ly be dete c ted and readers will find it a pleasan t

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exercise to note after they have read a stor y what effect

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has been produced upo n them a n d h ow the au thor ma n aged

hi s mater ial i n order to secure it .
At the present moment no form o f writi n g is more in

vogue than the short stor y There is more a n d more of a
.
ten den cy to place the emphasis On the s ho r t S e v eral .
reaso n s for this ha v e alread y bee n i n dicated but at least ,
o n e other ma y be me n tio n ed i m i t a t i o n
,
T w o of the foremost
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moder n writers o f the short stor y practiced the v er y shor t

form M aupassa n t a n d O Hen r y an d they did it s u r
— —
passi n gly well The y followed P oe i n poi nti n g the way

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for the ty pe o f stor y that limited itself to the sharply drawn -
photograp hi c detail and s o s u ccess ful were the y t h a t a ll

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the world seems in cli n ed to follow them N arrati v e art .
with them mean t the focussin g of the a tte ntio n o n some

o n e c hara ct er o r s o me one trait o r some o n e in c ide n t by ,
mea n s of which the y c reated the S i n gle impression sought .
The moder n devotion to hurr y an d speed has helped t o

popularize the ver y short form a n d the newspaper s a n d
,
magazi n es are doi n g their best to foster this t y pe The y .
p refer to pri n t half a dozen s t o rI e s b y di fferent authors

rather than o n e o r t w o lon ger o n es which might actually
have a higher claim to literar y disti n ctio n It is n atu ral .
that a n author ca n build better i f he is n ot cramped for

elbow room and this is exemplified b y some o f the older
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writers bor n before brev it y became a n altar o n which all

else must be sacrificed Amon g them are s u ch writers as
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Balzac Turgenev an d Tolstoi

, ,
.R eaders wh o ha v e n ot
already do n e so should n ot fail t o read T u r g en ev s A T e a r ’
o f t he S t e
pp e,s as well as the lo n ger o f the short stories b y
B alzac Amo n g the few more rece n t wr iters w h o wrote as

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they pleased rather than fit their stories i nto the spa c e

allotted b y the magazines was Hen r y James S ome da y .
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12 F RE NCH S H ORT S TO R I E S
when it is no lo n ger a po p ular literar y sport t o c as t slu r s

u p on t hat great literar y figure the readin g public will wake ,
u p t o t he fa ct that it has been most unj ustly n eglecting o n e

o f the foremos t wr i t e r s o f the short sto ry in E nglish .
II
T H E S H O R T S T O RY OF AN T I Q U I T Y
Of all t he
ar t s t ha t o f story t elling is surely the oldest
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.
L on g before the dawn o f hi story p rimitive man must have

found deli gh t in t a lki ng about his su cc ess in the hunt o r his
p rowes s in the fi gh t H is ima gina t ion soon t aug ht hi m when
.
t o drop su p er fl uous fa c ts and when t o add de t ails in o r der t o

m ake a good s t ory These early tales o f advent u r e doubt
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,
les s , were enri c hed by t h a t elemen t o f wonder instilled in

t he s ava g e breast by the mysteries o f a world whi c h h e c ould
n o t ex p lain bu t o f which he nevertheless felt hi m self a p ar t .
In t he c ours e o f time narratives of p ersonal adven t ure t ended

t o be c ombined with a ttem p ts t o ex p lain the p owe r ful forces
o f na t ure thereby hel p in g to c reate t he my t h t he hero t ale
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the legend and the folk tale Thes e s t ories no doubt were
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c rude a n d formles s enough at first bu t eve n tually were gi v en ,
s ome sor t o f rude shape by the p rofes sional stor y teller who -
seems t o ha v e been c ommon to all p eo p les and all litera t ures

at some earl y s t a g e in t heir de v elo p ment S tories were told .
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r e told
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added to remolded handed down orall y from o n e
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g eneration to another until at last the art o f wri ting made i t

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p ossible t o p reserve them with a certain de g ree o f p er

m a n en c y In some su c h wa y as this w e m ay i m a gi ne t he
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art o f story telling in its beginnings ;

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P erha p s the oldest know n shor t s t or i es are those which

ha v e been p reserved on t he p a p yri o f an c ient E gy p t some o f ,
which have la t ely be c ome a cc essible t o E nglish r eaders .
O n e o f these T h e S h ip w r e c k e d S a i lo r p r i n t ed i n C anby s
, ,
B o o k o f t h e S h o r t S t o ry dates b a ck t o t he t wenty fift h

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cen tury before o u r era an d may be the oldest short stor y in

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existen ce The stories contai n ed i n the A r a bi a n N ig h t s

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are also v ery old although their prese nt form is compara

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t i v ely moder n I n an cie n t Hebrew L iterature a number of

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S hort stories may be fo u n d i n clu di n g s u ch fine examp les as

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the B o o k of R u t h a n d the P ro d ig a l S o n
, .
In Greek a n d R oma n literatu re there i s v er y little that .
can properly be called prose fiction I n the history of .
H erodotus a number o f an ecdotes a n d stories are i n trodu ced ,
o n e o f which at least m i ght be called a short stor y Thi s is .
the story of P oly crates a n d h IS ri n g i n the third book The ,

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existi n g s yn opses o f the s o called lost T a le s o f M i le t u s

—
indicate that these were stories writte n primaril y to e nter

tai n a n d the fact that they seem to ha v e bee n popular s u g
,
gests that there may hav e bee n other collection s o f which n o

trace exists O f extan t Greek stories the F a bles of Aesop
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( sixth ce n tur y B C ) are popular to this da y

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. . .
In R oma n li teratu re some o f the best short stories are

fo u n d amo n g the poets notably Ov id who i n his M e t a
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m o rp h o s e s r e tells i n sprightl y fash ion ma ny of the O ld

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stories the my ths a n d lege n ds of both Greece a n d R ome

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as well as stories whose origi n was less remote The more .
importan t R oman prose writers rarel y i n trod u ced an ythi n g

resembli n g the short stor y O f the minor writers at least
I
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three ma y be mentio n ed all of them belon gi n g to the first

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centur y of ou r era The first i s P etroni u s Arbiter whos e

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T ri m a lc h i o s D i nn e r is readil y accessible in P rofessor P eck s

’ ’
admirable translation In the N o c t e s A tt i c a e of Aulus

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G elli u s 1 5 fou n d that c harmi n g stor y A n d r o c l e s a nd t h e ,
L io n . P robably t he best short stor y i n L ati n i s C up id a n d

P s y c h e in the M e t a m o rp h o s e s of Apuleius
, .
With the barbarian in v asions o f the fifth centur y a n d

the consequent disi nte gr ation of the R oman E mpire classical
literature came t o an end F o r almost a thousan d y ears the
.
14 F R E N CH S H ORT S TOR I E S
c ivil i z ati on o f E uro p e wa s a dj us ti n g and r eadj us ti n g i t sel f

to di ff ere nt modes and ideals o f li fe a n d it was n ot until about
,
the end O f t he t hir t eenth c ent ury that forms o f t he short s t ory
be g an on c e more t o re c eive s p e c ial a tt ention As far as the .
his t o r y o f t he shor t story is c on c erned the mos t si gnificant

wor k o f t he n ew era was t he G e s t a R o m a no r u m ( D eeds o f
t he R omans ) a c olle c ti on o f tales o f all sorts f rom every
,
Im a In a bl e source
g written in L a t in
,
T his wor k be c.a m e ex
c e e d i n l y p o p ular and was us ed as a sour c e boo k by the -
g
s t ory wri t ers o f t he Middle A g e and aft er I t also served
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.
t o make mo r e wides p read the idea o f g a t her i n g s t ories in t o

c olle ctions O f t en an added i nte r es t w a s given t o t hese c ol
.
lections by lin ki n g t he s t ories int o a more o r les s c onne ct ed

s eries This was es p e c ially t rue i n I t aly t he mos t fam ous
.
,
example bein g the D e c a m e ro n o f B o cc a cc i o ( 1 3 1 3

The s c heme w a s als o frequently em p loyed in F r ance while ,
in E ngland it was ado p ted by C hau c er in T h e C a nt e r bur y

T a l e s and in Ameri c a L on gfellow used i t i n h i s T a les of a
,
Wa y s i d e I nn .
On e of t he m os t f as c ina t in g c ha pt e r s i n t he h i s t ory o f
stor y telling is tha t whi c h p ertains to the lit erature O f the
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Age o f R oman c e This c onnects itself p arti c ularly W i th

.
France There as elsewhere the earliest writing w a s i n

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, ,
p oeti c form In the eleventh and t w elfth c enturies the

.
troubadours wen t from pla c e to p la c e c hant in g their c h a n

s o ns d e
g e s t es or songs o f great deeds
, S ide by side with
.
thes e were the fa bli a u a: and the c o n t e s d e vo t s both highl y ’
importa n t i n the r i s e a n d developmen t o f the short story .
In the fa bli a ua of the Middle Ages the s t or y is c ommonly

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o f a humorous nature depending u p on a trick for its poi n t

,
.
Their greatest significan c e lies in their realistic portra y al

o f the life o f that da y The c o n t es d é c o t s as the n ame
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,
indicates were O f a religious n at u re ob v iou s l y did a ctic a n d

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c los el y related t o t h e a ll e gorie s s o popular a t that time .

I N TRO D U CT I O N 15
B u t the i mp o rt an c e o f all t hese p al es wh en p l ac ed in

j uxtaposition with the me t rical romance proper The .
c h a n s o n s d e g e s t e s made at least Some prete n se to a c tual
fact and that c onstitutes their c hief difference as far as

,
the material is concer n ed The outstan ding speci al char

.
a c t er i s t i c o f the metri c al roma n ce was the element of w o n d e r .
Absolutely nothi n g seems to ha v e bee n b arred which might

help to secure the desired e ff ect i n character setti n g a n d , , ,
p lot There were stories o f grim gia nts horrible drago n s

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, ,
beautiful e n cha ntresses Imprisoned dams els to be res cued

, ,
encha nted castles magician s magic swords a n d marvelous

, , ,
deeds involving superhuman stren gth a n d endura n ce Ana .
lognes t o this ty pe o f stor y may be fou n d in nearl y e v ery

great literature but in the metrical roman ce there was some
,
thi n g more This was the general att itude o f chival ry

.
a n unselfish devotion t o ideals .
I II
T H E S H O R T S T O RY IN M O D E R N F RA N C E
B et ween the fourteen th and the eighteenth centurie s
there w a s nothing o f n ote in the de v elopmen t of the Frenc h
short stor y The French no v el had e nj o y ed its first period
.
o f popularity in the age o f L ouis X IV I n the eightee nth .
c entur y it became essentiall y a reflectio n o f the man ne rs

o f the time that is to say highly artificial Duri n g the
, ,
.
period o f the Fre n ch R e v olutio n a n d the y ears i m m edi

ately followi n g much fiction was produced an d a n ew n ote
was struck This n ew n ot e was R oma n ticism It was indi
. .
c a t e d n o t s o much in the form and material used as in the
attitude of the writer an d this attitude was largely the

,
result o f the i n fluence o f R ou sseau Its special feature was .
r e vo lt, a breaki n g awa y from tradition a n d the hard s et ,
mannerisms o f a n earlier da y As represe n tative o f this .
c ha n ged spirit C hateaubria n d became the first important

16 F R E N CH S H ORT S TO R I E S
name in m od er n F r en c h ficti on H i s A t a la . b ased

u p on his ex p erien c es with t he Ameri c an Indians mark ed t he ,
t urn i n g p oin t fo r the n ew move m ent

-
.
The R oman t i c movement o f t he lat ter p art o f t he e i gh t een t h

and t h e be ginni n g o f the ninet eenth c enturies was t he natural
ou tc ome o f the g eneral so c ial unres t in all the highly c ivilized
Countries O f E urope A mon g the Fren c h novelis t s o f t h i s
.
p eriod wh o w o n distin ction in the shor t story are B alzac and

M erim ee It was Vi c tor Hugo however wh o be c ame the
.
, ,
g rea t c ham p ion o f R omanticism firs t i n p oe t ry and the ,
drama then i n fi ction In a lit erary movement as in a p oliti

,
.
,
cal there i s a t enden c y t o g o to ext re mes This i s g en e r a llv

,
.
true o f the p eriod under dis c ussion ; bu t the short story

!
whi c h develo p ed rapidly durin g the years surroundin g 1 8 5 0 ,
showed a mar k ed in c linat ion t o moderat e t he ec c entri c ities

and ex t ravagancies o f t he R omanti c school The R omanti c .
idea w a s p aramoun t and while men li k e B alz a c and M eri

, ,
m ee s c o fie d at i t they never t heless used much o f its material

“
a nd ado pt ed its methods es p ecially in their lo c al color

,
e ffe c ts
. This e ff ort at lo c al c olor struck the keynote for a
n e w realism quite different from t he a r t i fi c i a l i t i e s t hought
r ealistic in t he precedi n g c e n tury .
I t will b e noted then that at the hei ght O f the R omantic

m ovement there w a s alread y a s wa y ing i n t he o p posite
direction due mainly to the co n ditions o f life aft er t he middle
o f the centur y F or at least t w o de c ades there was com p ara
.
t ive political quiet a n d a ge n eral material pros p erity It .
was also a n age of u n exampled ad v ance in all the p hases o f

huma n endea v or more particularly in sc i en c e and all thi s
, ,
t ended t o p roduce a sa tis factio n wi t h life as it was .
Flauber t and Gautier are t he t w o p i onee r s o f t h i s new

R ealism which ne v ertheless retained many o f the earmarks
, ,
o f R omanticism The y were both i n timately c onnected with

.
the short story the one ch i e fl y through his disciple M au p as

, ,
P R O N O U N C IN G G L O S S A R Y
A rnaud, ar n o Gi us ep p a, j oo -s ep pa
’ ’
- '
B alz ac , b l z ak
a -
’
,
or b al
'
z ak Go d e an , g O dO
-
'
‘
B azi n , b a z an-
’
Grod es ch al, g Od sh al
’
i
L angea s , l an z h é
’
B é l ug uet , h é l u g e
'
- - -
B erm ut i er, b é r L em ai t r e, l é m a t r ’
’
m
'
a t ya
- - -
L oi s el , lw a z é l
’
B i anch on, h é an sh O
' -
- -
n
B ouc ar d b OC car
,
-
'
M arqui s de B eaus eant ,
d é b O Sé an
‘
B ourg eat b OO z h a ké
’ ’ ’
- - -
,
B out i n t O t an
,
-
'
M at eo F al cone, m a t a O f al
-
'
c O né
‘ ’
B rous s ai s , b rOO -
se
B run et i er e , b rfi
n t y ar -
’
M ath il d e m a t é l d ,
’
Ch ab ert , ah a b ar
-
’
M aup ass ant d e m O p a S a n ,
- -
'
dé
Ch ell es, Sh el M éri m é e, m a r é m a ’
-
'
Cl aret i e, k l ar -
té '
M oli ere , m o l y ar -
’
C op p é e, k O p a -
'
M ori s sot , m O ri s -
C ré b i ll on, k r a h é y an - -
’
M ur t a , m u -ré
’
C ro i s l
i l ,
es k r w z él
a -
’
M uss et , m ii -
sé
’
Grot t at , k rii t a -
’
Q ui n qu t e , k an k e -
Cuvi er , k fivy a R amp onneau r an p On n O

’ ’
- - -
,
‘'
R o b es p i err e d e r O b é s p er ’
dé
’
D A ss oucy , da S OO ci
’
'
- - -
,
D au d et , d O d é r O b S p y ar
’ ’
-
o r -
D el b e c q , d é l b é k -
’
S auv ag e, So v agh
-
’
’
d é pl an S i m onni n, m O an
’
D esp l ei n,
’
-
S é -
n -
D es ro ch es , d a rfish T all ey rand t al é ran

’ ’
- - -
,
D u Gu es cli n, d fi gé k lan T hi b au lt t i b O
’ ’
- - -
,
F a g u et , f a g é T i st et Ved en e t i s t e v é
’ ' ’
-
,
-
d en
F err au d , f er T ols to i t Ol s t OI
’
-
rO ,
-
F l aub ert , fl Ob ar T urg en ev t OOr g e n y ef

’ '
-
,
F o r est i er, f Or é S t y a V auquer,

’
v O-k é
’
- -
F r an co s ,
‘
i f a Sw a Verg ni aud , v arn y O or v ar
’
’ ’
r n - -
,
G auch er, g O-S h é

’
g n O
G aut i er , g O t y a
'
-
B AL ! AC
— 1 850 )
( 7
1 9 9
H O N ORE D E B AL ! A C wa s born at Tou r s in 1 7 9 9 H e was .
s e n t to school first at Ven d O m e a n d completed his educatio n

at P aris His pare nts i n te n ded him to be a lawy er and he
.
,
dutifully followed the c ourse prescribed fo r entra n ce t o that

profession But when he w a s o ff ered an excelle nt o pp o r
.
t u n i t y t o practi c e he refused to c o n sider it ha v ing earl y i n

,
life determi n ed to be a writer Thoroughl y disgusted hi s.

,
father withdrew all support a n d B alzac entered upon a

,
career of str uggle a n d po v ert y while e n deav oring to make

h i s wa y a s a n o ve li st His rugged perse v eran ce en abled
.
him to lea v e h i s garret aften ten y ears ; but he never achi e v ed

a ny great fi n a n cial su cc ess be c ause of his erratic ideas o n the
subj ect o f mo n e y .
B alzac w a s a ma n of tremendous phy sical v igor and

bou n dless e n ergy He worked steadily an d accordi n g to
.
fixed methods retiri n g at s i x i n the e v eni n g a n d risi n g at

,
midn ight ; the n b y dri nk in g co ff ee excessi v ely he kept h i m

, ,
v
self at work until n oo n of the followi n g da y an d often ,
lon ger . His after n oo n s he spe n t walki n g about P aris ,
alwa y s with a n ey e to possible material for stories O bser v i n g ,
p eople their modes of dress a n d habits o f liv i n g the houses

, ,
i n which they li v ed the streets ; ever y thi n g in fact which

, , ,
might be o f use i n the devisi n g o f his stories He took a .
very serious view of his work and the indefatigable energy

,
whi ch he emplo y ed in origin al creatio n was equaled b y the

pai n staki n g method with which he prepared his cop y for
p ubli cation r e writi n g a n d re v isi n g up to the fi n al proofs
,
-
.
B y basi n g his stories o n actual obser v ations o f real life

B alzac made himself the father of moder n realism He .
19
20 F RE N C H S H OR T S T OR I ES
had the tri c k o f be i n g able t o c reate the c fl e ct o f tr ut h by

S heer mas s of small things i n t he env i ronmen t o f the c h a r
a ct er s . In fact he c arried o ut this idea wi th su c h p roli xity
,
that in some p assages t he reader tends to be bo r ed It i s .
interesting to no t e the c on t ras t in m e t h od be t ween B alzac

‘
a n d M aupas sant in this c onnect i on Almost as p rominen t .
as B alza c s love o f a c tuality is his love o f t he ex c e ptional

situation This led him frequen tly into ext rava ga nza and
.
“
melodrama H e said o f himself : . I love exce p tional b e
”
ings ; I am o n e of them He had a p assion fo r the .
shadow y the mysti c t he chi c anery o f s e c ret so c i et i es any

, , ,
thing i n fact which would add c olor to his stor i es On e

, , .
must indeed recogniz e in t he grea t realis t a h i ghly romantic

strand of tem p eramen t .
In the twenty years o f his l i t erary c aree r B al z a c wrote

over a hundred stori es O f which a few are short sto r ies but , ,
the g reat b u lk novels His p ur p ose always w a s t o p resent .
a detailed picture o f the Frenc h li fe o f his day i n all its

p hases H e hims elf grouped his s t ories as follows : S cenes
.
of
( )
1 P ri v ate L i fe ;( )
2 P rovin c ial L ife ; ( )
3 P arisian L i fe ;
( )
4 P olitical L i fe ; ( )
5 Military L i fe ; ( )
6 C ountry L i fe ;
these wi t h ( 7 ) P hiloso p hi c al S tudies c om p ris e nearly all o f
, ,
h is stories and t o the whole he g ave the title L a Co m é d i e

,
H u m a ine .
B alza c s style is f or c eful and vi g orous qu i t e in c ha r a c ter

’
with himself and his sub j e c t matter O ft en i t i s somewhat .
rough and lacks the artisti c fi n ish o f many lat er F re n ch

writers At times he lo v ed to re v el i n t he grim and sordid
.
,
and in such stories his method o f detail i s a pt t o make the

result brutal and revolting to E nglish readers But he .
rarel y failed to make his story interes t ing solid and pro , ,
fou n d n o small distin cti on i n a wr i t er wh o p rodu c ed as m u c h

,
as B alzac .
Th e A t he i s t s M as s C o lo n e l C ha be r t and An E p i s o d e o f
’
, ,
t h e R ei g n of T e r ro r the stories s elected for this volume

, ,
S how B alzac at his v ery best H e c lassified the firs t t w o as .
S c e nes of P ri v a t e L i f e t he o t he r as Po li t i c a l M ost o f hi s
,
.
AN E P I S O D E OF T H E RE I G N OF T ERR OR 21
short stories are s c attered through volumes co n tai ni n g lo n ger

stories s o that it i s difficult to locate them However several
,
.
,
v olumes of them may now be had in the E v e ry m a n L i br a ry .
Balzac remained a bachelor for fifty y ears but in 1 8 5 0 ,
he we n t to R us sia a n d there married M adame Hanska w ith ,
whom he had been acquai nted for ma ny y ears H e retur n ed .
to P aris a n d to his work but the fe v erish acti v it y with ,
which he had worked s o many y ears at last wore him o ut

and he die d August 1 8 1 8 5 0 , .
A N E P I S OD E OF TH E RE IG N OF T E RR O R 1
B y H ON OR E DE BA L! A C
A B O U T eight o clo c k on the e v en ing o f Ja nuar y 2 2 n d 1 7 9 3

’
, ,
a n aged woma n w a s comi n g down the S harp descent o f the

F a u bou rg S aint Martin that e n ds in f ront of the chur c h of
-
S aint L aurent S now had fallen s o hea v il y all day long that
-
.
hardly a footfall could be heard The streets were deserted . .
Fears that the silence around naturally enough i n spired were

i n creased b y all the terror u n der which Fran ce w a s t hen
groaning S o the old lad y had thus far met with n o o n e else
. .
Her sight which had long bee n failing did not e n able her
, ,
to distingui sh far o ff b y the light o f the street lamps some

passers by moving like scattered shadows in the huge thor
-
,
o u h f a r e of the F a u b o u r
g g S he went on bra v el y all
. alo n e
in the midst of this solitude as i f her age were a talisman ,
that could be relied o n to preser v e her from a ny mishap .
When s h e had p assed the R ue des Morts s h e thought she

percei v ed the hea vy firm tread of a man walking behi n d her
,
.
It occurred to her that it w a s n ot the first time s h e h ad heard .
this soun d S he was alarmed at the idea t hat s h e was bei n g

.
1 T h at p er i o d f
t h e F r en c
o h l
R ev o u t i o n w en t h e h p w
fa c t i o n in o er
p i pl y d ho t i l t t h i
.
ma de it a ri n c e t o e x e c ut e e v e r o n e c o n s i er e d s e o e r
1 It l as t e d h
f r o m M a r c , 1 7 9 3 , t o t h e f a of R o ll b p i e i n J uly
£392:
es err ,
1
22 F REN CH S H OR T S T OR I ES
followed and s h e tried t o walk fas t er in o r de r t o r ea c h a

,
fairl y well lighted sho p in t he ho p e that in the li gh t it g ave

-
, , ,
s h e would be able t o put t o t he t es t t he sus p i c ions t ha t h ad
taken p ossession o f her .
As s oon a s s h e w a s within the c i r c le o f lIght p roj e c ted

horizontally by the sho p front she quickly t urned her head
-
,
and caught glim p se o f a human form in t he fo ggy dar kness .
This vague glim p s e w a s enough for her S he to tt ered for .
a mome n t u n der the shock o f terror t hat overwhelmed her ,
fo r s h e n o lo n ger doubted that s h e had been followed b y the

stran g er from the first step s h e had t ake n outside her
lodgi n g The longi ng to esca p e from a s p y gave her strength
. .
Wi thout being able to think O f what she w a s doi n g s h e began ,
t o run as i f s h e could possibly g e t away from a man wh o

—
must ne c essar i ly be mu c h more agile than herself .
After run n in g for a f ew minutes s h e rea c hed a c o n fec

t i o n e r s sho p entered it and fell rather than sat down u p on
’
, , , ,
a chair that stood in front o f the counter E ven while s h e .
w a s raisi n g the c reaki ng la tc h a youn g wo ma n who was , ,
busy with some embroidery raised her eyes a n d through , ,
t he small p a n es o f the half window in the sho p door re c o g

.
-
n i z e d the old fashioned violet silk mantle in whi c h the O ld

-
,
lad y was wrap p ed S he hurriedly opened a drawer as i f

.
l o oking for somethi ng s h e was t o ha n d over t o her .
It w a s no t onl y by her ma n ner a n d the loo k o n her fa c e

that the young woman showed s h e was anxious t o g et rid
of the s t ranger wi t hout delay as i f her v i sitor were o n e o f
,
t hose there w a s no pleasure in seei n g ; but besides this s h e , ,
allowed a n expressio n of impatience to esca p e her o n finding

that the drawer w a s empty The n withou t loo ki n g at t he
.
,
lad y she turned sudde n ly from the count er went t oward

, ,
t he ba ck shop and c alled her husband wh o at o n ce made

, ,
his appeara nc e .
”
Wherever have y ou p ut away 7 s h e asked o f
A N E PI SO D E O F TH E RE I G N O F T ERROR 23
him wi th an ai r O f myste ry without fi n ishing her question

, ,
but c alling his attention to the old lad y with a gla n ce of

her e y es .
Although the c onfe ctioner c ould see nothing but the

immense black silk bo nn et trimmed with bows O f violet,
ribbo n that formed the stran ge V isitor s headgear he left

,
’
the shop again after havi n g cast at his wi fe a look that

,
“
“
seemed to s ay D O y ou thi nk that I wo uld leav e t h a t in
,
”
yo ur counter 9
S urprised at the mo t io nless S ile n ce o f the o l d lad y the ,
shopwoman tur n ed an d approached her a n d as she looked at ,
her s h e felt herself inspired with an i mpulse O f compas s io n ,

’
perhaps n ot unmi n gled with curiosit y Although the woman s .
complexion showed an habitual pallor like that o f o n e ,
who makes a practice o f secret austerities it was eas y t o see ,
that a re c en t emotion had brought an u nusual palen ess to

her face Her he a ddress was s o arran ged as t o con c eal her
.
hair N o doubt it was white with age for there were n o

.
,
marks o n the upper part o f her dress to S how that s h e used

hair powder The complete abse n ce o f or n ament le n t t o
.
her person an air o f religious se v erit y Her features had a .
grave statel y look I n these o ld times the man ners a n d

, . .
habits o f people o f qualit y were s o di ffere n t from those O f

Other classes o f societ y that it was eas y t o disti n gu ish o n e
,
o f noble birth S o the y oun g woma n felt co nvi n ced that the
.
stranger was a c i d e va n t a n ex aristocrat an d that s h e had

-
,
-
,
belonged t o the court .
“
Madame she s a id to her with i nv oluntary
resp ect forgetting that such a title was n o w forbidden
,
.
The Old lad y did n ot r eply S he kept her ey es fixed o n

.
the window o f the shop as if she could distinguish some

,
fearful Obj ect i n that dire ctio n .
“
What is the m atter c itizeness ? ask ed the shopkeeper
, ,
wh o h ad returned almost immediately .

3
H 4 F REN C H S H OR T ST OR I ES
And t h e citi z en c onfe cti one r r oused t he l ady fr o m he r

-
reveri e by O ffe r i n g he r a li ttle c a r dboa r d box w r a pp ed i n

blue p a p e r .
“
N o t hin g no t hi n g m y fr i ends s h e answe r ed i n a sweet
, , ,
’
voi c e S he r a i se d her eyes t o t he c onfe c tione r s f a c e as i f

.
t o gi v e him a look o f t han k s bu t seein g the red c a p o n his

2
,
“ ”
head s h e ut t e r ed a cry : A h y o u have betr ayed m e !
, ,
The young woman and he r husba n d re p lied by a g esture

o f horror at t he though t whi c h made t he s t ran ge r blush , ,
p e rha p s at havi ng suspe ct ed t hem p e r ha p s w i th p leasu r e , .
“ ”
P ardon m e s h e s aid with c hildlike g en tleness T hen
, , .
,
t aki n g a lo uis d o r f r om her p o ck et s h e o ff ered i t t o the

3 ’
,
“ ”
confe cti one r : H ere i s t he p ri c e we a g reed on s h e added ,
.
The r e is a p ove rty t hat t he p oor readily re c o gn i z e The .
c onfe cti oner and h i s wi f e loo k ed a t o n e ano t her s i lent ly ,
t urn i n g ea c h o t her s at t en tion t o the O ld l ad y while bo t h

’
formed o n e c ommon t hou gh t This lo ui s d o r mus t b e her .

’
las t T he lad y s hands t rembled as s h e offe r ed t he p ie c e o f

’
.
m oney she looked a t i t wi th a sadness t ha t had n o avari c e

,
i n i t bu t S h e seemed t o realiz e t he ful l ex t en t o f t he sa c r i fi c e

,
S he made St arva t ion and misery were as p lai nly mark ed

.
o n her fa c e as t he lines t ha t told o f f ear and o f habi t s o f
as c e ti c ism In her dress t here were tr aces o f o ld m a gni fi

.
c en c e It w a s o f worn out silk H er mantle w a s neat t hou gh

’
-
. .
t hreadbare wit h some c are fully mended la c e u p on i t In a

,
.
word i t w a s a c as e of wealth t he worse f or wea r The p eo p le

, .
o f t he sho p hesi t ating be t ween sym p athy and self i nteres t

,
-
,
began by t ryin g t o s atis fy t heir c ons c ien c es wi t h words

“
B ut c i tizenes s you seem t o be very weak
, ,
”
Would M adame like t o t ake some t hin g s ai d the woman
?
,
cut tin g her husband shor t .
2 . The r ed ca p wa s t h e s ym b l o of l
r ev o u t i o n a n d wa s w o rn by the
ra d i ca l s .
3 . A g old co i n w o rt h
26 F R E N CH S H OR T S T OR I ES
of h im soon enou gh ex c l ai m ed t he sho pk ee p e r a s he

, ,
o p ened the door and sli pp ed hur r iedly o ut .
The o ld lady p ass i ve as a c hi ld and alm os t s t up efied by

,
her fear s at down a g ain o n t he c ha i r The g ood sho pk ee p e r

, .
was s oon b a c k His fa c e nat u r ally ruddy enou gh and fu rthe r

.
,
reddened by his oven fi re had suddenly be c ome p alli d H e,

.
w a s a p rey t o su c h t error t ha t h i s le g s S hoo k and h i s eye s

looked like t hose O f a drunk en man .
“
D O y o u wan t t o ge t o u r heads c u t o ff y ou wre tc h o f a n ,
” “
aristo c rat ? he cr ied o ut In a fur y, C ome show us your .
,
heels and don t le t us s ee y ou a g ai n and don t re c kon on

’ ’
, ,
”
my supplyin g y ou wi t h materials fo r your p lots !
A S he ended t he c onfe ct ione r made an at t em p t t o t a k e
,
b a ck from the old lady the li t tle bo x whi c h she had p ut i nto
o n e o f her p oc k e t s But hardly had his bold hands tou c hed
.
her dress than the stran g er p referring t o risk herself ami d

,
—
the p erils o f t he s t ree t without any other p rotec t or bu t G o d ,
rather than t o los e wha t s h e had j us t bough t r eg a l n ed all t he ,
agility o f you t h S he rushed t o t he door o p ened i t bris kly

.
, ,
a n d v a m s h e d from the sight of wi fe and husband as t hey
stood trembling and astonished .
As soon as the stranger w a s ou t side she s t arted o ff at a

ra p id walk But her strength soon began to deser t her and
.
,
s h e heard t he s p y who had s o pitilessly followed her makin g

, ,
the snow crackle as he c rushed it wi t h his heavy tread S he .
had to s t o p H e sto pp ed S he did n o t dare to address him

. .
,
o r even t o look a t him — i t might b e o n accou n t o f the fear

t hat had s eized upo n her o r be c ause she could n o t t hink,
wha t t o s ay Then she went on a g ain walking slowly

. .
The man also slackened h i s p ace s o as to remain always

j ust at the distan c e t ha t enabled him to keep her in sight
’
H e seemed to be the ver y shadow O f the old woman N ine .
O clock struck as the silen t p air on c e more p assed by t h e

’
church o f S aint L aure nt -

.
A N E PI SO D E OF T H E RE I G N OF T ERROR 27
It is a part of the n ature of all minds even of the weakest , ,
t o find a feeli n g of calm suc c eed to a ny v iolent agitation fo r if ,
our feeli n gs are i n finite o u r organism has its li m its S o

,
.
the stran ger fi n di n g that her supposed perse cutor did her
,
n o harm was i n cli n ed to see i n him some unknown friend

,
who was anxious to protect her S he summed up in her m i n d .
all the circumstances that had atten de d the appeara n ce of

the stran ger as i f seeki n g fo r some plausible moti v es for
,
thi s co n soli n g opi nio n and was then satisfied t o recognize

,
o n h i s part a friendl y rather than an evil purpose F orgetfu l .
o f the alarm which thi s man had s o short a time ago c aused
,
the confection er she now we n t o n with a firm step into the

,
upper part o f the F a ub o u rg S aint Martin -

.
After walki n g fo r half an hour s h e c ame to a house

situated near the point where the street whi c h leads to the ,
”
P anti n b a rr Ier bran c hes O ff from the m aIn li n e o f the

,
Faubourg E v en at the present day the neighborhood is

.
still o n e of the loneliest i n all P ar 1 s A n ortheast wind .
blowin g o v er the Buttes C haumo nt and B elleville whistled

between the houses o r rather the cottages scattered about
, ,
this almost uni n habited valley in which the en clo sures we r e

,
formed o f fe nc es built up of earth and O ld bo n es The .
desolate place seemed t o be the nat ural refuge o f mi sery .
and despair .
The man all eagerness in the p ursuit o f thi spoor creature

, ,
who was s o bold as t o traverse these silent streets i n the

night seemed st ruck b y the spe c tacle that prese nted itself
,
to his gaze He stood still full o f thought in a hesitating

.
, ,
attitu de i n the feeble light O f a street lamp the struggl ing

, ,
ra y s o f which could hardly penetrate the fog Fear seemed .
to sharpen the sight of the old lad y who thought she saw ,
somethin g o f evil omen in the looks o f t he stranger S h e .
felt her terror reawake ning a n d took advantage of the ,
seemi n g hesitation that had brought the ma n t o a sta n dstill

28 F REN C H S H OR T S T OR I ES
to S li p t h r ou gh a shadow t o the door o f a solitary house she ,
p ushed ba c k a spri ng latch and disa pp eared in an i nstant

li k e a ghos t u p on t he s t age .
The unknown man wi t hout movin g from where he stood

, ,
k ept his eyes fixed o n the house the a p peara n ce o f which

‘
,
was f airly t yp ical O f that o f the wretched dwelling p la c es

o f t his suburb o f P aris The tumble down hovel was built
.
-
o f bricks c overed with a c oat o f yellow p laster s o full o f ,
cra cks t hat o n e feared t o see t he whole fall down in a heap

o f ruins before the least e ff or t o f t he wind There were .
t hree wi n dows t o each fl oor and t heir frames rot ten with
, ,
damp and war p ed by t he a c tion o f the s u n su g gested tha t ,
the cold must p enetrate freely i n t o the rooms The lonely .
house looked like some Old tower that time has forgotte n t o
’
destroy A feeble gleam lit up the warped and crooked

.
window sashes o f the garret window tha t showed u p the

-
,
r oo f of this p oor edifi c e while all t he r es t o f the house was

,
i n c om p le t e dar kn ess .
N o t withou t di fficul ty t he o ld woman c l i mbed t he r ough

and c lums y stair in ascendin g wh i c h one had t o lean on a
,
r o p e tha t t oo k the p lace o f a handra i l S he g ave a l o w .
k no c k at the door o f the garret room and hurriedly t oo k her

s eat o n a c hair which an old man o ff ered t o her
, .
“ ”
Hide yourself Hide yours elf 1 she s aid t o h i m though ,
we s o seldom go out our doi ngs are k nown our steps are
, ,
spied u p on .
“
Is there an y thing ew then
n ? asked another o ld woma n
w h o w a s s eated near the fire .
“
T ha t man w h o has been p rowling round the house si n ce
,
yesterda y followed me this evening

, .
At thes e words the three inmat es O f t he hovel looked at

ea c h other while the y showed on t heir faces signs o f serious
,
alarm O f the three the Old ma n was the least agitated

.
,
A N E PI SO D E O F TH E RE I G N O F T ERROR
perhap s be c ause he was the most in danger Under the .
weight of a great mis fortune or under the pressure o f perse ,
c u t i o n a brave ma n begins s o to say by making the complete

, , ,
sacrifi c e of himself He coun ts each da y as o n e more v i c t o r v

.
won o v er fate The looks of the two wom e n fixed upo n this
.
o l d man made i t easy t o s e e that he w a s the o n e O b j e c t o f
their keen anxiet y .
“
Why lose o u r t rus t in G od m y sisters ? he said in a ,
“
voice low but full o f fer v or ; we san g His praises in the
,
midst o f the cries o f the murderers and o f the d y ing at the

con v en t o f the C armelit es 4
If H e willed that I should be .
saved from that butcher y it was no doubt t o preserve me ,
for some destiny that I must accept without a murmur God .
guards His o wn and He c an dispose o f them accordi n g to

,
His will It i s o f yoursel v es , and not o f me that we must

.
,
”
think .
“
N0 said o n e Of the o ld women what are o u r l i ves
, ,
c ompared to that of a priest ?

“
On ce I s a w m y self outside o f the Ab b e y o f C helles 5
,
I co n sidered m y self as a dead woman said o n e o f the t w o ,
nuns the o n e who had remained i n the house

— .
“ ”
H ere are the altar breads said the other who had j ust , ,
“
come i n o ff eri n g the little box to the priest
,
But .
‘
s h e cri ed o u t I hear foots t eps o n the stairs
,
'
All three listened The sound ceased . .
“ “
D O n o t be alarmed said the priest i f some one tries , ,
to get t o s e e you A perso n o n whose good faith we c an .
depen d must b y this time ha v e take n all necessar y steps t o

cross the fro ntier i n order to come here for the letters I ,
ha v e writte n to the D u c de L a n geais a n d the M arqu is de

B eaus ean t aski n g them to see what can be don e to take y ou
,
4 . An or d er of m on k o i gi n a ll y g n i ed n M t
s r or a z o . C a rm e l in P le
a s
tm e
'
bb y p i ll a g ed
.
5 An a e f u n d ed i n 6 6 0
o It w as a nd the i nm a t e s
d p l y d y of t he R v l ut i on
. .
i s er s e d in the e ar a s e o .
away fr o m t hi s wret c hed c oun t ry and t he s u fl eri n g and ,
death t ha t await you here .
“
Yo u are n o t g oing with us then? ex c laimed the two
nuns in g ent le p ro t est a n d with a loo k of somethin g like
,
d es p air .
“
M y p l a c e i s where t here are still vi ctims w a s the
’
p ries t s sim p le re p l y
’
The y were sile nt and g azed a t their p rotector w ith

reverent admirat ion
“
S ister M artha he s aid addressi ng the nun wh o had gone
, ,
“
t o g e t t he altar breads this e n voy O f ours sh ould answer
,
‘ ‘
F i a t vo lu n t a s t o the password H o s a n n a
6’ ’
.
“
There is some o n e on the stair ! ex c laimed the other m m ;
and s h e opened a hiding pla c e c onstructed in the roof
— .
This t ime in the deep S ilence it w a s easy to catch the

, ,
s ound o f t he foo t ste p s o f some man r e echoing on the stairs ,

-
tha t were rough with lumps O f hardened mud The p ries t .
with some di ffic ulty huddled himself int o a kind o f c u p boa r d

and the nun threw s o m e old c lo t hes over him .
Y ou c an shut t he door he said in a smo t he r ed voi c e

,
.
The priest w a s hardly hidden away when three k no cks ,
at the door made both the g ood women star t They were .
ex c han ging looks o f inquir y without darin g t o u tt er a word .
B oth seemed t o be abou t sixty y ears o f a g e S epara t ed fro m .
t he world for some forty years they were like p lants tha t
, ,
are s o used t o the air o f a ho t h ouse t ha t t hey die i f one t ak es

,
them out A c customed as they were t o t he li fe of the c onven t

.
the y had no idea o f anything els e On e mornin g their Cloiste r

.
had been broken Op en and they had shuddered a t fi n ding

,
themselves free It i s easy t o ima gine t he stat e O f nervous

.
weakness the event s o f t he R e v olu t ion had produ c ed in their

i nnoce n t m i nds Unable to re c oncile t he mental habits o f
.
the C lois t er with the di ffic ulties of l i fe and n o t fully unde r ,
T h y w i ll b e d o ne from t h e L ord s P ra y er
“
6 ’
. , .
AN E PI SO D E OF T H E RE I G N OF T ERROR 31
standi n g the c ir cumstances in whi c h they we r e p la c ed the y ,
were like childre n o f whom e v er y care had been taken ti ll

n ow a n d who s u dde nly depri v ed o f their mother s c are pra y
, ,
’
instead o f weepi n g S o face t o face with the dan ger which

.
they now s a w before them they remai n ed silent a n d passi v e , ,
knowing o f n o other defe n se but C hristian resignation .
The man who had asked for admittance interpreted this

silen ce in hi s o wn way He opened the door a n d suddenly .
appeared i n the room The t w o nuns shuddered a s they .
recognized the man w h o fo r some time had been prowli n g

,
around their house an d making i n qui ries about them The y

,
.
remai n ed motio n less looki n g at him with the anxious curi

,
o s i t y o f untaught childre n w h o stare i n silen c e at a stranger .
The man w a s tall i n stature an d heavil y built But there .
was n othi n g i n his attitude his general appeara n ce o r the , ,
expressio n of hi s face to suggest that he wa s a bad character

,
.
L ike t h en uns he kept quite still and slowly c ast hi s eye s

, ,
round the room he had e ntered .
Two straw mats unrolled o n the floor se rved for beds for
the nuns There was a t able i n the middl e o f the room and
.
,
there stood on it a brass can dlestick some plates three , ,
kni v es a n d a round loaf o f bread There was a v er y small

,
.
fire in t he grate A few pieces of wood heaped up i n a corner

.
were a further S i gn o f the po v ert y o f these t w o recluses .
On e coul d s ee that the roof was In a bad state for the ,
walls co v ered with a coat o f v er y old paint were stained

, ,
with brown streaks tha t showed where t h e r ain had leaked

through A reliquar y rescued n o doubt from the sack o f the
.
,
Abbey O f C helles served as an ornament t o the mantelpiece

, .
Three chairs two boxes and a shabb y chest o f drawers com

, ,
p l e t ed the furniture o f the room A door near the fire p lace .
suggested that there was a second room be y ond .
The indi v idual who had in su c h an alarmin g way i ntro

,
du c ed hi mself t o t hi s p o o r household had soon taken mental ,

no t e o f all t he c o nt en t s o f t he l i ttle r oom A feeli n g o f p i t y .
c ould b e t ra c ed upon his c oun t enance and b e c as t a ki ndly ,
loo k u p on the t w o women and a pp ea r ed t o be a t least as

,
much embarrassed as t hey were The stran g e silen c e t ha t .
all three had k e p t s o far did n o t long c ontinue fo r at last ,
t h e s t ran g er reali z ed t he timid i ty and i nex p e r ien c e o f the

t w o p oo r c rea t ures and s aid t o t hem in a voi c e t ha t he tried
,
t o m ake as gen t le as p ossible

“
I d o n o t c ome here as an enemy c i t i zenesses ,
H e s t o pp ed as i f re c overing himself and went o n

, ,
S isters i f any m is for tune comes your way beli eve me

, ,
”
I have n o p art in it . I have a favo r t o as k o f y ou .
They s t ill k e pt silen c e .
“
I f I am t roubli n g y o u i f ,
i f I a m c aus i n g y o u
p ain s ay s o freely
,
and I will go away ; bu t be
as sured tha t I am enti r ely devoted t o y ou ; t ha t i f there i s
any kindness I c an d o t o y ou y ou c an clai m it f r om me ,
without fe ar ; and that I am p erha p s the only o n e w h o i s

above t he l a w n o w tha t there is n o lon g er a kin g
,
.
There was such an air o f trut h in his words t hat S i s t er ,
Ag a t ha s h e o f the t w o nuns who belonged to the noble

,
family o f L an g eais and whose manners s eemed t o indi c ate

,
that in O ld times s h e had known the s p lendors o f festive

socie ty and had breathed the air o f the c ourt p o i nted wi t h —
an aler t movement t o o n e o f t he c hairs as if askin g the vi s i t or

t o be s ea t ed The s tr an g er showed some t hin g o f p leasure
.
mingled with s adness as he understood t his ges ture bu t

, ,
before takin g t he c hair he wai t ed till bo t h t he wo rthy lad i es

were s ea t ed .
Yo u have gi ven a re fu g e here he c onti nued t o a

, ,
venerable p ries t o n e o f those w h o refused the oath and

,
7
who had a mira c ulous esca p e from the massa cr e at the

7 A d e c ree i n 1 7 9 0 co m p ell e d a l l t h e l gy t o t k e a n o a t h t o
c er a
s u pp o t t h e R ev o l ut i ona r y g o v e rnm ent
.
r M a ny ref us ed a nd b eca m e
.
f ge es
re u .
34 F R E N C H S H OR T S T OR I ES
t hen t aki n g a t on e i n wh i ch t h er e wa s no lo nger any h es i

,
t a t i on he add r essed t he p ries t in t hese words

,
°
“
Fa t her I c ame t o as k y ou t o say a mass fo r t he dead
, ,
fo r t he re p ose o f t he soul o f one of a
sa c red p ersonage whose body w i ll neve r b e l ai d t o r es t i n

,
c ons ecrat ed g round .
The p ries t gave an i nvolunta ry shudder The nuns wh o .

,
did n ot yet u nderstand t o whom i t was t he s t ran g er alluded ,
s a t i nan at t itude o f c uriosit y their h eads s t re tc hed f orward

, ,
t heir f a c es t urned t oward the t w o who were s p eak i n g

t o g et her The p ries t looked c losely a t t he strange r o n whose
.
,
fa c e t here was an unmistak able ex pr ess i on o f anxiety and ,
also o f earnest entrea ty .
“ ”
Well replied the p r i es t c ome b a ck t his eveni n g a t
, ,
mid n ight a n d I shall be rea dy t o celebrate the only rites fo r

,
t he dead that w e may be able t o o ff er u p in ex p i a ti on fo r the

c rime o f whi c h y o u s p eak .
The stra n ger started bu t i t seemed t hat some dee p and

,
soothing sa t is fa ction w a s t riumphing over h i s se c ret sorrow .
After ha v ing res p ectfully saluted the priest and the t w o holy
women he too k his de p arture showing a kind o f silent
, ,
g ratitude whic h w a s unders t ood by t hes e t h r ee g enerous

,
souls .
Abou t t w o hours aft er t h i s s c ene t he s tr an g er r e t u r ned ,
kno cked softly a t the door of the garret and was adm itted ,
by M ademoiselle de B eaus eant who led him into t he inner

,
r oom o f this p oor pla c e o f refu g e where eve ryt h i n g had b een
,
m ade ready for t he ceremony .
B e t ween tw o chimne y shafts t ha t p assed u p t hrough the '
r oom the nuns had placed the o l d c hest o f drawers the

, ,
antiquated outlines o f which were hidden by a ma gnifi c ent

altar front al o f green watered silk A large cru c ifix o f .
ivory and ebony hung o n t he yellow washed wall c ontrasting -
s o strongly with surrounding bareness that the eye could,

no t fail t o be d r awn to i t Four slende r li ttle ta p e r s whi c h

.
,
the S isters had succeeded i n fixi n g o n this impro v ised altar

by attach i ng them to it with seali n g wax threw out a dim ,
light that was hardly reflected b y the wall This feeble .
illumination barely gave light to the rest of the room ; but ,
as it thus shon e only o n the sacred Obj ects it seemed like ,
a li ght sen t down from hea v en o n this unador n ed altar The .
floor was damp The roof which sla nted dow n sharpl y on
.
,
two sides a s is usual i n garret rooms had some cracks i n it

, ,
through which came the n ight wi n d icy cold

— .
N othi n g could be more devoid of all pomp a n d n e v ertheless ,
there was perhaps never any thing more solemn than this
mourn fu l ceremo ny A profoun d silen ce i n which o n e coul d
.
,
ha v e heard the least sound uttered o n the highwa y outside ,
len t a ki n d o f somber maj esty t o the mi d night scen e Fi n ally .
the greatn ess o f the actio n itself c ontrasted so stro n gl y with

the po v ert y o f its s urroundi n gs that the resul t w a s a feelin g
of religious awe .
‘
On each side o f the altar the t w o aged nuns kn elt o n the
tiled floor without taki n g any n otice o f its deadl y damp n ess ,
a n d united their pray e rs with those of the priest who r obed , ,
in his sacerdotal v estments placed on the altar a chali ce

, ,
of gold adorned with precious sto n es a co n secrated v essel ,
that had bee n saved n o doubt from the pillage of the Abbey
, ,
of C helles Beside this chalice a token of ro y al m u n i fic en c e

.
, ,
the wi n e an d water desti n ed for the Hol y S acrifice stood

ready in t w o glasses s u ch as o n e would hardl y ha v e foun d
,
i n the poorest i nn F or wa n t of a mi ssal the priest had

.
placed a small pray er book o n the corn er of the altar An

-
.
ordi n ar y plate had been prepared for the was hi n g O f the

han ds i n this case han ds all i nn ocen t a n d free from blood
,
.
There was the co n trast of littlen ess with immensity ; o f

po v ert y wi th n oble sublimity ; of what was meant for profane
uses with what was co n secrated to God .
The s tr an g er k nelt devoutly between the t wo nuns B u t .
suddenly as he no ti c ed that having n o other means o f

, ,
m arki n g t ha t this was a mas s offered fo r the dead t h e pr i est ,
had p la c ed a kno t o f c ra p e on the c ru c ifix and o n t he base

o f t he c hali c e t hus p utting holy t hin g s in mourning the
, ,
’
stran g er s mind was s o mas t ered by som e r e c ollectio n that

dro p s o f S wea t s t ood o ut upon his broad forehead T he .
four silen t a ct ors in the s c ene looked a t ea c h other m y s t er i

ou s l Then their s ouls a c tin g and rea c tin g n each other
y . o , ,
i ns p ired wi t h o n e c ommon thou gh t u ni ted t hem i n devou t ,

‘
-
s y m p athy I t s eemed a s i f t heir minds had evoked the

.
p resence o f t he martyr whose remains t he qui cklime had

burned away and tha t his shade was p resen t wi t h them in
,
all i t s ki ngly maj esty They were celebrating a requ i em .
without the presen c e o f t he body o f the departed Under .
the di sj oin t ed laths and t iles o f t he roof f our C hristians were

abou t t o intercede with God for a King o f France and 8
,
p erform his O bsequ i es t hough t here was n o c o ffin before the

altar There w a s the pures t o f devo t ed love an ac t o f
.
,
wondrous lo y alty performed without a tou c h o f self c on -
s c i o u s n es s N O doub t in the eyes o f G o d i t was like t he

.
, ,
gi ft o f the glass o f water that ranks with t he highes t o f

virtues All the monarch y was there findi n g voice in t he
.
,
p ra y ers of a pries t and t w o poor wome n ; bu t p erhaps the

R e v olution too w a s represented by that man whos e face
, , ,
showed t oo much remorse t o leave any doub t that he w a s

fulfilling a duty ins p ired by dee p repentance .
B efore he pronou n ced the L atin words In t roi bo a d a lt a r e ,
D e i t h e priest a s i f b y an In s p Ir a t i o n from on high turned

,
9
, ,
to the three who were wi t h him as the re p resentatives of

C hristian Fra n ce a n d said to them as t hough t o banish
, ,
from their sight all the m i se ry o f the g a rr et r oo m

8 . L ou i s ! VI , b e h ea d e d J an 21 , 1 79 3 .
ll lt
.
“
9 . I wi go u nt th o e a ar o f G od .
We are about to enter i n to the san c tuary o f God !

At these words uttered with deep devotio n a holy awe
, ,
took possessio n o f the stranger an d the two nun s U n der .
the vast arch es o f S t P eter s at R ome these C hristian s could ’
n ot ha v e realized the maj est y of God s Presence more plai nl y ’
than i n that refuge of miser y ; s o true is it that betwee n

!
Him a n d man all o u tward thi n gs seem u seless a n d Hi s ,
greatn ess comes from Himself alon e The stran ger showed .
‘
a reall y fer v e nt de v otio n S o the same feeli ngs u n ited the .
pra y ers of these fou r ser v a n ts of G o d a n d the ki n g The .
sacred words so u n ded like a heav enl y mu sic in the midst

of the silen ce There was a momen t whe n the u n known man
.
co u ld not restrai n his tears It was at the P a t e r N o s t e r 10

.
,
when the priest added this pray er i n L at i n wh i c h n o doubt

’
, ,
the stra n ger u n derstood :

“
Et re m it t e l
s c e us re
g i c idis s ic ut L u d o vi c u s ei s re mi s i t
”
s em eti
p se .
( An d forgi v e their crime to the regicides as ,
L ouis himself forga v e them ) .
The nu n s s a w t w o large tear drops maki ng li n es o f mois

—
ture down the stro n g face o f the unknown a n d falling t o the ,
floor .
The Office for the D ead was recited The D o m i n e s a lva m .
fa c r e g e m 11
, cha n ted i n a low v oice touched the hearts o f ,
these faithful R o y alists who thought how the child ki n g , ,
for whom at that momen t the y were implorin g the help of

the M ost High was a captiv e i n the ha n ds of his en emies
, .
The stra n ger shu ddered as he remembered that perhaps a

fresh crime might be committed in which he would no doubt ,
be forced t o ha v e a share .
When the Office for the D ead was en ded the priest made ,
a S ign to the t w o nun s an d they withdrew A S soon as h e

,
.
fo u n d himself alo n e with the stran ger he wen t toward him ,
10 Ou r F a t h er , the o p e ni n g wor d in th e
s L d P y i n La t i n
or
’
s ra er
d k i ng p i d f o t h e k i ng
. .
”
11 . O L or , save the , a rt o f t h e m as s sa r .
with a s a d and g entle air and s aid t o hi m i n a fat herly ,
v o i ce
“
My s o n i f you have imbrued your hands i n t he b lood O f
,
t he martyr ki n g c onfide in m e There Is no fault that i s

,
:
n o t blo t ted o ut in God s eyes by a re p en t an c e as sin c ere and

’
a s to u
”
ching as yours a pp ears t o be
At the first words u tt ered b y the p ries t t he stranger gave
way t o an 1 n v o lu nt a r y mo v ement o f alarm B ut he recovered .
his self c ontrol a n d looked calmly a t the as t onished priest

-
.
“ ”
F ather he s aid t o him in a voi ce t hat showed evident
, ,
“
g
s i ns O f emotion no o n e i s more i
,
nno c en t t han I a m O f
t he blood tha t has been shed
It Is my duty t o t ake your word fo
.
”
r it said t he p ries t ,
.
There was a p aus e during which on c e more he loo k ed ,
c losel y at his penite n t Then p ersisti ng in taki ng him fo r .

,
12
o n e o f thos e timid members o f the N ational C o n vention
who abandoned t o the execut ioner a sacred a n d inviolable

head in order t o save t heir o wn he s p oke on c e more i n a ,
gra v e tone
“
C o n sider m y s o n t hat in order t o be guiltless o f this
, ,
g reat crime it does n o t su ffice merel y to have had n o dire ct

c o O peration i n i t Those who althou g h they could have
-
,
.
defended the ki ng left their swords in their scabbards will

, ,
have a very heavy accoun t t o render t o the Ki ng o f H eaven .
”
Oh yes ! added the old p r i est shakin g his head
, ,
“
ex p ressivel y from side to side Y es very hea v y ! .
,
for in sta n di n g idle the y ha v e made themselves the i nv o lu n

,
”
tar y accomplices o f this awful misdeed .
“
D O y ou thi n k asked the man as i f s t ruck wi t h horror
, , ,
that eve n an i n direct p articipation i n it will be p unished ?
l
1 2 T h e r ev o u t i o n a r y o v er n m ent of g
F r a n c e b et w een S e p t 21,
h p bl
. .
1 7 9 2 , a n d Oc t 2 6 1 7 9 5 T i s C o n v en t i o n ec a re Fra n ce a re u i c d l d
G
. . .
,
h h
T e r e w e r e t r ee f a c t i o n s : t h e m o e r a t es o r d
i r o n i s t s , t h e r a i ca s o r d d l
J b
a co i ns , a n d h
t o s e w h o w e r e u n ec i e , w a i t i n f or d d d
ev e o m e n t s g d l p .
T h e r ef er en c e i n t h e t ex t i s t o t i s a s t g r o u , m a n h l
o f w o m fin a p y h ll y
v ot e d wi t h d l
t h e r a i c a s f o r t h e ex e c u t i o n o f t h e in k g .
Are we t hen t o t ake i t that say a soldier who , ,
was ordered t o kee p the ground at the s c affold is gui lty ?
T he p rIes t hesi t ated Pleased at the dilemma in which he

.
had put thi s Purita n o f R oy alism by placing him betwee n

the doctrine o f passive O bedie n ce whi c h according t o the , ,
partisan s o f the monarchy must be the essen ce O f the ,
militar y code a n d the equ all y important doctrine which was

,
the sanctio n O f the respect due t o the person o f the ki ng ,
the stran ger eagerl y accepted the priest s hesitation as ’
i n dicati n g a fa v orable solution o f the doubts that seemed t o

harass him The n in order not t o give the v en erable theo
.
,
l o g i a n further time for reflection he said t o him ,

“
I wo u ld be ashamed t o o fie r y ou a ny ho n orarium for
the fun eral ser v ice y o u have j ust celebrated for t h e repose
o f the so u l o f the ki n g an d t o satisfy my o w n conscien ce
,
.
On e c a n o n l y pay t h eprice O f what i s inestimable b y o ff eri n g

that which i s also bey o n d price Will y ou therefore c onde .
scend s i r t o accept the gift I make y o u o f a sacred relic

, ,
.
P erhaps the day will come when y o u will under

”
stand its value .
As he ceased speaking the stran ger held out t o the priest

,
a little b o x that was extremely ligh t The latter t o ok it in .
his hands automatically s o to sa y for the solemnit y o f the

, ,
words o f this ma n the ton e i n which he spoke the reverence

, ,
with which he han dled the bo x had plun ged him into a ,
reverie o f deep astonishment The n the y returned t o the .
room where the two nun s were waiti n g for them .
“ “
Y o u are said the stra n ger t o them in a house the
, , ,
proprietor o f which the plasterer M u C Iu s S caevola who

, , ,
li v es in the first stor y is famous in the quarter fo r his

,
patriotism But all the same he is secretl y atta c hed to the

.
Bourbo n s 13
. Formerl y he was a huntsman t o Monseign eur
1 3 T h e na m e o f t h e o y a l h o u s e f F a n c e
. r o r .
t he P ri n c e de C on t i and he owe s his f o rt une t o hi m B y

,
.
s tayin g he r e ou are saf e r than anywhe r e else i n Fran c e

y .
R emain here t herefore C er t ain p ious souls will p rovide

,
.
f o r you r needs and y o u c an wai t wi t hou t dan g e r fo r les s

,
”
e vil times . A year hence o n J anuary 2 1 s t ( as he p ro
,
n o u n c e d thes e last words he could n ot c onceal an i n voluntar y
start ) i f this p oor p la c e 1 s still your refuge I shall c ome

, ,
”
ba ck t o a ssist o n ce more with y ou at a mass o f ex p iation .
He sto pp ed without further ex p lana t ion H e salu t ed the .
silent inhabitants o f the garret t ook in with a last loo k the

,
signs tha t told o f their p overty and left t he room ,

.
F or t he t wo sim p le nuns such an adventure had all t he

I n t eres t o f a roma nc e S o when t he venerable abb é had told
.
t hem o f t he mysterious p resen t s o s olemnly made t o hi m

by this m an t hey p la c ed the box on the table and the feeble
, ,
ligh t o f the c a n dle shini n g o n t he t hree anxious faces

, ,
S howed on all O f them a loo k o f indes c ribable curiosity .
M ademois elle de L angeais o p ened the box and fou n d in it a

handkerchief o f fi n e cambric soiled with p e r s p iratio n As .
they unfolded it they s a w spots on i t

“
The y are blood stai n s s aid the priest ,
.
”
It is marked with the royal c row n ! exclaimed the other
S is t er .
'
With a feeli n g O f horror the t w o S isters d r o pp ed t h e

p recious relic For thes e t w o simple souls the mystery that
.
surrou n ded the stra n ger had become something inexpli c able .
And as for the p riest from that da y he did not even a t tempt
, ,
to fi n d an explanation o f it i n his o w n m ind .
It w a s not long before the three p risoners realized that

notwithsta n ding the T error an i nv isible hand w a s stret ched
o u t to protect t hem A t firs t firewood a n d p rovisions were
.
s e n t in for them Then t he two nu n s guessed tha t a woman

.
was as sociated with their p rotector for the y were s e n t line n,
a n d clothes that would make it p ossible for t hem to go o u t

t he P ri n c e de C on t i and he owes his f o rtune t o hi m B y

, .
s tay i n g here o u are safe r than anywhere els e i n F r ance

y .
R emain here the r efore C ertain p ious souls wi ll p rovide

,
.
f o r you r needs an d y o u c an wai t without dan g er fo r less

,
”
e vil times . A year hen c e o n J anuary 2 1 s t ( as he p ro
,
n o u n c e d thes e last words he c ould not conceal an involun t ary
start ) i f this p oor p lace Is still your refuge I shall c ome

, ,
”
ba ck to a ssist on c e more with y o u at a mass o f ex p iation .
H e sto pp ed without further ex p lana t ion H e s alu t ed the .
silent i nhabitants o f the g arret t oo k in with a last look t he

,
signs tha t t old o f their p overty and left the room , .
F or t he t wo simple nuns such an adventure had all the

i nteres t o f a roman c e S o when t he venerable abb é had told
.
t hem o f t he mysterious p resen t s o s olem n ly made t o him

by this man t hey p laced the box o n the table and the feeble
, ,
light o f the candle shinin g o n t he t hree anxious faces

, ,
showed o n all o f t hem a loo k o f indescribable c uriosity .
M ademoiselle de L a n geais opened the box and fou n d in it a

handkerchie f o f fi n e cambric s oiled with p e r s p iratio n As .
t he y unfolded it they s a w spots o n i t

“
The y are blood stai n s s aid the priest ,
.
”
I t is marked with the royal crow n ! exclaimed the other
S ister .
With a feeling o f horror the t w o S isters dropped the

p recious relic For thes e t w o simple souls the m y stery that
.
surrou n ded the stra n ger had become something inexpli c able .
And as for the priest from that da y he did no t even a t tempt

, ,
to fi n d an expla n ation o f i t in his o w n mind .
It w a s not long before the three p riso n ers realized that

notwithsta n di n g the T error an i nv isible ha n d w a s stretched
o u t to prote c t t hem At firs t firewood and provisions were
.
s ent i n for them Then the t w o nuns guessed that a woma n

.
was asso c iated with their protector for the y were s e n t linen
,
a n d clothes that would make it p ossible fo r t hem to go o u t

without a ttra c ti n g attention by the aris t o cr ati c fashi o n of

the dress they had bee n forced t o wear ti ll then Finall y .
“
M u ci u s S cae v ola pro v id ed them with two ci v ic ca rds ,
certificates of good citi zens hi p Oft en b y roun dabout way s

.
they recei v ed warni n gs that were necessary for t h e safety

of the p riest an d they recogni zed that thes e frien dl y hi nt s
,
came s o opportunely that they co u ld onl y ema n at e from some

o n e who was i ni tiat ed i n to the s ecrets of the state N o tw i t h .
stan ding the famine from whi ch P aris was sufferi ng th e ,
refugees found ratio n s of whi te bread left regul arl y at thei r

garret door b y in visible ha n ds Howe v er the y thought they
.
,
could identif y i n M u ci ns S caev ola the my sterious agen t o f

this ben efic en c e whi ch w a s alway s a s ingenious as it w a s
,
well di rected .
The noble refugees i n the garret could ha v e n o doubt but

that their protector was the same perso n who had come t o
assist at the mass o f expiation o n the ni ght of Jan u ary 2 2 n d ,
1 79 3. He thus became the O b j ect of a v er y speci al regar d

o n the part o f all three They hoped i n hi m onl y li v e d
.
,
onl y than ks t o hi m They had added special pray ers fo r

.
hi m to their de v otions ; morning and night thes e pi o us soul s

O fl e r e d up petitio n s for hi s welfare for hi s pros p e rity for
'
, ,
his sal v atio n They begged God to remo v e all temptation s

.
from hi m to deli v er him from hi s en em i e s an d to gi v e hi m a

, ,
lo n g an d p eaceful li fe Their grati tude w a s thu s s o t o s ay

.
, ,
dail y ren ewed but was inevitabl y ass ociated with a feeli n g
,
o f curiosit y that became kee n er as da y after da y went b y .
The circumstan ces that had atten ded the appearan ce o f

the stranger were the subj ect O f their co nv ersations They .
formed a thousa n d conj ectures with regard t o him and it w a s ,
a fr esh ben efit t o them of an other kin d that he thus serv e d

t o distract their mi n ds from other thoughts The y were quit e
.
determ i ned that o n the ni ght when accordi ng t o his promise

, , ,
he would come back t o celebrate the mournful ann i v ersary o f

42 F RE N C H S H ORT S T OR I ES
the de at h o f L oui s X VI t hey would n o t le t him go wit hou t

’
e s t ab li shin g m o r e friendly rela t ions wi t h him .
T he ni g ht t o whi c h t hey had look ed fo r ward s o i m p ati ently

c ame a t las t A t midni gh t t he heavy foot s t eps o f the un
kno w
.
n resounded o n the old wooden s t air The r oom had .
been ma de read y t o re c e i ve him ; the al t a r w a s p re p ared .
T his t ime the S isters o p ened the door before he rea c hed it ,
and both hastened t o show a li gh t o n t he s t ai rc ase M ade .
m o i s ell e de L angeais even went down a fe w ste p s in o r de r

the sooner t o s e e their benefa ctor .
“ ”
C ome s h e said t o him in a vo i ce t remblin g with a ff e ct i on
, ,
c ome y o u are ex p ected .
The m an raised his head and without replying cas t a ,
gloomy look a t the nun S he felt as i f a mantle o f i c e had

.
‘
fallen aroun d her and k ep t silen c e A t t he sight o f hi m

,
.
the feelin g o f grati t ude and o f c ur i osi ty died o u t in all thei r

hear t s H e w a s p erha p s less c old less tacit urn less terrible
.
, ,
t han he appeared t o thes e souls whom the excitement o f ,
t heir feelings dis p osed t o a warm and friendl y welcome T he .
t hree p oor p ri soners realiz ed tha t t he m an wished t o r e m ai n

a stranger t o them and they a c ce p ted t he situation
,
.
The p riest thought that he not i c ed a smile that w a s a t ,
on c e repres sed p lay upon the li p s o f the unknown when

, ,
he r emar k ed t he p re p arations t ha t had been made for h i s

re c e pt ion H e heard mass and pra y ed B u t then he wen t
. .
away a fter ha v ing declined with a few words o f p olite ,
refusal the invitation that M ademoiselle de L angeais o fie r ed

,
him t o sha r e with them the lit t le su pp er t hat had been made
ready .
1 4—
Aft er t he 9 t h Thermidor the fall o f R obespierre
( )
both the nuns and t h e Abbé de M arolles were able t o g o
14 The N a t i o nal C o nv en t i o n m a d e o v er th e l dc a en S a r. e pt 22,
b g y Th
. .
1 7 9 2 , was ec a r e d l d
th e e gi n n i n of t h e ea r 1 w er e er e t we l ve
h b g pp d
.
h
m o n t s , t ei r na m es ei n su os e t o c o r res p nd t
o t h e t im
o e of the
y ea r i n w i c t e h h h y
ca m e h d
T e rm i o r wa s t h e
. l ev ent h
e .
about in P aris without i n cu rri n g the least dan ger The old .
priest s first excursion w a s to a perfumer s shop at the sign

’ ’
o f the R e i n e d e s F l e u r s kept b y C itize n R ago n a n d h i s wife, ,
formerly perfu mers to the cou rt who had remai n ed faithful ,
to the ro y al family T h e Ven dé a n s made u s e of them as5

.
1
their agents for correspo n din g with the exiled pri n ces an d
the ro y alist committee at P aris The abbé dressed as the .
,
times requ ired was stan di n g o n the doorstep of the shop

, ,
which was situ ated betwee n the C hu rch of S ai n t R och an d

the R ue d e s Fron deurs whe n a crowd which filled all the , ,
Ru e S ai n t Ho n oré pre v e nted him f rom goi n g o u t

-
,
.
“ ”
What is the matter he asked Madame R ago n
? .
“
It s nothi n g s h e replied
’
,
It s the cart with the ex e c u .
’
t i o n e r o n the wa y to the Place L o u is X V Ah ! we s a w it .
ofte n enough last y ear But toda y four day s after the a nn i .
,
v e r s a r y o f Ja n uar y 2 1 8 t o n e ca n watch that terrible p r o c e s

,
sion go b y withou t feeli n g displeas u r e - .
“
Wh y ? s aid the abbé it is n ot C hristia n o f y ou to talk ,
”
thus .
“
But it s the exe cution o f the accomplices of R ob espierre
’
.
The y did their best to sa v e themsel v es but the y are goi n g in ,

”
their t u r n where the y se nt s o ma ny i n no c ent people !
The crowd was pouri ng past like a flood The Abbé de .
M arolles y ieldi n g to an impulse of curiosity saw sta n di n g

, , ,
erect o n the cart the man who three day s before had come
,
t o hear his mass .
“ ”
Who is that ? he said the man who ,
It s the hangman
’
replied Mon sieur R ago n gi v in g the
, ,
exe c utio n er the n ame he bore u n der the mon arch y .
“
M y dear m y dear c ried o u t Madame R agon Mo n sieur
, , ,
”
l Abb é is dy i n g !
’
1 5 T h e V en d ea n s i n s out h w es t e n F a n ce w e e s t a u n c h C a t h li cs r r r o
hy w hi h u ph ld t h i h u h A
. , ,
a nd rem in d d v t d t t h m n
a e e o e o e o arc c e e r c rc
l t t o k p l a c i n t h V n de w h n t h N t i on l C n en t i o n
, .
s er oi u s r ev o o e e e e e e a a o v
t i d t
r e nf o ce i t
e or on i pt i n s t d m n di n g
c t th
s cr m timo th e ac e a a e sa e e
b a t h o f l y a l t y t o t h e ep u b l i c n g v m t h p ri s t
,
o nm en t f
r a o er ro e e s .
44 F RE N C H S H O RT ST O R IE S
And the o ld l ady s eized a bot tle o f smell i ng s al t s with

which to re v i v e the aged priest from a fai n ti n g fit.
“
N o doubt he said wha t he gave me w a s the h a ndk er
, ,
chief with which the King W i ped his forehead as he wen t

'
to mart y rdom . P oor man ! The steel

blade had a heart whe n all F ra n ce was heartless
The p erfumers thought that t he p oo r prie s t wa s r aving.
TH E ATH E I S T S MA S S ’
By H ON OR E D E B AL ! AC
D O C T OR B IA N C H ON a phy sician to whom s c ience owes

a bea u tiful phy siological theory and who tho u gh still a
, ,
y o un g ma n has w o n himself a place amo n g the celebrities

,
o f the Paris S chool a c e n ter o f light to which all the doctors

,
of E u rope pay homage had p racticed surger y before de

—
voti n g hi m self t o medici n e His early stu dies were directed

.
by o n e o f the greatest s u rgeons i n Fran ce t h e cel ebrated ,
D e s p l ei n who was regarded as a l u minary o f science

,
Ev en .
h i s e n emi es admi tted that with him was b u ried a tech n ical
skill that he could n ot bequ eath to an y successor L ike all .
men o f genius he left no heirs All that was peculiarl y hi s

.
own he carried to the gra v e with him .
The glor y o f great surgeo n s i s like that of actors whose ’
'
work exists onl y so lo ng as the y live and o f whose talent ,
n o adequat e idea can be formed whe n the y are go n e Act ors .
a n d surgeon s a n d also great si n gers like those artists who

,
i n crease ten fold the power o f mu si c b y the wa y in which

they perform i t all these are the heroes of a moment
— .
D e s p l ei n is a striki n g i n sta n ce o f the similarit y O f the desti

nies of such tra n sitor y ge niuses His name y esterda y s o
.
,
famous today almost forgotten will li v e amo n g the special

, ,
i s t s o f his o wn bran c h o f s cien c e without being know n b e

yo n d it.
But i s not an u n heard o f combi n ation o f cir cumstanc es

-
required for the name of a lear n ed ma n to pass from the

domai n of science i nto the gen eral histor y of man kin d Had ?
D e s pl e i n that u n i v ersality o f acquirements that makes of a

m an the ex p ressio n the typ e of a centur y He was gi fted
,
?
45
46 F RE N C H SH O RT ST O R IE S
with a m agn i fi c en t p ower o f diagn o sis H e c ould s ee i nt o .
the patient and his m alady by an a c quired o r nat ural in t ui

t ion th at enabled him t o g ras p the p eculiar c hara ct eris t i c s
,
o f the indi v idual and determ i ne the pre c is e moment the

, ,
h o ur t he minu t e when he should o p erate takin g int o a c

, , ,
c ount bo th atmos p heric conditions and t he s p e c ial tem p era

ment of his patient In order thus t o be able to w o rk h a nd
.
in hand with N ature had he studied the c easeless union o f

,
or g an iz ed and elementar y substan c es c ontained in t he atmos

p h e re o r supplied
,
by the earth to man w h o absorbs and ,
m odifies t hem s o as t o derive from t hem an individual res ul t ?

?
O r did he p ro c eed by that p owe r o f dedu c tion and analogy

t o which the genius o f C u v ier owed s o mu c h
1 ?
However that may be this man had made himself master ,
o f all the s ecrets o f the body H e knew it in its p as t as in

.
i t s fu ture takin g t he p resen t for his p oint o f departure But

,
.
did he embody in his Ow n person all the s c ience o f his t i me ,
as w a s the c ase with Hippo c rates G alen and Aristo tle ,

? 2
,
Did he lead a whole s c hool t owards new worlds o f k nowl

.
edge ? N o And while i t i s i mpossibl e t o deny t o t his inde

.
fatigable observer o f the chemi str y o f t he human body the

p oss es sion o f something like the an c i ent s c ien c e o f M agism
t hat is to s ay the knowled g e of p rinci p les in c ombination o f ,
the c auses o f li fe o f li fe as the ante c eden t o f li fe and wha t

, ,
i t will be thr ough the a ction o f c auses p re c edin g i t s exist

en c e i t must be a cknowledged tha t all t his was entirely
—
p ersonal to him Isolated during his li fe by egotism this

.
,
e gotism w a s the suicide O f his fame His tomb is not sur .
mou n ted b y a prete nti ous statue proclaiming to the future

the m y steries that ge n ius has u n veiled for it .
But p erhaps the tale n ts o f D e s p l e in were linked wi th his

beliefs a n d therefore mortal For him the earth s atmos ’
, .
1 A f a m o u s F en h n a t u a l i s t
r c r
fi t t w w e G eek p h y s i ci a n s t h e t h i d a G eek p h i l o o
. .
2 Th e rs o er r , r r s
phe
.
r .
48 F RE N C H S H O RT ST O R IE S
c rown s t he m et hods they have att a c k ed and sho w s t he c o ,
ordina t i on O f pre p ar ati o n and r esult all the sa m e some ,
t hi n g wi ll r ema i n o f t hese c har g es fl un g o ut i n advan c e .
T hus in o u r t i me N a p oleon w a s c ondemn ed by h i s c on t em

r a r i e s fo r hav i n g spread t he win g s o f the ea gle t owards
p o
E ngland They had t o wai t t ill 1 8 2 2 fo r the ex p lana ti o n

.
o f 1 80 4 and o f t he fl a t bott om ed bo a ts o f B oulo gne

4
,
-
.
In the c as e o f D e s p l e i n his fame and 111 8 s c ien t ifi c k nowl

,
e dge not being o p en t o a tt a c k h i s enemi es found fault wi t h ,
h i s strange whims his singular chara cter ,

F o r he possessed .
“
in no small degree tha t quality whi c h the E n glish c all e c c en
”
t rici ty .N ow he would be attired with a splendor tha t s ug
ested r é b i llo n s sta t ely tragedy and t hen he would d
’
3
g C ; s u
d enly affect a s t ran g e indifference in the matter of dress .
O n e s a w him n o w i n a c arriage n o w o n foo t By turns ,

.
s harp spoken and kindly ; assuming an air o f closeness and

-
sti n gines s bu t a t the same time ready t o put his fortune at

,
the dis p osal of exiled professors o f his s c 1 en c e w h o would ,
do him the ho n or o f accepti n g hi s help for a few da y s no —
one ever gave occasion for more c o ntradictory j udgment s .
Although for the s ake o f obtaini n g a decoration that do c tors

were not allowed to can v ass for he w a s quite capable of let ,
ti n g a p rayer boo k sli p out o f his p o cket when a t court you

-
,
ma y take i t that in his o wn mi n d he m a de a mockery o f

e v er y thi n g H e had a deep disdai n for men after having
.
,
caught glimpses o f their true c haracter i n t he midst o f the

most solem n a n d the most trivial acts of their existe nc e In .
a great man all his characteristics are ge n erally in keeping

with each other I f o n e o f these gia n ts has more t alent than
.
wit it is a ll the s ame true that his w i t is something deep er

,
tha n that of one o f whom all that can be said is that He is a

witt y fellow Genius alwa y s implies a certai n insight into
.
the moral side o f t h i ng s This insi gh t m ay be a pp lied to o n e

.
3 A F en h w i t e
. r f t a g ed i s
c r r o r e .
TH E ATH E I S T S ’
M A SS 49
s p ecial line o f tho u ght bu t o n e cann ot s e e the flower with

,
o u t a t the same time seei n g the sun that p roduces it The .
man who heari n g a diplomatist whom he was sa ving from

,
”
death ask How is the E mperor remarked The courtier
,
?
,
”
i s recoveri n g a n d the ma n will reco v er with him !
,
was no t
merely a doct or or a surgeo n but w as also n ot without a ,
co n siderable amount o f wit Thu s the patien t un wear y i n g .

,
obser v atio n o f manki n d mi ght do something to j ustify the

exorbitan t preten sio n s o f D e s pl ei n a n d make o n e ad m it ,
that as he himself beli e v ed he was capable o f wi nn i n g as

, ,
much distincti o n as a Mi n ister o f S tate a s he had gai n ed as ,
a surgeo n .
Amo n gst the problems that the life o f D es p l e i n presented

to the minds o f his con temporaries we ha v e chose n o n e of ,
the most i n teresti n g becau se the ke y to it will be found i n

,
the en di n g of the stor y an d will ser v e t o clear him o f many

,
stupid accusatio n s made agai n st him .
Amon g all D e s p l ei n s pupils at the hospital Horace Bia n

’
cho n was o n e o f thos e to whom he was m o st str o n gl y a t

t a c h ed .B efore becomin g a reside n t student at the H Ot el
Dieu Horace B i a n c h o n was a med i cal stu de n t livi n g i n
4
, ,
the Quartier L ati n i n a wretched lodgi n g house k n own

5 -
b y the name o f the M aiso n Vau qu er There the poor y ou n g . -
fellow experien ced the pressure o f that acute po v ert y which ,
is a ki n d of crucible when ce men of great talent are ex

,
p e c t e d to come forth p u re a n d i n corr u ptible like a diamo n d ,
that can be sub j ected to blows of al l kinds wi t h o ut b r e ak i n g .
Though the fierce fire o f passion has bee n aroused they a c ,
qui re a probity that it cann ot alter a n d the y become used ,
to struggles that are the lot o f ge n ius i n the midst o f the ,
ceaseless toil i n which the y c u rb desires that are n ot to be

,
satisfied Horace was a n upright y ou n g man i n capable o f

.
,
t aking any crooked course i n matters where hon or was i n

4 . A fa m o u s P a ri s h pi t l
os a . 5 . The st u d en t q u a r t er o f Pa ri s .
50 F RE N C H SH O RT ST O R IE S
volved g oin g s tr a i gh t t o t he po i nt ; ready t o pawn his over

c oat fo r his friends as he was t o give them his time and his
,
long vigils In a word H ora c e was o n e o f thos e friends wh o

.
,
d o not trouble t hemselves as t o wha t they are t o r eceive i n

return fo r wha t t hey bes t ow taki n g i t fo r g ranted tha t when , ,
it comes t o their turn they will get more t han the y g ive ,
.
M ost o f his friends had fo r him that heartfelt respect whi c h

i s i n spired by un o stentatious worth and many o f them would ,
have bee n a fraid t o p rovoke his c ensure But Hora c e mani .
f e s t ed thes e good qualities without any pedanti c display .

,
N either a p uritan n o r a p reacher he would in his S impli c it y ,
enfor ce a word o f good ad v ice with any oath and w a s ready ,
for a bit o f good c heer when the o cc asion o ffered A p leas .
ant co m r ade wi th n o more sh y nes s t han a troo p er fran k

, ,
and outs p oken n ot as a s ailor for the sailor o f today i s a

—
,
wily diplomatis t bu t as a fine young fellow w h o has noth

—
,
ing in his li fe t o b e ashamed o f he went h i s w a y w ith head ,
erect a n d with a c heerful mind T o sum i t all up in o n e .
6
word H orace w a s t he P y lades o f more than o n e O restes
, ,
creditors nowada y s p la y in g most realistically the p art o f

the F u r i e s 7
H e bore his povert y wi th that gaiety which i s
.
perha p s o n e o f the chief eleme nts o f c ourage a n d like all , ,
t hose who have nothi ng he c o n tracted very few debts A s ,

.
enduring as a c amel as alert as a wild deer he was stead , ,
fast i n his ideas and in his c o n du c t .
The ha p piness of B i a n c h o n s li fe be gan o n t he day when ’
the famous surgeon became acquai nt ed wi t h the good quali

ties and the defects which each as well as t he other mak e
, , ,
D r Horace B i an ch o n doubl y de ar t o his fri ends When the

. .
teacher o f a hospital clas s receives a y ou n g man into his

’
inner c i rc le t hat y oung man has as the s aying goes hi s

, , ,
6 y l ey s C la s s i c
S ee C a
’
Myths p a ge 31 5, for t h e s t or y of a f ri end
s hi p wh i h h be m e p bi l
. ,
c as co r ov er a
ng i ng d i t i
.
7 A. ve e es .
TH E ATH E I S T S M A SS’
51
foot in the stir rup D es pl ei n did not fail t o t ake B i an c h on

.
wi th him as his assistan t t o wealth y houses where n earl y ,
alway s a gratuity slipped i n to the purse of the student and ,
where all un co n sciousl y the y oun g provi nc ial had rev ealed
, ,
to him some o f the my steries of P arisia n li fe D e s p l ei n .
woul d ha v e him i n his stud y d u ri n g c onsultatio n s a n d found ,
work for him there S om etimes he would sen d him to a

.
wateri n g place as compa n io n to a rich in v alid i n a w o rd

,
—
, ,
he w a s preparin g a professio n al c o nnectio n for hi m The .
result o f all this w as that after a certai n time the t y rant of

t he operati n g theater had hi s right h a n d man These two
— .
O ne o f them at the summi t o f professio n al h on ors and sci

ence an d in the enj o y me n t o f a n immense fortune and an
,
equ al renown the other a modest cipher without f o rtune o r

,
fame became intimate frien ds The great D e s p l ei n told

— .
e v erythi n g t o hi s p u pil B i a nc h o n came to know the my s

.
t er i es o f this temperament half li o n h alf bull that i n the

, , ,
e n d caused a n ab no rmal expa n sio n o f the great ma n s chest

’
and killed him b y en l a rgeme n t o f the heart He studied the .
o d d whi ms of this bus y li fe the schemes o f its sordid a v arice

, ,
the pr o j ect s of this politician di s g uised as a ma n o f s cien ce .
H e was able t o forecast the disa ppoi n tmen ts that awaited

the on e to u ch of sentime n t that was buried in a heart not of
sto n e though made to seem like stone .
On e day B i an c h o n told D e s p l ei n that a poor w ater carrier -
in the Quartier S ai n t Jacques was suffering from a horrible

-
illness c aused b y o v erwork an d po v ert y This poor nati v e .
o f Auvergne had o n l y potatoes t o eat during the hard win
ter of 1 8 2 1 D e s p l ei n left all his patien ts At the risk of

. .
breaki n g down his horse he dro v e at fu ll speed a c c om

, ,
p a n i e d b y B i a n c h o,
n to the p o or man s lodgi n g
’
a n d himself ,
superinten ded his remo v al to a pri v at e nu rsi n g home estab

l i s h e d b y the celebrated Dubois i n the Fa u bourg S aint
D enis He went t o atten d t o the man hi mself a n d ga v e him
.
, ,
52 FRE N C H S H O RT ST O R IE S
whe n he had recovered money enough t o bu y a hors e a nd a

,
water cart The Au v ergnat disti n guished h i mself b y an u n

-
.
c o n ventional proceedi n g On e o f his friends fell sick and

.
,
he at once brou ght him t o D e s plei n and said t o his bene ,
factor
“
I w o u l d n o t think o f allowin g him t o g o t o a n yone else
a .
O verwhelmed with work as he was D e s p l ei n gras p ed the ,
water carrier s ha n d and s a id t o him :

’
—
”
B ring them all t o me .
8
H e had this p oor fellow from the C antal admitted to
the H Ot el D ieu where he took the g reatest c are o f him
,
.
B i a n c h o n had o n man y o c casions remarked tha t his chief had

a p articular liking for p eople from Auver gne a n d especiall y ,
for the wa t er c arriers but as D e s p l ei n took a kind o f p ride

-
i n hi s treatment o f his poor p a tie n ts at the H Ot el D ieu his ,
p upil did n o t see a ny thing ve ry stra n ge in this .
On e day when B i a n c h o n w a s crossing the P lace S aint

S ul p i c e he c aught sight of his t eacher going into the chur c h
abou t nine O cloc k in the morni n g D e s pl ei n who at t his
’
.
,
p eriod woul d n o t go a step without c alli ng for his carriage ,
w a s o n foo t a n d slipped in quietly by the side door in t h e

,
R ue d a P etit L ion as i f he was goi n g i n to some doub tful

,
place The student w a s naturally seized by a great curi

.
o s it
y ,
for he knew t he o p ini o ns o f his master ; s o B i a n c h o n
too slip p ed i n to S aint S ul pice and was not a little surprised

-
to s e e the famous D e s p lei n this atheis t w h o t hought ver y , ,
little of angels as bei n gs who give no scope fo r surgery t hi s

, ,
scoffer humbly k neeli ng a n d where

,
?
,i n t he L ad y
C hapel where he heard a mass gave an alms for the church
, ,
expenses and for the p oor a n d remai n ed t hroughou t as ,
s erious as i f he were e n gaged in an operation .
’
B i a n c h o n s astonishme n t knew no bounds I f he said .
,
“
t o hi mself I had seen him holdin g o n e o f t he cords o f the
,
8 A uv e g n e c e n t a l F a n c e
. r ,
r r .
TH E ATH E I S T S M A SS ’
53
can op y at a p u blic processio n o n C orp u s C hristi I might j ust

lau gh at him ; b u t at this time O f da y all a lo n e without a ny , ,
o n e to s ee him this is certai n l y something to s et o n e thi n k

,
i ng !
B i a n c h o n had n o wish to appear to be pla y i n g the s p y
o n the chief s u rgeo n o f the H Ot el Dieu s o he wen t awa y ,
.
It s o happen ed that D e s pl ei n asked him to di n e with him

that day n ot at hi s hous e but at a restaura n t Betwee n the
,
.
cheese and the dessert B i a n c h o n b y clev erly leading up t o ,
it man aged to s a y s omethi n g about the mass and spoke O f

, ,
it as a mummer y an d a farce .
“ ”
A farce said D e s pl e i n that has cost C hristendom
, ,
more bloodshed tha n all the battles o f N apoleon all the ,
leeches o f B r o u s s a i s It IS a papal i nv e n tio n that o nl y

.
-
dates from the sixth ce ntur y What torren ts o f blood were .
n ot shed to establish the feast of C orpus C hristi b y which ,
the C ourt o f R ome sought to mark its v ict or y in the ques ‘
tion o f the real presen ce a n d the schis mthat has trou bled ,
the church for three ce ntu ries ! The wars o f the C ou n t o f

Toulou se a n d the Albigen ses were the sequel o f that aff a i r .
The Vau dois and the Albige n ses refused t o r ec o gnl z e the
”
i nn ovation .
I n a word D e s p le i n took a pleasure i n gi v in g v en t to all

h i s atheistic ardor a n d there w a s a torre n t of Voltairia n
,
wi tticisms o r to describe it more accurately a detestable

, ,
imitation of the sty le of the Ci t a t e u r .

9
“
Hum ! said B i a n c h o n to himself what has bec o me of ,
m y dev otee of this morn i n g ?
He kept silen t H e bega n to dou bt i f it was really his

.
c hi ef that he had se en at S ai n t S ulpice D e s p l e i n would n ot -

.
ha v e take n the trou ble to lie to B i a n c h on The y knew each .
other too well The y had alread y exchan ged ideas o n poi nts
.
qu ite as serious an d discussed s y stems of the n ature o f

,
9 . A b o ok at t ac k i ng o rt h d o o x ca t h ol i ci s m .
t hings ex ploring and dissecting t hem wi th the kniv es and

,
s c al p els o f incredulit y .
Three months went by Bi a n c h o n took no further ste p .
in conne c ti on with the in c ident th o u gh it rem ai n ed graven ,
in his memory On e day that year o n e o f the doctors of the

.
H Ot el D ieu took D e s p l e i n by the arm in B i a n c h o n s p res

’
en c e as i f he had a question to put to him

,
.
“
Whatever do y o u go t o S ain t S ulp i c e for m y dea r -
,
”
master he s aid t o him
? .
“
T o s e e o n e o f the priests there w h o has c arie s i n the ,
knee and whom M adame the Duchess o f Ango ul ém e did me

,
”
t he honor t o r e c ommend t o my care s aid D e s p l ei n ,
.
The do c to r w as s atisfied wi t h thi s evasion but not s o ,
B i an c h on .
“
Ah he goes t o s ee diseased k nees
, t he c hurch ! Why in ,
”
he we n t to hear mass ! s aid the student t o himself .
B i a n c h o n made up hi s m i nd t o keep a watch o n D e s p l e i n .
H e remembered the day t he hour when he had c aught him , ,
g oin g int o S aint S ulpi c e and he promi sed himself that he

-
,
w ould be t here next year o n the s ame day and at t he s ame

hour t o s ee if he would c at c h him again I n thi s case the
,
.
recurri n g date o f his devotio n s wo u ld give ground for a sci

e nt i fic i nv estigatio n for o n e ought not to expect to find i n
,
such a man a direct co ntradiction between thought and

a c t ion .
N ext year o n the da y a n d at the hour B i an c h o n w h o

, , ,
b y t his time w a s n o lo n ger o n e o f D e s p l ei n s reside n t stu ’
dents S a w the surgeo n s carriage stop at the cor n er of the

’
R ue de T o u rn o n a n d the R ue d u P etit L ion Hi s friend .
—
g ot out p assed stealthil y alo n g by the wall o f S aint S ulpice
, ,
a n d once more heard his mass at the L ad y altar It w a s i n .
deed D e s p l ei n t he chief sur geon of t he hospital t he atheist

_
, ,
at heart the devotee at haphazard The problem w a s ge t

,
.
tin g t o be a p uzzle The persistence o f the illustrious m a n

.
56 FRE N CH SH O RT S T OR I ES
I am like a good man y devo t ees m en deeply reli gi ous ,
t o all ap p ea r an c e bu t qu i t e as mu c h a t heists as w e c an be
, ,
y o u and I .
And then t he r e was a torrent o f e p i g rams referring to

c erta i n p oliti c al personages the best known o f whom pre
,
sents us i n ou r o wn time with a n ew edition o f t he T a r t uf e

o f M oli ere .
“
I am n ot a skin g y o u abou t all that sai d B i a nc h o n ,
.
Bu t I d o want t o kn o w the reason for what y o u have j ust

”
been doin g here W hy have y o u fou n ded thi s mass
.
?
“ ” “
M y word ! my dear friend said D e s pl e i n I am o n th e , ,
brink o f the g ra v e and I may j ust as well t a lk t o y o u about

,
”
t he early days of my life .
Just then B i a n c h o n and t he great man were in the R ue

des Quatre Vents o ne of the most horrible s tr eets i n P aris
,
.
D e s p l ei n p ointed to the sixth story o f o n e o f those high ,
narrow fronted houses that stand like O belisks The outer

-
.
door ope n s o n a p assage at the end o f which i s a c roo k ed

,
s t air light ed by those small inner wi n dows that are aptly

,
c alled j o u r s d e I t was a house wi th a gr een

i s h c olored front with a furniture dealer ins t alled o n the
-
,
ground floor and apparentl y a di fferent type o f wre tc hed

,
ness lodgi n g in ever y story As he raised hi s arm .
with a ges ture tha t was full o f ener gy D es pl ei n sa i d to ,
B i a n c h on
“
I l i vedu p there for t w o years !
I know t ha t D Art h e z used to li v e t here I c ame
’
. .
there nearly every day when I w a s quite a young fellow ,

‘
and i n thos e days we used to c all i t t he sto r e bo ttle o f great
”
men ! W ell what c omes nex t ?
’
,
“
The mass that I have j us t heard i s c onne ct ed w i t h
event s t ha t o cc urred when I was living in t ha t g arre t in
which y ou tell me D Ar t h e z on c e l i ved t he roo m fr o m t he
’
1 0 L i t e ra ll y
. d a y s of d u ra nc e
, .
57
window of which t here is a line hanging with c lothes drying

o n it
,
j ust above the flo w er pot I had such a r ough start
-
.
in life my dea r B i an c h o n that I could dispute with a ny

, ,
o n e you like the palm for sufferi n g e n dured here in P aris .
I bore it all hu n ger thirst want of mone y l ack o f clothes

, , , , ,
boots lin en all that is hardest in po v ert y I have tried

,
— .
‘
to warm my froze n fi n gers with my breath in that store
bottle of great men which I sho u ld like t o re v isit with you
,
’
.
As I worked i n the wi n ter a vapor wou ld rise from m y head ,
a n d I co u ld see the steam of perspiration lik e we see it

about the horses o n a frosty da y I do n t know where o n e .
’
fi n ds the foothold t o sta n d u p agai n st such a li fe I was .
all alone witho u t help without a penny to buy books or

, ,
to pa y the expe n ses o f m y medical educatio n : without a

frie n d for m y irritable gloom y n er v ous character did me
, , ,
harm N 0 o n e would recognize i n my fits o f irritation the

.
distress the str u ggles o f a man w h o i s stri v i n g to rise t o

,
the surface from h i s place i n the ver y depths o f the social

s y stem But I can sa y to y ou in whose presence I ha v e n o
.
,
need to cloak my self i n a ny way that I had that basis o f ,
sound ideas a n d impression able feeli n gs which will alwa y s ,
be part of the e n dowmen t of me n stro n g e n ou gh to climb

up to some sum mit after havi n g lo n g plodded through the
,
morass o f misery I could n ot look for an y help from m y

.
family o r my nati v e place bey ond the i n sufficien t allowance

that was made to me To s um it a ll up at that time m y
.
,
breakfast in the mor ni n g was a roll that a baker i n the R ue

d u P etit L io n sold cheapl y to me bec ause it was from the
baki n g o f y esterday or the da y before an d which I broke ,
Up i n to some mi lk ; thus m y mor n i n g meal did n ot cost me
more than a pe nny I di n ed o n ly e v er y secon d day i n a

.
,
boardi n g ho u se where o n e could get a di nn er for eightpence

-
.
Thus I spen t o nl y fou rpen ce halfpen n y a da y Y ou know as

-
.
well as I do what care I would take of such things as clothes

58 F RE N C H S H O RT S T OR I ES
and b oo t s ! I am n o t sure that i n later li fe we feel more

'
'
trouble a t the trea c hery o f a c olleague than we have felt you ,
a n d I at dis c overing the moc ki n g grima c e of a boot sole tha t

,
is c omin g away from the s ewi ng o r at hearin g t he rendin g ,
noise o f a t orn c oa t c u fi I dra nk only w ater I lo oked at

. .
the ca f é s with the greatest res p e c t The C a fe ! oppi s eemed .
t o me l ike a p romised land where the L u c u l lu s e s o f the

,
‘
Quartier L a t in had the ex c lusive right o f en t ry S hall I .
‘
ever I used sometimes t o a s k myself shall I e v er be able
,
’
t o g o in there t o t ake a c u p o f c o fl e e an d h ot milk o r t o ,

’
p la y a game o f dominoes ?
“
W ell I brought t o my work t he furious ene rgy t ha t my
,
p overty ins p ired I t ried rapidly to get a gras p o f ex a c t

.
knowledge s o as t o acquire an imme n s e personal worth in

order to deserve the position I hoped t o reach in the da v s
when I would have come forth from my nothi n gn ess I c on .
sumed more o il than bread The lam p that lighted me durin g

.
thes e nights of persistent t oil c ost m e more than my food .
The struggle was long obstinat e without encouragemen t

, ,
.
I had w o n no s y m p athy from t hos e arou n d me T o have .
friends mus t o n e not associate with other you ng fellows ,
and have a few pence to take a drink with them and g o ,
with them wherever students are to be found I h a d nothi n g

? .
And n o o n e in P aris quite realizes t ha t no t hi ng i s really

n o t hi n g I f I ever had a n y o ccasion t o reveal my misery
.
I felt i n m y throat that nervous c ontraction that makes our

p atie n ts sometimes imagine there is a round mas s coming
up the gu llet into the larynx L ater o n I have c ome a c ross
.
p eo p le who havi n g been born in wealth and never wa n ting

,
f o r a ny thing k n ew nothing o f that problem o f the R ule of

,
1 1
Three : A y oung man is t o a crime as a five fran c piece i s
t o the u n known qu antity 33 These gilded fools would say
.
t o me
1 1 A f a n i s w o t h t w e nt y c e nt s
. r c r .
TH E ATH E I S T S M A SS
’
59
‘
But why do y ou get into debt Why ever do you ?
’
c ontract serious O bligatio n s ?
“
They remind me of that princess who on hearing that , ,
‘
the peo ple were i n wan t of bread said Why do n t the y
’
—
,
buy spon ge cakes ? I should like ver y much to see o n e o f

’
those rich me n who complai n s that I ask him for too high
,
a fee whe n there has t o be an operation I should like

—
y e s ,
to s ee him all alo n e in Paris without a penny without lu g

, ,
gage without a frien d without credit a n d forced t o work

, , ,
h i s fi v e fi n ge rs t o the bo n e to get a li v i n g What would he .
do Where would he go to satis fy his hunger

? ? B i an c h on ,
i f y ou have sometimes seen me bitter and hard it was ,
because I was then thi nki n g at o n ce o f m y earl y troubles

a n d o f the heartless n ess the selfish n ess of which I hav e
,
seen a thousan d i n sta n ces i n the highest circles ; o r else I

was thinkin g O f the O bstacles that hatred en vy j ealous y , , ,
calumn y h ave raised up betwee n me a n d success In P aris .
whe n certai n people s ee y ou read y to put y our foot i n the

stirrup s ome o f them pull at the S kirt o f y our coat others
, ,
loosen the saddle girth ; thi s o n e knocks a shoe off y our

horse that o n e steals y our whi p ; the least treacherous o f
,
the lot is the on e y ou s e e comi n g t o fire a pisto l at y o u point

blank Y o u ha v e talen t enough m y dear fellow t o know
.
, ,
soo n enough the horrible the u n ceasi n g warfare that medi

,
o c r it
y carries on agai n st t h e ma n that is its superior I f .
o n e e v e n i n g y ou lose twe n t y fi — v e lo u i s next morn i n g y ou

2 1
,
will be acc u sed o f bei n g a gambler a n d y ou r best frie n ds ,
will s a y that y ou ha v e lost twen t y fiv e thousand fran cs -
last ni ght I f y o u ha v e a headache y ou will be set down

.
,
as a lun ati c I f y ou are n ot li v el y y o u will be s et down a s

.
,
unsociable I f to oppose this battalio n o f p y g mies y o u call

.
,
up y our own s u perior powers y our best frien ds will cr y out,
that y ou wi s h t o dev our ever ythi n g that y ou claim to lord it

,
,
1 2 A g o ld
. in w th
co or
and p lay t he ty r an t In a word your g oo d quali ties will be

.
,
turned into defe c ts your defects will be turned into vi c es

, ,
a n d y our virtues will be crimes I f you have s aved some .
o n e it w i ll be said t hat you have ki ll ed him

,
I f your patient .
reap pears it wi ll be a greed t hat you have made sure o f t he

,
p res ent at the ex p ens e o f his future ; though he is not dead ,
he will die I f y o u s tumble i t wi ll be a fall ! Inven t any

.
,
t hing whatever and asser t your r i ghts and y o u will be a

, ,
di ffic ul t man t o deal wi th a S har p fellow who does n ot like

, ,
t o s ee young men su cc eed S O my dear friend i f I d o not

.
, ,
belie v e in God I believe even less In ma n D o you not

,
.
recognize in me a D e s pl ei n tha t is quite differen t f rom the

D e s p l e i n about whom every o n e s p eaks i ll ? B ut w e need
not dig into that heap o f mud .
Well I w a s li v ing i n that hous e I had to work to be

, ,
read y to p ass m y first examination a n d I had no t a farthing ,

'
Y ou know what it i s ! I had come to o n e o f those crises o f

‘
utter extremit y when o n e s a y s to one s self
’
I will enlist !
’
—
I had o n e hope I w a s expecti n g from my nat ive place a

.
trunk full of linen a p resent from some old aunts w h o

, , ,
knowing nothi ng o f P aris think abou t p roviding o n e with ,
dress shirts be c aus e the y ima gine that with thirty fran c s a
,
month their nephew dines o n ortolans The trunk arrived .
while I w a s awa y at the M edical Sc hool I t had cost for t y .
francs c arriage to be paid The con c ierge o f the hous e a

,
.
,
German cobbler who li v ed i n a loft had p aid the money

, ,
and held the tr u nk I t oo k a walk i n the R ue des F osse

.
S aint Germain d e s P rés and in the R ue de l E c o l e de M edi

- - -
’
ci n e without bei n g able to invent a strat a gem which would

,
p ut the t runk in m y possession withou t my b eing obliged ,
to p a y down the forty fran c s which o f cours e I mean t to ,
pa y after s elling the linen My stupidity seemed a very .
fair S i gn to me that I w a s fit for no vo c ation bu t surgery .
M y dear friend deli c ately orga n ized natures whose p owers

, ,
THE ATH E I S T S M A SS ’
61
I
are exer c ised in some higher sphere a r e wantin g in t hat ,
S pirit of i ntrigue which i s fertile i n resou rces a n d s hi fts .
Ge n ius such as theirs depends on chan c e They do not seek .
out thi n gs they come upon them,

.
At last after dark I wen t back t o the house j u st at

, , ,
the momen t whe n m y n ext room n eighbor was comi n g i n

'
a water carrier n amed Bourgeat a man from S ai nt Flour

-
,
~ -
i n Auv ergne We knew each other in the wa y in which t wo

.
lodgers co me to kn ow each other whe n both ha v e their rooms ,
o n the same la n di n g a n d the y ca n hear each other goi n g t o

,
bed coughing getti n g u p a n d e n d b y becomi n g quite used

, , ,
to each other M y n eighbor i n formed me that the landlord

.
,
to whom I owed three months ren t had se n t me n o tice t o ’
qu it I must clear o ut n ext da y He himself was to be

. .
e v icted o n account o f hi s b u si n ess I passed the most sorrow .
ful n ight o f my life .
Where was I to fi nd a porter t o remo ve m y poor belo n g

i n gs m y boo ks
,
? How w as I to pay the porter a n d the
con cierge ? Where could I go ? With tears i n m y e y es I
repeated these i n soluble questio n s as lu n atics repeat their ,
catchwords I fell asleep For the wretch ed there is a

. .
di v in e sleep full o f beau tiful dreams N ext morni n g while .

,
I was eati n g m y porri n ger full of bread cr u mbled i n to mi lk ,
Bourgeat came i n a n d said to me i n bad Fre n ch ,

‘
Mister S tuden t I m a poo r man a foun dli n g o f the ,
’
hospice o f S ai nt Flour without father or moth er a n d not

-
, ,
rich e n ough to marr y Y o u are n ot much better o ff for rela .
tion s o better provided with what cou n ts

r ,
? N ow s e e here , ,
I ha v e down below a han d cart that I hav e hired at a penny

—
a n hour All o u r thi n gs ca n be packed o n it I f y ou agree

. .
,
we will look for a place where we ca n lodge together S i n ce ,
we are t u r n ed ou t o f thi s An d after all it s n o t the earthly .

’
paradise .
’
‘ ‘
I kn ow it well my good Bour g eat said I to him but
.
, ,
’
,
62 F RE N C H S H OR T S T OR rE S
I am in a gr e at d iffic ul ty T he r e s a t r unk fo r m e downs tai r s

.
’
t hat c ontai ns line n worth a hu n dred crown s with which I ,
c ould pa y the landlord and what I o w e to the c oncierge and ,
I ha v e n o t g ot as much as a hundred sous 13

.
’
‘
B ah ! I ha v e some bits of coin B ourgeat answered me ,
’
‘
j o y full y showin g me an old p urs e o f greasy leather
,
Keep .
your li n en .
’
B ourgeat p ai d m y three months and his o wn rent and , ,
s ettled with the concierge Then he put our furniture a n d .
m y box of linen o n his hand cart and drew it through the -
‘
streets stoppi n g at every house that showed a L odgings to
,
L e t card As for me I would go upstairs t o s ee i f the

’
place to let would suit us At noo n w e were still wandering.
about the Quarti er L atin without havi n g fou n d an y thi n g .
The re n t w a s the great obstacle B ourgeat proposed to me .
to ha v e lun ch at a wine shop a t t he door o f which w e left

—
,
the h and cart Towards evening in the C our de R ohan off

-
.
,
the P assage d u C ommerce I fo u nd under the roo f a t the , ,
top o f a house t w o r oo ms one on each S ide o f the staircase

, ,
.
We got them for a re n t o f sixty fra n cs a y ear each S O there .
w e were housed m y self a n d m y humble frie n d

,
.
“
We dined together B ourgeat who earned some fi ft y
.
,
sous a day had s a v ed abou t a h u ndred c rown s

,
He .
would soon be in a p osition to realize his ambition and buy

a water car t and a horse When he found out how I w a s
-
.
“
situated a n d he wormed out my s ecrets with a depth o f

—
c unn ing a n d at the s ame time with a ki n dl y good nature that

still mo v es m y heart toda y when I thi n k o f i t h e renou n ced —
for some time to come the ambitio n o f his life B ourgeat .
had been a street seller for twe n ty t w o years H e sa c rificed -

.
his hundred crow n s for my future .
At this p oint D e s p l ei n to ok a fir m gri p of B i an c h o n s arm

’
.
“
H e g ave me the money required for my exami nations !
1 3 A s o u i s w o rt h o n e c en t
. .
our l an di n g H e was a good ser v an t as well as a g ood

.
father t o me and as cleanly in his work as an E ngli sh m aid

, .
H e looked after o u r housekeepin g L ike Phi lo p mm en h e 5

.
1 ‘
s awed up o u r firewood a n d h e s et about all his a ctions wi t h ,
a sim p li c ity i np erforming t hem tha t a t the same time p re

'
se rved his dignity fo r he s eemed t o realize t hat the end i n

,
view e n nobled it all .
“
When I left this fi n e fellow t o ent er t he H Ot el D i eu as a
resident student he fel t a kind o f sorrowful glo om c ome
,
over him at the though t that he c ould n o longer live with me ’

.
B u t he consoled himself by l o oki n g forward t o getting

t o g ether the money that would be necessary fo r t he exp en ses
o f my final examination and he made me p romise t o come ,
t o see him o n all my holidays B our geat was p roud Of me . .
H e loved me for my o w n sake and fo r his o w n I f y o u loo k .
u p m y essay for the doctorate you will s ee t ha t i t was dedi

c at e d to him In the last year o f m y indoor c ourse I had
.
,
m ade enough money t o be able to repay all t hat I owed t o

t his worth y Auver gnat by bu y ing him a horse and a water ,
c art H e was ex c eedingly angry a t fi n ding that I w a s thus

.
depriv i ng m y s elf o f my mo n ey a n d nevertheless b e Wa s ,
delighted at seeing his desires realized H e laughed a n d he .
s c olded me H e looked at h i s water barrel and his horse

.
-
,
and h e wiped away a t ear as he said t o me

“ ‘
It s a p ity ! Oh wha t a fine wa t er cart ! Y o u ha v e
’
-
,
done wrong ! The hors e i s as strong as i f he c ame

from Au v er gn e
“
I have never s een anythin g more touching t han t hi s
s c ene B our g ea t absolut ely i nsisted on buying fo r me tha t
.
po c ke t c as e o f i nstruments moun t ed wi t h silver tha t y o u

-
have seen in my s t udy and whi c h is for me t he most valued ,
1 5 A G reek g e n e ra l s eco n d c e n t u ry B C no t e d f o h i s i m p l e h a b i t s r s
t o w h i h h e h d b e n i n i t d t o d i nn
. . .
.
, ,
On c e a r i v i n g a t a h o u
r se c he a e v e er,
w a m i t a k n f o o ne o f h i o w n T h e h s t e s b i ng la t e
, .
s s e r t ai n s s re er o s e
e q u e t e d h i s h el p i n t h e p e p a a t i o n
. ,
w i t h t h e d i n n er H e t h ew o u
’
r s r r r
cl o a k n d b eg n t o c u t fi e w o d
.
,
.
hi s a a W h n h i h o s t a i v ed n d
r -
o e s rr a
e x p r e s ed d i s m a y Ph i l o p oem en ex p l ai ne d t h a t h e w as o nl y p a y i n g t h e
.
s
p ena l t y f o h i s p l a i nnes s
r .
55
of my possessions Although he w a s enrap tured with m y

.
first successes he n e v er let slip a word or a gesture that

,
‘
could be taken to mean It is t o me that this man s succes s ,
’
i s due ! And ne v ertheless but for him I should ha v e bee n

’
, ,
killed by my miser y The poor man broke himself down .
fo r m y sake H e had eaten nothi n g but bread seaso n ed with

.
garlic in orde r that I might have c o fl ee while I s at up a t

,
m y work He fell S ick You ma y ima gi n e how I passed

. .
whole nights at hi s bedside I pulled him through it t h e .
first time but t w o years after there was a relapse an d

, , ,
n otwithstandi n g the most assiduous care notwithstan din g ,
the greatest e ff orts o f science he had to succumb N o ki n g ,

.
was ever cared fo r as he was Yes B i a n c h on to snatch thi s .

, ,
li fe from death I tried unheard o f thi n gs I wanted to mak e -

.
hi m li v e lon g e n ough t o allow him t o see the results o f hi s

work t o reali ze all his wishes to satis fy the o n e gratitud e
, ,
that had filled m y heart to extin g uish a fire that burns i n ,

_
me e v e n n ow !
“
B ourgeat conti nu ed D e s pl ei n after a p ause with e v i
, , ,
dent emotion Bourgeat my second father died in my arms

, , ,
lea vi n g me all he possessed b y a will whi ch he had mad e

at a p u bli c n o tary s an d which bore the dat e o f the y ea r
’
when w e went t o lodge in the C our de R ohan He had t h e .
faith o f a S imple workman He lo v ed the Blessed Virgin .
as he would ha v e lo v ed hi s mother ! ealous C atholi c as h e ;
was he had n e v er said a word t o me about m y o wn lack o f

,
.
religion When he was in dan ger o f death he begged me t o

.
spare nothi ng to obtain the help o f the C hurch for him .
I had mass said for him ever y da y O ften in the night h e .
expressed t o me hi s fears for hi s future ; he was afraid that

he had n ot lived a holy e n ough li fe P oor man ! he used t o .
work from morni n g to night Who is heaven fo r the n i f .

,
there i s a hea v en ? He received the last sacramen ts lik e

the sai n t that he was a n d his death was worth y of his life
, .
“
I w a s the onl y o n e who followed h i s funeral When I .
66 F REN C H S H O R T S T OR I ES
had la i d my o n e benefa ct or in the ea r th I tried t o find o ut ,
h o w I could dischar g e m y debt o f gratitude t o him I knew .
that he had neither famil y n o r frien ds neither wi fe n o r ,
c hildren Bu t he believed ! he had religious con v ictions

.
,
a n d had I any right to dispute them ? He had s poke n t o

me timidly o f masses said for the repose o f the dead ; he
did not seek to impos e this duty o n me thinki ng that it would ,
b e like asking to be paid fo r his ser v ices to me As soon '
as I c o u ld arra n ge for the endowme n t I gave the S ai n t ,
S ulpice the s u m necess a ry to ha v e fo u r masses s aid there

each y ear As the o n l y thi n g that I co u ld O ffer to Bour geat
.
w a s the fulfilme n t o f his pious wishes I g o there in his ,
name o n the da y the mass i s said at the beg i nnin g O f each

quarter o f the y ear a n d s a y t h e pra y ers for him that he
,
wished for I s a y them in the g ood faith of o n e w h o

.
‘
doubts —
M y God i f there i s a sphere where after their
,
death y ou place thos e who have been perfect thi nk o f good ,
B ourgeat ; a n d i f he has still an y thi n g to su ffer la y thes e ,
su fferi n gs o n me s o that he ma y e n ter the soo n er i n to what

,
they call P aradis e ! This m y dear frie n d IS all that a

’
, ,
man who holds m y opinio n s can allow himself God mus t

, ,
.
be good hearted and H e will no t take it ill on m y p art

-
,
.
But I swear to y ou I would gi v e m y fortune fo r the s ake o f

,
”
finding the faith o f B ourgeat comi n g i n to m y brai n .
B i a n c h o n who attended D e S p l e i n i n his last ill n es s does

, ,
not venture to a ffirm e v en now that the famous surgeon

, ,
died an atheist Will n ot those w h o believe take pleasure in

.
the thought that p erhaps the poor Au v ergn at came t o o p en

for him the gate of H eaven as he had already o p ened for ,
him the portals o f that temple on earth o n the fa cade o f ,
which o n e reads the words — Au z g r a nd s h o m m e s l a P a t ri c

.
'
16
r e c o nn a i s s a n t e ?
p
1 6 T h e i n s c r i t i on on th e P a n t h eo n in Pa ri s A g ra t e uf l y
c o u nt r
g
.
to It s r ea t m en .
C OL O NE L C HAB E R T 1
B y H ON OR E D E BA L! AC
H U LL O ! There i s that old Box coat again ! -
Thi s exclamatio n was made b y a lawy er s clerk of the ’
class called i n Fre n ch o ffices a gutter j u mper a messenger

— -
in fact who at this mome n t was eati n g a piece O f dr y bread

—
with a hearty appetite H e p u lled O ff a morsel of cr u mb .
to make i n to a bullet an d fired it gleefu ll y throu gh the open

,
pan e of the wi n dow agai n st which he was lea n in g The pel .
let well aimed rebou n ded almost as high as the win dow
,
'
, ,
afte r hi tti n g the hat o f a stran ger who was crossi n g the
court y ard of a house i n the Ru e Vi v 1 enn e where dwelt ,
l
M ai t r e D er v ille at t o rn ey at law -
.
,
“
C ome S i m o nn i n do n t pla y tricks o n people o r I will
’
, , ,
tur n y ou o u t of doors Howe v er poor a clien t ma y be he is

.
,
”
still a man han g it all ! said the head clerk pausing i n the
, ,
additio n of a bill of costs .
The law y er s messe n ger is commo n l y as was S i m o n n i n a

’
, ,
lad of thirteen or fou rteen , who i n e v er y office is u n der , ,
the special j urisdictio n of the man agi n g clerk whose erran ds ,
a n d bi lle t s d o u r keep him emplo y ed o n his wa y to carr y writs

-
to the baili ffs a n d petitio n s to the C ou rts He is aki n to the .
street bo y i n his habits a n d to the pettifogger b y fate The

, .
bo y is alm o st alway s r uthless unbroken u nman ageable a , , ,
ribald rhy mester impuden t greed y a n d idle An d y et

, , ,
.
,
almost all these clerkli n gs hav e a n old mother lodgi n g o n

some fifth floor with whom the y share their pit tan ce of thirt y
o r fort y fra n cs a mo n th 2
.
1 T n l t d by M s
ra s a e Cl B ll r ara e
i s wo t h t w n t y
. . .
2 A f . n ra c nt s r e ce .
67
I f he is a m an why d o y o u call him o ld B o x c oat ? as k ed

,
-
S im on ni n, with the ai r O f a s c hoolboy w h o has c au gh t o ut

his master .
And he wen t o n eat in g hi s bread and c heese leaning his ,
s houlder agains t the window j amb ; for he rested sta n ding

‘
l i k e a c ab horse o n e o f h i s legs raised and p ropped agains t

-
,
the o t he r o n the t o e O f his S hoe

,
.
a
Wh t trick c an we p lay that cove ? s aid t he t hird clerk ,
whose name was G o d e s c h a l in a l o w voice p ausing in the , ,
middle o f a dis c ours e he was extemporizin g i n an appeal

engrossed by the fourth clerk o f which copies were bein g ,
made b y t w o neo p h y tes fro m the provin c es .
The n he went o n im p ro v isi n g

fi
“
B u t , i n hi s n o bl e ,
an d ben e c ent wi s d o m , h i s M a j e s t y ,
L o ui s t he write
E ig h t e e n t h
( it at full len g th h e h ! ,
D esroches t he learned y o u as you engross i t ! ) w he n h e

— —
,
r e s u m e d t h e r ei n s o
f G o v e r nm e n t u n d e r s t oo d —
( what
, did
that old nincompoo p ever u n derstand ) t h e hig h m i s s i o n ? —
t o w h i c h h e h a d be e n c a ll e d by D i vi n e P r o v i d e n c e ’—
( a no t e .
o f admiration a n d s i x s to p s They are p ious enough at t h e

.
C ourts t o le t us p u t six ) — a n d hi s
fi r s t t hou ht
g as is
p r o ve d ,
b y t h e d a t e o f t h e o r d e r h e r e i n a f t e r d e s i g n a t e d w a s t o r ep a i r ,
t h e m i s f o r t u n e s c a us e d by t h e t e rr i ble a n d s a d d i s a s t e r s o f
t he l i
r e vo u t o n a r
y t i m es , b
y r e s t o ri n
g t o h i s n u m e ro u s a nd
f a i t hf u l a dh e r e n t s j -
is fl attering and ought to
,
p lease the B en c h ) — a ll t h e i r u n s o ld e s t a t e s , w h e t h e r wi t h i n
our rea lm , or in c on
q uer ed o r a c ui r ed
q t e rr i t o r y , or i n t he
endo w m e n t s o fp u bli c i n s t i t u tio ns , for we a r e, a n d p r o c la i m
o u r s el v e s c om
p e t en t t o d e c la r e , t h a t t h i s i s t he s p i ri t a n d
m e a ni ng f o the fa m o us S,to p
t r u ly lo y a l o r d er g iv e n i n—
,
“
said G o d es c h al to t he t hree copyi n g c lerks tha t ras c ally
'
s ente n ce brings me to the end o f my p age Well he we n t

—
,
on wetti n g the ba c k fold o f the sheet with his t ongue S O

, ,
as to be abl e to fold ba ck the p a g e o f t hic k stamped

C O L O NE L C HA B ERT 69
p aper well i f y o u wa n t to pla y him a trick tell hi m

, , ,
that the master can o n ly s ee his clients between two and

three i n the morning ; we S hall s e e i f he comes the old ,
”
fi
r uf a n !
And G o d es c h al took up the senten ce he w as dictatin g
“
g i v e n iAre y
n y o u r ea d P
“ ”
Yes cried t h e thre e writers
,
.
It all wen t o n together the appeal t h e gossip a n d the , , ,
con spirac y .
“
Gi v en i n— Here D add y Boucard what is the date of , ,
the order We must dot ou r i s and cross o u r t s b y Ji n go

? ' ’ ’
It helps to fill the pages .
“
B y Ji n go ! repeated o n e of the cop y ing clerks before
Boucard the head clerk could reply
, ,
.
“ ”
What ! ha v e y ou written by Ji ng o ? cried G o d e s c h al ,
looking at o n e o f the novices with an expression at on c e ,
ste m an d humorous .
“ ”
Wh y y es said D esroches the fourth clerk leaning
, , , ,
across his n eighbor s cop y he has written We m u s t d o t o ur

“ ’
i s and spelt it by
’
All the clerks shouted with laughter .
“ ‘
Why ! Mo n sieur Hur e y ou take B y Ji n go for a l a w ,
’
”3
term a n d y o u s a y y o u come from Mortagne ! exclaimed
,
S i m o n ni n .
“
S cratch it cleanl y ou t said the head clerk I f the ,
.
j udge whose busi n ess it is t o tax the bill were t o s ee such

, ,
thi ngs he would s ay y o u were lau ghing at the whole boiling .
Y o u would hear o f it from the chi ef C ome n o more of this ,
no n sense Mo n sieur H ur é ! A N orman ought not to write out

,
‘
an appeal without thought It is the S houlder arms of the .
law .
“ —
G i v en z n n u ? asked G o d e s c h al Tell me when .
,
Boucard .
3 A i t y i n n t he n F n
. c n t ed f i t l g l i n t i t ut i n
or r ra ce o or s e a s o s.
June 1 8 1 4 replied t he head c lerk w i t hou t locki ng u p

, , ,
from his work .
A knock at the office door i nterrupted the c ir c umlo c utions

o f the p rolix doc u me n t Five clerks with rows o f hungry .
teeth bright mocki n g e y es a n d curl y heads li fted their

, , , ,
nose s t owards t h e door after cr y ing all t ogether i n a s 1 ng1 n g

,
”
tone C ome in l
,
B oucard kept his fa c e buried in a pile o f p a p ers ‘

‘
b r o u t i lle s ( odds a n d ends ) in F rench l a w Jargon —
and went
o n drawing o u t the bill o f c os t s o n which he w a s busy .
The o ffice was a large room furnished wi th the traditi ona l

stool which i s to be seen in all thes e dens o f law quibbli ng -
.
The stove p ipe crossed the room diagonall y t o the chi m ney
o f a bricked u p fireplace ; o n the marble c himne y p iece were
- -
se v eral c hunks o f bread triangles o f B rie c hees e pork c ut , ,
lets glass es bottles and the head clerk s cup o f cho c ola t e ’
.
, , ,
The smell o f thes e dai nties blended completely with tha t o f

the immoderatel y o v erheated stove and the O dor pe c uliar to
o ffices and old p apers The floor w a s c overed with mud and .
s n ow brought in b y t he clerks N ear the window stood the

,
.
desk with a re v olving lid where the head c lerk worked and , ,
against the bac k o f i t w a s the se c ond clerk s table The

’
s econd clerk w a s a t this moment in C our t It w a s be t ween .
eight a n d nine in the morni ng .
The o n l y decoration o f the o ffice c onsisted in huge yellow

posters announcing s eizures o f real estate sales settle
, , ,
ments u n der trust fi n al or in t erim j udgments all the glory

,
—
of a law y er s office B ehind the head clerk w a s an enormous

’
.
stack of p igeon holes from t he to p to the bot t om o f the room

-
,
o f which each division w a s crammed with bundles of papers
with a n infinite number o f tickets hanging from them at the

e n ds o f red tape which give a pec u liar ph y siogn om y to la w
,
papers The lower rows were filled with c ardboard boxes

.
,
yellow with use o n which might be read the names o f the

,
72 F RE N C H S H ORT S T OR I ES
You go and be hanged ! here is a bl o t on t he c o p y .
S ilen c e g en tlemen !
,
Thes e various ex c lama ti ons we r e u tt ered si mul taneous ly

a t the moment when t he o l d c li en t S hu t t he door with t he
s or t o f humil i ty whi c h d i s fig u r e s t he movemen t s o f a m an
d own on his luc k The s t ran g e r t ried t o sm ile but t he

.
,
m usc les o f his fa c e relaxed as he vainly looked fo r so m e

s ymptoms o f amenity o n the i n exorably indifferent fa c es o f
the s i x clerks A c customed n o doub t t o gauge men he very

.
, , ,
p olitel y addressed t he gutter j um p er ho p in g t o g et a c i vi l

-
,
a nswer from th i s b o
y o f all wor k .
“
Monsieur is your mas t e r at home
,
?
The pert messen g er made n o re p ly bu t p at t ed his ear w i t h ,
t he fingers o f his left ha n d as much as to s ay I am dea f

, ,
.
What do you wan t s i r asked G o d e s c h al s w allo w m g

, ,
as he S poke a mouthful o f bread big enough to char g e a

four p ounder flourishing his kni fe a n d crossing his le g s
-
, ,
throwing up o n e foo t in the air to the level o f his e y es .
“ ”
This i s the fi fth t ime I have c alled re p lied the V i cti m ,
.
”
I wish to s p eak t o M D erv i lle . .
“
On business ?
Y es but I can ex p l ain i t t o no o n e but

,
M D er v ill e is in bed ; i f y ou want to consult him o n

.
some di fficulty he does no serious work till midnigh t Bu t

,
.
i f you will la y the cas e before us we c ould hel p you j us t as ,
well as he can to
The stranger was unmoved ; he looked t imidly about him ,
like a dog who has got into a strange kitchen and ex pe ct s a

kick B y grace o f their p r o fe s s Io n lawyers c lerk s have n o
.
,
’
fear o f thie v es ; the y did not sus p e c t the owne r o f the b o x

coat and le ft him to study the p lace where he looked i n
, ,
vain for a chair to S it on for he w a s -evidently tired At t o r

,
.
neys on p rinc i p le do not have many c hairs in t heir o ffi c es

, ,
.
The inferior c lien t bein g ke p t wai ting o n his feet goes away
, ,
C OLONEL C HA B ER T 73
gr umbli n g b ut then he does not waste time whi c h as an

, , ,
o ld law y er Once said , is not allowed fo r when the bill is taxed .
” “
Monsieur said the ol d man as I have alread y told y o u
, , ,
I c an n ot explain my business t o any o n e but M Derville I . .
”
will wait till he is up .
B oucard h a d fini s h ed hi s bill He smelt the fragrance

‘
.
o f h i s cho c ola t e rose from his cane arm c hair wen t to the -
, ,
c himney pie c e, looked the o ld man from head to foot sta r ed

-
,
at hi s coat and made a n i n describable grimace H e prob

,
.
abl y reflected that whichever wa y this clie nt might be wrung ,
i t Would be impossible t o squeeze o ut a ce ntime s o he p ut i n

4
,
a few brief words t o rid the o ffice o f a bad c ustomer .
“
It is the truth monsieur The chief o n ly works at night
,
. .
I f y our busi n ess is important I recomme n d y ou t o return ,
at o n e in the morni n g The stran ger looked at the head

.
clerk with a bewildered expressio n and re mai n ed motionless ,
fo r a mome n t The clerks accustomed t o e v er y change o f

.
,
count enance and the o dd whimsicalities t o which indecision

,
“ ”
o r abse n ce o f mind ives rise in parties went n eatin g
g o , ,
making as much noise with th eir j aws as horses over a man

ger and pay in g n o further heed to the o ld man
,
“
I will come again to n ight said the stran ger at len gth , ,
with the ten acious desire p eculiar t o the unfortunate t o , ,
catch humanity at fault .
The onl y iro ny allowed t o poverty is t o drive Justice and

Ben evolen ce t o u nj u st den ials Whe n a poor wretch has c on .
v i c t e d S ociet y o f falsehood he throws himself more eagerly ,
o n the merc y o f God .
“ ”
What do y o u thi nk o f tha t for a c ra cked p ot P said
S i m o nnm withou t waiting till the ol d man had S hu t the
,
door .
“
He looks as i f he had been buried and dug up again ,
said a c lerk .
4 A
. op p
c co i n wo rt h a fif t h
er f ent It i no l onge u rent
o a c . s r c r .
H e i s so m e C o lonel w h o want s his a rr ea r s o f p ay sai d ,
the head clerk .
N 0 he i s a r e t ired c on c ier g e
,
said G o d e s ch al , .
”
I bet y ou he i s a nobleman c r i ed B ou c ard ,
.
”
I bet you he has been a p orter re t orted G o d e s ch al , .
On ly p orters are gi fted by nature with shabby b o x c oats

‘
-
,
as worn a n d greas y a n d frayed as t hat o ld bod y s An d ’

.
did y ou see his trodden down boots that let the wa t er in

—
,
and his stock which ser v es for a shir t ? H e has sle p t in a

dr y arch .
H e ma y be o f noble birth a n d yet ha v e pulled the doo r ,

” “ ”
la t ch cried D esro c hes
,
It has been known !
.
N o B ou c ard insis t ed in the midst o f laugh t er I main

, , ,
tain that he w a s a brewer in 1 7 8 9 and a C olonel in the time ,
o f the R epublic .
“
I bet theater ti ck et s round that he ne v er was a soldier ,
s aid G o d e s c h a l .
“
D o n e with you answered B ou c ard,
.
”
M onsieur ! M onsieur ! shouted t he li ttle messenger o p en ,
ing the wi n dow .
What are y ou a t n o w S i m o n ni n asked B oucard

?
,
.
I am c alling him that you ma y ask him whether he i s

a C olonel or a porter ; he must kn ow .
All the c lerks laughed AS to the old man he w a s already

.
,
c omi n g upstairs a gain .
“
Wha t can w e s ay to him ? c ried G o d es ch al .
”
L ea v e i t t o me replied B oucard,
.
The p oor man came in nervousl y his eyes c ast down , ,
p erhaps not to betra y h o w hun gry he w a s by lookin g t o o

greedily a t the eatables .
“ ”
M ons i eur sa i d B ou c ard will y ou have the kindness t o
, ,
leave your n ame s o that M D erville may know

,
.
“ ”
C haber t .
”5
The C olo n el who was killed at Eylau asked Hur e ?
,
who h a v1 n g s o far said nothing w a s j ealo u s of addi n g a j est

, ,
to all the others .
“
The same Mon sieur replied the good man with antique
, , ,
simplicit y An d he went away . .
‘
iW h ew !
“
Do n e brown !
Poof !
Oh !
“
Ah !
Bo u m !
The old rogue !
Ting a ri n g ting - - -
‘ ”
S old agai n !
“
Mo n sieur D esroches y ou are goi n g to the play withou t ,
”
pay i n g said Hur e to the fourth clerk gi v i n g him a slap
, ,
o n the S houlder that might ha v e killed a rhi n oceros .
There was a storm of cat calls cries a n d exclamatio n s -

, , ,
which all the on om a t o p el a of the lan guage would fail to rep

resent .
“
Which theater shall we go to ?
To th e oper a cried the head clerk ,

”
I n the first place said G o d e s c h al I n ev er menti on ed , ,
which theater I mi ght if I chose take y ou to see M adame

.
, ,
”
S a qu i
“
Madame S a qui is not the pla y .
”
What is a play ? replied G o d e s c h al First w e must .
,
defi n e the poi nt o f fact What did I bet ge ntleme n ? A .

,
pla y What is a pla y A spectacle What is a spectacle

.
? ? .
S omethi n g to be see n
“
But on that pri nciple y ou would pa y y our bet b y taking
5 E yl
a u i s a t ow n i n E a s t
'
ru s s i a P An i n d e ci s i v e b at t e l w a s f ough t
b N a p ol eon
. .
h er e , F eb 8 , 1 8 0 8 ,
. et w een t h e F r en c h un d er , an d t h e G er
m a ns and Ru s s i a ns .
us t o se e t he water run under the P on t N euf cri ed S i m on

nin i n t er r u ptin g him
, .
“
T o be s een fo r money G o d e s c h al added , .
But a grea t many things are t o be s een for money that

”
a re n ot p lays T he defini t ion i s defe ct ive s aid D esro c hes
.
, .
”
But d o l i s t en t o me !
Yo u are t alking nons ense my dea r b oy s aid Boucard , ,
.
”
IS C ur t ius a p lay
’
? said G o d e s c h al .
“
N s aid the head c le rk i t i s a c oll e ction o f fi gures
,
”
b u t i t i s a s p ecta cle .
“ ”6
I be t y o u a hu n dred fran c s t o a s ou G o d es c h al resu m ed ,
t ha t C urtius W axworks forms su c h a S how as might be

’
c alled a p lay o r t heater It c ont ains a thing t o be seen

.
a t various p ri c es a cc ordin g t o t he p la c e y ou c hoos e t o

,
!
”
o cc u p y .
“
And s o o n and s o f ort h ! said S im o nni n
,
.
”
Y o u mind I don t bo x your ears ! said G o d e s c h al
’
.
The c lerk s shrugg ed their shoulders .
“
B esides i t i s n o t p roved that that o ld ape was not m ak
,
”
i ng game o f us he said dropping his argument which w a s
, , ,
“
drowned in t he l aughter o f the other clerks On m y honor .
,
C olonel C haber t i s r eall y and t ruly dead H i s wi fe is mar .
ried again t o C omte F er r a u d C oun c i llo r o f S ta t e M adame

,
.
F e r r a u d i s o n e o f o u r c lient s .
“
C ome the case i s remanded till t omorrow
,
s aid B oucard , ..
T o work gentlemen T he deu c e i s in it ; we ge t nothi n g done

,
.
here F inish c o py in g t ha t appeal ; it must be handed i n

.
b efore the sittin g o f the F ourth C hamber j ud gm en t is t o be ,
given t oday C ome o n you go !

.
,
“
I f he r eally were C olonel C haber t w ould n o t t ha t i m pu ,
dent rascal S i m o nni n have felt the leather o f his boo t in t h e

”
right pla c e when he p r etended t o be deaf ? s aid D esro c hes ,
r eg arding t his remar k as more c on c lus i ve t han G o d e s c h al s

’
.6 One c ent .
“
S i nc e n othin g i s settled said B oucard let u s all agree , ,
to go to the u pper boxes o f the F r a n ga i s and s e e Talma i n

7 i
j
”
N ero S i m o nn i n ma y go t o the pit
. .
An d there u po n the head clerk s at down at his table a n d ,
the others followed his example .
“
Gi v e n in Ju ne e ig h t e e n h u nd r e d an d fou rt e en
said G o d e s ch a l R eady .
“
?
”
Q
“
Y es repli ed the t w o cop yi n g clerks a n d the en grosser
, ,
whose pen s forthwith bega n t o creak o v er the stamped paper ,
making as much noise in the office as a hundred c ockchafers

imprisoned b y schoolbo y s i n paper cages .
“
A n d w e h o p e t h a t m y lo r d s o n t h e B e n c h the ext em p o ,
“
ri z i n
g clerk wen t o n S top ! I must
. read my sentence
”
through again I do not understan d it my self
. .
“
F o rt y s i x ( that must often happen ) an d thr ee forty
-
”
nines said Boucard
, .
“
W e h op e ”
G o d e s c h a l began again after reading all
, ,
“
through the documen ts t ha t m y lo r d s o n t h e B e n c h wi ll
,
no t be l e s s m a g n a n i m o u s t h a n t h e a u g u s t a u t h o r o f t h e d e c r e e ,
a nd t h a t t h e i l l d u s t i c e a g a i n s t t h e m i s e r a b le c l a i m s o f
y w o
j
t h e a c t ing c o m m i t t e e of t h e c h i ef B o a r d o f t he L eg io n o f
H o no r by i n t e rp r e t i ng t he la w i n t h e wi d e s e ns e w e ha ve
he re s et fo r t h
“
Monsieur G o d e s c h al ,wouldn t y o u like a glass o f water ? ’
said the li ttle messen ger .
“ ”
That imp o f a b o y ! said Boucard Here get on y ou r .
,
double soled shanks mare take thi s p acket and spin o ff t o

- -
, ,
”
the Invalides .
“
H e r e s e t fo r t h G o d es ch a l went o n
, Add in t h e i nt e r .
”
e s t of M a d a m e la Vi c o m t e s s e at f ll le n gth
“ ” “
( u ) d e G r a n d li e u .
What cried the chi e f are y ou thi nking o f drawing up ,
an ap p eal in the case o f Vicomtesse de G r a n dli eu against

t he L e gion o f Ho n or a c ase for the offic e t o s t and o r fall
—
7 Th e f orem os t t h eat er i n F an c e
. r .
by ? Yo u a r e so m e t hin g li k e an a s s ! H ave the goodness

to pu t aside your c opies and y ou r notes ; y ou ma y kee p all
tha t fo r the cas e o f N a v a r r ei n s agains t the Hos p i t als It .
i s la t e ; I will draw u p a little p etition myself w i t h a due ,

‘
allo wan c e o f inasmuch a n d go t o the C ourts myself
’
, .
This s c ene is typical o f the th ousand d eli gh t s w h i c h when ,

“
we look ba c k on o u r youth make us say Thos e were go od
, ,
times .
At abou t o n e i n the mor n ing C olonel C habert self styled ,

—
,
knock ed at the door o f M a i tre D er v ille attorne y t o the C our t

,
o f First Instan c e in the D e p artment o f the S eine The p or .
ter t old him tha t M onsieur D erville had not y et come i n .
The old man s aid he had an appoi n tme n t and was shown ,
ups t airs to the rooms occu p ied by t he famous law y er who , ,
notwiths t anding his youth w a s c onsidered t o have o n e o f

,
the longes t heads in P aris .
H a v i n g rung the distrustful ap p li c ant w a s no t a li ttle

,
asto n ished a t findi n g the head clerk busil y arranging in a

co nv en ient order o n his master s di n i n g room table the papers
’
-
relating to t h e c ases to be tried o n the morrow The clerk .

,
no t less asto n ished bowed to the C olon el and beg g ed him to

,
take a sea t which the clie n t did

,
.
“
On m y word M onsieur I thought you were j oking yes
, ,
te r d a y when you named such an ho u r for a n i n ter v ie w s aid ,
the old man with the forced mirth of a ruined man wh o

, ,
does his best to smile .
“
The clerks were j oki n g but they were speaking t he truth
,
“
too re p lied the man going on with his work
, ,
M D erville . .
chooses this hour for stud y i n g his c ases taking stock o f ,
t heir p ossibilities arranging h o w to condu c t them de ci ding

, ,
o n the line of defens e His prodigious i n telle ct i s freer at

.
this hour the onl y t ime whe n he can ha v e the silen c e and
—
quiet needed for the con c eption of g ood i deas S ince he .

t he f a c e o f t he dead R ound h i s ne ck was a ti ght bl a ck S ilk

.
s t o ck .
B elow the dar k line o f t his r a g t he body w as s o c om

p l e t e ly h i dden in shadow t ha t a man o f i ma gi na t ion m i g h t
have supposed t he old head was due t o so m e c han c e p lay o f ,
8
light a n d shade o r have taken it for a p ortrait by R embrandt
, ,
without a frame The brim o f the ha t whi c h c ove r ed t he old

.
man s brow c ast a bla c k line o f Shadow o n t he u pp e r p ar t o f

’
t h e fa c e This g rotesque e ff ec t t hou gh na tu r al t hrew i nto

‘ ‘
.
, ,
r eli ef b y c ontras t the white fur r ows the c old w r inkles t he , ,
c olorless t one o f the c or p se like c oun t enan c e A nd the ah -

.
sen c e o f all movemen t i n t he figure o f all fire in the eye were , ,
In harmon y with a cer t ain look o f mela n choly madness and ,
the deterioratin g s y m p toms charact eristi c o f se n ility givin g ,
t he face an indes c ribably i ll s t a rr ed loo k whi c h n o human -
w ords could re n der .
B u t an observer es p e c ially a lawye r c ould also have read

, ,
i n t h i s s t ri ck en m an the si gns o f dee p sorrow the traces o f ,
r i ef which had worn into this fa c e as dro p s o f water from

g ,
t h e s k y fallin g o n fine marble at last destroy i t s beaut y A .
p h y sician an author o r a j udge mi ght have discerned a

, ,
w hole drama a t the sigh t o f i t s sublime horror while t he l eas t ,
c harm was i t s r esemblance to t he gr o t e s ques which artis t s
a mus e themselves by sket c hing o n a corne r o f t he litho
g raphi c stone while chatting with a friend .
On s eeing t he at t orney t he s t ranger s t a rt ed with t he

, ,
c onvulsi v e thrill t ha t comes over a p oet when a sudden nois e
rouses hi m fro m a frui tful reverie in silen c e and at nigh t .
The old man has t ily removed his hat and rose to b o w to the
you ng man ; the leather linin g of his hat w a s doub tless very
greas y ; his wi g stuck to i t without hi s not i c ing i t and left ,
his head bare showing his skull horribly disfigu red by a

, ,
s c ar be ginni n g a t t he nape o f the ne ck and endin g over the

8 . Th e ce el b ra t ed D ut c h po r t rai t p ai nt er .
C O L ONEL C HA B ER T 81
righ t eye a promine n t seam all across h i s head The sud

,
.
den removal o i the dirty wig whi c h the poor man wore to hide
this gash ga v e the two lawy ers no i n clination to laugh s o ,
horrible to behold was this ri v e n skul l The first idea sug .
gested b y the sight of this ol d w ou n d was His intellige n ce

, ,
”
must ha v e escaped through that cut .
“
If this is not C olo n el C habert he is some thorough goin g
,
-
”
trooper ! tho u ght Bou card .
“ ”
Mo n sieur said D erville t o whom ha v e I the honor o f
, ,
speaki n g ?
“
T o C olo n el C habe rt .
“ ”
Whi ch ?
“
He wh o was killed at Ey lau rep lied the ol d man ,
.
On heari n g this strange speech the lawy er a n d his cler k ,

“
gla n ced at each other a s much a s to s a y He is mad
, ,
.
“ ” “
Monsieur the C olo n el went on I w i sh t o c onfide t o y ou
, ,
”
the s ecret of m y position .
A thi ng well worth y o f note is the nat ural intrepidity of

lawy ers Whether from the habit o f receivi n g a great man y
.
per s o n s o r from the deep sen se o f the protecti on co n ferred

,
o n them b y the law or from co n fide n ce in their missio n they

, ,
enter e v er y where feari n g n othing like priests and ph y si

, ,
c i an s
. D erville signed to Bo u card who v ani shed ,
.
“ ” “
Duri n g the da y s i r said t he att orne y I am not s o
, , ,
miserl y of m y time but at night ever y mi nute i s precious

,
.
S o b ebrief a n d co n cise Go to the facts w ithout di gression

. .
I will a s k for a ny explanations I may c onsider necessary .
”
S peak .
Having bid hi s strange cli ent t o be seat ed the young man ,
s a t down at the table ; bu t whi le he gave his atte n tion to the
deceased C olo n el he turned o v er the bundles o f papers

,
“ ”
Yo u know perhaps , sa i d the dead man that I c om
, ,
m a n d ed a ca v alr y regime n t at Eylau I was o f importa n t .

’
s ervi c e t o t he su cc ess o f M u r a t s famous c harge w h i c h d e ’

9
cided the v ictor y Unhap p il y fo r me m y death is a historical

.
,
fa c t recorded in Vi ct o i r e s e t C o n gu é t e s where it is related

, ,
in full detail We c ut through the three R ussian lines

.
,
Which a t o n ce c losed u p a n d formed again s o that we had ,

’
to r ep eat the mo v eme n t bac k aga i n At the mome n t when .
we were neari n g the E m p eror 0

after h a v 1 n g scattered the
,
1
R ussian s I came against a squadron of the e n em y s c avalry

,
’
I rushed a t the obstinate brutes T w o R ussia n offic ers per ,
f e c t giants a t ta c ked me both a t o n ce

,
On e o f them gave .
me a c u t a c ross t he head tha t c rashed through ever y thi n g ,
even a black silk c ap I wore next my head and cut deep ,
into the skull I fell from my horse M urat c ame up t o

. .
support me ; he rode o v er m y body he a n d all his me n fifteen , ,
h u ndred o f them there might ha v e been more ! M y death

—
w a s an n ou n ced to the E m p eror who as a precaution —

,
fo r he
was fond of me w a s the M aster wished t o know i f there
,
—
were no hope o f sa v i ng t he man he had to thank for such

a vigorous attack H e s e n t t w o surgeons to identify me a n d
.
bri n g me i n to Hospital sa y i ng perhaps too carelessly for he, , ,
w a s very bus y Go and s e e whether by a ny chance p oor

,
C habert i s still ali v e Thes e ras c ally s a w bones who had

.
—
,
j ust seen me l y ing under the hoo fs o f the hors es o f t w o regi

me n ts n o doubt did not trouble themsel v es to feel my pulse
, ,
and re p o rted that I was quite dead The certificate of death .
w a s p robabl y made out in accordance with the rules o f mili

”
tar y j urisprudence .
As he heard his v i s i to r ex p ress himself with complete

lu c idit y and rela t e a s t ory so probable though so stra n ge
, ,
the you n g lawyer ceased fi n geri n g the papers rested his ,
left elbow o n the table a n d with h i s head on his ha n d looked

,
s t eadily at the C olonel .
9 O n e o f N p o l eo n m o s t f a m ou s m a h a l s H e t o k pa t in t h e
’
a s rs o r
b t t le f E yl u
. .
a o a
1 0 N p l e n B ona p
.
. a o te
o ar .
C OLONEL C HA B ERT 83
D o y ou kn ow Mo n sie u r that I am lawy er t o the C omtesse

, ,
Ferra u d he said i nterrupti ng the speaker C olonel C h a

, , ,
bert s widow
’
?
“
M y wi fe y es Mo n sieur Therefore after a hu n dred
—
,
.
,
fr u itless attempts to interest lawy ers who ha v e all thought ,
me mad I made up my mi n d t o come to y ou I will tell

,
.
v ou of my mis fortu n es afterwards ; for the presen t allow ,
me to pro v e the facts explai ni n g rather how thi n gs must

,
hav e fallen o u t rather than how they did occu r C ertai n .
circ umsta n ces kn own I s u ppose to no o n e bu t the Almi ght y

, , , ,
compel me to speak of some thi n gs as h y pothetical The .
wo u n ds I had recei v ed must presumabl y hav e produced

tetanu s or ha v e thrown me i n to a state an alogous to that
,
of a disease called I belie v e cataleps y Otherwise how 1 5 It

, ,
.
co n cei v able that I S hould ha v e bee n stripped as is the cu s ,
tom i n time of war a n d thrown into the commo n gra v e b y

,
the me n ordered to b u r y the dead ?
Allow me here to re fer to a detail of which I cou ld kn ow

n othi n g till after the e v ent which after all I must speak , , ,
o f a s m y death At S tu ttgart i n 1 8 1 4 I met an o ld quarter

.
, ,
master o f m y regime nt Thi s dear fellow the Onl y ma n .

,
who chose to recogn ize me a n d of whom I will tell y ou more ,

-
l a ter explained the mar v el of my preser v ation b y telli n g

, ,
me that my horse was shot i n the fla nk at the mome n t when

I was wou n ded M a n an d beast wen t dow n together like
.
,
a mo nk c u t o u t of card paper A S I fell to the right or to

-
.
,
the left I w a s n o doubt c o v ered b y the bod y of my horse

, ,
which protected me from being trampled to death or hit b y a

ball .
“
When I came to my self Mo n sieur I was in a position , ,
a n d a n atmosphere o f which I could give you no idea i f

I talked till tomorrow The little air there was t o breathe
.
was foul I wa nted to mo v e an d fou n d n o room I open ed

.
, .
my eyes an d s a w n othin g The most alarmi n g circu msta n ce

, .
w a s t he l a ck o f ai r and t his enli ghtened me as t o my s i tua

,
ti on I unders t ood t hat n o fresh air c ould p enetrat e t o me

.
,
and t ha t I mus t die Thi s t hou ght t ook o ff the s ens e o f

.
i n t o lerable p ain whi c h had aroused me There was a violent

.
S ingin g in my ears I heard o r I thought I heard I will

.
—
,
asser t no thin g g roans from t h e world o f dead amon g whom

—
I was lyin g S ome night s I still thin k I hear those stifled

.
moans ; t houg h t he remembran c e o f t ha t t ime is very obs c ure ,
and my memor y very indis t in c t in s p i t e o f my i m p ressions

,
o f far more acute s u fie ri n I was f a t ed t t hrou g h and

g o g o ,
wh i c h have c onfused my ideas .
“
B u t t here was somet hin g m ore aw ful t han c r i es ; t he r e
w a s a silen c e su c h as I ha v e never k nown elsewhere — li t e r
ally the silen c e o f the grave At las t b y raising my hands
, .
,
and feeling the dead I discerned a va c an t s p a c e between

,
my h e ad and the human c arrion above I c ould thus m easure .
t he s p a c e g ran t ed by a chan c e o f whi c h I k new n o t the

,
cause It would s eem that t hanks t o t he c arelessness and

.
,
the has t e wi t h which we had been p it c hed into t he t ren c h ,
t wo dead bodies had leaned a c ross and against ea c h other ,
forming an angle li k e t hat made by t w o c ards when a c hild

i s building a card c as t le F eelin g abou t m e a t once fo r there
.
,
was n o time for p lay I ha p pily fel t an arm lying detached

, ,
t he arm o f a H ercules ! A st o ut bone t o which I owed m y ,
r es c ue B u t for this unho p ed for hel p I must have p erished

.
-
,
.
B ut with a fur y you may imagine I began t o wor k my way ,
t hrough the bodies which se p arated me from t he layer o f

earth whi c h had n o doub t been t hrown over u s I s a y us —
,
as i f there had been o t hers livi n g ! I work ed w i th a will ,
M onsieur f or here I a m ! B u t t o t his day I do n ot know

,
how I succeeded i n g etti n g throu gh t he p ile o f fl esh whi c h

formed a b ar r ier be t ween me and li fe Y o u wi ll say I had .
t hree a r ms T his cr owba r whi c h I used c leverly enough

.
, ,
o p ened o ut a lit tle air b et ween the bodies I moved and I ,

economi z ed my breath At las t I s aw day light but th r ough

.
,
snow !
“
At that moment I p er c eived tha t m y head was cut open .
Happily my blood o r that of my c om rades o r perhaps the

, ,
t orn skin o f my horse w h o knows had in coagulating formed

, ,
a sort of n atural plaster But in spite of it I fai nted away

.
, ,
when my head came into co nta ct with the snow How ev er .

,
t h e little warmth left i n me melted the s n ow about me ; a n d

when I re c o v ered consciousness I fou n d m y self in the mid ,
dle o f a roun d hole where I stood shouti n g as lo n g as I

,
could But the s un was rising s o I had ver y little chan ce

.
-
,
W a s there a ny o n e in the fields yet

’
o f be i ng heard .
? I
p u fl e d m y self up usi n g m y feet
,
as a spring resti n g on o n e ,
o f the dead wh o se ribs were firm Y o u may suppose that

, .
‘
this was not the moment for sayi n g R espect courage i n mis ,
fortune ! I n S hort Mo n sieur after e n duri n g the a n guish

’
, , ,
i f the word is str on g e n ou gh for m y frenz y of seein g for a

lo n g time y es qu ite a lo n g time thos e cursed Germans fly
, , ,
i n g from a v oice they heard where they could s e e n o o n e I ,
w a s dug o u t b y a woman who was brave or c urious e n ough ,
to come close to my head which must ha v e looked a s tho u gh ,
it had sprouted from the grou n d like a mushroom This .
woman wen t to fetch her husban d a n d between t hem they ,
got me t o their poor ho v el .
It would seem that I mus t have again fallen i nto a

cataleps y allow me to use the word t o describe a state o f
—
which I ha v e n o idea b u t which from the account given

, ,
b y m y hosts I suppose to have bee n the effect of that malad y

,
.
I remai n ed for S I! months between life and death ; n ot speak

i n g o r if I spoke talki n g i n deliri u m At last my hosts
, , ,
.
,
got me admitted t o the hospital at Heilsberg .
S ix mo nth s afterwards whe n I remembered o n e fi n e , ,
morni n g that I had b e en C ol on el C habert an d when o n

, , ,
reco v eri n g m y wits I tried to exa ct from m y n urse rather

,
more res p ect than s h e p aid t o any poor dev i l all my c o m ,
panions i n t he wa r d be g an t o laugh Luc kily fo r m e t he .

,
sur g eon out o f p ro f essional p ride had answered for my

'
, ,
cure a n d was naturally interested in his patient When I

, .
told him c oherently about m y former li fe this good man

-
\
, ,
named S p a r c h m a n signe d a deposition drawn u p in the

, ,
legal for mof his country gi ving an accou nt of the m iraculous

,
w a y in which I had escaped from the tre n ch dug for the

dead the da y and hour when I had been fou n d by my be n e
’
f a c t r e s s a n d her husba n d the nat u re a n d exact spot o f my

,
i n j uries addin g t o t hese documents a descri p tion of my p er

,
s on .
Well M o n sieur I have neither these importa n t p ieces

, ,
o f e v idence n or the declaration I made before a notar y at

,
H eilsberg with a Vi ew to establishi ng m y ide n tity From

,
.
the da y when I w a s turned out o f that town b y the events of

w a r I ha v e wandered about like a v agabo n d begging my
, ,
bread treated as a madman when I have told m y story with

, ,
out e v er ha v i n g fou n d o r ear n ed a s o u to e n able me to reco v er

t he deed s which would pro v e my stateme nts and restor e ,
me to society M y sufferi n gs have often kept me for six

.
months at a time i n some little town where ever y c are w a s ,
taken o f the i nv alid Fre n chman but where he w a s laughed ,
a t to h i s face as soon as he s aid he w a s C o l o n el C haber t .
For a lo n g time that laughter thos e doubts used to p ut me , ,
into rages which did me harm a n d which even led to my ,
being lo c ked up at S t u ttgart as a madman And i n deed as .

, ,
you ma y j udge from my stor y there w a s am p le reason fo r ,
S hutti n g a ma n up .
“
At the end of t w o years detention which I was com ’
ell e d to submit to after hearing m y keepers s a y a thousand

p ,
‘ ’
t imes Here is a poor man w h o thinks he is C olonel C habert
,
‘
to people who would reply P oor fellow ! I became con ’
v i n c e d o f the impossibilit y of m y o w n adve n ture I g rew .

88 F RE N C H S H O R T S T OR I ES
br i n g an a cti on agains t a C ount and C ount ess ; when —

I a
dead man brin g u p as a g a i nst a c ertifi c ate o f death a c er
—
t i fic a t e o f marria g e and re gisters o f births t hey S how me ,
o ut ,
either wi t h the air o f c old p oli t eness whi c h y ou all ,
know h o w t o assume t o rid yourselves o f a hapless w ret ch ,

“
o r b fut a ll li k e men w h t h i n k t hey h ave t deal w i th a
y , o o
swi ndler o r a madman i t de p ends o n t heir na ture I have

—
‘
been buried under the dead ; bu t n o w I am bu r i ed under the

livin g under p a p ers under fa ct s under the whole o f so c i ety
, , ,
”
whi c h wants t o sho v e me underground agai n !
“ ”
P ray r esume your narrati v e said D erville , .
”
P ray resume it ! c ried t he ha p less o ld man ta ki n g the ,
“
young lawyer s hand ’
Tha t i s t he firs t polit e word I have
.
heard sin c e
The C olonel we p t Gratitude choked his voi c e The
'
. .
a p pealin g and unutterable eloquen c e that lies in the eyes in ,
a g esture even i n silence entirely c onvin c ed D erville and

, , ,
t ouched him deeply .
“ “
L isten M onsieur said he ; I have t his even i ng won

, ,
t hree hundred f rancs at c ards I m ay very well lay o ut half

.
t hat s u m in making a man hap p y I will begin the inquiries

.
and resear c hes ne c ess ary to ob t a i n the docum ents o f whi c h

you speak and unt il they arrive I will give y ou five fran c s
,
a day I f you are C olonel C haber t you will p ardon the

.
,
smallness o f t he loan as coming from a young m an wh o has

his fortune t o make P roceed . .
The C olonel as he c alled himself s at fo r a moment m ot i on

, ,
less and bewildered ; the de p th o f his woes had no doub t

destroyed his p owers o f belief Thou gh he w a s eager in .
p ursuit o f his mili t ary d i stin ction o f his fortune o f h imself , , ,
p erha p s i t was in O bed i ence t o the i nex p li c able f eel i n g t he ,
lat en t g erm i n every man s heart t o which we o w e t he

’
ex p eriments o f al c hemists the p assion for glory t he d i s c o v

, ,
eries o f as t ronomy and o f p hysi c s every th in g which p rom pt s ,

man t o expand his being by multiply ing himself through

deeds or ideas I n his mi n d the E g o w a s now but a seco n dar y
.
obj ect j ust a s the v an ity of success o r the pleasure of wi n

,
ni ng bec ome dearer to the gambler than the obj ect he has
at stake The y oun g lawy er s words were as a mi racle to
.
’
this man for ten y ears repudiated b y his wi fe b y j ustice by

, , ,
the whole social creatio n To fin d i n a lawy er s o ffice the ‘

’
ten gold pieces which had so lon g been r e fused him b y s o

’
many peopl e a n d i n so many wa y s ! The C olon el was like

,
the lady who havi n g been ill o f a f ever for fifteen y ears
, ,
fa n cied she had some fresh complai nt when S h e was cured .
There are j o y s in which we ha v e ce a sed to believ e ; t h ey

fall o n us it i s like a thu n derbolt ; they burn us The poor
,
.
man s gratitu de was too great t o fi n d utteran c e T o S uper

’
.
fic i a l obser v ers he seemed cold but D er v ille saw complete ,
ho n esty u n der this amazeme n t A swin dler wo u ld hav e .
found his v oice .
“
Where was I ? said the C olonel with the simplicity of ,
a child o r o f a soldier for there IS often somethi n g of the

,
child In a true soldier and almost alway s somethi n g of the

,
soldier in a child especially i n France ,

.
“
At S tuttgart Y o u were o ut of p r iso n said D erville
.
,
.
”
Y ou know m y wi fe ? asked the C olo n el .
”
Yes said D er ville with a bow
, ,
.
”
What is s h e like ?
S till qu ite charmi n g .
The old man held up his han d a n d seemed to be s w al ,
l o w mg down some secret a nguish with the gra v e a n d solemn

“
resignation that i s characteristic o f me n who have stood the

ordeal o f blood an d fire o n the battlefield .
“ ”
Mo n sieur said h e with a sort o f cheerfulness for he
, ,
—
breathed agai n the poor C olo n el ; he had agai n risen from

,
the gr a v e ; he had j ust melted a coveri n g o f s n ow less easily

thawed than that which had o nc e before frozen his head ;
and he d r ew a d ee p brea t h as i f he had j ust es c a p ed f rom ,

“
a dungeon — M onsieur i f I had been a handsome y oung ,
fellow none o f my mis for tunes would have befallen me

,
.
Women believe in men when they flavor the i r spee c hes wi t h

the word L o v e The y hu rr y then they c ome the y g o they
.
, , ,
are e v er y where at once ; they intrigue they assert fa cts

!
, ,
the y pla y the ver y devil for a man w h o takes their fa nc y

.
But h o w could I interest a woman ? I had a fa c e like a

R equiem 3
I w a s dressed like a s a n s c u lo t t e
.
1 4
I w a s m ore -
.
1
like a n E squ imaux than a Frenchman I w h o had formerly

—
,
— I
been co n sidered o n e o f the smartest o f fo p s i n 1 7 9 9 ,
C habert C ou n t o f the E mpire

,
.
“
Well on the ver y da y whe n I was turned o ut in t o the
,
streets like a dog I met the quartermaster o f whom I j us t

,
now spoke This old soldier s name w a s B outin The poor

.
’
.
de v il a n d I made the queeres t p air of broken down ha c ks I —
ever set e y es on I met him out walking ; bu t th oug h I recog

.
n i z e d him he could not possibly gues s who I was

,
We went .
i n to a tavern together In there when I told him my name .

, ,
B outin s mouth ope n ed from ear to ear in a r e a r of lau ghter

’
like the bursting o f a mort ar That mirth Mo n sieur was o n e .

, ,
of the keenest pangs I ha v e known It told me without dis .
guis e h o w great were the cha n ges in me ! I w a s then un , ,
recogn izable e v en to the humbles t and most gra t eful o f my

former friends !
“
I had o n ce saved B outin s li fe bu t i t was only the re p ay ’
me n t o f a debt I owed him I need no t tell you h o w he did .
me this ser v ice ; it w a s at R a v enna in Ital y The house ,

.
where B outin pre v ented m y being stabbed w a s not extremel y

res p ectable At that time I was not a colonel but like
.
, ,
B outin himself a commo n troo p er Happily there were,

.
c ertain details of this ad v e n ture which could be kn own only

13 H l o ok d l k e ne d e d f o w h o m a m s i s h n t d
e e i o a r as c a e
1 4 Li t e ll y w i t h u t b h A n a m e gi v en t t h e R p u b l i c a n
. . .
”
ra o re ec es o e
n h R lut i n
. . .
e xt re mi t s f th
s F o e re c ev o o .
to us two an d whe n I recalled them to his mi nd his incre

,
d u li t y dimi n ished I then told him t h e stor y o f my si n gular

.
e x perien ces Although m y ey es a n d my v oi c e he told me

.
, ,
were stran gel y altered althou gh I had neither hair teeth , , ,
n or e y ebrows a n d was as colorless as a n Albi n o he at last

, ,
recognized his C olo n el i n the beggar after a thousand ques ,
tions which I a n swered triumpha n tl y

,
.
“
H e related his ad v entures ; they were n ot less e xt r a o r di
n ar y tha n m y own ; he had latel y come back from the fro n
tiers of C hi n a which he had tried to cross after escapin g
,
from S iberia He told me of the catastrophe of the Ru s

.
sian campaign an d o f N apoleo n s first abdication That

,
’
.
news w a s o n e of the thi n gs which caused me most an guish !

“
We were t w o curiou s derelicts hav i n g bee n rolled over ,
the globe as pebbles are rolled b y the ocea n when storms bear
them from shore to s hore B etwee n us we had seen E gy pt .
,
Sy ria S pai n R u ssia Hollan d Germany Ital y a n d D al

, , , , ,
matia En gland C hi n a T a r t a ry S iberia ; the o n ly thing

, , , ,
wan ti n g w as that n either of us had bee n to America or the

Indies Fi n all y Bouti n who still was more locomoti v e than
.
, ,
I u n dertook to go to P aris as quickl y as might be to i n form

,
my wife of the predicame nt i n which I w a s I wrote a lo n g .
letter full of details to Madame C habert That Mo n sieur .

, ,
w a s the fo u rth ! I f I had had a ny relatio n s perhaps n othi n g ,
of a ll this might hav e happe n ed ; but to be frank with y o u , ,
I am bu t a workho u se child a soldier whose sole fortu n e , ,
was his cou rage whose sole family is ma nki n d at large

,
.
whose cou ntr y is Fra n ce whose o n ly protector is the Al ,
mighty — N a
y I am wro n g ! I had
,
a father — the E mperor !
Ah ! if he were but here the dear man ! I f he co uld s ee h i s ,
C h a b e r t as he u s ed to call me In the state i n which I am

, ,
now he would be i n a rage What is to be do n e Ou r s un

,
! ?
,
1 8 s et a n d we are all o u t i n the cold n ow

,
After all political ,
.
e v en ts might acco u nt for my wife s sile n ce ! ’

B ou ti n se t out H e was a lu cky f ellow ! H e h ad t wo

.
bears ad mi r a b ly tr ained whi c h b r ou ght hi m i n a l iv i n g I

, ,
.
c ould n ot go with h i m ; the p ain I su ff ered f orbade my wal k

i n g lon g s t a g es I we pt M ons i eur when we p ar t ed aft er
.
, , ,
I had g one as far as my stat e allowed in c om p any wi th hi m

and his bears A t C arlsruhe I had an atta ck o f neural gi a
.
in the head and lay fo r s i x week s o n s t raw i n an inn I —

,
.
should never have ended i f I were t o te ll y o u all t he d i st r esses

o f my li fe as a beg g ar M oral su ffering before which p hysi
.
,
c al su ff er i n g p ales nevertheless ex c ites les s p i ty be c ause

, ,
i t i s not seen I remember shedding t ears as I stood i n

.
,
fron t o f a fine house in S trassbur g where I on c e had gi ven

an enter t ainment and where nothi ng was given me n o t even
, ,
a p ie c e o f bread H av i ng agreed wi t h B outin o n t he r oad

.
I was t o t ake I wen t t o every p os t o ffic e t o as k i f there were

,
-
a letter o r some money fo r me I arrived at P ar i s wi thout .
hav i n g found ei t her W hat des p a i r I had been forced t o

.
‘
endure ! B outin m us t be dead ! I told myself and in f a ct ’
the p oor fellow was k illed a t W a t erloo I heard o f his .
deat h la t er and by mere c han c e H i s e rr and t o my w i fe

, .
had o f c ours e been fruitless

, ,
.
A t las t I entered P ar i s with t he C ossa cks T o m e t h i s

— .
was g ri ef o n grie f On seeing the R ussians i n F ran c e I

.
,
quite for g o t that I had n o shoes o n my fee t n o r money i n

my p o cke t Y es M onsieur my c lothes were in t a tters The
.
, ,
.
evenin g before I rea c hed P aris I w a s obliged t o bivoua c in

t he woods o f C laye T he chill o f t he nigh t air n o doub t
.
brou ght o n an a tt a ck o f some nameles s com p lain t whi c h

s eized me as I was c rossin g the F aubourg S ain t M artin I -
.
dro pp ed almos t senseless a t the door o f an i ronm onger s

’
sho p When I r e c overed I was in a bed i n t he H bt el Dieu

.
5 -
.
1
T here I s t ayed ver y c onten t edly fo r abou t a mont h I was .
t hen turned o ut ; I had no money b u t I wa s well and my , ,
1 5 A fa m ou s h o p i t a l i n P a r i s
. s .
feet we r e on the good stones o f P aris Wi t h what deli gh t .

'
and haste did I make m y way t o the R ue du Mont Blane -

,
where my wi fe should be living i n a house belongi n g t o me !

B ah the R ue du Mont Blan c was n o w t he R ue de la C haussée
-
d Ant i n ; I could not find my house ; it had been sold and

’
p ulled down S pe culators had built se v eral houses over my

.
garden s N ot knowing that my wi fe had m arried M Ferraud

. .
,
I could obtain n o information .
“
At last I went to the house o f an old lawy er w ho h a d
been in charge of m y a fia i r s This worth y man was dead
.
,
after selli n g his conne c tion to a younger m an This gentle .
man informed me to my great surprise of the admi nistra

, ,
tion of my estate the settleme n t o f the mon ey s o f my wife s

’
, ,
marriage a n d the birth o f her two children Whe n I told

,
.
him that I was C olonel C habert he laughed s o heartily that ,
I left him without say i n g another word M y detention at .
S tuttgart had suggested possibilities o f C harenton and I 6

,
1
determined to act wi th caution Then Mo n sieur knowi n g .

, ,
where my wi fe li v ed I went t o her house m y heart high with

, ,
hop e Well said the C olo n el with a gesture o f c on c en

—
,
t r at ed fur y ,
when I called u n der a n assumed n ame I was not
ad mi tted and o n the day when I used my o wn I w a s turned
,
o u t o f doors .
T o se e the C ountess c ome home from a ball o r the play

in the early morning I have s at whole nights through crouch
, ,
ing close to the wall o f her gatewa y M y eyes pierced the .
depths of the carriage which flashed past me with the swi ft

,
ness of lightni n g,an d I caught a glimpse o f the woma n who

i s m y wi fe a n d no lo n ger mine Oh from that da y I have
'
.
,
”
lived for ve n geance ! cried the o ld man in a hollow voice ,
“
a n d suddenly standing up in fro nt o f D er v ille S he knows .
t hat I am alive ; since m y return s h e has had two letters

writte n with my o wn hand S he loves me no more
.
— —
I I
1 6 A n i n a n e a s y l um n ea
. s Pa i s
r r .
know n ot whether I love o r hate her I long for her and .
curse her b y turns T o me she owes all her fortune all

.
,
her happiness ; well s h e has not sent me the very smallest

,
p ittan c e S ome t imes I do no t know what wi ll be c ome o f

.
me
With t hese words t he veteran dro pp ed on t o his cha i r
again and remained mo t ionless D erville sa t i n silen c e .
,
stud y i n g his clien t .
“
It i s a s erious business he said at le ng th me c hani c all y
, ,
.
E ven granting the genui n enes s o f the do c uments to be pro

c ured from H eilsberg it i s not p roved t o m e th at w e c an at
,
once win our case It must go before three tribunals in su c

.
c ession I must think such a matter over with a clear head ;

.
i t is quite exce p tional .
“ ”
Oh,
said the C olonel coldl y with a haughty j erk o f , ,
“ ”
h s head
i i f I fail I c an die but not alone
,
—
,
.
The feeble Old man had vanished The e y es were those . ,
o f a man o f energy li g h t ed u p with the s p ark o f des i re and

,
r evenge .
“
We must perhaps compromise said the law y er ,
.
” “
C ompromise ! echoed C olonel C habert Am I dead or .
,
”
a m I alive ?
I hope M ons i eur the attorney wen t o n that y ou will

, , ,
follow my advi c e Y our c ause is mine You w i ll soon p er

. .
c ei v e the in t eres t I t ake in your situation almost unexam p led ,
in j udicial re c ords For the momen t I will give y o u a le tt er

.
to m y notary w h o will p ay you to your order fift y fran c s

,
ever y ten days It would be u n becomi n g for you to c ome

.
here to re c ei v e alms I f you are C olonel C habert you ought

.
,
to be at no man s mer c y I shall regard these advan c es as a

’
.
”
loa n ; you ha v e estates to re c over ; you are ri c h .
This delicate c ompassion broug h t tears t o the ol d man s ’
eyes D erville rose hastil y for i t w a s p erha p s not correct

.
,
f o r a lawyer to show emotion ; he went into the adj oi n i n g

96 F REN CH S H OR T ST OR I ES
clerk hi s c h i ef hav i n g fl ed i n c on s e quenc e o f a d i s a str ou s

,
ban kr u ptc y .
“
I have t o t han k y ou my dea r s i r fo r r em i ndin g me o f
, ,
” “
that a ffair r e p li ed D e r vil l e
,
M y p h i lant hro p y w ill n ot .
carry me beyond twenty fiv e loui s ; I ha ve I fea r already -

, ,
“ ”
been t he d up e o f m y p atrio ti s m .
“
A s D erville finished t he sent en c e he s a w on h i s des k
(
,
t he p a p ers hi s head c ler k had laid o ut fo r h i m H i s eye was .
s t ru ck by t he a pp earan c e o f t he s t am p s lon g square and

—
, ,
trian gular in red and b lue i nk whi c h dis ti n gu i shed a lett e r

, ,
t hat had c ome t hrou gh t he Pru s s1 an Aus tr i an B ava rian and , , ,
Fren c h p os t o ffic e s .
“ ”
A h ha ! sa i d he w i t h a lau gh he r e i s t he las t a ct o f t he ,
”
c omedy ; n o w we shall s e e i f I have been t ak en m !
H e t oo k u p the le tt er and o p ened i t ; bu t he c ould not r ead
i t ; it was wri tt en i n German .
“
B ou c ard go yourself and have t h i s l e tt e r t ransla t ed
, ,
”
and b rin g it bac k i mmedia t ely sa i d D e r ville hal f o p eni n g , ,
his s t udy doo r and giv i n g the lett e r t o t he head clerk

,
.
The no t ary a t B erlin t o who m t he lawye r had wr i tt en

, ,
informed him t ha t t he do c u m ent s he had been requested t o

forward would arr i ve within a f ew days o f this note a n
n o u n c i n g t hem They we r e he sa i d all p erfe c tly re gula r
.
, ,
and duly wi tnessed and le g ally s t am p ed t o serve as ev i den ce

,
in la w H e also i nformed him t hat almos t all t he wi tnes ses

.
t o t he f a c ts re c o r ded under t hes e a ffidavits were s t ill t o b e

found at E ylau i n P r uss i a and t ha t t he woman t o who m
, ,
M l e C omt e C habe rt owed h i s li fe wa s s ti l l li v i n g i n a

.
suburb o f Heilsber g .
“
Thi s look s like bus i ness c r i ed D e r v i lle when B ou c a r d
,
“
had given h i m t he subs t an c e o f t he le tt e r B u t l ook he r e .
,
” “
m y boy he wen t o n addressin g the not a r y I shall want
, , ,
some i nforma t i on which ou gh t t o ex i s t i n you r o ffic e W as ’
i t no t t ha t o ld ras c a l Ro gu i n
We will s ay that unfortunate tha t ill used Ro gui n ,

-
,
interrupted Alexandre C r ot ta t with a laugh .
Well was it not that ill used man who has j ust carrie d
,
-
o ff eight hundred thousand fra n cs o f his clients mone y a n d

’
reduced sev eral families t o despair who e fiec t ed the settle ,
me n t of C h ab ert s estate ’
? I fan cy I hav e seen that in the
”
do cuments in ou r case o f F e rr au d .
“
Yes said C r o t t a t
,
It was when I was third clerk ; I
.
c opied the papers a n d stu di ed them thoroughly R os e .
Ch a p o t el wife a n d widow o f H y aci n the called C habert

, , ,
C ou n t o f the E mpire gra n d officer o f the L egio n o f Honor

,
.
The y had married without settleme n t ; thus the y held all ,
the propert y in common T o the best of m y recollection the

.
,
p erso n alt y was about s i x hundred thousa n d fra nc s B efore .
his marriage C omte C habert had made a will in favor o f

,
the hospitals o f P aris b y whi ch he left them one quarter of

,
-
the fortun e he might possess at the time o f his decease the ,
S tate t o t ake the other quarter The will was contested .

,
there was a forced sale and then a di visio n fo r the attor n ey s

, ,
we nt at a pa c e At the t ime o f the settlement the mo n ster

.
w h o was then governing France handed over t o the widow ,

”
by special decree t he portion bequeathed to the treasury
,
.
“
S o that C o mte Ch a b e rt s personal fortune w a s no more
’
”
than three hundred thousand franc s ?
“
C onsequently s o i t was ol d fellow ! s aid C r ot t a t
,
Yo u .
lawy ers someti m es are ver y clear headed though you are -
,
ac cused o f false p ra c ti c es in p leadi n g for one side o r the

other .
C olonel C habert whos e address was writ t en at the bottom

,
o f the firs t re c eipt he had given t he notar y was lodgi n g in ,
t he F aubo u rg S aint Mar c eau R ue du P eti t Banquier with

-
,
-
,
an old quartermaste r o f the Imperial Guard now a c o w ,
k eeper named Ve rgni aud Having r eached the spot De r

, .
,
ville was obli ged t o go on foot i n sear c h o f his client fo r ,

his c oa c hman de c lined t o drive alon g an un p aved str eet ,
where t h e ruts were rather t o o dee p fo r c ab wheels L ooking .
a bou t him o n all sides ,t h e lawyer at last dis c overed a t the

-
e n d of the street neares t t o the boulevard between t w o w all s ,
built o f bones a n d mud t w o shabby stone g ate p os t s mu c h ,

-
,
kno cked abou t by carts i n s p ite o f t w o wooden stum p s that,
s erved as blo c ks These p osts su pp orted a c ros s beam with

.
a pent house c o p ing o f t iles and on the bea m i n red letters

-
, , ,
were the words Vergn i a u d dair y man , T o the right of ,

.
this ins c ri p tion were some eggs t o t he left a c o w all painted , ,
i n white The gate was o p en and n o doub t r emained o p en

.
,
all day B e y ond a good sized yard there was a house fa c i n g

.
-
t h e gate i f i n deed the name o f house ma y be a pp lied to o n e

,
o f the hovels built in t he neighborhood of P aris which are ,
l ike nothi n g els e n ot even the mos t wre t ched dwellings

,
in t he c ountry o f whi c h t hey have all t he p over t y withou t

,
their p oetry .
Indeed in the midst o f fields even a hovel may have

, ,
a c ertain gra c e derived from the p ure air t he verdure the , ,
o p en c ountry — a hill a s erpentine r oad vineyards qui ck

, , ,
s et hedges moss grown that c h and rural im p lement s ; bu t

,
-
p over ty in P aris g ains dign ity only by hor r or Thou gh .
rec ently built t his house seemed ready to fall i nto rui n s
,
.
N one o f its materials had fou n d a legitimat e u s e ; they had

b een c olle c ted from the various demolit io n s which are g oi ng
o n every da y in P aris On a shutt er made o f the boards of
.
“ ”
a sho p sign D erville read the words Fan c y Goods, The
-
,
w indows were all mismatched and gr o t esquely pla c ed The .
g round fl oor whi c h s eemed

,
t o be the habitable par t w as ,
o n o n e side raised above t he soil a n d on the other sunk i n ,
t he r IS In g ground B etween the gate and t he hous e lay a

.
puddle full o f s t able litter into which fl owed the rain water ,
-
a n d house was t e The ba c k wall o f this frail c ons t ru ction

.
,
w hi c h s eemed rather more solidly buil t t han the rest sup ,

1 00 F RE N C H S H OR T S T OR I ES
M C hab er t lived there neither o f t hem repli ed bu t all t h r ee

.
, ,
looked a t him with a sor t o f brigh t stu p idity i f I may com ,
bine thos e t w o words D erville re p eated his ques t ions but

.
,
without success P rovoked by t he saucy c unn in g o f these

. ,
t hree im p s he abused them with the sort o f p leasa ntr y which

,
you n g men t hink t hey have a righ t t o a ddress t o little boys ,
a n d the y broke t he S ilen c e wi t h a horse lau gh

— T hen D er .
ville w a s angry .
The C olonel hearin g him now c ame o ut o f a l ittle l o w

, ,
room close t o the dairy a n d stood o n the threshold o f his

, ,
doorway wi t h indes c ribable military c oolness H e had i n .
his mou t h a very finely colored p i p e a tech n i c al phrase t o a

—
“
smoker a hu m ble S hort c lay p ipe o f the kind called br ute
—
,
u e u le H e li fted the peak f a dreadfully greasy c lo t h

g . o
c ap s a w D erville a n d came straight across the midden t o

, ,
j oi n his benefa ct or the soo n er c allin g o ut in friendly tones ,
t o the bo y s
S ilence in t he ranks !
The children at once kep t a respectful silen c e which ,
S howed the power the o ld soldier had over them .
“ ”
W hy did you no t write to me he said to D erville Go
? .
”
a lon g b y the c owhouse ! —
There the p ath i s p aved there ,
he exclaimed s eeing t he law y er s hesitancy for he did not

,
’
wish to w et his feet in the manure hea p .
Jumpi ng from o n e dry s p ot to another D er v ille reached ,
the door b y which the C olonel had come out C habert seemed .
but ill p leased at ha v i n g to re c eive him i n the bedroom h e ‘
o cc upied ; and in fa ct D er v ille found but one chair t here

, ,
.
The C olon el s bed c onsisted o f some t russes o f s t raw o v er

’
which his hostess had s p read t w o or three of thos e old frag

men t s o f c arpe t p i c ked u p heaven knows where which milk
, ,
women us e to co v er the seats o f t heir carts The floor w a s .
simply the t rodden earth The walls sweating S alt p etre .

, ,
green with mold a n d full o f cracks were s o excessively

, ,
C OLONEL C HA B ERT 1 01
damp that o n the side where the C olo n el s bed was a reed ’
mat had been n ailed The famo u s box coat hun g on a n ail
.
-
.
T w o pairs of old boots la y i n a cor n er There w a s n ot a S ign .
o f li n e n On the worm eate n table the B u l le t i n s d e la G r a nd e

.
—
A r m e e repri n ted b y Pla n cher la y open a n d seemed to be the

’
, , ,
C olo n el s readi n g ; his cou n te n a n ce was calm a n d sere n e in

’
the midst of this squ alor His v isit to D er ville seemed t o.
have altered his feat u res ; the lawy er percei v ed i n them tra c e s
of a happ y feeli n g a particu lar gleam s et there b y hope
,
.
“
Does the smell of a pipe a nn o y y ou ? he said placing ,
the dilapidated straw bottomed chair for his lawy er -

.
“
But C olo n el y ou are dreadfully uncomfortable here !
, ,
The speech was wru n g from D er v ille b y the distru st

n atu ral to lawy ers a n d the deplorable experien ce which
,
the y deri v e early i n life from the appalling an d obscur e

tragedies at which they look on .
“ ”
Here said he t o himself is a ma n who has o f cou rs e
'
, ,
spen t m y mone y i n satisf y i n g a trooper s three theological ’
virtues play wi n e an d wome n !

—
, ,
“
T o be sure Mo n sieur we are n ot disti n guished for
, ,
luxur y here It is a camp lodgi n g tempered b y frie n dship

.
, ,
bu t And the soldier shot a deep glan ce at the man

o f law I hav e do n e n o o n e wron g I ha v e never turned my ,
”
back on anybod y a n d I sleep i n peace
,
.
D er ville reflected that there would be some wa nt o f deli

cac y in aski n g his clie n t to accou nt for the sums of mo n e y
he had ad v a n ced so he merel y said
,
“
B ut wh y would y ou n ot come to P aris where you might ,
ha v e li v ed as cheapl y as y ou do here but where y ou would ,
have been bet t er lodged ?

“ ”
Wh y replied the C olonel the good folks with whom I
, ,
am li v i n g had taken me i n and fed me g r a t i s fo r a y ear How .
co u ld I lea v e them j u st whe n I had a little mo n e y Besides .

,
the father of those three p i ckles i s an old E gyp t i a n

1 02 F REN C H S H OR T S T OR I ES
An E gyptian !
“
We gi v e that name t o the t roo p ers w h o c ame back from
t he expedit i on into E gy pt o f whi c h I was o n e N o t merely
, .
are all who got back brothers ; Ve r gni a u d was in m y regi

ment . We ha v e shared a draught o f water in the desert ;
a n d besides I have n o t ye t finished teaching his brat s to
,
read .
“
H e might have lodged y o u better for y our money s aid ,
D er v ille .
“
B ah ! s aid the C olonel his children sleep o n the straw
,
a s I do . H e and his wi fe have no better bed ; the y are very

p oor you see The y ha v e taken a bigger business than they
,
.
ca n ma n age But if I recover my for tune

. However it .
,
”
does ver y well .
“
C olo n el tomorrow or next da y I shall recei v e your
, , ,
papers from H eilsberg The woman who dug y ou o ut is s till

.
”
a live !
”
C urs e the mone y ! To think I have n t got an y ! he c ried
’
flingi n g his pipe on the grou n d .
N o w a well colored pipe i s to a smoker a precious posses

,
—
s io n ; but the impuls e w a s s o natural the emotion so ge n erous , ,
t hat e v er y smoker a n d the excise o ffice itself would ha v e

, ,
‘
p ardo n ed t his crime o f treason to toba cc o P erha p s the .
a n gels ma y have picked up the pieces .
C olo n el it is an exceedingly compli c a t ed busi n ess

,
said ,
D er v ille as they left the room to walk u p and down in the

s u n shi n e .
“
To me said t he soldier It appears ex c eedin gly simple
, ,
.
I was thought to be dead and here I am ! Gi v e me back my

,
wi fe and m y fortune ; give me the rank of G eneral t o which ,
I have a right for I w a s made C olo n el o f the Im p erial Guard

,
the da y before the b at tle o f E y lau .
Things are not done so i n the legal world said D erville ,

.
L iste n to me Y ou are C olo n el C habert I am glad to think

.
,
Well wh en you were r ep o rt ed dead i t wa s ne c es s a r y t o

’
, ,
mak e a valuation and have a sale t o gi ve t his qua rter away

, , .
Y our wi fe was n o t p ar t i c ular abou t hones ty t o t he p oo r The .
valu at ion In whi c h S h e n o doub t t oo k c are n ot t o i n c lude

,
t he ready m oney o r j ewelry o r t o o mu c h o f t he p la t e and

, ,
i n w hi c h the furni t ure would be estimated a t t w o thirds o f -
i t s ac tual c os t either t o benefi t her o r t o li ghten t he su cc es

, ,
s ion duty and also be c ause a valuer c an be held res p onsible

.
—
for the de c lared value t he valuation t hus made s t ood a t
s i x hundred thousa n d fra n cs Your wife had a right t o half
.
f o r her S hare E v er y thi ng w a s sold and bought in by her ;

.
s he o t something o u t of it all a n d t he hospitals got their

g ,
s eventy fi -
v e thous and fran c s Then as t he remainder wen t
.
,
t o t he S ta t e since y ou had made no mention o f you r wi fe

,
in your will the E mperor restored to your widow by de cree

,
t he residue which would have re v erted to the E xchequer S o .

,
n o w what ca n y ou claim ?
,
Three hundred t hous and fran c s ,
n o more a n d mi n us the costs

,
.
“
A n d you call tha t j usti c e ! s aid the C olonel in dismay ,
.
W hy cer t ainly
,
A p retty kind of j us t i c e !
S o it is m y dear C olo n el Y ou see that what you though t
,
.
,
s o easy i s no t so M adame F erraud might even choose t o

.
k eep the s u m given to her by the E m p eror .
“
But s h e w a s no t a widow The de c ree is u tt erl y void
.
“
I agree with you Bu t every c as e c an get a hearin g
. .
L iste n t o me I t hink that under these c ircumstan c es a c om

.
p romis e would be bo t h for her and for you t he best soluti on

of the question Y ou will gain by i t a more considerable
.
”
s u m than y ou can p rove a right to .
“
That would be to s ell m y wi fe !
With twenty four thousand fran c s a year you c ould find
-
a woman w h o in the p osition i n which y ou are would suit

, ,
o u be tt er t han your o w n wi fe a n d make you happier I

y ,
.
pro p o s e go ing t his ver y da y to s e e the C omt esse Fe rr aud

a n d soundi n g the groun d ; but I would not take su c h a ste p
without gi v i n g y o u due noti c e .
“
L et us go together .
What j ust as y ou are ? said the la wy er

,
N o my .
,
dear C olonel n o Y ou m i ght lose y ou r case o n t he spot

,
. .
“
C a n I possibl y gai n it ?
On e v er y cou n t replied D erville But my dear C olonel

,
.
,
C habert y o u o v erlook o n e thi n g

,
I am not ri c h ; the price .
o f m y co nn ection is n ot wholl y paid up I f the be nc h S ho u ld .
allow you a mai nten an ce that is t o s a y a s um advan c ed o n , ,
y our prospects they will not d o s o till y o u have pro v ed that

,
y o u are C omte C haber t gra n d officer o f the L egion

,
o f
”
Hono r .
“
T o be sure I am a gra n d officer o f the L egl o n o f Honor ;
,
I had forgotten that said he simpl y .
“
Well until then D erville went o n will y o u not ha v e
, , ,
t o e n gage pleaders t o have docume n ts copied t o keep the

, ,
underlin gs o f the law goi n g a n d to support y ourself ? The,
expe n ses o f the preli min ar y i n quiries will at a rough guess , ,
amount t o ten o r twelve thousand francs I ha v e n o t s o .
much t o lend y ou I am c rushed a s it is b y the enormou s

—
in terest I hav e t o pa y o n the mo n e y I borrowed to bu y my

”
business ; a n d y ou — Where can y o u find it ?
L arge tears gathered in the poor vetera n s faded ey es ’
a n d rolled down his withered cheeks This outlook o f di ffi .
c ul t i e s discouraged him The social and the legal world

.
weighed on his breast like a nightmare .
“ ”
I wi ll go t o t he foot o f the Ven dOm e c olumn ! he c ried
18
.
I wi ll c all o ut : I am C olon el C habert who rode thr ough the

— — —
R ussian square at E y l au l The statue h e h e will know
me .
18 A l
c o um n in the P l ace Vend om e P a ri s erec t e d by Na p ol eon in
y
.
h
, ,
o nor of his a rm .
A nd y ou will fi n d y ours elf in C harenton .
At t his ter rible name t he soldier s t ranspor t s c olla p sed

“ ’
“
And will there be n o ho p e fo r m e a t t he M inistry o f
”
W ar ?
“
The war o ffi c e ! said D erville Well g o there ; bu t .
,
t ak e a formal legal opi n ion with you nullif y ing the c ert i fi
‘
c ate o f your death The gover n ment o ffices would be only

.
”
t o o glad i f they c ould an nihilate the men o f the E m p 1 r e .
T he C olonel stood fo r a wh i le spee c hless motionless his , , ,
e y es fixed but s eeing no t hi n g sun k in bottomless desp air

, ,
.
M ilitary j usti c e i s read y and s wi ft ; it decides with Turk

li k e finality and almost alwa y s rightly This was t he only
, .
j us t i c e known to C habert As he s a w t he lab y rinth o f di ffi

.
c u lt i es into whi c h he mus t p lu n ge a n d how much money ,
w ould be required f o r the j ourney the p oor o ld soldier was ,
m ortally hit in that p ower pe c uliar t o man a n d c alled the ,
Will H e thou ght it would be impossible t o live as p a r t v

.
t o a lawsuit ; it seemed a thousand times simpler to remain
p oor and a beggar o r t o enlis t as a troo

,
p er i f any re gi ment
w ould pas s him .
His ph y sical and mental sufferings had already impaired

h i s bodil y health in some of the most important organs He .
w a s on the verge o f one o f those maladies for whi c h medi

c ine has no name and o f which the seat is in some de g ree
,
v ariable like the nervous s y stem itself the part most fr e

, ,
q uently attacked o f the whole huma n machi n e — a malady
w hi c h ma y be design ated as the heart S ick n ess o f the u n fo r t u -
nate Howe v er serious this in v isible but real disorder might

.
a lready be it c ould s t ill be c ured by a happy issue But a

,
.
f resh obstacle an unexpe c ted in c ident would be enough to

, ,
w re ck this v igorous c onstitu t ion t o break the weake n ed ,
s p rings and p rodu c e the hesitan c y t he aimless unfinished

, , ,
movements whi c h p hysiologists know well i n men under

,
mined b y grief .
c heek ed and wrinkled bu t r uddy o n t he c heekbones by hard

, ,
work and ex p osure t o t he open air .
“
Asking your p ardon s i r s aid he tak in g D erville by
, , ,
t h e arm I f I take the liberty o f s p eaki n g t o u B u t I

, y o .
fancied from the loo k o f y o u th a t y o u were a friend o f ou r

, ,
’
G eneral s .
“
And wha t t hen re p lied D erville
? W hat con c ern have .
”
y o u wi th him —B u t w h o are
y o u ? s aid the cautious lawyer .
“ ” “
I am L oui s Ve r gni a u d he at on c e replied ,
I have t wo .
”
words t o s ay t o you .
“
S o you are the man who has lod g ed C omte C habert as I
”
have foun d him ?
“
A s ki n g your p ardon s i r he has the best room I would
, ,
.
have given mine i f I had had but o n e ; I c ould h ave sle pt

in the stable A man who has su ffered as he has w h o teaches
.
,
my kids to read a g eneral an E gy p tian t he first li eute n ant

, , ,
I e v er s erved under Wha t do y ou t hi nk

— —O f us all he i s ,
b est ser v ed I shared what I had with him Unfortunatel y

. .
,
i t i s not much t o boas t o f bread milk egg s Well well ;

—
, ,
.
,
A nd he i s heartily wel c om e But

’
it s n eighbor s fare , sir
’
.
—
he has hur t o u r feelin g s .
“ ”
He ?
Y es sir hur t our feeli n gs T 0 be plai n with y o u I

, , .
,
have taken a larger busines s than I can ma n age a n d he s aw ,
i t Well i t worried him ; he must needs m i nd t h e horse ! I

.
,
i
‘ ‘
s ays to him R eall y General
, , B ah ! says he I am n o t ,
goi n g to eat m y head o ff doing nothi n g I learned to rub a .
h orse down many a year ago I had some bills o ut for th e .
purchas e mo n ey o f my dairy a fellow named Grados D o

— — — J
”
you know him s i r ? ,
“
But my good man I have n ot time t o listen t o your s t o ry
, , .
O nl y tell me h o w the C olonel o ff ended you .
“
H e hur t our feelings S ir as sure as m y name i s L ou i s
, ,
Ve r g n i a u d a n d m y w i fe cried about i t H e h eard from our

,
C OLONEL C HA B ER T 1 09
neigh bors that we had n ot a s o u to begi n t o meet the bill s

with The old soldier a s he is h e sav ed up all y ou gav e
.
, ,
him he watched for the bill to come i n an d he paid it S u ch

, ,
.
a trick ! While my wi fe a n d me we knew he had n o tobacco , ,
poor old bo y an d we nt without Oh ! n ow y es he has hi s

,
— —
.
,
cigar e v er y morni n g ! I woul d sell m y soul for i t N o we —

,
are hu rt Well s o I wa nted to a s k y ou for he said y ou

.
,
—
9
were a good sort to len d us a hun dred crown s o n the
— 1
stock s o that w e may get him some clothes an d fu r n ish h i s

, ,
room He thought he was getting u S out of debt y ou s ee

.
?
,
Well i t s j u st the other wa y ; the old ma n is ru nni n g us i nto

,
’
debt an d hu rt our fe eli n gs H e o u ght n ot to ha v e stolen

— —
a march on us like that An d we his frien ds too . On m y ,

—
word a s an ho n est ma n as s u re as m y n ame is L ou is Ve r g

,
n i a u d I would soo n er sell u p a n d e nli st tha n fail to pa y y ou

,
back y o u r m o n e
D er ville looked at the dair y man a n d stepped back a few ,
paces to gla n ce at the house the y ard the ma nu re pool the , ,

-
,
cowho u se the rabbits the children

, ,
.
On m y ho n or I belie v e it is characteristic of v irt u e to

,
,
ha v e n othi n g to do with riches thou ght he .
All right y ou shall ha v e y ou r hu n dred crown s a n d

, ,
more But I shall n ot gi v e them to y o u ; the C olo n el will

.
be rich e n ough to help a n d I will n ot depri v e him o f the

,
pleasure .
“
An d will that be soon ?
Wh y y es ,
.
Ah dear God ! how glad my wi fe will be ! an d the cow

,
keeper s tanned face seemed to expa n d

’
“
N ow said D er v ille to hi mself as he got i nto his cab
, ,
“
agai n let u s call o n o u r oppo n en t We mu st n ot S how our
,
.
han d but tr y t o s ee hers a nd wi n the game at o n e stroke

, ,
.
S he must be frighten ed S he is a woman N ow what . .

,
1 9 Th e F en ch c w n o f t h e i 8 t h
. r en t u y w a s w o rt h a b o u t
ro c r
f rightens women most ? A woman is afraid of not hin g

but
And he s et to work to stud y the C ountess s position falli n g ’
’
,
into o n e o f those brown studies t o which g r ea t p o li t i c i a n s

give t hemselves up when concocti n g their o wn p l ans and try
i n g t o g ues s the se c rets of a hostile C abinet Are not at t o r .
neys in a wa y statesman i n charge o f private a fia i r s

, ,
?
But a brief survey o f the situation in whi c h the C omte

F erraud and his wi fe n o w found themselves is ne c essary for
a com p rehension o f the law y er s c le v erness
’
M o n sieur l e C omte F e r r au d w a s the only son o f a former

C ouncillor i n the o l d P a r le m e n t o f P aris who had em i grated ,
d u r i ng the R eign o f T error 20

and s o though he save d his , ,
head lost his fortu n e H e c ame back under the C onsulate

,
.
,
and remained p ersiste n tl y faithful to the cause of L ouis

X VI I I in whos e circle his father had moved before the R e v o
,
lu t i o n H e thus w a s one o f the p art y in the F a u b o u r g S aint

.
Germai n which nobl y stood o u t against N apoleon s blandish ’
ments The reputation for capacit y gained b y y oung C oun t

.
—then simpl y called M onsieur F erraud— made him the o h
e c t o f the E mperor s ad v ances

’
j for he was often as well ,
pleased at his co n quests amo n g the ar istocracy as at gai n i n g

a battle The C ou n t w a s promised the restitutio n o f his
.
title o f such o f his estates as had not been sold and he w a s

, ,
show n i n persp ecti v e a p lace i n the mi n istry o r as senator .
The E mperor fell .
At the time of C omte C h a b e r t s death M F erraud w a s a

’
.
,
you n g man o f S ix a n d twe n t y without fortune o f p leasing

— -
, ,
appeara n ce w h o had had his successes a n d whom the Fau

, ,
bourg S ai n t Germain h a d adopted as doi n g it credit ; but

-
M adame la C omtess e C habert had ma n aged to tur n her share

o f her husba n d s fortu n e to such g ood accou n t that afte r
’
2 0 T h t p e i o d f t h e F en c h R ev o l u t i o n w h en t h e f c t i o n i n p o w e
a r o r a r
m de it p i n i p l t x c u t e ev y n e n i d e ed h t l t t h e
.
a a r c e o e e er o co s r os l e o ir
ul e It l t ed f o m M a c h 1 7 9 3 t t h e f a ll of R o b e s p e e m 1 7 9 4
'
r . as r r , , o i rr .
o wn i n t e r es t
H e ho p ed t o g et so m e p la c e by h i s mas t er s ’
.
influen c e and he made t he C oun t s for t une hi s firs t c are His

,
’
c ondu c t s o e fie c t u a ll g ave the l i t his for m er li f e t ha t he

y e o ,
was re g arded as a S landered man T he C ount ess wi th t he.

,
ta ct and shrewdness o f whi c h mos t wo m en have a sha r e more

o r les s unders t ood the man s motives wat c hed hi m qu i e tly
’
, , ,
a n d managed him s o well tha t she had made g ood use o f him
,
f o r the augmentation o f her p rivate for t une S he had c on .
t r i v e d to make D el b e c q believe tha t s h e ruled her husband ,
a n d had p romised t o get him a p po i n ted P resident o f an

inferior C ourt i n some impor t an t p rovin c i al t own i f he d e ,
v oted himself entirely t o her i n teres t s .
The p romis e o f a p lace no t dependen t o n c han g es o f

,
m inistry which would allow o f his marr y in g advan t ageously

, ,
a n d risi n g subsequently to a high p olitical p osition by being ,
made D elb e c q the C ountess s abj e c t S lave ’

c hosen D éputé ,
.
H e had never allowed her to miss o n e o f thos e favorable

chances which the fl uc tuations o f the B ours e and the i n
creased value o f pro p erty afforded to clever financie r s i n
P aris durin g t he first three years after the R est ora t ion H e .
had t rebled his p rote c tres s s ca p i t al and all t he more easily

’
because the C ountes s had no scruples as t o the means whi c h

might make her an enormous for t une as qui c kly as p ossible .
The emoluments derived by the C ount from the places he

held she s p e nt o n the housekeeping so as t o rein v est her ,
d ividends ; and D elb e c q len t himself t o these c alcula t ions o f

a varice wi thou t tr y i n g to ac c ount for her motives P eople .
o f tha t sort n e v er trouble themselves about any se c rets o f
which the discovery is not neces sary to their o w n interests .
A n d indeed he naturall y fou n d the reaso n in the thirst for

, ,
mo n e y which taints almost e v er y P arisian woma n ; and as

,
a fi n e fortune w a s needed to su pp ort the pretensio n s o f

C omte F e r r a u d t he secretar y some t imes fa nc ied that he saw
,
i n t he C oun t ess s greed a consequence of her devotion to a

’
husband with whom s h e still was in love T he C ount ess .
buried the se c rets of her c onduct at the bottom o f her heart .
There lay the secrets o f life and death to her there lay the ,
turning point of this history

-
.
At the beginning of the y ear 1 8 1 8 the R estoration w as

settled o n an apparently immo v able f ou n datio n ; its doc
trines o f gover n ment as un derstood b y loft y mi n ds seemed
, ,
calculated to brin g to Fran ce a n era o f renewed prosperity ,
a n d P arisian societ y chan ged its aspect M adame la C omtess e .
F e r r a u d fou n d that b y chan ce s h e had achie v ed fo r love a

marriage that had brought her fortu n e a n d gratified ambition .
S till y o u n g and handsome Madame F e r r a u d play ed the p ar t

,
o f a woman o f fashio n an d lived i n the atmosphere o f the

,
C ourt . R ich herself with a rich husba n d who was cried up

,
as o n e of the ablest men o f the ro y alist party a n d a s a , ,
friend of the Ki n g c e rt a i n to be made Mi nister s h e belonged

,
'
to the aristocrac y a n d shared its magn ifice n ce I n the midst

,
.
o f this tri u m h s h e was attacked b y a moral ca n ker There

p .
are feeli n gs which wome n guess i n spite of the care me n take

to bur y them On the first retur n of the Ki n g C omte F er
.
,
ra u d had begun to regret his marriage C olo n el Ch ab ert s .

’
widow had n ot been the mean s o f ally ing him to any body ;
he was alon e a n d u n s u pported i n steeri n g his wa y in a course
fu ll of shoals a n d beset b y e n emies Also perhaps when .
, ,
he came to j udge his wife coolly he may ha v e discer n ed in ,
her certai n vices o f education which made her unfit to secon d

him i n h i s schemes .
A speech he made a p rop o s o f Talle y rand s marriage

,
21 ’
e nlighten ed the C ou ntess t o whom it proved that i f he had

,
still been a free man s h e would n ever hav e been Madame

Ferraud What woman co uld forgi v e this repenta n ce D oes
.
?
it n ot i nclu de the germs o f e v er y i n sult e v er y crime ever y , ,
form of repudiation ? But what a wound must it have left

2 1 A f m ous F n h
. a re t t e m an 1 7 5 4 1 8 3 8
c s a s ,
-
.
in t he C ountess s hea rt su p posing tha t she lived i n t he dread

’
of her firs t husband s re turn ? S he had k n own that he still

’
lived and s h e had ignored him

,
Then during the time when .
S h e had heard n o more o f him S h e had c hosen t o believe ,
tha t he had fallen at Waterloo with the Imperial E agle at ,
the same t ime as B o utin S he resolved neverthe less t o b ind .

, ,
t h e C ount t o her b y t he stron g es t o f all ties by a chain o f ,
gold a n d vowed to be so ri c h that her fortune might make

,
her se c ond marria g e indissoluble if by chan c e C olonel ,
C habert should ever reappear And he had reappeared ; and .
s h e c ould not ex p lai n to herself wh y the struggle she dreaded
had not alread y be gun S uffering S ic knes s had p erhaps .

, ,
deli v ered her from tha t man P erha p s he was half mad .
,
and C hare nt on might yet d o her j us t ice S he had not chose n .
to t ake ei ther D elbe c q o r the p oli c e into her c o nfiden c e for ,
fear o f putting herself in their p ower o r o f haste n ing t h e ,
catastrophe There are in P aris many wome n who like the

.
,
C oun t ess F e r r a u d live with an unknown moral mo n ste r or

,
o n the bri n k o f an ab y ss ; a callus forms o v er the s p ot that
tortures them and t hey c an still lau gh and enj oy them

,
selves .
“
There is s omethin g very s t range i n C omte F er raud s
’
”
position said D erville to himself on emergin g from his
, ,
lo n g re v erie as his cab sto p ped at the door of the H Ot el

,
“
F er r a u d in the R ue de Vare nn es H o w i s i t that he s o ri c h .
,
as he i s and su c h a fa v orite with the Ki n g is not y e t a p eer

, ,
o f Fran c e ? It may t o be sure be tr ue that the Kin g as

, , ,
M me de G r a n d li e u w a s t ellin g me desires to keep u p the

.
,
value o f the p a i ri e b y not bestowing it right a n d left A nd

2 2
.
,
a ft er all the s o n of a C ou n cillor o f t he P a rle m e nt i s n o t a

,
C rillo n n or a R oha n 3
A C omte F er r a u d c an only g e t in t o
.
2
the U pp er C hamber surre p titiously B ut i f h i s m ar r i a g e .
2 2 T h e n m e of t h nk f
a m e l y gi v en t a m em b e of t h e Upp er
e ra or r o r
Ch m b
.
a er
F n h g n
.
2 3 Tw
. o l f t h l 6t h nd 1 7 t h ent u i s
re c e era s o e a c r e .
I M adame am deli ghted I t would be g rievous i f he

, ,
.
could be pres ent at o u r interview B esides I am Informed .

,
through M D elbe c q t hat y o u like t o mana g e your o w n busi

.
ness wi thout troubling the C ount

“
Then I will s end fo r D elbe c q said s h e ,
.
H e would be o f no use to you c lever as he i s repli ed , ,

“
D erville L is t e nt o me M adame ; one word will be enough
.
,
”
t o make y o u g rave C olonel C habert i s alive !
.
“
Is it by telling me su c h nonsens e as that tha t y ou thi nk
”
m
you ca n ake me grave ? s aid she with a shout o f l aughter .
B u t s h e w a s suddenl y quelled b y t he singular p enetratio n

o f the fixed gaze whi c h D erville t urned o n her seemin g t o ,
read to the bottom of her soul .
“ ”
M adame he said with cold and piercing solemnit y you
, , ,
know no t the exte nt o f the da n ger which threatens y ou I .
need s a y nothi n g o f the i n disputable authenti c ity of the em
dence n or of the full n es s o f proof which testifies to the iden

tit y o f C omte C habert I am not as you know the man to
.
, ,
take u p a bad cause I f y ou resist our proceedi n gs to S how

.
that t he certificate o f death w a s fals e y ou will lose that first ,
c ase and that matter once s ettled we S hall gain every p oint
, ,
.
“ ”
What the n do y ou wish to disc u s s with me
, ,
?
N either the C olo n el nor y ourself N or n eed I allude .
t o the briefs which clever advocates may draw up when

armed with the curious facts o f this case or the advantage ,
they ma y derive from the letters you received from your

”
first husba n d before your marriage t o your se c ond .
“ ”
I t is false s h e cried with t he violence o f a spoiled
, ,
“
woman .I ne v er had a letter from C omte C habert ; and
i f someone i s pretendin g to be the C olonel i t i s some swindler , ,
s ome re turned con v ict like C o i gn a r d p erhaps I t makes me

,
.
shudder only to thi n k o f it C a n t he C olo n el r i s e from the

.
dead M o n sieur B onaparte se n t an aide de camp to i n quire

,
? - -
for me on his death and to this day I draw the p ension of

.
three thousan d fran cs gra nted t o h i s widow b y the Go v er n

ment I have bee n perfectly in the right to tur n awa y all the
.
”
C h a b ert s who have ever come as I shall all who ma y come ,
.
“
Happily we are alo n e Madame We can tell li es at ,
.
”
o u r ease said he coolly a n d fi n di n g it amusi n g to lash up
, ,
the C oun tess rage s o as to lead her to betra y herself by

’
tactics familiar to lawy ers w h o are ac customed to k eep ,
cool whe n their oppo n ents o r their clie n ts are i n a passion .
“ ”
Well then we mu st fight it o ut thought he instantly
, , , ,
hittin g on a pla n to entrap her a n d S how her her weakness .
The proof that y ou received the firs t lett er M adame i s , ,
that it co nt ained some securities

“
Oh as to securities
,
— that it certainl y did n ot .
Then y o u recei v ed the letter said D er ville smiling , ,

.
You are cau ght M adame i n the first snare laid fo r

, ,
y ou b y an attorney, and y ou fanc y you c ould fight against

Ju s t i c e
The C ountess colored and then turned pale hiding her , ,
face i n her han ds Then she shook o ff her shame and

.
,
“
retorted with the n atural impertine n ce of s u ch wome n S ince ,
y o u are the so called C h a b -

e r t s attorne y be s o good as ’
to
“
Madame S aid D er ville I am at this moment as much
, ,
y our lawy er as I am C olonel C ha b ert s D o y o u suppose ’
I want to lose so v aluable a client as y ou are ? But y ou are

n ot liste ni n g .
N a y speak o n Monsieur said she graciousl y

, , .
Your fortun e came to y ou from M l e C omte C habert .
a n d y ou cast him o ff Your fortu n e is immen se and y ou

.
,
lea v e him to beg An ad v ocate ca n be v er y eloquent when

.
a caus e is eloque n t i n itself ; there are here circumstances

”
which might tur n public opi nion stron gl y against y ou .
“ ”
But Mo n sieu r said the C omtesse pro v oked b y the
, , ,
way i n which D er v ille turned an d laid he r on the g ri di ron ,

F RE N C H S H OR T S T OR I ES
even i f I grant tha t your M C habert i s l i ving t he l a w will

.
,
up hold m y se c ond marriage o n a cc ou n t o f the c hildre n a n d ,
I S hall get O ff with the restitution of t w o hundred and twent y

fiv e thousa n d fran c s t o M C habert
”
. .
“
It i s impossible t o foresee what view the B ench may take
o f the questi o n I f o n o n e side we have a mother a n d
.
c hildren o n t he other we hav e an o l d man c rushed b y

,
s o r rows made o ld by your refusals t o k n ow him Where

, .
is he t o fi n d a wife ? C a n the j udges c o n travene t he law ?
Your marriage with C olo n el C haber t has priorit y o n its side

and ever y legal righ t But i f y ou appear under disgraceful
.
c olors y o u might have an unlooked for adversar y That

,
-
.
,
M adame is the danger against which I would war n you

,
.
“
A n d w h o he i s ?
C omte F e r r a u d .
‘
M onsie ur F erraud has too great an a ffection for me t o o ,
mu c h res p ec t for the mother o f his children

“ ”
D o not t alk o f such absurd things interru p ted D er v ille , ,
to lawy ers who a r eaccustomed t o read hearts t o the bottom

,
-
A t this instan t M onsieur F erraud has no t the slightest wish

t o annul y o ur u n io n a n d I am quite sure that he adores you ;
,
but i f some one were to tell him that his marriage is v oid ,
that his wi fe will be called before the bar o f public o p i n i o fib

a s a crimi n al
“
H e would defe n d me Mo n sieur ,
.
”
N o M adame
,
.
What reason could he ha v e for deserti n g me M o n sieur ?

,
That he would be free to marry the o n l y daughter of a

p eer o f F ra n ce whos e title wo u ld be conferred on him bv
,
pa t e n t from the Ki n g .
The C ountess t ur n ed p ale .
“ ”
A hit ! s aid D erville to himself I have you o n the
”
hip ; the p oor C olo n el s cas e i s w o n ’
B esides M adame . ,
“
he went o n aloud he would feel all the les s remorse because
,
1 20 F R EN CH S H OR T S T OR I E S
The p asse r by only t o s ee hi m would have r e c o gnized a t

-
, ,
on c e on e o f t he noble wr e ck s o f o u r old ar my on e o f t he ,
heroi c men o n whom ou r na ti onal glo r y i s r e fl e ct ed as ,
a s p lin t e r o f i c e o n whi c h t he s un s hi nes seems t o re fl e c t
every bea m These ve t e r ans are a t on c e a p i ct u r e and a

.
W hen t he C oun t j umped o ut o f his c arr i age t o go i nt o

D ervi ll e s offic e he did i t as li gh t ly as a youn g man H ardly
’
.
,
had h i s c ab moved o ff when a smar t brou gham drove up ,
s p lend i d wi th c oats o f arms M adame la C omt esse F errand

.
ste pp ed o ut in a dress whi c h t hou gh simple was c leverly

, ,
des i gned t o show h o w youthful her fi g ur e was S he wore a .
p re tty drawn bonne t lined wi t h p i nk whi c h framed her fa c e ,
t o p er f e cti o n so ft en i n g i t s outli nes and m aki n g i t loo k

,
youn g e r .
I f t he c lient s we r e r ej u v ene s c ent t he o ffic e was unaltered

, ,
and p resented t he s ame p i c ture as t ha t des c ribed at the

be gi nnin g o f t his s t ory S i m o nni n was eati n g his breakfast
.
,
his shoulder leaning a g ains t t he window whi c h was then ,
open and he was s t ar i n g u p at t he blue S k y in t he o p enin g

,
o f t he c our t yard en c losed by four gloomy houses .
”
Ah ha ! c r i ed the little c lerk w h o will be t an even i ng
, ,
a t t he p lay t ha t C olonel C haber t i s a G enera l and wears a

)
,
r ed ribbon ?
The c hief i s a g rea t magi c i an s aid G o d es c h al,

.
Then t here is no trick t o p lay o n him this t i m e ? asked

D esro c hes .
“
Hi s wi fe has t aken t hat in hand the C omt esse Ferraud , ,
said B ou c ard .
“
Wha t nex t ? said G o d e s c h al Is C omtes se Ferraud
.
”
r equired t o belon g t o t w o men ?
“ ”
Here s h e i s answered S i m onn in
,
.
At t his mome nt the C olonel came in a n d as k ed fo r D e r v ille .
“ ”
H e i s at home S ir s aid S i m o nni n
, ,
.
S o y ou are not deaf you y oung rogue ! said C habert , ,
taki n g the gutter j umper by the ear a n d twisti n g it to the

-
,
delight o f t he other c lerks who bega n to laugh l o oki n g at , ,
the C olonel with the c urious at tention due t o s o S i ngular a

personage .
C omte C habert was in D e r v i ll e s pri v ate room at the

’
m o me n t when his wi fe came i n b y the door o f the o ffice .
“
I s ay B oucard there is goi n g t o be a queer scen e i n the
, ,
chief s room ! There is a woma n who can spen d her day s

’
altern atel y the odd with C omte Ferrand a n d the e v e n with

, ,
C omte C habert .
“
An d i n leap y ear said G o d e s c h al the y mu st se ttle the ,
c o u n t betwee n them .
“
S ilence gen tlemen y ou ca n be heard ! said B ou card
, ,
“
severely . I n e v er w a s in a n o ffice where there was s o m u ch
j esti n g as there is here o v er the clie nts .
D er vi lle had made the C olonel retire to the bedroom when

the C ountess was admitted .
” “
Madame he said n ot knowi n g whether it wou ld be
, ,
agreeable to y ou to meet M l e C omte C habert I hav e placed .
’
,
you apart I f howe v er y ou should wish it

.
, ,
It i s an atte ntion for which I am obliged to y ou .
I have drawn up the memorandu m of a n agreement of

which y o u a n d M C habert ca n discuss the con ditio n s here
.
,
a n d n o w I will go alter n atel y to him a n d to y o u an d

.
,
explai n y our v iews respecti v el y .
”
L et me see M on sieu r said the C o u n tess impatie n tly
, , .
D erville read alou d

‘
B etween the u n dersign ed
‘
M H y aci nthe C habert C ount Maréchal de C amp a n d
.
, , ,
Gran d Officer o f the L egio n o f Hon or li v i n g In P aris Ru e , ,
d u P etit Ba n qu ier o n the o n e part ; ,

‘
An d M adame R ose Ch a p ot el wife of the aforesaid M ,
.
l e C omte C habert n e e
'
,
P ass over t he p reliminaries said she C o m e t o t he

,
.
”
conditio n s .
“
M adame s aid t he lawyer the p reamble brie fl y s ets
, ,
forth the p osi t ion i n which y ou stand t o each ot her T hen .

,
by the firs t c lause y o u ack nowledge i n t he p resen c e Of t hree

, ,
wi tnesses o f whom t w o shall be notaries and on e the

, ,
dair y man with whom your husband has been lod gi ng t o all ,
o f whom your secret is known and w h o will be absolutely

,
silent y o u a cknowledge I s a y tha t the i ndividual d es i g

—
, ,
n a t e d in t he documents subj oi n ed t o the deed and whose ,
identit y i s t o be fur t her p roved by an act o f r e c ognition

p repared by you r notary Alexandre C r o t t at i s your first
, ,
husband C omte C haber t

,
B y t he se c o n d c la use C om t e
.
C haber t t o secure your ha p piness will u n dertake t o assert

, ,
his rights only under certain c ircumstances s et forth i n the

”
deed And these s aid D erville in a parenthesis are
’
.
, , ,
no n e other t han a failure to c arry out the co n ditions o f this

s ecret agreement M C habert o n h i s p art agrees t o a c c e p t
— .
, , ,
j udgment o n a friendly sui t b y whi c h his certifi c at e o f death

,
”
S hall be annulled a n d his marri age dissol v ed
,
.
“
Tha t will not suit me in the least said t he C ou n t es s ,
“ ”
with surprise I will be a p art y to no suit ; y ou k now w h y
. .
“ ”
B y the third clause D er v ille went On with i m p e rt u rb a
, ,
ble cool n es s y ou pledge yourself to s ecure t o H y acinthe

,
—
C omte C habert an incom e o f twent y four thousand francs
on go v ernme n t stock held in his name t o revert t o y ou a t ,
his death
“
But it is much too dear ! exclaimed the C ountess .
”
C a n y ou compromise t he matter cheaper ?
”
P os sibl y .
But what do you wan t M adame ?

,
I want I will not have a lawsuit I wa n t

— .
”
Y ou want him to remain dead ? S aid D er v ille inter ,
ru t i n
p g her hastily
In t hose t imes a man took h i s w i fe where he chose ,

“
said he . But I w a s foolish a n d chose badly ; I t rusted t o
7
appearan c es S he has n o heart . .
Well olonel was I not right t o be g y ou n o t t o c ome

C
, ,
?
I am now p ositive o f your ide ntity ; when y ou c ame in the ,
C ountes s g a v e a little start o f whi c h the mea ni n g was ,
unequivocal B u t you have lost y our chances Y our wife

. .
”
k n ows that y o u are u n recognizable .
I will kill her !

M ad n ess ! Y o u will be caught and executed like any
c ommon wretch B esides y ou might miss ! That would be
.
,
u n pardonable A man must not miss his shot when he want s

.
to kill his wi fe L et me s et things straight ; y ou are o n ly

.
a big child Go n o w Take care o f y ourself ; s h e is capable

. .
o f s etti n g some trap for you and shutti n g y ou u p in C haren
t on I will noti f y her o f o u r p ro c eedin g s t o p ro t e ct you

.
”
agai n st a sur p rise .
The unhapp y C olonel obe y ed his youn g benefactor and ,
we nt away stammeri n g apologies H e slowly we n t down

,
.
the dark staircas e los t i n gloomy t houghts a n d crushed , ,
perhaps by the blow j ust dealt him the most cruel he c ould
—
feel the thrus t t ha t Could most deeply p ierce his heart

,
whe n he heard t he rustle o f a woma n s dress on the lowes t ’
la n ding a n d his wi fe stood before him

,
.
“
C ome M onsieur
,
said she t aki n g his arm w ith a gesture
, ,
like thos e familiar to him o f old H er action and the accen t .
o f her voice which had recovered i t s gracious n ess were

, ,
enough to allay the C olo n el s wrath and he allowed himself ’
t o be led t o t he c arriage .
“ ”
Well get i n s aid s h e when the footma n had le t down
, ,
:
the step .
And as i f b y magic he foun d himself S itti n g b y his wife

i n the brougham .
“ ”
Where to asked the servant
? .
To Grosl a y said s h e
,
.
The horses started at o n ce a n d carried them all across

,
Paris .
“
Mo n sieur said the C ou n tess In a to n e o f v oi c e which
, ,
betra y ed o n e o f those emotio n s which are rare i n our li v es ,
a n d which agitate e v er y part of o u r bei n g At such moments .
the heart fibers n er v es cou nte n an ce sou l a n d bod y ever y

, , , , , ,
thi n g e v er y pore e v e n feels a thrill L ife n o lo n ger seems

, ,
.
to be within us ; it flows ou t spri n gs forth is commu n icated

, ,
as b y co ntagio n tran smitted b y a look a to n e of voice a

, , ,
gest u re impressi n g our will on others

,
The o l d soldier .
“
st a rted on heari n g this si n gle word this first terrible Mo n , ,
sieur But still it w a s at on ce a reproach and a pardon a ,
hope a n d a despair a question and an a n swer This word

,
.
i n cluded them all ; n one but an actress could hav e thrown

s o much eloquence s o ma ny feeli n gs into a si n gle word
,
.
Tr uth is less complete i n its utteran ce ; it does not pu t e v er y

thi n g o n the ou tside ; it allows u s to s e e what is withi n The .
C olo n el was filled with remorse for his s u spicio n s his ,
dema n ds a n d h i s a n ger ; he looked down not to betra y his

,
a gitatio n .
“
Monsieur repeated s h e after a n imperceptible pause
, , ,
”
I kn ew y ou at on ce .
“
R osin e said the Old soldier those words co ntai n the
, ,
”
o nl y balm that can help me to forget m y mis fort u n es .
Two large tears rolled hot on to his wife s han ds which ’
he pressed to show his patern al a fl ec t i on .
“ ” “
Mo n sieu r s h e we n t o n could y ou not have guessed
, ,
what it cost me to appear before a stran ger i n a positio n s o

false as mi n e n o w is ? I f I ha v e to blu sh for it at least let ,
it be i n the pri v ac y of m y famil y Ou ght not such a secret .
to remai n b ried i n o u r hearts You will forgi v e me I hope

u ?
, ,
for my apparent i n di ff eren ce to the woes o f a C habert i n

whose existe n ce I co u ld n ot possibl y belie v e I recei v ed you r .
l et t ers , has t il y added see in g in his face the obj eet l on

she ,
“
i t ex pr ess ed but they did not rea c h me till thirteen months
,
a fter the bat t le o f E ylau They were o p ened dirt y the .

, ,
writing was unrecogn iz able ; and a fter ob t aining N apoleon s ’
s i gn ture t o m y second marriage c o n tra c t I could not help

a ,
believi n g that some cle v er swi n dler wa nted t o make a fool

‘
Therefore to a v oid disturbing M o n sieur F e r r a u d s

’
o f me .
,
pea c e o f mi n d a n d disturbing famil y ties I w a s obliged to

, ,
take p recautio n s against a pretended C habert W a s I not . .
”
right I ask you
,
?
“
Y es you were right I t was I wh o w a s the idiot the
, .
,
o w l the dol t
,
not to ha v e c al c ulat ed better what the c o n s e
,
q u e n c e s o f such a p osition might be B ut where are w e .
goi n g he asked s eein g th a t they had reached the barrier of

?
,
L a C ha p elle .
“
T o m y cou n tr y house near Groslay i n the valley o f fi , }
M ontmorency There M onsieur we will c onsider the steps

.
, ,
to be taken I k n ow m y duties Though I am y o ubr s by

. .
right I am no longer yours in fa c t C a n you wish that w e

,
.
S hould become the talk of P aris ? We need n o t inform the

p ublic o f a situation which for me has its ridi c ulous side , ,
”
and let us p res erve our dign ity You still lo v e me S he s aid .
, ,
“
with a sad sweet gaze at t he C olo n el but have not I bee n
, ,
au t horized to form other ties ? In s o stra n ge a position ,
a secre t voi c e bids me trust to y our kindnes s which i s so ,
well k n own to me C a n I be wro n g in taki n g you as the

.
sole arbiter o f m y fate ? B e at once j udge a n d part y to the

suit I trust in your n oble character ; y ou will be generous
.
e n ough to forgive me for t he co n sequ e n ces o f f aults com

m i t t e d in innoce n ce I may the n confess to y ou : I love M
. .
F e r r a u d I belie v ed that I had a righ t to lo v e him I do

. .
not blush to make this co n fes sion to you ; eve n i f it o ff ends

y ou it does not disgrace us I cannot co n ceal the fa c ts
,
. .
When fate made me a widow I w a s not a mother , .

k eep i t serious S he revived h i s love wi t hout awak en in g h i s

.
desires and allowed her first husband t o dis c ern the men t al
,
wealth s h e had a c quired while tryin g t o accus t om him t o

modera t e his p leasure t o tha t whi c h a father may feel i n t he
s o c iety o f a favori t e daughter .
The C olonel had know n the C ou n tess o f the E m p ire ; he

found her a C ountess o f the R estoration .
A t last by a cross road t hey arri v ed at the entrance t o

,
-
,
a large p ar k l y ing i n t he little valley whi c h di v i des t h e

heights o f M argency f rom the p ret ty village o f G roslay .
The C ountess had t here a deli ghtful hous e where the C olonel ,
o n arriving found ever y thin g in readiness for his s t ay t here ,
as well as fo r hi s wi fe s M is for t une IS a k i nd o f talisman

’
whos e vir t ue c onsists i n i t s p ower t o confirm o u r original

nature ; in some men it i n creases their distrus t and ma
l i gn a n c y j ust as i t improves the goodne s s o f those w h o have
,
a ki n d hear t .
S orrow had made the C olonel even more hel p ful ahd good j
t han he had alwa y s been and he could u n derstand some ,
s ecre t s o f womanly distres s which are u n re v ealed to most

men N evertheless i n spite o f his loyal trustfulness he
. .
, ,
c ould no t help s ayi n g t o his wi fe

“
Then you felt quite sure you would bring me here ?
”
Y es replied s h e I f I fou n d C olonel C habert i n D er
, ,
ville s client
’
.
The a p pearan c e o f t ruth s h e con t rived to give to t hi s

answer dissipated t he slight sus p icions which the C olonel '
was ashamed to have fel t For three days t he C ou n tes s wa s

.
qui t e charmin g t o her first husband B y tender att en tions .
and unfailing sweetnes s s h e seemed anxious t o wi p e o ut the

memory o f the s u fl e ri n g s he had endured and t o earn fo r ,
i e n e s s fo r t he woes which as s h e c onfessed s h e had inno

g v , ,
c en t ly caused him S he delighted i n displaying fo r h im the

.
c harms S he k new he t oo k p leasure i n whi le a t t he same time ,

CO L ONE L C HA B ER T 1 29
sh e a ss umed a ki n d of mela n chol y ; for men are more espe

c i a lly accessible to certai n wa y s certai n gra c es of th e hear t
,
or of the mi n d which the y cann ot resist S he aimed at .
i nterestin g him i n h e r positio n an d appealin g to his feeli n g s

,
s o far as to take possession o f his mi n d a n d co n trol h i m
despotically .
R ead y for a ny thi n g to attai n her en ds she did n ot y et

. ,
know what s h e was to d o with this man ; but at a ny rate s h e

mea n t to anni hilate hi m socially On the e v eni n g o f t h e .
third da y s h e felt that in spite o f her efforts s h e c o u ld n ot

co n ceal her u n easi n ess as t o the results o f her man eu v ers .
To gi v e herself a mi nute s reprie v e S he we n t u p to h e r

’
room s a t down before her wri ti n g table a n d laid aside t h e

,
—
,
mask o f compos u re which she wore i n C h ab e rt s presen ce ’
like an actress who retur n i n g to her dressi n g room after a

,
-
fatiguing fifth act drops half dead leavi n g with the audi
, ,
en ce a n image of herself whi ch s h e n o lo n ger resemble s .
S he proceeded t o fi n ish a letter s h e had begun to D elb e c q ,.
whom s h e desired to go i n her n ame a n d demand o f D ervill e

the deeds relating t o C olo n el C habert t o cop y them a n d t o , ,
come to her at o n ce to Grosla y S he had hardly fi nished .
when s h e heard the C olonel s step in the passage ; uneas y a t

’
her absen ce he had come to look for her

,
.
Alas ! s he exclaimed
”
I w ish I were de ad ! M y posi tion
is i ntolerable .
Wh y what ,
is the matter ? asked the good man .
”
N othi n g n othi n g ! , she replied .
S he rose left t he C olonel a n d went down to speak pri

, ,
v a t ely t o her maid whom s h e se n t o ff t o P aris impressi n g on

, ,
her that s h e was herself to deliver to D elb ec q the letter j us t

writte n an d t o bri n g it back to the writer as soo n as he had
,
read it Then the C oun tess wen t o u t to s i t o n a b e n ch s u ffi

.
c i ent l i n sight f r the C olo n el to j oi n her as soo n a s he mi h t

y o g
choose T he C olonel who was loo k i n g for her hastened u p

.
, ,
a n d sa t down by her
”
R osine said he wha t i s t he m att er wi t h y ou
, ,
?
S he did n ot answer .
It was on e o f t hose glorious c alm evenin g s i n t he month

,
o f Ju n e W hos e s e c re t harmonies i nfus e su c h sweetness into

,
the sunse t The ai r wa s clea r t he stillness p erfe ct so t hat

.
,
.
,
far away in t he p a rk t hey c ould hear the voi c es o f som e

children whi c h added a k i nd o f m el ody t o t he subl i m it y of
,
t he s c ene .
“ ”
Y o u d o no t answe r m e ? t he C olonel s ai d t o his w i fe .
My husband said t he C ount ess who broke o ff , ,

“
s t ar t ed a little and with a blush sto pp ed to as k him Wha t
, ,
”
f
am I to s a y when I speak o M F erraud ? .
“
C all h i m your husband my p oor c h i ld ,
r e p li ed the ,
“
C olonel in a k i nd vo i c e
,
Is he n o t t he fa t her o f yo ur
.
”
c hildren ?
Well then she s aid I f he should as k what I c ame

, , ,
here for i f he finds tha t I c ame here alone w it h a s tr an g er

, , , ,
”
what am I to say to him ? L isten M ons i eur she went on , , ,
“
assuming a dignified a tti tude de c ide my fat e I a m resi gned
, ,
t o anythin g
“
My dear said t he C olonel t aki n g p osses sion o f his
, ,
wi fe s ha n ds I have made u p my mind t o s a c r i fi c e mys elf

’
entirely for your ha p pines s

“
That is impos sible ! sh e ex c laimed with a sudden spas ,
mod i c movemen t R emember t hat you would have t o

”
renoun c e your identi ty and in an authenti c a t ed form
,
.
“ ” “
What ? s aid t he C olonel Is no t m y word enough fo r
.
”
you ?
’
The word authen ti c at ed fell o n t he old m an s hear t and
roused i nvolun t a ry distrus t H e look ed at h i s wi fe i n a way
.
tha t m ade her c olor ; she c ast down he r eyes and he feared ,
tha t he might fi n d himself c om p elled t o d e s p i s e her The .

This was t he de cisive s p ee c h whi c h g ained all t ha t she

h a d ho p ed f r om i t .
Yes ,ex c lai m ed the C ol o nel as i f he were end i ng a ,

“
s ent en c e al r eady be gun in his m ind I mus t r e tur n unde r ,
g round a gai n I had t old myself s o al r eady

. .
“ ”
Ca n I a cc e pt su c h a s acrifi c e ? re p lied hi s w i f e If .
some men have died t o s ave a m i s t ress honor t hey gave ’
t heir life but on c e B ut i n this c as e you would be gi vin g you r

.
li fe every day N o no I t i s im p ossible I f i t were o n ly

.
,
. .
your li fe i t would be no t hin g ; bu t t o si gn a de c laration that

,
you a r e no t C olonel C haber t t o a cknowled g e yourself an ,
impostor to s acrifi c e your hono r and live a l i e every hou r

,
o f the day ! Human devoti on c annot g o s o fa r Only think ! .
No . But for my p oor c hild r en I would have fl ed with you

”
by this t ime to the other end of the world .
“ ” “
But s aid C haber t c an n ot I live he r e i n y ou r li ttl e
, ,
“
lod g e as one o f your relations ! I a m as wo r n o ut as a

c racked c annon I want no thin g bu t a li ttle t oba cc o and the
C o n s t i t u ti o nn e l .
The C oun t ess m el t ed int o t ears T he r e w a s a c ont e st o f

.
gene r osity between t he C omtesse F errand and C olonel C h a

bert a n d t he soldier c ame o ut vi c torious
,
On e evenin g .
,
s ee i ng this mot her with her c hildren the soldier was be ,
witched by the t ou c hing g ra c e of a family p i c ture i n t he

c oun t ry i n t he shade and the silen c e ; he made a resolution
,
t o remain dead and frightened no lon g er at the a ut h ent i

, ,
c ation o f a deed he asked wha t he w a s to d o t o se c ure

,
be y ond all risk the happi n ess o f this family .
“ ”
D o exa ctly as you like s aid t he C ountess ,
I de c lare .
t o you t ha t I will have no t h i n g t o do with t his affai r I .
ought no t .
D elb e c q had ar r i ved so m e days b e f o r e and i n obedien c e ,
to the C ount ess verbal instru c tions , t he i nt endan t had su c

’
c ee d ed in gai n ing the old soldier s c on fi d e n c e S o on the

’
.
following morni n g C olo n el C habert went wi th t he erewhile

attorn ey to S aint L eu Taver ny where D elb ec q had ca u sed
- -
,
the n otar y to draw up an a ffidavit i n such terms that after

heari n g it read the C olonel started up and walk ed out of
,
the o ffice .
Turf a nd thunde r ! What a f ool y ou must think me !

”
Wh y I should make my self o ut a swi n dler ! he exclaime d
, .
“ “
In deed Mo n sie u r said D elb e c q I shou ld ad v ise y ou
, , ,
n ot to sign i n haste I n y our place I wo u ld get at leas t

.
thirty thou sand francs a y ear out of the bargain M adame .
”
wou ld pa y them .
After an nihilati n g this scoun drel emeritus b y the light

ning look o f a n hon est ma n i n sulted the C olo n el rushed off , ,
carried away b y a thousan d c ontrar y emotions He w a s .
suspicious i n dignant an d calm again b y tu r n s

, ,
.
Fi n ally he made his wa y back i nto the p ark of Groslay

b y a gap in a fe n ce a n d slowly walked on to sit down a n d
,
rest and meditate at h i s ease in a little room under a gazebo ,
from which the road to S ai n t L en cou ld be seen The path -

.
bei n g strewn with the y ellowi sh san d which is used i n stead

o f ri v er gra v el the C ou n tess
-
,
who was sitti n g i n the upper , o
r oom of this little summer house did n ot hear the C olo n el s -

,
’
approach for s h e was too mu ch preoccupied with the s u ccess

,
o f her busi n ess to p a y the small est atte n tion to the slight
n oise made b y her husband N or did the old m an noti c e that .
his wi fe was in the room o v er him .
Well M o n sieu r D elbec q has he signed

,
? the C ountess ,
asked her secretar y whom s h e s a w alo n e o n the road be y o n d

,
the hedge o f a haha .
N o Madame I d o no t e v en know what has becom e

,
.
of ou r man The old horse reared

. .
“
The n we shall be obliged to p ut him i nto C harento n ,
“ ”
said s h e si n ce we ha v e got him
,
.
The C olo n el who reco v ered the elasticity of y o u th to leap

,
t he haha , t he twinkling o f an e y e w a s s t andin g in front

in
o f D elb e c q o n whom he bestowed the t wo fi nest sla p s tha t
,
eve r a s c oundrel s c heeks re c eived

’
“
A nd y ou may add that o ld horses c an ki ck ! sai d he .
His rage s p en t the C olo n el n o lo n ger felt vi gorous e n ou gh

,
t o lea p the dit c h H e had seen the trut h l n all its nakednes s
. .
The C ountess s p eech and D elb e c q s repl y had revealed t he

’ ’
c ons p ira c y o f which he was t o be the vi c ti m The c are .
t aken o f him was but a bai t t o entra p him i n a snare That .
s p eech w a s like a dro p o f subtle poison bringi n g o n i n t he ,
o l d soldier a re t u r n o f all his sufferi ng s p h sical and moral

y ,
.
H e c ame ba ck t o t he summer hous e throug h the p ark g ate

-
,
walking slowly like a broken man .
Then fo r him t here w a s t o be ne i t he r p ea c e nor t ru c e !

F rom thi s moment he mus t begin the od i ous w arfare with
t his woman o f whi c h D erville had s p oken ent er o n a li fe o f
'
litigation feed o n g all drin k every m o r ning o f the c up o f

, ,
bitternes s A nd then fearful thought ! where w a s he t o find

.
—
the money needful t o p ay t he c os t o f t he firs t proceedin g s ?

H e felt su c h dis gus t o f li fe that i f there had been any
,
water at hand he would have t hrown himself int o i t ; tha t

i f he had had a pistol he would have blown o u t his brains
,
.
T hen he relaps ed in t o t he i n de c ision of mi nd which si n ce ,
his c onversation wi t h D erville a t the dairyman s had c han g ed ’
his character .
At last having rea c hed the kiosque he wen t u p to the

, ,
gazebo where little ros e windows a fforded a V iew over each

,
-
lovel y lands c ape o f t he valley and where he found his wi fe

,
s eated o n a c ha i r The C ountess w a s gazing at t he distan c e

.
a n d p reserved a c al m c oun t enance showin g t ha t i m p ene

,
t r a b l e face whi c h women c an a ssume when resolved t o do

their wors t S he wiped her e y es as i f she had been weeping
.
a n d pla y ed absently with the p i n k ribbo n s o f her sash .
N e v ert heless in spite of her apparent assuran c e s h e c ould

, ,
F er r aud t o claim from M l e C omt e C haber t t he am ount o f

.
t h e bill a s s u m l n g t hat s h e would know whe r e t o find her

,
firs t husband .
The very next day C omt e F e r r au d s m an o f business latel y ’
a pp oi n ted P residen t o f th e C oun t y C our t i n a t ow n o f some
i m p or ta n ce wrote t his dis tr essin g note t o D erville :

,
“
M o n sieur ,
M adame la C omtess e F erraud desires me t o i nfo rm y o u

that y our clie n t took c omplete ad v a n tage o f your co n fide n ce ,
a n d tha t the i n di v idual calli n g himself C omte C habert has
a ck n owledged t h at he came forward under fals e p retences .
D E L B EC Q
”
Y ours etc,
. .
On e comes a c ross p eople who are on m y honor t o o , ,

“
s tupid b y half cried D erville The y don t deserve t o be ’
.
,
C hristians ! B e humane generous p h i lanthropi c al and a

, , ,
lawyer and you are bound to be c heat ed ! There i s a p ie c e

,
o f busi n es s that will c ost me t w o t h o us and franc notes -
S ome time a ft er re c ei v in g this let ter D erville went to the ,
P alais de Justice in s ear c h o f a p leader t o whom he wished

t o speak a n d w h o w a s employed i n t he P oli c e C our t
,
As .
c hance would ha v e i t D er v ille wen t i n t o C our t N umbe r 6 a t

,
t h e moment when the P residi n g M agistrate was se n tencin g

o n e H y acinthe to t w o mo n ths imprisonm en t as a vagabond
’
!
a n d subs eque n tl y to be taken t o the M e n di c ity House o f
D etentio n a s e n te nc e which b y magistrate s l a w i s equ i v

’
, , ,
a l en t to perpetual im p riso n me n t On hearin g t he name .
H v a c i n t h e D er ville looked at the delinquent sitting between

, ,
t w o g e n d a r m e s on the ben c h for the accused and r e c ogni z ed ,
in the condemned man his false C olo n el C habert .
The old soldier w a s p lacid motionless almos t absent , ,
m i n ded In spite of his rags i n spite o f the mis ery stam ped
.
,
o n his c ounte n a n ce it gave e v ide n ce o f noble pride His

,
.
e y e had a stoical expression which no magistrate ought t o

ha v e misunderstood ; but as soo n as a ma n has fallen into

the ha n ds of j ustice he i s no more tha n a moral entit y a
, ,
matter of law o r of fa ct j ust as t o statists he has be c ome

,
a zero .
When the veteran was t aken ba ck to the lock u p to be -

,
remo v ed later with the bat c h o f vagabo n ds at that moment at

the bar D erville availed himself o f the p ri v ilege accorded
,
to lawy ers o f going whereve r they please i n the courts an d ,
followed hi m to the lock up where he stood scru ti n izi n g

-
,
him fo r s o m e minutes as well as the curious c rew of beggars

,
amo n g whom he foun d himself The passa ge t o the lock u p .

-
at that momen t afforded on e o f those specta cles which ,
u nfortunatel y neither legislators nor phi lanthropists nor

, ,
pai n ters n o r writers c ome to stud y L ik e all the laboratorie s

,
.
o f the law t hi s ante room is a dark and malodorous place

,
-
alon g the walls runs a wooden s eat blackened b y the co n stant ,
presen c e there o f the wret c hes who c ome to thi s meetin g

place o f e v ery form o f so cial squalor where n ot o n e o f them ,
is mi ssing .
A poet mi ght s a y that the day was ashamed to light u p

this dreadful sewer through whi ch so mu ch mi ser y flows !
There is not a spot o n that plank where some crime has n ot
sat in embry o o r matured ; not a c or n er where a man has
,
never stood who dri v en t o despair b y the bli ght whi ch

,
j ustice has s et upon him aft er his first fault has not there ,
beg un a career at the en d o f which looms the guillotine o r the

,
pistol snap of the suicide All w h o fall on the p a v ement of

-
.
P aris rebound against thes e yellow gray walls on which a -

,
p hilan thropist who was not a speculator might read a j u s t i fi ,
cation o f the numerous sui c ides c omplained o f by hy pocritical

writers wh o are i n capable o f taki n g a step t o pre v ent them 4 -
for that j ustification is writte n in that ante room like a -

,
preface t o the dramas o f the Morgue o r to those e n acted on ,
the Place de la Grev e .

At t his m o m ent C olonel C habert w as sit tin g a m on g t hese

—
m en men with coars e fa c es c lothed i n the horrible liver y ,
o f m isery and silent at in t ervals o r talking m a low to n e

, , ,
fo r three gendarmes o n duty p a c ed t o and fr o their sabers

c latteri n g o n the floor .
Do y o u recognize me ? said D erville t o the old m a n ,
s t andin g in front o f him .
“
Y es sir s aid C haber t r l s m g
, , , .
”
I f you are an hones t man D erville wen t o n i n an under ,
“ ”
t one how c ould you remain in my deb t
,
?
The old soldier blushed as a youn g gi rl mi ght when

a cc us ed by her mo t her o f a c landes t ine love a fia i r .
“ ”
What ! M adame Ferraud has no t p aid y o u ? cried he
i n a loud voi c e .
“ ”
P aid me ? s aid D er v ille S he wrote t o me tha t you .
were a swi n dler .
T h e C olo n el cast up h i s e y es in a sublime impuls eo f horror

and imprecation a s i f to c all heaven to w i t nes s t o t h i s fresh
,
subterfuge .
“
M onsieur said he in a voi c e t ha t w a s c alm by shee r
, ,
“
hus kines s get the g endarmes to allow me t o go i nto t he
,
lo ck u p a n d I will sign an orde r which will c ertainly b e

-
,
”
honored .
At a word from D erville to the s ergeant he w a s allowed t o

t ake his client i nto the room where Hyacinthe wrote a few ,
lines and addressed them to the C omtesse F erraud

,
.
“
S end her that said the soldier and you will be p aid
, ,
your c osts and the mone y y ou advanced B elieve me M on .

,
sieur i f I ha v e no t shown you the gratitude I o w e you for

,
”
your kind o ffic es it is not the less there and he laid his hand
, ,
“
o n his heart Y es i t is there dee p and sin c ere But what
.
, ,
.
’
c an the unfortu n ate do ? They li v e and that i s all ,
.
“ ” “
What ! said D ervi lle D id you not sti p ula t e for a n
.
allowan c e ?
I say D erville said G o d e s c h a l to his traveli ng c o m

, ,
“
p an i on look at that o ld fellow I sn t he like those g r o
, .
’
t e s qu e car v ed figures we g e t fro m Ge rm any ? And it i s ali ve ,
p erha p s it i s ha pp y .
D erville looked at the p oor man t hrou gh h i s eye glass and ,

.
wit h a little exclamation o f surprise he said

!
“
That old man my dear fellow is a whole poem or a s t h e
, , , ,
romantics sa y a drama Did you ever mee t the C omtesse

,
.
”
F errand ?
Y es ; s h e is a cle v er woman a n d a g reeabl e ; but ra t her

,
too pious s aid G o d e s c h a l

, .
“
That old Bic etre pauper i s her lawful husba n d C omte ‘
,
C habert the old C olo n el

,
S he has had him s e n t here no
.
,
doubt A n d if he is in t his work hous e i n s t e a

. h o f li v i n g i n
a mansion it i s solely because he reminded the p retty
,
C oun t es s t hat he had t aken her like a hackney éa b on t he , ,
street I can remember n o w t he t iger s glare s h e sho t a t

.
’
”
him a t tha t momen t .
This o peni ng ha v i n g ex c ited G o d e s c h al s c uriosity D e r ’
v ille related the story here t old .
T w o days later on M onday morning as t hey r eturned t o

, ,
P aris the t w o friends looked again at Bi c et r e and D erville

, ,
p roposed that t he y should c all on C olonel C haber t Half w a y .
up the avenue they found the old man sittin g o n t he tru n k

o f a felled tree ; with his sti ck in one hand he w a s amusin g ,
himself with drawing lines in the sand On lookin g at him .
narrowl y they p ercei v ed t ha t he had been b r ea k fas t in g

,
elsewhere than at Bic etre .
“
Good mor n ing C olo n el C habert said D e r vi lle
, ,
.
N o t C habert ! N ot C habert ! M y name i s Hya c i nt he ,

“
re p lied the veteran I am no lo n ger a man I am N o
.
,
.
1 64 ,
R oom 7 he added looki n g at D er v ille with timid
, ,
“
a n xiet y the fear of an old man and a child
,
Are y ou .
”
goi n g to V isi t the man c onde m ned to deat h ? he asked ,
after a m ome n t s sile n ce He i s n ot married ! He is v er y

’
”
lu cky !
“
Poor fellow ! said G o d e s c h al Would you like some .
thi n g to bu y s nu ff
With all the simplicity of a street Arab the C olo n el ,
eagerl y held out his han d to the two stran gers who each ,
ga v e him a twenty franc piece ; b e thanked them with a -
puzzled look say i n g ,

“ ”
Bra v e troopers !
He ported arms p reten ded t o take aim at them an d , ,
sho u ted with a smile

“
Fire ! both arms ! Vi c e And he drew a
flo u rish in the air with his stick .
“
The n ature of his wound has no doubt made him childish ,
said D er ville .
“
C hildish ! He ? said another old pauper who w a s looki n g ,
on . Why there are day s whe n y o u had better n ot tread

,
on hi s cor n s He is an old rogue fu ll of philosoph y a n d

.
,
imaginatio n But toda y what can y ou expect ! H e has had

.
,
his M onda y treat He was here Monsieur s o lon g ago as .

, ,
1 820 .At that time a Prussian officer whose chaise was ,
c rawli n g up the hill of Villej ui f came b y on foot We , .
two were together H y acinthe and I b y the roadside The , ,

.
o ffi as he walked was talking to a n other a R u ssian o r

‘
c er , , , ,
some ani mal of the same species an d whe n the P russian s a w ,

‘
the ol d bo y j ust to make fun he said to him Here is a n
, , ,
28 ‘
o l d cavalr y man who mu st ha v e been at R ossbach I ’
.
‘
was too y oun g to be there said H y aci nthe But I was at ,
’
.
Jena 29
. And the P r u ssian made o ff prett y quick withou t ,
”
aski n g any more questions .
“
What a desti ny ! exclaimed Der v ille Tak en o ut of .
the Foun dli n g Hospital to die i n the I n firmar y for the Aged ,
2 9 At R b ch vi ll a g
os s i n S x ny
a th G m n d f e t ed t h e
a e a o e er a s e a
F n h N v 5 1 757 l i n S x n y t h F n h u nd e
,
At J n
.
,
re c o e a, a so a o e re c r
N a p ol eon d efea t ed t h G e ma n O t
, .
, .
, ,
, e r s, c .
a fter helpin g N a p o l eon between whiles t o c on que r E gy pt

a n d E uro p e D o y o u know m y dear fellow D e r vi lle we n t
.
, ,
“
o n after a p aus e there are in modern so c iety th ree men who
,
c a n never think well o f t he world the p riest t he doctor a n d

—
, ,
the man o f law And t he y wear black robe s p erhaps because

?
,
t he y ar e in mourn in g for e v er y v irtue and ever y illus i on The .
most hapless of the three i s t he law y e r When a man c omes .
in sear c h o f the p ries t he i s p romp t ed b y re p ent an c e by

, ,
remorse by beliefs whi c h make him i n teresting whi c h elevate

, ,
him and c omfort t he soul o f the i n tercessor whose tas k w i ll

b rin g him a sort of glad n ess ; he p u rifies repairs and recon , ,
c iles But we la w y ers we s e e the same e v il feelings repeated

.
,
again and again nothi n g can correct t hem ; O

,
h r o ffi c es are
s ewers which can ne v er be clea n sed .
H o w ma ny thi n gs have I learned i n the exer c ise o f m y

pr o fession ! I have seen a father die in a garre t dese r ted ,
by t w o daughters t o whom he had g i v en forty t housand

,
fran c s a year ! I have known wills bur n t ; I have seen m o t hers

robbi n g their childre n wi v es killing their husbands and
, ,
working o n the lo v e t he y could inspire to make t he men

idiotic or mad that the y migh t li v e in p eace with a lover I
,
.
have seen women t eachi n g the child of their marriage su c h

tastes as must bri n g it to the gra v e i n order to benefit t he
c hild of an illicit affection I could not tell y o u all I have
.
’
seen for I have seen crimes agai n st which j usti c e i s impo t ent
,
.
I n short all the horrors that romancers su p pos e t hey have

,
i n v e n ted are still below the trut h — You will know somethi n g
o f thes e pre tt y thi n gs ; as for me I am goi n g to li v e in the
,
c ou ntr y with my wi fe I ha v e a horror o f P aris

. .
“ ’
I ha v e seen p lent y of them already i n D esroches office ,
r eplied G o d e s ch al .
1 44 F REN C H S H O RT S T OR I ES
stories n o r in his life did he allow an y d i s p lay o f e m o ti on .
H e was ske p ti c al about the idea o f good in t he world and

“
wrote t ha t there is nothi ng more common th an doin g evil
”
for the p leasure o f doin g it However underneath all
.
,
this outward c y ni c ism he was r eally a man o f warm s y mp a

thies and c haritable i ncli n atio n s t hou gh like M aupassant , , ,
he n eVe r allowed his p ersonality t o be r evealed i n his wor k .
M erim ee was the firs t grea t F rench wr i te r w h o t o gk an

i n tellige nt and s p e c ial interes t i n R ussian novelis t s He .
g reatl y admired the stories o f P ush k i n a n d w as the friend

o f Tur g enev w h o lived all the latter p ar t o f his life i n
,
P aris .
M a t e o F a le o n e t he s ele c tion in this volume is an ,
excellent illustration o f M é ri m é e s c h o i c e o f su b j e c t mate’
r ial tr eatment and above all the t ra gi c i rony whi c h he

, , ,
co n sciously culti v ated for t he purpose o f his art Othe r .

.
s t ories o f the same typ e are C o lo m ba T a k i ng o f t h e R e ,
d o u bt T a m a ng a and C a r m e n all o f whi c h deserve t he

, , ,
attentio n of the r eader o f Fre n ch fictio n .
M erim ee was elected to the F rench A c ademy in 1 8 4 4 .
H e died at C ann es S e pt e mbe r 2 3 1 8 7 0

, ,
.
MAT E O FA L C O N E
By P R OS P E R M ER I M EE
G O IN G out of P orto Vecchio a n d t u r n i n g n orthwes t

-
,
t owards the interior of t he island y o u s e e t he land rise ,

’
p retty sharpl y and a fter a three hours walk along wi n d

, ,
i n g p aths obs t ru ct ed by great lumps o f rock and sometimes

, ,
c u t by ra v ines you reach the edge o f a mos t ex t ensive

,
m aqu i s
1
The m aqu i s i s t he home o f the C orsican shepherds
.
a n d o f whoe v er is in trouble with the p olice Y ou must kn ow .
that the C o r s w a n p eas ant to s ave himself the t rouble of

,
m a n uring s ets fire to a stretch of wood ; i f t h e flames spread

,
fu rther tha n is n eces sar y s o much the worse ; bu t whatever

,
1 T h e n am e g i v en t o t h e b u s h o u n t y o f C s i c a
. c r or .
M AT EO FA L C ONE 1 45
happens he is sure of a good har v est from sowing on t his

,
ground fertilized by the ashes o f the trees i t bore When

,
.
the c orn has been gathered ( the y le a ve t he straw whi c h ,
would b e a trouble to colle c t ) the tree roots which have , ,
stay ed in the ground without wasting away p ut forth ver y

.
,
heav y sho o ts in the followi n g spring which in a f ew yea r s ,
r each a height o f s ev en o r eight feet It i s this species o f .
close thicket that they call the m a quz s It is made u p o f .
di fferen t ki n ds of trees an d shrubs mi xed an d e n t a ngled as

God wills Onl y with a hatchet in his han d c an a man o pe n
.
h imself a wa y through an d there are m aqu z s s o thick an d

'
bushy that the wild rams themselves a r e unable t o p enetr a t e

them .
I f y ou ha v e killed a m a n go i nto the m aquz s o f P orto

’
Vecchi o a n d y o u will li v e there in safety with a go od gun

, , ,
p owder a nd shot ; y ou mu st n ot forget a brown cloak with

,
a hood o n it that will ser v e as co v erin g a n d mattress

,
The .
s hepherds gi v e y ou milk cheese a n d chest nuts and y ou will

, , ,
h a v e nothi n g to fear from the l a w o r the dead man s rela ,

’
tion s except when y o u hav e t o go down i n to the town to

,
r enew y our stock o f ammunition .
Mateo F afl con e when I was in C orsica in 1 8

,
had his
house half a league s dista n ce from the m aquz s He w a s a
’ ’
fairl y rich ma n in the cou n try side ; li v i n g as a ge ntleman ,
that is to s ay wi t h Ou t doi n g a ny thi n g o n the produce of

’
, ,
his flocks , that shepherds a ki n d of n o mads pastured here

, ,
and there o v er the mou n tai n s When I saw hi m two y ears .

,
after the i n cide n t I am about t o rel a te t o you he seemed ,
to m e fift y y ears old at most Imagine a m a n small bu t .
stu rd y with crisp hair black as j et large quick e y es an d

, , , ,
a complexio n the color o f boot leather H i s skill with the -

.
gun passed fo r extraordi n ar y e v e n in hi s cou ntr y where ,
there are s o many good sh o ts For example M ateo wo u ld .

,
never fire at a wild ram with bu ckshot ; at a hun dred an d

twenty p a c es he woul d brin g it down wi th a bulle t i n t he

,
head o r t he S h Ol C I as he c hose H e u s e d h i s wea p on as

’
, .
easily a t ni g ht a s in t he day time and I heard this p roof ,
o f his ski ll that will p erha p s see m in c redible t o t hose wh o

,
ha v e n o t traveled in C orsica At eight y pa c es a lighted .

,
c a n dl e was p la c ed behind a pie c e o f t rans p arent p aper as

big as a plate H e aimed T he candle w a s blown o ut and
. .
, ,
after a minute i n the most absolute dar kness he fired and ,
pier c ed the paper t h r e e t i m e s o ut o f four .
With such transcende n t merit M ateo Falcone had w o n a ,
great reput ation M en s aid he was as good a friend as he

.
w a s a da n gerous e n em y : obligi n g too and charitable he , , ,
lived at p eace with everybody i n the neighborhood of P orto

Vecchio But it w a s s aid o f him that at C orte when c e h e
.
, ,
had taken his W i fe he had dis embarrassed himself in t he

,
most v igorous m a n n er o f a rival accou n ted as redoubtable

in w a r as in love ; at least to M ateo w a s attributed a c ertain
,
shot that had surprised his ri v al shaving before a li ttle

mirror hung in h i s wi n dow The affair w a s hushed u p and .
,
M ateo married His wi fe Gius epp a had given him firs t

.
three girls ( at which he w a s enraged ) and fi n ally a boy ,
whom he called Fortu n ato the hope o f his family heir to , ,
the n ame The daughters were well married : their father

.
could cou n t a t need o n the poniards and c arbines o f his

s o n s i n l a w The s o n w a s o n ly ten years o ld but already
- -
.
,
promised well .
On e autumn da y M ateo went out earl y with his wi fe t o

,
visit o n e o f h i s flo c ks in a clearing in the m aqui s L ittle .
F ort u n ato wanted t o accompa ny him but the clearing w a s ,
too far awa y ; be sides it w a s very ne c essar y that some o n e

,
sho u ld s t a y to guard the house ; the father refused : we

s hall s e e i f he had not good reason to regret it .
H e had been away some hours a n d little Fortuna t o w a s ,
tra n qu illy s t re tc hed in the su n looking at t he blue moun ,

F REN C H S H OR T S T OR I ES
Y our gun i s not loaded a n d there are no c ar t rid g es i n

'
,
”
y o ur c a r i be r a .
5
I have m y dagger .
But will you ru n as quick as I ?
H e made a bou n d a n d put hims el f o u t o f reach .
“
You are not the so n o f M ateo Falco n e Will y o u let me .
”
be arrested in front of y our house ?
The child seemed touched .

Q)
“
What will y o u give me i f I hide you ? he s aid c omin g ,
nearer .
The bandit rummaged in a leather po u ch that h u n g at ‘
h i s belt a n d took out a fiv e fra n c piece that he a d n o do u bt

h
-
,
kept to bu y powder F o r t u n a t o smiled at the si gh t o f t he

.
p iece of silv er ; he seized it and s aid to Gianetto

“ ”
Fear n othi n g .
I n sta n tl y he made a great hole in a ha y rick p la c ed near

the house Gianetto squatted do wn in it a n d the child
.
,
c overed him u p s o as to leave him a little air to breathe ,
a n d y et s o that it was im p ossible to suspect that a man w a s

co n ce a led in the hay H e bethought himself t o o o f a n
.
i n ge n io u s piece o f s a v age cun n i n g H e fetched a c at and .
her little o n es a n d established them o n the ha y rick to make

, ,
b elie v e that it had not bee n stirred for some time The n .
,
n oticing t races o f blood o n the p ath close t o the house he ,
co v ered them carefully with dust a n d that done l ay dow n , , ,
again in the sun with the utmost tra n qu illit y .
S ome mi n utes later s i x men i n brown u n iform with yello w

,
c ollars comma n ded by an adj utant were before M ateo s

’
, ,
door The ad j utant w a s dista ntly co nn ected with Falco n e

. .
( It i s well k n own that i n C orsica degrees of relationship are -
cou nted farther t han els ewhere ) His name w a s T i o d o ro .
Gamba : he was a ma n o f en ergy much feared by the ,
ba n dits ma ny o f whom he had already run down

,
.
5 A a t i d g b el t
. c r r e .
Good day little cousi n said he accosti n g Fortun ato

-
, , ,
.
How y ou hav e grown ! Did y ou s e e a man p ass b y j ust '
”
now ?
“
Oh , I am not y et as big as y o u cousin the child , ,
a n swered with a simple air .
“
That will come B u t tell me ha v en t y ou see n a man
.
,
’
”
go b y ?
“
Ha v e I seen a man go b y ?
Yes ; a ma n with a poi nted cap and a waistcoat worked ,

”
in red a n d y ellow ?
“
A ma n with a poi n ted cap and a waistcoat worked i n ,
”
r ed a n d y ellow ?
Y es ; a n swer qu ickl y a n d d o n ot repeat my questio n s

,
.
This mor ni n g M on sieur the C u ré we nt past o u r door o n

,
his horse Piero H e asked me how papa w a s an d I told

.
,
him
“
Ah y ou y o u n g scamp y ou are play i n g the fool ! T ell
, ,
m e at o n ce w h ileh way Gia n etto went ; he IS t he ma n w e

are after an d I am sure he took this path
,
.
“ ”
Who kn o ws ?
Who kn ows ? I kn ow y o u hav e seen him .
D oes on e then s e e passersb y whe n o n e Is asleep ?
R ogu e y ou were n ot asleep ; the gu n shots woke you

,
S o y ou thi nk co u si n that y our carbi n es make s o much

, ,
”
noise ? M y father s rifle makes mu ch mor e
’
.
“
M a y the de v il take y ou cursed scamp that y ou are ! ,
I am ver y s u re y ou hav e see n Gian etto P erhaps y o u have .
ev e n hidde n him C om e mates i n t o the hou se with y o u

.
, , ,
a n d s ee i f o u r man i s n ot ther e H e was o nly goi n g o n .
o n e foot a n d he has too mu ch sen se the rascal to tr y an d

, , ,
reach the m aqui s limpi n g B esides the traces of blood stop

.
,
”
here .
“
An d what will papa s ay ? asked F o r t un a t o chuckli n g ; ,
wha t wi ll he say when he hears tha t hi s hous e w a s en t e r e d

while he was out ?
R o gue ! s aid A dj ut ant G amba t akin g hi m by t h e ear , ,
do you k now t hat i f I li k e I c an m ake you c han g e your

, ,
tune ? P erha p s i f I gi ve y ou a s c ore o f blows wi t h the flat

,
”
o f t he sword o u wi ll s p ea k a t last
’
y
,
.
A nd F o rt u n at o wen t on c hu c klin g .
“ ”
M y fa t he r is M a t e o F al c one he s a i d wi t h em p h as i s
,
a
.
D o you k now l i tt le s c am p t ha t I c an t a k e y o u o ff t o
, ,
C or t e o r t o B as t ia ? I w i ll p u t y o u t o slee p i n a c ell o n ,
s t raw with i r on s on your fee t and I will have you r head

, ,
”
c ut off unless y ou s ay where i s G i anett o S an p i gr o .
T he c hild broke int o a lau gh a t t hi s r idi c ulous t h r eat .
H e s aid a g ain :
“
M y father is M at eo F al c one .
” 6
Adj utant said one o f t he volt ig e u rs under his b r eat h
, ,
”
do not le t us get into trouble w ith M a t eo .
It was c lear t h at Gamba w a s embarrassed H e s p oke i n .
a l o w voi c e t o his men w h o had already g one throu gh t h e

,
house I t w a s n ot a lon g business for a C orsi c an s c ott a g e

’
.
,
i s made u p o f a single square room T he furni ture c onsis t s .
of a t ab le ben c hes c hes t s household u t ensils and t h e

, , , ,
wea p ons o f t he c hase M eanwhile li ttle F o rt u n a t o s t roked

.
,
his c at and seemed t o fi nd a m ali c i ous enj oymen t i n t he

,
d i s c o m fit u r e o f t he vo lt ig e u r s and his c ousin .
A soldier c ame u p to t he ha y r i ck He s a w t he c a t and .

,
c areles sly stuck a bayone t i n t he hay shru ggi n g his shoul ,
ders as i f he f e lt he were t akin g a r idi c ulous p re c au tion

,
.
N othin g s tirred ; and t he c h ild s fa c e di d no t b e tr ay t he

’
sl i ght es t emo t i on .
The adj u t ant and his men c u r sed t he i r lu ck ; they were

already looking s eriousl y towards t he pla i n as i f read y to ,
g o ba c k when c e t hey had c ome when their leader c on v inced

, ,
.6 T h e l i g h t i n fa n t ry em p l o y ed a s c o un t y p o l i c e r .
1 52 F REN C H S H OR T S T OR I E S
W ell wo uld y o u lik e t h e wa tc h l itt le c ousin ?

, ,
Fo r tunat o ogling the watch o u t o f the c orners o f hi s ey es

, ,
was like a c a t t o who m on e o ff ers a whole c hi ck en The c a t .
dares n o t p u t a c la w on i t f e eli n g t ha t o n e is lau gh i n g a t

,
him and tu r ns a way his eyes f r o m ti me t o ti me s o as n o t to

, ,
su cc u m b t o the t em pt a t ion ; bu t he li c ks his li p s c on tinually ,

“ ”
and s eems t o say t o h i s mas t er What a c ruel j o k e t his is !
'
And yet Adj u t ant Ga m ba see m ed t o be maki ng a real offe r

,
o f t he wa tc h F o rt u n at o di d not p u t ou t his hand but said

.
, ,
with a bi t te r s m ile
“
Why are y o u lau ghin g at m e ?
By G od ! I am n ot lau ghing Only t ell me whe r e i s .
G ianet t o and t he wat c h i s yours

,
.
F o r t u n a t o allowed an i n cr edulous smile to escape hi m ;

and fix i n g his bla ck eyes on those o f t he adj u t ant tr i ed t o
, ,
read i n t hem t he good faith he sou ght fo r in the word s .
“ “
M ay I l ose my e p aule tt es c ried t he adj ut ant i f I d o
, ,
no t give you t he wat c h on t ha t c ondi t i on ! M y fellows a re

witnes ses a n d I c anno t u n s ay i t
,
.
1
As he s p oke he brou gh t t he watc h nea r e r and n earer till

,
i t almos t t ou c hed t he p ale c hee k of t he c hild whose fa c e ,
S howed c learly how c ove t ousness and t he respe c t due t o hos
p i t a l i t y were c ontendin g in his soul His bare breas t hea v ed .
c onvulsively and he s eemed almos t c ho kin g M eanwhile the

,
.
wat c h swung and t wisted a n d s ometimes t ou c hed the tip o f

, ,
his nose A t las t little by little his ri gh t hand r ose towards

.
, ,
t he watch ; he t ou c hed i t with t he ti p o f his fin g ers ; its whole

wei gh t was in his hand wi thou t t he adj utant howeve r le t
, , ,
t ing go the end of the c ha i n the face w a s blue t he

e ase newly burnished i t s eemed all o n fire i n t he sun .
The t em pt at ion was t o o s t ron g .
Fort unato li fted his left hand also and i ndi c at ed wi t h his ,
t humb over his S houlder the hayri c k on which he lean t

, ,
The .
adj utant instant ly understood H e dro pp ed the end o f t he .

chai n Fortunato felt himself sole possessor of the wat c h

. .
He leapt with the agility of a deer an d put ten paces ,
betwee n himself a n d the hay rick that the volt z geurs imme
’
d i a t ely s et to work to bri n g down .
It was not lo n g before they s a w the h ay s t i r ; a bleeding '
man came o ut o f it with a dagger i n his hand ; but when he

, ,
tried to get o n hi s feet his c o n gealed wound preve nted him

,
from sta n di n g upright He fell T h e ad j ut ant flun g hi m

. .
self upo n him a n d wrested awa y his p o n iard Immedi ately

,
.
he was stro n gly boun d i n S pite of his resistan c e

,
.
Gia n etto laid o n the gro u n d and tied up like a bun dle o f
, ,
sticks t u r n ed his head towards F o rt un at o who had c o m e u p

, ,
again .
“
S on o f he said with more scorn than anger , .
The child threw him the p iece of sil v er he had had fr om

him feeli n g that he n o lo n ger deser v ed it ; but the proscribed
,
man did n ot seem to notice the action He said v ery tra n .
quilly to the adj ut ant

“
M y dear Gamba I ca nn ot walk ; y ou wi ll ha v e to carry
,
”
me to the town .
“
Y o u were runn ing j u st n ow qu icker tha n a y ou n g goat , ,
retorted the cruel v i c tor ; but be eas y : I am so glad to ha v e

got y ou I would c arr y y ou a league o n m y back without feel
,
i n g the weight Any how comrade we will make y ou a litter

.
, ,
w ith bra n ches a n d y our c loak and we shall fi n d horses a t the

,
farm of C r e s p oli .
“ ”
Good said the prisoner ; y ou will p ut a li t tle straw on
,
”
the tter wo n t you to make me more comfortable
li ,
’
,
?
While the o o lt z g e u r s were bus y some in making a sort o f

’
stretcher with bra n ches of a c hestnut tree others i n dressi n g -

,
G i a n et t o s wound Mateo Falco n e a n d hi s w ife appeared

’
s u ddenl y at the be n d of a path that led to the m aqu z s The

’
woman w a s i n fro nt ben di n g hea v ily under the weight of a

,
huge sack o f chest nuts while her hu sban d stru tted alon g
, ,
1 54 F REN CH S H OR T S T OR I ES
c arr y ing nothing but a g un in his ha n d and a n other slung o n ,
his back It is be n eath the dign ity o f a ma n to c arr y an y

.
other burden than his wea p ons .
M ateo s first thought o n seein g t he soldiers w a s that t hey

’
-
had come t o arrest him B ut why this idea ? H ad M ateo .
then some quarrel with the l a w ? N ot at all H e enj o y ed a .
“ ”
g ood reputation H e w a s well s p oken o f as the s a y ing is ;
.
,
bu t he w a s a C orsica n a n d a mountaineer an d there are few ,
C orsican mou n taineers w h o i f the y look well into their ,
memories do n ot fi n d there s ome p ec c adillo a gu n shot o r a

, ,
dagger blow o r other bagatelle M ateo had a clearer co n

—
,
.
s c ie n ce than most ; fo r it was ten y ears since he had aimed

h i s g un at a m a n ; but he w a s p rudent nevertheless a n d got ,
ready to make a good defens e if need be ,

.
“ ”
Wi fe s aid he to,
down your sack and be
, ,
”
r eady .
S he i nstantly obeyed H e g ave her th e gun from his .
8
bandolier whi c h migh t have in c onve n ienced him H e .
cocked the o n e he had in his hand and advanced S lowl y ,
towards his house k ee p ing alon g the trees by the side o f t h e

,
path and read y at the slightest S ign o f hosti lity t o throw

, , ,
himself behind t h e bi ggest trunk when c e he would be able ,
to fire from c over His wife walked at his heels holdin g his
.
,
spare gun and his c ar t ridge box I t is the business o f a good

,
— .
wi fe in case o f battle t o load her husb and s wea p ons

’
.
, ,
The adj u t a n t o n the other side w a s c onsiderably t roubled

, ,
at s eeing M ateo ad v a n ce in this manner with measured ,
steps his g un ready a n d hi s fi n ger at the trigge r

, ,
.
“ “
I f by chan c e he thou ght M ateo should be a r elation
, ,
o f Giane t to o r a friend a n d should wi sh to defend him the

, , ,
bullets o f his t w o gun s will reach t w o o f us as sure as a ,
l etter by pos t and i f he S hould aim at me in s p ite of our

,
relatio n ship t
) ,
.8 A h uld b lt w i th
S o t idg l
er ps
e ca r r e oo .
tell his un c le the C orporal and he will send him a fine ,
p resent fo r his p ai n s A n d hi s name a n d yours shall b e

.
in the report t hat I s end to the P ubli c P rose c utor

'
’
”
C urs e s a i d M ateo very l o w
, ,
.
They h a d c o m e up t o t he soldiers Gianett o was already

. .
laid o n h i s litter ready to start When he s a w M ateo with

,
.
Gamba he smiled an odd smile ; the n turnin g towards the ,
door o f the hous e he s p a t o n the threshold and said

,
“
,
“
The house o f a t raitor .
On l y a man ready to die would have dared t o appl y t h e

n a me o f traitor to F al c one A g ood dagger thrust tha t .
,
would leave no need o f a se c ond would have instantl y ,
avenged t he insult But M ateo s o n ly movement w a s to p ut

’
his ha n d t o his forehead like a stunned man .
F or t unato had gone i nt o the house o n seein g the arri v al

o f his father H e s oon reappeared with a bowl o f milk
.
,
which he pres ented wi t h down c a s t eyes to Gian etto .
Keep o ff shouted the bandit with a voice o f thunder .
Then tur n i ng t o one of the o o lt zg e a rs :

’
,
“ ’
L et s have a dri n k comrade he said , ,
.
The soldier p ut h i s flask in hi s hands a n d the b andi t ,
drank the water given him by a ma n with whom he had

j ust been exchangi n g gu n shots The n he asked that hi s .
hands should be fastened c rossed on his breast instead o f ,
t ied behi n d h i s ba ck .
I like s aid he to lie at m y ease

, ,
.
They did their best to satis fy him ; then the adj utan t
“ ”
ga v e the si gnal for the start said g ood bye to M ateo w h o ,
-
,
did not ans wer and went down at a smar t p a c e t owa r ds the
,
plain .
T en minu t es p assed before M a t eo o p ened his m outh Th e .
child looked uneasily n o w a t his mo t her and n o w at his

, ,
fa ther w h o leanin g o n his g un c onsidered him wi t h an

, , ,
e x pression o f c o n centrated rage .

Yo u be gin well said Mateo at last in a v oice calm b u t

, , ,
terri fy ing to those who kn ew the man .
“ ”
Father ! cried the child comi n g nearer with tears i n , ,
his e y es as i f to throw himself at his knees

,
.
But Mateo shouted at hi m

“ ”
Out of m y presen c e !
And the child stopped short and sobbed motionless a , , ,
few steps from his father .
Giuseppa came up S he had j u st n oticed the watch

.
chai n o n e e n d of which hu ng o ut of F o rt un at o s sh irt

,
’
.
“ ”
Who gav e y ou that watch ? s h e asked ster n l y
”
M y co u si n the ad j u tant
,
.
F a lc on e seized the watch a n d fli n gi n g it v iolentl y agains t

, ,
a sto n e broke it in a thousa n d pieces

,
.
“ “
Woma n Said he is this child min e
, ,
?
The brown c h ec k s of Giuseppa became brick red .
“
What are y o u s ay i ng Mateo ? D o y o u kn ow to whom
/
,
y ou are speaking ?
“
Well thi s child is the firs t o f his ra c e to be a traitor
,
.
The sobs a n d chokes of Fortunato redoubled a n d F a lc o n e ,
kept his ly nx ey es alway s fixed upon him At last he struck .
the ground with the butt of his g un then threw it across his ,
sho u lder a n d took on ce more the path to the m aqui s shout

, ,
i n g to Fortu n ato to follow him The child obe y ed . .
Giuseppa ran after Mateo an d caught him b y the arm .
“
He is your so n s h e said in a trembli n g v oice fixi n g
, ,
her black ey es on her husband s as i f to read what was ’
passi n g in hi s soul .
“ ”
L ea v e me an swered M ateo ; I am h i s father
, .
Giuseppa kissed her so n a n d went weepi n g back i nto the

cottage S he thre w herself o n her knees before a n image
.
of the Virgi n and pray ed fer v e ntly M ea n while F al c o n e

,
.
walked some two hu ndred paces alo n g the path an d did ,
n ot stop until he we nt down into a small ravine He felt .

t he ea r th wi t h the b utt o f his gun and found i t sof t and ,
eas y t o dig The p la c e seemed sui t able to hi s p ur p ose

. .
“
F o r t u n a t o go u p t o that bi g ro c k
,
.
The c hi ld did as he w a s t old and then knelt , .
“
S ay your p rayers .
F at her my father d o n o t k ill me

, ,
.
”
S ay your p rayers ! re p eat ed M at eo in a t errible voi c e .
The c hild stammer i n g and sobbing re c i t ed the P a t e r and

, ,
t he C r ed o The fa t her res p onded Am en in a loud voi c e at the

.
end o f ea c h p ra y e r .
A re thos e all t he p rayers y o u k now

F ather I know t he Av e M a r i a too and t he lita ny m y
, ,
”
aun t t augh t m e .
It i s very lon g b u t never mind ,

.
The c hild finished t he li t any in a sti fl ed voi c e .
“ ”
H ave y o u done ?
O fa t her have mer c y ! for gi v e me !

,
I will not do i t
a g ain ! I will be g my c ousin t he C orporal e v er so hard that
”
Gianett o may be p ardoned !
H e was still S p eakin g ; M ateo had c o c ked his gun a n d ,
took aim s ayin g

,
“
M ay God for gi ve y ou !
T he c h i ld made a des p erate e ff or t t o get up a nd embra c e ,
h i s fa t her s k nees ; but he h ad no t t he t ime

’
M ateo fired .
,
and F or tunato f ell s t one dead -

.
Without t hrowin g a glan c e a t t he c orpse M ateo t ook the ,
p ath t o his house t o g et a s p ade for the diggi n g of his

,
son s g rave H e had o n ly go n e a fe w y ards when he met

’
.
Giuseppa r unnin g alarmed by the gunshot

, ,
.
”
What have you done ? s h e c ried .
”
Justi c e .
Where i s he ?
‘
In t he r a vine I a m g oin g t o b ury h im. H e die d a .
C hristian ; I will ha v e a mass sun g for him L e t them tell .
—
m y s o n i n l a w T i o d o r e Bi an chi to com e and li v e wi t h us
- .
, .
M usset s gen i us c ared little fo r t i me o r p la c e H e i s

’
.
e qually fas c inatin g whe t her his s c ene is l aid in remo t e times
o r in the P a r is o f his o w n day C r o i s i lle s sele ct ed
.
f o r this v olume i s a s to ry o f H avre dur i n g t he reign o f

,
L o ui s ! V
C R O I S I LLE S !
By A L FR E D DE MUS S E T
AT TH E
‘
r ei gn o f L ou i s ! V a youn g m an
begi nni ng of t he ,
named C roisilles s on o f a golds m i th was re t urn i n g fro m

, ,
P aris t o H av r e his na ti ve town H e had been i ntrus t ed

,
.
by hi s fathe r wi t h the tr ansa ct i on o f so m e business and hi s ,
tri p t o t he g rea t c i ty havin g t urned o ut sa tis fa ct orily t h e ,
j y
o o f br i n g in g g ood news c aused h i m t o wal k t he six t y
l eagues more g a i ly and br i s kly t han was h i s won t ; fo r ,
t hough he had a rather lar g e sum o f m oney i n his p o ck et ,
he traveled o n f oo t f o r p leasur e H e was a g ood t empered .

-
fellow and no t wi t hout wi t bu t s o very t hou ghtles s and

, ,
fl i gh t y t ha t p eo p le loo k ed u p on him as b e i n g rather wea k

minded His doublet bu tt oned a wry his p eriwig fl yin g t o
.
,
the w i nd his hat under h i s arm he followed the bank s o f

, ,
t he S eine a t times finding enj oymen t i n his o wn t h o u ght s

,
and again indulgin g in sna t ches o f song ; u p at daybreak ,
supp i ng a t wayside inns a n d alwa y s charmed wi th this s t roll

,
o f his t hrou g h o n e o f the mos t beauti ful re gions o f F ran c e .
Plundering the a p ple t rees o f N ormandy on his w ay he

-
,
p uzzled his brain to find rhymes ( for all these r a ttle p ates
are more o r les s p oet s ) and tried hard t o turn o ut a mad
,
r igal for a Ce rt ain f a ir damsel o f h1 s native place S he was .
no less t han a daughter o f a fermier général M ade m oiselle -

,
Godean t he p ea r l o f Havre a r i c h hei r e s s and much

, , ,
C o py ri gh t 1 88 8 by B rent a n s
’
, ,
o .
C RO I S I LLES 1 61
courted C roisilles was n ot received at M G o d e a u s other

. .
’
wise than in a c asual sort of wa y that is to sa y he had , ,
sometimes himself taken there arti cles o f j e w elry purchased

at his father s M G o d eau whose somewhat vu lgar s u r
’
. .
,
name ill fit t ed his imm ense fortune avenged himself b y hi s

-
,
arrogan c e for the stigma o f his birth an d sho wed himsel f ,
o n all o c casions enormously a n d pitilessly r i c h He cer .
t ai n ly w a s n ot t he man t o allow the s o no f a goldsmith t o

e nter his drawing room ; but a s Mademoiselle G o d ea u had
-
,
the mo s t beautiful e y es in th e world and C roisilles was n o t ,
i ll favored ; and as nothi n g c an pre v e n t a fi n e fellow fr o m

-
fallin g in lo v e with a p retty girl C roisilles adored Madem ,
oiselle Godean wh o did n ot seem vexed thereat Thus w a s

, .
he thi nk i ng o f her as he tu rned his s t eps toward Havre ;

a n d as he had never reflected seriousl y upon any thi n g ih
, ,
stead o f thinki n g o f the invincible obstacles which separated

him from h i s lad y love he busied himself only with fi n din g a
-
,
rhy me fo r the C h ristian name s h e bore M ademoisell e .
Godean was called Julie, a n d the rhy me was found easil y

e n ough S o C roisilles havi n g rea c hed H o n fl eu r embarked
.
, ,
wi th a satisfied heart his mone y a n d his madrigal i n his

,
‘
pocket and as soon as he j ump ed a s h o r e r an t o the p aternal

,
house .
He found the shop closed and kno cked again and again , ,
n o t w i thout astoni shment and apprehension for it was n ot a ,
holida y ; but nobod y c ame He called his father but in v ai n

.
,
.
H e went t o a neighbor s to ask what had happened ; instead

’
o f repl y ing the neighbor turned awa y as though not wishi n g

, ,
.
t o re c ognize him C roisi lles re p eated hi s questions ; he

.
lear n ed that his f athe r his a fl ai r s h a vi n g long been in an

,
embarrassed c o n dition had j ust bec o me bankrupt an d h a d

, ,
fled t o Amer i ca aba n do ning t o his c reditors all that he

,
poss e ssed ;
N o t realizing as y et the exte n t o f his mis fo rt u n e C roisi lle s ,
felt o v erwhelmed b y t he thought that he mi ght never again

,
s ee his father I t see m ed t o him in c redible t hat he should be

.
thus sudde n ly abandoned ; he tried to f or c e a n ent ran c e i n to

’
t he s t ore ; but w a s given t o understa n d that the official seals

had bee n affixed ; s o he s at down o n a sto n e a nd giving wa y ,
to hi s grief began to weep piteo u sl y deaf t o t he c onsolations

, ,
o f those arou n d him n e v er ceasi n g to call his father s name

’
, ,
thou g h he k n ew him t o be already far a w a y fi A t last he rose o

,
ashamed at seeing a c rowd about him a n d i n the most p ro , ,
found despair t urned his steps towards the harbor

, .
On reachi n g the pier he walked straigh t before him li k e

,
a man i n a tra n ce who k nows neither where he is goin g nor

, ,
what i s to be c ome o f him H e s a w hims elf i rretrie v ably los t

.
,
p osses si n g no longer a shelter no means o f rescue and o f , ,
course n o lo n ger any friends Alone wanderi ng on the sea

,
.
,
shore he felt tempted to drown himself t hen and there

, , .
Jus t at the momen t when yieldi n g to t his thought he w a s , ,
advancing t o the ed g e o f a high c liff an o ld s e rv a n t name d ‘
J ean w
,
,
h o had s erv e d his family for a numbe r o f years ,
a rrived on the scene .
“ ”
Ah ! m y poor J e an ! he ex c laimed y ou know all t hat has ,
h a p pe n ed since I went awa y I s it poss ible t hat my father .
could lea v e us without war n i n g withou t farewell ?

,
“ ”
H e is gone a n swered J ean but indeed no t wi t hou t
, ,
s a y ing good bye t o you

-
.
At t he s ame t i me he drew from his p o ck e t a le tter which ,
h e gave to his you n g m a ster C roisilles re c ognized the hand

.
writi n g o f his father a n d before o p en l n g the let t er kissed i t

, , ,
rapturousl y ; but i t contained o n ly a fe w words I n stead o f .
feeli n g h i s t rouble softe n ed it seemed t o t he youn g m a n s till

,
harder t o bear Honorable until then and k nown as su c h

.
, ,
t he old gentleman rui n ed by an unforeseen disaster ( the

,
bankruptc y o f a partner ) had lef t for his son nothin g but a

,
f ew c ommo n place words o f co n solation and no ho p e ex c e p t , , ,

ho w long would i t take e m

re p air t his disaster M uch
to ?
lo n ger A nd will he be living then C ertai n l y no t ; he w ill

.
?
die over t here and I c anno t even g o and find him I c an j oin
,
him only by dyin g .
Utterl y distressed as C ro i s i lles was he p ossessed much ,
re l igio u s feeling Although his despondenc y made him wish

.
for death he hesitated t o take his li f e At t he first words of

,
.
t his i n terview he had t ak en hold o f o ld J e a n s arm a n d thus

,
’
both ret ur n ed to t he t o wn W hen they had ent e r ed t h e.

’
streets and the s ea was no lo n ger s o near :

“ ” “
I t seems to me s i r said J ean that a g ood m an has a
, , ,
righ t to l i ve and tha t a mi s fortu n e p roves nothin g S ince .
your father has no t killed himself thank G o d h o w can y o u , ,
think o f dying ? S in c e t here is no dishonor i n his c ase and ,
all the t own knows i t is so what w ould they think o f you ?

,
Tha t you felt unable t o endure poverty It would be neither .
bra v e nor C hris t ian ; for at the ver y wors t what is there t o
, ,
frighten you ? There are p le n ty o f p eople born p oor and ,
w ho ha v e never had either mother or fa t her to help them on .
I know that w e are not all alike but a fter all nothing is , , ,
impossible t o God What would you d o i n such a c ase

.
?
Y our father w a s n o t born rich far from i t , meaning no—

,
O ffense a n d that is perhaps what consoles him n o w I f

—
.
y ou had bee n he r e this last mo n th it would ha v e gi v e n you

, ,
co u rage Yes s i r a man may be rui n ed nobody IS secure

.
, , ,
from b an kruptc y ; but y our father I make bold to sa y ha s , ,
bor n e himself through it all like a ma n though he did leave

, , ,
us s hastily B ut what could he do

o .
? It is not every day
that a vessel starts for America I accompa n ied him to t h e .
wharf a n d i f y ou had s ee n h o w s ad he W as H o w he charged

,
’
me t o t ak e c a r e of you ; to se n d him ne w s from you Si r -

.
i t i s a right poor idea y ou have that throwi n g the helve ,
a fter the hatchet E ver y one has his time of trial i n this
.
wor ld a n d I was a soldier before I w a s a s ervant I suf

,
.
f er ed severel y at the time but I was y oung ; I was of y ou r ,
a g e s i r a n d it Seemed to me that P ro v ide n ce co u ld n ot ha v e

, ,
s p oke n H i s last word to a y o u n g ma n of twe n ty fiv e Why -

.
do y o u wish to prev ent the ki n d God from repairi n g the e v i l

t hat has befalle n y o u ? Gi v e Him ti me a n d all wi ll c o m c
’
right I f I might a d v ise y o u I would say j u st wait two

.
, ,
o r three y ears an d I will an swer for it y o u will come o ut

, ,
all right It i s alway s eas y to go out of thi s world Wh y

. .
will yo u seize a n un lucky moment ?
While Jean was thus exerti n g himself to pers u ade h i s

master the latter walked in silen ce a n d as those who suffer
, , ,
oft en do w a s looki n g this way a n d t hat a s thou gh seeki n g fo r

,
somethin g which might bi n d him to life As ch a n ce wo u ld .
ha v e it at this j u n ctu re Mademoiselle Godean the daughter

, , ,
—
of the fermier gén éral happen ed to pass w ith her go v er n ess
, .
The man sio n i n which she li v ed was not far dista n t ; C rois
i lles s a w her en ter it This meeti n g prod u ced o n him mor e
.
e ff ec t tha n all the reason in gs i n the world I ha v e said that .
he was rather erratic a n d n earl y alwa y s y ielded t o the first

,
impulse Without hesitati n g a n i n sta n t an d without ex

.
,
planatio n he s u dden ly left the arm of his old ser v ant an d

, ,
crossi ng the street kn ocked at Mo n sieu r G o d e a u s door

,
’
.
II
W H E N we tr y to picture to o u rselv es n owaday s what w a s , ,
”
called a fi n an cier i n times go n e b y we i nv ariably imagi n e ,
e n or m ou s c o rp u len ce Short legs a giga ntic wig a n d a broad

, , ,
face with a triple chi n an d it is n ot withou t reaso n that

—
,
we ha v e become accust omed to form such a picture o f s u ch a

perso n age E v er y on e kn ows to what gre at abuses the ro y al
.
t a x f a r mi n g led a n d it seems as thou gh there were a law o f

'
n atu re whi ch ren ders fatter than the rest of mankin d those
who fatten not onl y upo n their own lazi n ess but also u pon
, ,
the work of others .

M ons i eur G o d ea u among fin a n c Ie r s was on e o f the most

, ,
c lassi c al t o be found that is t o s a y o n e o f the fatt est At

—
, , .
t he present tim e he had t he gout whi c h w a s nearly as fash ,
i o n a bl e i n his day as t he nervous heada c he is i n ours .
S tretched upon a loun ge his eyes half c losed he was c o d ,

-
,
d li ng himself in the c oziest cor n er o f a dainty b oudoir The .
p anel mirrors whi c h surrounded him maj esticall y duplicated

—
,
o n ever y side his enormous p erson ; bags filled wi th ld

g o c o v
ered the table ; around him the furniture the wains c ot th e , , ,
doors the locks the mantel p ie c e the c eiling were gilded ; so

, ,
-
,
was his coat I d o not know but tha t his brain was gilded
.
too H e w a s c al c ulating t he issue o f a little business affair

.
which could n o t fail t o bring him a few thousa n d louis ; 3
and was even deigning t o smile over i t to himself when

C roisilles was a n nou n ce d The young man entered with an .
humble but resolute air and with e v ery outward manifesta

, ,
t ion o f that i n ward tu m ult with which we find no diffic ulty

in crediti n g a man who is longi n g to dr own himself M on .
‘
sieur G o d e a u w a s a little surprised a t t his unexpe c ted visit ;

t hen he thought his daughter had been bu y i ng some tri fl e ,
a n d w a s co n firmed in t hat tho u ght by seei n g her ap p ear
a lmost at the s ame t ime with the y oung man H e made a .
S ign t o C roisilles not to s i t down bu t to speak The y oung .
lady s eated hers elf o n a sofa a n d C roisilles remaining , ,
s t andi n g expressed himself in these te rms

,
“
S ir m y father has failed The ban kru ptc y o f a p artner
,
.
h a s forced him t o sus p e n d his p a y ments and unable to w i t ,
nes s his o w n shame he has fled to Ameri c a a fter having paid

, ,
h 1 s last s o u 4
to his c reditors I w a s absent when all this .
\
ha p p e n ed ; I have j ust come back and have known o f these

events o n ly t w o hours I am absolutely withou t resources
.
,
a n d d et e r m m e d to die It i s ver y p robable that o n leav i n g

.
,
A g ld
o coi n wo t hr
4 . O ne cen t .
C roisilles , M ons i eur G o d e au c oughed rose then dro pp ed , ,
a gain u p on the c ushions and try i ng t o assume a p at ernal , ,
a i r delivered himself t o the following e ff e c t :

, ,
“ “
M y b o y said he I am willing t o believe t ha t y ou are
, ,
n o t p o ki n g fun at me ,bu t you have r eally los t your head I .
n o t only ex c use t his p roceeding but I c o n sent n o t t o p unish ,
f r it I am sorry t hat your p oor devil f a father has

‘
y o u \
o . o
b e c ome bank rupt and has skip p ed I t is indeed very s a d .

,
a n d I quite u n derstand t ha t su c h a mi s f o rtune S hould a ff e ct

your brain B esides I w i sh t o d o somethin g fo r y o u ; so
.
,
t ake thi s stool and s i t down the re .
“
It is useles s sir answered C roisilles ,
I f y ou refuse
, .
me as I see y o u do I have nothi n g le ft but t o take my lea v e

, ,
.
”
I wish y ou every good fortune .
“
And where are y ou going ?
T o write to m y father and s a y g ood bye t o h im

— .
E h ! t he de v il ! Any o n e would swe a r you were speaking

the truth I ll be damned i f I don t think you are going t o
.
’ ’
drow n y ourself .
“
Yes s i r ; at least I think s o i f my courage does no t for
, ,
s ake me .
“
That s a brigh t idea ! Fie on you ! How can y ou be su c h
’
”
a fool ? S it dow n s i r I tell you a n d li ste n to me, , ,
.
M onsieur G o d e a u had j ust made a very wise reflection ,
w hich w a s that i t is ne v er agreeable t o h a ve it said that a

ma n whoever he may be threw himself i nt o t he wat er o n
, ,
lea v ing y our house H e therefore c oughed o n ce more t ook .

,
his snu ff box c as t a careless glan c e upon his s h i r t fri ll a n d

-
, ,
continued :
“
It is eviden t t hat you are no t hin g b u t a S Im p l et o n a fool , ,
a regular bab y Y ou do not know wha t you are s ayin g You

. .
a r e ruined t hat s what has happe n ed to you But my de a r

’
.
, ,
friend all that i s not e n ough ; one must reflect upon the
,
t hi n gs of this world I f you came to a s k me well g ood

—
. ,
ad v i c e fo r —
ins t an c e , I mi ght gi
ve it t o y ou ; but what is i t
,
you are after You are i n lo v e with my daughter

? ?
Yes s i r an d I repeat to y o u that I am far from suppos

, , ,
i n g that y o u ca n gi v e her to me i n marriage ; bu t as th e re i s

nothi n g in the world but that which could pre v e n t me from ,
dyi n g if y o u believ e in God as I do n ot doubt y ou do y ou

, , ,
wi ll un derstan d the reason that bri n gs me here .
“
Whether I belie v e in God o r not is no bu s i n ess of y o u rs ,
.
I do not inten d to be questio n ed Answ er me first : wher e .
”
ha v e y ou see n m y daughter ?
In my father s shop an d i n this hou se when I brou ght

’
, ,
j ewelr y for M ademoiselle Julie .
“
Who told y ou her name was Ju lie What are we comin g
?
to gr eat hea v en s ! But be her name Juli e or Ja v o t t e do y ou

, ,
know what i s wanted i n a ny o n e w h o aspires to the ha n d o f

the daughter o f a fermi er g é n er a l ?
”
-
N o I am completely ign oran t of i t unless it is to be a s

, ,
-
rich as s h e .
“
S omethi n g more is necessar y my boy ; y o u mu st ha v e a
“
,
n ame .
“
Well ! my n ame is C roisilles .
Your n ame i s C roisilles poor wretch ! D o y o u call th a t a

,
n ame ?
“
Upon my soul an d conscien ce s i r it seems t o me to be as , ,
”
good a name as Godean .
“
Y o u are v er y imperti n e nt s i r a n d y o u shall rue it
, ,
.
I n deed S ir d o n ot be a n gry ; I had n ot the least idea o f

, ,
o ffen di n g y ou I f y ou s ee in wh at I said a ny t h i n g t o wo u n d
;
'
y ou a n d wish to punish me for it there is no need to get

, ,
a ngry Hav e I not told y ou that on l ea v m g here I am going

.
”
straight t o drown my self ?
Although M G o d e au had promised hi mself t o send C rois
illes away a s gentl y as possible in order t o avoid all scandal , ,
hi s prude n ce c ould not resist the vexation o f his wounded

p ri de T he i nt erview t o whi c h he had to res i gn himself was

.
m onst r ous enou gh in i t self ; it may be i ma gined then what ,
he fel t at hearin g hi m self s p oken t o in su c h t erms .
“
L is t en he s aid almost beside himself a nd determined
, , ,
“
t o c los e the matt er a t a n y c os t Y o u are n o t such a fool tha t
.
y o u c annot u n derstand a word o f c ommon s ense A re you .
ri c h ? No Are y o u noble
.
? S till less s o What is this .
frenzy t hat brings you here ? Y ou co m e to worr y me ; you

think you are doing something c lever ; you k n ow p erfectly
well that it i s useles s ; you wish t o make me respo n sible for
y our death H ave you a n y right to complain o f me D o I
.
’
?
o w e a s o u t o your father ? I s it my fault that you have c ome

t o this ? M o n D ieu ! Whe n a ma n is goin g to drow n himself ,
he keeps qui e t abou t i t

“
Tha t i s what I am g oing to do now I am your very .
”
humble servan t .
“
On e momen t ! I t shall not be said tha t you had re c ourse
t o me in v ain There my bo y here a r e three louis d or ; go
.
, ,
’
a n d ha v e dinner i n the kitchen a n d let me hear no more

,
a bout y ou .
“
M u c h obli g ed ; I am n ot hu n gry and I have no use for ,
”
y our money .
S o C roisilles left the room a n d the financier having set

, ,
his c onscie nc e at rest by the offer he had j ust made s ettled ,
himself more c omfor t ably in his c ha i r and resumed his ,
meditat ions .
M ademoiselle G o d e au durin g this t i me was no t s o far

, ,
away as O n e m i gh t suppose ; s h e had it i s t rue withdrawn , ,
in obedience to her father ; bu t instead o f going to her room , ,
s h e had remai n ed liste n ing behind the door I f the ext r av .
a n c e of C roisilles s eemed incredible to her s t ill she found

a
g ,
not hing to o ff end her i n i t ; for love sin c e the world has
'
existed has never p a ssed as an insult On t he other hand

,
.
,
a s i t w a s no t p os sible t o doub t the des p air of t he youn g m an ,

an hour not knowi ng what had be c ome of you and I ho p e

, , ,
m y dear master that y ou will n o w be wise enou gh to take a

,
r easonable cours e .
“
What course do you wish me to take ?
S ell this hous e s i r it is all y our fortune It will bring you

, , .
a bou t thirty t hous a n d fra n cs With th at at any ra t e y ou wi ll

.
not die o f hu n ger ; a n d what is t o p revent you from bu y ing a

little stock i n trade and star tin g business for yourself Y ou
,
?
”
w oul d surely p rosper .
“
We shall s e e about th i s answered C rois i lles as he hu r
, ,
r ied t o the street where his home was H e was eager to s e e .
t h e paternal roof again Bu t when he arr i ved t here s o sad

.
a spectacle met h i s g aze t hat he had scarcely the c ourag e to

,
e n ter The sho p w a s in utter disorder the rooms deserted

.
, ,
h i s father s alcove emp t y E verythin g p res ented to his ey es

’
t h e wretchedness of utter ruin N ot a chair remai n ed ; all

.
t h e drawers had been ransa c ked t he t ill broken open the , ,
c hes t taken awa y ; nothing had es c aped the greedy s earch o f

creditors a n d lawy ers ; who after ha v i ng pillaged the house
, ,
had go n e lea v ing the doors o p e n as though to testi fy t o all

, ,
passers by h o w neatly their w ork w a s done

-
.
“ ” “
This then ex c laimed C roisilles is all that remai n s
, , ,
a fter thirt y years of work a n d a respe c table l i fe

— and all ,
t hrough the failure t o have ready on a given day money , ,

”
enough to ho n or a signature imprude n tly gi v en !
While the y oung man walked up and down given over to
the s addest thoughts J ean s eemed very m u ch embarrassed
,
.
H e su pp osed tha t his master w a s wi t hout ready money and ,
that he migh t p erhaps not e v en have dined H e w a s there .
fore tr y i n g t o think o f some way to ques t ion him on the

subj e c t and to o ffer him in cas e o f need some p ar t o f his
, , ,
s avi n gs . After ha v ing tortured his mi n d for a quar t er o f

an h Ou r to tr y a n d hit upon some w ay o f leadi n g u p t o the
sub j ect he c o uld fi n d n othing better than t o come u p t o C rois
,
illes and ask him in a kindly v oi c e

, ,
“
S ir do y ou still like roast partridges
,
?
The poor man uttered this question in a to n e at o n ce so

comical a n d s o touchi n g that C roisilles i n spite of his s a d
, ,
n ess could not refrain from laughi n g

,
.
“ ”
An d why do y o u ask me that said he
? .
“
M y wife replied Jean is cooki n g me some for di nn er
, ,
s i r a n d if b y chan ce y ou still liked them i

’
—
,
C roisilles had completel y forgotten till now the mo n e y

whi ch h e was bri n gin g back t o hi s father Jean s proposal .
’
remin ded him that his pockets were full of gold .
“ ”
I thank y ou with all my heart s aid he t o the old man , ,
a n d I accept y our di nn er with pleas u re ; but if y o u are ,
anx ious about my fortu n e be reassured I hav e more

,
.
mon e y tha n I need to ha v e a good s u pper this even i n g which ,

”
y ou in y our tur n will share with me
, ,
.
S ay i ng this he laid u pon the mantel four well fille d -
purses which he e m
,
,
ptied each co n tai ni n g fifty lou is
,
.
Althou gh this s um does n ot belo n g to me he added I , ,
can h s e it for a day or two T o whom must I go to ha v e i t

.
”
forwarded to my father ?
“ ”
S ir replied Jean eagerl y
, ,
y our father especiall y
,
charged me to tell y o h that this mon ey belo n gs to y o u a n d , ,
if I did n ot speak of it before it was becau se I did n ot know

,
.
how y our a fl a i r s in P aris had tur n ed ou t Where he has .
go n e y o u r father will wan t for n othi n g ; he will lodge with

o n e of y o ur correspo n dents who wi ll recei v e him most gladl y ;
,
he has moreo v er take n wit h him e n ou gh for h i s immediate

n eeds for he was qu ite s u re of still leavi n g behind more than
,
was n ecessar y to pay all his j ust debts All that he has left .
,
s i r is y o u rs ; he sa y s so himself in his letter and I am espe

, ,
c1 all y charged to repeat it to y ou That gold is therefore .

, ,
legitimately y ou r property as this hou se i n whi ch we are

,
now I ca n repeat to y ou the ver y words y our fathe r said

.
‘ .
to me on embarkin g : M ay my s o n for g ive me fo r leaving

him ; may he remember that I am still in the world only t o
lo ve him and let him use what r em aIn s a fter my d ebts are
,
’
p aid as though it were his inherit an c e Those s i r are his .
, ,
o w n expressions ; s o p u t this ba c k in your p o ck e t and sinc e , ,
y o u accept my dinner p ra y let us g o

,
home .
The honest j oy whi c h shone i n J ean s eyes l ef t no doub t ,
i n the mind o f C r di s i ll e s The words of his fa t her had m oved

.
h i m t o such a p oint that he c ould not r estrain his t ears ; o n

t he other hand a t su c h a m oment four t housand fran c s we r e
, ,
n o bagatelle As t o t he house i t w a s no t an available r é

.
,
source for o n e c ould realiz e o n it o nly by s ellin g i t and t ha t

, ,
was both d i fli c ult and S low All t his howeve r c ould no t bu t .

, ,
make a c onsiderable c ha n ge in the si tuat ion the youn g man

—
found hims elf in ; s o h e felt suddenly moved shaken i n his
dismal resolu tion a n d s o to s p eak bot h s a d and at the same
, , , ,
t ime relieved o f much o f his dis t ress Aft er havin g cl o sed

,
.
t he shutters of the sho p he left the house with J ean and as

, ,
he on c e more cros sed the to wn c ould not hel p t hinkin g how ,
small a thing our a fl e c t i o n s are s i n c e they so m et i m es serve ,
t o make us find an unforeseen j oy i n t he fain t es t r ay o f ho p e .
I t was with this thought t ha t he s a t down t o dinne r beside

his old s ervant w h o did not f ail dur i n g t he re p as t t o mak e
, , ,
ever y e ff o rt to c heer him .
H eedles s people have a ha pp y f aul t T hey are easily c as t .
down but they have not even the t rouble t o c onsole t he m

,
s el v es s o cha n geable i s their mind It would be a m is t ake

,
.
to thi n k them on that accou nt i nsensible o r selfish ; on t he

, ,
c o n trary they p erhaps feel more k eenly t han others and are
but too pro n e t O blow their brai n s o u t in a m o men t o f des p air ;
but this moment on c e p assed i f they are still alive t hey mus t
, , ,
di n e the y must eat they must drink as usual ; only t o melt

, , ,
i n to tears agai n at bed time J oy and p ain do not glide over

,
-
.
t hem but pierce them through like arrows Kind ho t headed .

,
-
more than one r ese mblan c e t o love and there a r e even p eo p le ,
who t hink love t o be bu t a sor t o f p e r fume ; i t i s t ru e the .
fl owers whi c h exhale i t are t h e m os t b eauti f ul i n c reation .
While C roisilles ni u s ed t hus p ay i n g very li ttle attention ,
t o t he tra g edy t ha t was bein g a c ted at t he t ime M ademo i selle ,
G od ean hers elf a pp eared i n a b o x o pp o si t e .
The idea did not o ccur to t he youn g m an tha t i f she sho ul d ,
n o t i c e him s h e mi gh t think it very strange t o find the would

,
b e suicide there a fter what had trans p ired in the mornin g .
H e o n the c ontrary bent all his e ff or t s towards g ettin g

, ,
n earer t o her ; bu t he c ould no t su cc eed A fift h rate a ctress

— .
from P aris had come t o p lay M é r o p ef and t he c rowd was s o ’
de n s e t hat one c ould not move F or la c k o f anythin g better .

,
C roisilles had to content himself wi th fixi ng his gaze upon his

lady love not liftin g his eyes from her for a moment H e
-
, .
n oticed tha t sh e s eemed p re occupied a n d moody a n d that-

,
S he spoke to every o n e with a sort of repugna n ce H er box .
was surrounded as ma y be magi n ed by all the fo p s of t he

,
i
,
n eighborhood each o f whom passed several t imes before her

,
in t he galler y to t all y unable to enter the box o f which her

, ,
father filled more than t hree fourths C roisilles n oticed fur -

.
t her that she w a s not usin g her opera glasses nor w a s s h e -

,
listening to the play H er elbows resti n g on the balustrade

.
,
h e r chin in her hand with her far away look she seemed in
,
-
, ,
a l l her sum p tuous a p parel like s ome statue o f Venus dis

,
guised en marquis e The displa y o f her dress a n d her hair

.
,
her rouge beneath which one could g uess her p al enes s all
, ,
the sple n dor o f her t oilet did bu t the more disti nc tly brin g
,
o u t the immobilit y of her c ou n tenan c e N e v er had C roisilles .
s een her s o beauti ful H a v i n g fou n d means between the acts

.
, ,
to esca p e from t he c rush he hurried off to look a t her from

,
t he passage leadi ng to her box a n d stra n ge to say s c arcely , , ,
had he reached it whe n M ademois elle G o d e a u who had not

, ,
.5 A p l a y by V o l t ai er .
for the last hour tu rned round S he started sli ghtly

,
.
noticed him an d o nl y cast a glan ce at him ; the n she

r m e r attit u de Whether t h at gla n ce expressed
.
“
e a s u r e o r lo v e ; whether it mea n t
,
What ,
or God be praised ! There y o u are li vi n g I ,

-
te n d to explai n Be that as it ma y ; at that glan ce

.
inwardly swore t o himself to die o r gain her lov e .
OF ALL the obstacles which hinder the smoot h c ourse of

t he greatest i s without do u bt what is called false
, ,
which i s i n deed a v er y pote n t obstacle .
C roisilles was no t troubled with this u n happ y faili n g ,
which both pride a nd timidit y combi n e to produce ; he was

n ot o n e o f those who for whole months hov er roun d the
, ,
woma n they lo v e li ke a cat roun d a caged bird As soo n as

, .
he had g1 v en u p th e idea o f drown i n g himself he thought ,
o n ly o f letti n g hi s dear Julie kn o w that he li v ed solely for

her But how coul d he tell her s o S hou ld he presen t him
.
?
self a seco n d time at the ma n sio n of the fermi er général it -

,
was but too certai n that M G o d e a u wo u ld ha v e him ej ected

. .
Julie whe n s h e happe n ed t o t a k e a walk n e v er we n t without

, ,
her maid ; it was therefore u seless to un dertake t o follow her .
To pass the n ights under the windows of o n e s belo v ed i s a ’
folly dear to lo v ers bu t i n the presen t case it would cer

, , ,
t a i n ly pro v e v ai n I said before that C roisilles was ver y

.
religiou s ; it the refore n ever e n tered his mi n d to seek t o meet

his lad y l ov e at chu rch As the best wa y thou gh the most
-
.
,
dan gerous is to write to people when o n e cann ot spe a k to

,
them 1 n perso n he decided o n the v ery n ext day to write to

,
the y ou n g lad y .
His letter possessed n aturall y neither order n or reason

, ,
’
.
It read somewhat a s follows

—
M ademoiselle Tell m e exa ctly I b e g o f y o u what fo r
, , ,
t une o n e mus t p os ses s t o be able t o pr e t end t o you r hand I .
a m asking y o u a str an g e ques ti on ; bu t I love y o u so desper

a t ely tha t i t i s i mp ossib le fo r m e n o t t o as k it and y ou are
, ,
t he only p e r son i n t he w o r ld t o w ho m I c an a dd r ess i t I t .
s ee m ed t o m e las t eveni n g t ha t y o u looked a t me a t t h e p l ay

, , .
I had wished t o die ; would t o G o d I were Indeed dead i f I ,
am m istaken and i f t hat loo k w a s n o t meant fo r me Tell

, .
m e i f Fa t e c an be s o cr ue l as t o le t a m an de c eive hi m sel f i n
a manner a t on c e s o s a d and s o swee t I believe tha t you .
c ommanded me t o li ve Y ou are ri c h beauti ful I know i t

.
,
. .
Y our f ather 1 s ar r o g an t and m 1 s erly and y o u have a r i ght ,
t o be p roud ; but I love y o u, and the rest i s a dream Fix .
y our c harmin g e y es on me ; thin k o f w h a t l o v e c an do when I .

,
wh o su ff er s o cruell y w h o must s t and in fear o f every t hin g

, ,
f eel nevertheless an inexpressible j oy i n writi ng y ou this

, ,
m ad letter whi c h will p erhaps brin g down your anger up on

,
m e But t hi n k also m ademoiselle tha t you are a li t tle to

.
, ,
blame for this my folly ,

Why did you dro p that bouque t
.
?
Pu t yours elf for an i nstant i f p os sible in my p lace ; I dare , ,
t hink that you love me and I dare as k y ou t o tell m e so

,
.
For g ive m e I beseech you I would give my li fe s blood to ’

.
,
be sure o f not offendi ng y o u and t o s e e y o u listenin g to my ,
love w i t h t ha t an g el smile whi c h belongs only t o you .
“
What ever you may do you r ima g e re m a i ns mine ; you c an
,
r emove it onl y by teari ng out my hea rt As lon g as your look .
li ves in my remembran c e as lon g as t he bouquet keeps a ,
t ra c e o f its perfume a s lon g as a word wi ll t ell of love I will

, ,
”
c herish ho p e .
H av i n g s ealed his le tter C roisilles went ou t and walked ,
up and do wn t he s tr ee t op p osite the Gode a n m ans i on wai t in g ,
fo r a s erv a n t t o c o m e ou t C hance whi c h always serves mys

.
,
t e ri o u s loves whe n it can d o so withou t c o mp romisin g i t self

, ,
and i f any o n e a ttem pt ed to p ay c ourt t o h er she r es p onded ,
only by a l oo k a t on c e s o daz zl i n g and s o s er i ous as t o dis

c on c ert even the boldes t N eve r had a sally m a de her lau gh ;
. .
never had an ai r in an o p e r a a fl i ght o f t r a gedy moved he r ;

, ,
indeed neve r h ad her hear t g iven a S i gn o f li fe ; and 0 11

, ,
seein g her p as s in all the s p lendo r o f he r non c halant lov eli

ness o n e might have t aken her fo r a b eau ti ful so mna m bul i s t ,
walking t hrou g h the world as in a tr an c e .
S o mu c h i nd i fl er en c e and c oquetry did n o t see m easy t o

understand S ome s aid S he lo v ed no t hing others t hat she
.
,
loved nothing but herself A si n gle w . ord however s uffic e s , ,
—
to explain her c hara cter she w a s waitin g From the a ge o f .
,
fourteen s h e had heard i t c easele ssly repeated that nothing

w a s s o c harming as s h e S he w a s c onv i n c ed o f t his and th at
.
,
was why s h e p aid s o mu c h a tt ention t o dress In f a i li n g t o .
do honor t o her o w n person s h e would have t hou ght he r self

,
guilt y of s a c rilege S he walked in he r b e au ty s o t o s p eak

.
, , ,
like a c hild in its holiday dres s ; but she w a s ve r y f a r f ro m

thinki n g tha t he r beauty w a s to remain us eles s B eneath .
her apparent unconcern s h e had a will s ecret, i n fl ex i ble and , ,
t he more p o t ent the bett e r i t w a s c o nc ealed The c oquetr y .
o f ordinary wome n whi c h spends i t self in oglin g in si m per

, ,
Ing ,
and i n smili n g seemed to her a c hildish vain almost
, , ,
c on t em pt ible wa y o f fightin g wi t h shadows S he fel t h e rsel f

.
i n p os ses sion o f a treasure and s h e disdained t o st ake i t p ie c e

,
b y p ie c e ; s h e needed an adversar y Worthy o f he r s elf ; but t o o ,
a cc ustomed to see her wishes an t i c i pa t ed she did not s eek,
t hat advers ar y ; i t may even be sa i d t ha t s h e fel t asto n ished

a t his faili n g to p resen t himself F o r t he four o r five years
.
t ha t she had been o ut i n so c iety and had c ons c i entiously di s ~

p la y ed her fl owers,
he r furbelows and he r beauti ful
,
should
er s,
it s eemed t o her in c o nc ei v able tha t she h a d not yet i n
spired s o me great p assion H ad she said wha t was really
.
behind her thoughts sh e c ertainly would have replied t o her

,
C RO I S I LL ES 1 81
many flat t er ers : Well ! i f i t i s true that I am so beaut iful ,

”
why do y ou not blow y our brains out for me ? An an swer
which many other y oung girls might make and whi c h more ,
tha n on e who say s nothin g hides away in a c orner o f her

heart not far pe rhaps from the tip of her to n gue
,
.
What is there i n deed i n the world more ta ntalizi n g for a

, , ,
woman than to be y o u n g rIc h beautiful t o look at herself in

, , ,
her mirror a n d see herself char mi n gly dressed worthy i n ,
e v er y way t o please fu ll y dispo sed to allow herself to be

,
“
lo v ed and to hav e to say to herself : I am admired I am
, ,
p raised all the world thi nks me charmi n g but nobod y lo v es

, ,
‘
me M y gown is b y the best maker my laces are superb my

.
—
, ,
coi ffu r e i s irreproachable m y fa c e the most beau tiful o n

,
earth my figure slen der m y foot prettil y tur n ed a n d all this

, , ,
helps me t o nothi n g but to go a n d y awn i n the corn er of some

drawin g room ! I f a y ou n g man speaks t o m e he tr e at s m e
-
a s a child ; if I am asked i n marriage it i s for my dowr y ; i f ,
so m ebod y presses m y hand i n a dan ce it is sure to be some ,
pro vi n ci al fop ; as soon as I appear a ny where I excite a ,
murmur o f admiratio n ; but nobod y speaks low in my ear a , ,
word that makes my heart beat I hear imperti n en t m e n .,
praisi n g me in loud tones a couple o f feet awa y a n d n ev er

, ,
a look o f humbly sincere adoration meets mi n e S till I hav e .
an arde nt so u l full of li fe and I am n ot b y a ny mea n s o nl y

, , ,
a pretty doll t o be shown about to be made to da n ce at a ball

, ,
to be dressed b y a maid in the mor n i n g a nd u n dressed at

”
n ight b egl nn m g the whole thi n g o v er again the next da y
— .
That is what Mademoiselle G o d e a u h a d ma ny times said ‘
t o herself ; a n d there were hours when that thought i n spired

her with so gloomy a feeli n g that s h e remai n ed mute a n d
almost motionless for a whole day When C roisilles wrote .
her s h e was in j ust such a fit o f ill humor S he had j ust

,
-
.
bee n taki n g her c hocolate an d was deep i n meditatio n ,
s t retched upon a loun ge when her maid entered an d handed

,
her the letter with a my sterious air S he looked at the .
address and n o t re c ognizing the han dwriting fell a gain t o

, ,
musi ng The maid then s a w herself for c ed t o ex p lain wha t

.
it w a s whi c h s h e did with a rather discon c erted air no t

, ,
be i ng a t all su r e h o w the y o un g lady would t ake the matter .
M ade m oiselle G o d e a u listened without m o v1 ng t hen opened ,
the let t er and c ast only a glan c e at it ; s h e a t once asked for

,
a sheet o f p a p er and non c halantly wrote thes e f ew words

,
“
N o si r I assure y o u I am not proud I f y o u had onl y a
, ,
.
hundred thousa n d crowns I would willingly marry yo u

, .
S uch was the repl y which the maid at once took t o C rois
illes wh o gave her a n other louis for her trouble
,
.
V
A H U N D R E D T H O U S A N D C R O W NS are not found In a don
k ey s hoof p ri n t a n d i f C roisilles had bee n suspicious he
’
-
,
mi gh t ha v e though t in readi n g M ademo i selle G o d e a u s letter ’
t hat she was e ither c razy or laughin g at him He thou gh t .
ne i t her for he only s a w i n it that his darling Julie loved

,
hi m and that he must ha v e a h u n dred thousa n d crowns and

, ,
he dreamed fro m t ha t moment o f nothin g bu t t ryin g t o se c ure

them .
H e p ossess ed t w o hundred louis i n c ash p lus a house ,
which as I ha v e s aid might be worth about thirty thous and

, ,
fra n cs What was t o be do n e

.
? H o w w a s he to go about
t r a n s fig u r i n g these thirty four t housand francs at a j um p
-
, ,
into t hree hu n dred t housa n d The first idea whi c h came .
into t he mind of t he young man w a s t o find some w ay o f

stakin g his whole fortu n e on the tos s u p o f a coin but for -
,
t hat he must s ell the house C roisilles t herefore began by

.
p utting a notice upon the door s t ati n g tha t his hous e was for
'
s ale ; then while dreaming what he would do with the money

,
t hat he would get for it he awaited a purchaser ,

.
A week we n t b y then another ; not a single pur c haser

,
1 84 F REN CH S H OR T S T OR I ES
S carcel y w a s C roisilles in the street before he stopped n ot ,
k nowin g where t o go t o s t ake his m oney H e looked a t the .
houses o f the nei g hborhood and eyed t hem o n e aft er t he

, ,
other s trivin g t o dis c over sus p icious a pp earan c es tha t

,
m i g h t p o i n t o u t t o him t he obj e c t o f his sear c h A g ood .
looki ng young m a n splendidly dressed ha pp ened t o p ass

, , .
Jud gin g f r om his mien he was c ertai n ly a young man o f

,
gentle blood a n d amp le leisu r e s o C r oisilles p oli t ely a o

,
costed hi m .
“
S ir he s al d I be g your p ardon fo r t he li b erty I take
, ,
.
I h ave t w o hundred louis in my po c ke t and I am d y in g either

t o lose them o r win more C ould y o u p oi n t o u t to me some
.
”
res p e c table p lace where su c h things are done ?
At this rather stran g e s p ee c h the young man burst o ut

laughin g .
“
U p on m y word s i r ! answered he I f y o u are seeki ng
, ,
any su c h wicked place y o u have bu t t o follow me fo r tha t i s ,
j ust w h ere I am g oi n g .
C roisilles followed him and a fe w steps farther t hey—b oth

,
entered a house o f very attractive appearan c e where they ,
were re c eived hospitably b y an o ld ge n tleman o f the hi ghest

breedin g S everal you ng men were already se at ed r ound a
.
green clo t h C roisilles modestly took a p lace there and i n

.
,
less t han an hour his t w o hun dred louis were gone .
H e c ame o u t a s s a d as a lover c an be wh o thi nks himself

beloved H e had not enough to dine with but t ha t did no t
.
,
c ause him any a n xiety .
“
What c an I do now he as k ed hi m self t o g e t money ?
, ,
T o whom shall I addres s m y self i n this town ? W h o will

lend me even a hundred louis o n this hous e t hat I c an no t
”
s ell ?
While he was in this quandary he m et his J ewish broker ,

.
He did n o t hesitate t o address him a n d featherhead as he , ,
w a s did n o t fail to tell him the plight he was i n

,
.
C RO I S I LLES .
1 85
The Jew did n ot much wan t to bu y the house ; he had

come to s ee it o nly through c u riosity or to speak more ex , ,
a c t ly for the satisfactio n of his ow n co n scie n ce as a passi n g

, ,
dog goes i nto a kitche n the door o f which s t a n d s o p en to s e e

, ,
i f there is n othi n g to steal But when he saw C roisilles so .
despo n den t s o s a d s o bereft o f all resour c es he could n ot

, , ,
resist the tempta tion to p u t himself to some i n co nv en ie n ce ,
e v en i n or d er to pay for the ho u se He therefore O ffered

,
.
him a b o ut o n e fo u rth o f its valu e C roisilles fel l upo n his

'
-
.
neck called him his frien d a n d sa v ior blin dl y S ign ed a bar

, ,
gai n that wo u ld h a v e made o n e s hair stan d o n e n d a n d o n ’
, ,
the v er y next da y t h e possessor o f f ou r hu n dred n ew l o w s

, ,
he o n ce more tur n ed his steps toward the gambli n g ho u se —
where he had been s o p olitel y a n d spe edil y ruined the n ight

before .
On hi s wa y he passed b y the wharf

,
A vessel was about .
l e a v 1 ng ; the w i n d w a s ge n tle the oc ean tra n quil

/
On all ,
.
sides merchan ts Sailors o fficers i n uniform were comi n g a n d

, , ,
goi n g P orters were carr yi n g e n ormous bales o f mercha n

.
dise P assen gers a n d their frien ds were exchan gi n g fare

.
wells small b o ats were rowi n g about i n all directio n s ; on

,
e v er y fa c e c o uld be read fear imp atience o r hope ; a n d , , ,
amidst all the agitation whi ch surrounded it the maj estic ,
v essel swayed gentl y to a n d fro under the wind that swelled

her pro u d sails .
“
What a gran d thi n g it is thought C roisilles to risk all , ,
o n e possesses a n d go be y o n d the sea i n perilous s earch of ,
fortu n e ! How it fills me with emoti o n t o look at this vessel

setti n g ou t on her voy age loaded with s o mu ch wealth with
, ,
the welfare of so many families ! What j o y to s e e her come

back again bri n gi n g twice as much as was i n tru sted to her
, ,
retu r n in g s o mu ch prou der a n d richer tha n s h e wen t away !

Why am I n ot o n e of those merchants ? Why cou ld I n ot
stake my four hun dred lou is i n this wa y ? This immen se sea !
W hat a gree n c loth o n whi c h to boldl y tem p t fortune ! Why

,
should I not myself buy a few bales o f cloth or silk ? W ha t

i s t o preven t my d o g s o sin c e I have gold
In ? Why S hould
,
t his c aptain r efus e t o take char g e o f my mer c hand i se ? A nd

who knows ? Ins t ead o f goi n g and throwi n g awa y this — m y
little all i n a gamblin g house I might double it I might
— -
, ,
tr i p l e it p erhaps by honest i n dustry I f Julie truly loves

, ,
.
me s h e will wait a fe w years s h e will remain true to me

, ,
unt i l I am able t o marr y her C ommer c e sometimes yields .
greater profits than o n e thinks ; exam p les are no t wanting in

this world o f w ealth gaine d with astonishi n g ra p idit y in this
w a y on the c han ging wa v es — Wh y should P roviden c e n ot
bles s an endeavor made for a purpose so laudable s o wor t hy ,
o f His assistance ? Amo n g thes e mer c ha n ts w h o have acc u

m u l a t e d s o m u ch and w h o s end their ves sels to the ends o f
the world more tha n o n e has begu n with a smaller sum than
,
I ha v e n o w They ha v e prospered with the help of Go d ;

.
w h y should no t I p rosper in my turn ? It seems to me as

t hough a good wind were fillin g these sails and this vessel ,
inspires confide n ce C ome ! the die i s c ast ; I will speak t o

.
the captai n w h o s eems to be a good fellow I will the n write

,
to Julie and s et out t o be c ome a c le v er a n d success ful

,
t r a d er f
’
The grea t es t danger i n curred b y those who are habitually

but half craz y is that of becomin g a t t imes altogether s o
, , ,
.
The poor fellow without further deliberation p ut his whim

, ,
into execut i on T o fi n d goods to buy whe n o n e has money

.
, ,
a n d k n ows nothing about t he goods i s the easiest thing in the ,
world The captai n to oblige C ro i silles took h i mto o n e o f

.
, ,
h i s friends a ma n ufacturer w h o sold him as much cloth and

, ,
sil k as he could pa y for The whole of it loaded upon a c art .

, ,
w a s promptl y taken o n board C roisilles delighted and full .

,
o f hope had hims elf writte n in large le t ters his name u p on

,
the bales H e watched them bei n g p u t on board with i n e x

.
announ c in g the arrival a n d de p arture of v essels and whi c h ,
al so report disasters at sea It had n ever occurred t o her as

.
,
o n e can well imagi n e ; to take a n interest in this sort o f
thing ; s h e had i n fac t never glan c ed at an y of these sheets .
The perusal of C roisilles letter prom p ted her t o read the

bulletin s h e had been holdi ng i n her hand ; the first word that
caught her e y e was no other tha n the n ame of L a Fle urette .
— The vessel had been wrecked on t he coast of Fran c e o n

,
t he very night following i t s depar ture The crew had lb arel y .
esca p ed but all the cargo was lost

,
.
M ademoiselle G o d e a u at th i s news no longer remembere d

, ,
that C roisilles had made to her an a v owal o f his poverty ; s h e

was a s heartbroken as though a million had been at stake .
In an i n stant the horrors o f the t empes t t he fury o f t he

, ,
winds the c ries o f the drownin g the rui n of the man wh o

, ,
lo v ed her p res ented thems elves to her mind li k e a scene i n a

,
roma n ce The bulletin a n d the letter fell from her hands

. .
S he rose i n great agitation and with heavi n g breas t and eyes

, ,
brimmi n g with tears p a c ed u p and down de t e r mi ned t o a c t

, , ,
and asking hers elf h o w s h e should a ct .
There is o n e thi n g that must be said in j ustice to love ; it

i s that the stron g er t he clearer the sim p ler the c onsidera
, ,
tions o pp osed to it in a word t he less common sense there Is

, ,
in t he matter the wilder does the p assion become and the

,
more does the lover love It i s o ne o f the most beautiful

.
t hings under heaven this i rrationali ty of t he heart We

, .
should no t be worth much w i t h ou t i t After ha v ing walked .
abou t the r oom ( without forge tting either her dear fan or the
p assin g glance at the mirror ) Juli e allowed herself t o sink ,
on c e more u p on her loun g e Whoever had seen her at this.
moment would have looke d u p on a lovely sight ; her ey es

sparkled her cheeks were o n fire ; she sighed dee p ly a rid
, ,
murmured in a delicious transport o f j oy a n d p ain

“
P oor fellow ! H e has ruined himself for me !
Independently of the fort un e whi c h she could expect fro m

her father Madem oiselle G o d e a u had i n her own right the
,
property her mother had left her S he had n e ve r thought of .
i t
. At this mome n t for the first time i n her
,
life she remem ,
bered that s h e could disp o se of fi v e hun dred thousan d fran cs .
This thought bro u ght a smile to her lips ; a proj ect stran ge , ,
bold wholly femi nine almost as mad as C roisilles himself

, ,
entered her head s h e weighed the idea i n her mi n d for

-
some time t h en decided to act upon it at o nce

,
.
S he bega n b y i n qu iri n g whether C roisilles had any rela

t i v e s or frie n ds ; the maid w as se n t o u t i n all directio n s to
find out H a v i n g made minute in qu i r i es in all qu arters she
.
,
disco v ered o n the fo u rth floor o f an o l d ricket y ho u se a half

, ,
crippled aun t who n ev er stirred from her arm chair and had
,
-
,
n ot be en o ut for four o r fi v e y ears This poor woma n ver y .

,
o ld ,
s e emed to have bee n left in the world expressl y as a
specime n o f hungry mi ser y Bli n d gouty almost deaf s h e .
, , ,
li v ed alon e i n a garret ; but a gay et y stron ger than m i s fo r ,
tun e a n d illn ess s u stained her at eighty y ears of age and

, ,
made her still lo v e life Her n eighbors n ev er passed her .
door without goi n g i n to see her a n d the a ntiqu ated tu n es ,
she hu mm ed e n li ve n ed all the girls o f the n eighborhood S he .
possessed a little a nnu it y which s u fficed to mai n tai n her ; as

lo n g as da y lasted she kn itted S he did n ot know what had
,
.
happened since the death o f L ouis X IV .
It was t o this worth y perso n that J u lie had herself pri

v a t e ly co n d u cted S he donn ed for the occasio n all her
.
fi n ery ; feathers laces ribbon s diamo n ds n othi n g was

, , , ,
spared S he wa nted to be fasci n ati n g ; but the real secret of

.
her beaut y i n this case was the whim that was carr y i n g
, ,
her awa y S he we n t up the steep dark staircase which

.
,
led to the good lad y s chamber a n d after the most graceful

’
, ,
bow spoke somewhat as follows

,
“
You ha v e madame a n ephew called C roisilles who
, , , ,
lo v es me and has asked fo r m y hand ; I love him too a n d , ,
W ish t o marry him ; but m y father Mons i eur G o d e a u fer , ,
mie r g énéral o f t his t own refuses his c onsen t because your

—
, ,
ne p hew is n ot ri c h I would n o t fo r the w orld gi ve occasion

.
, ,
t o s c andal nor c ause t rouble to an y bod y ; I would therefor e

,
neve r t hink o f disposi ng o f m yself withou t t he c onse n t o f

my family I c ome t o ask y o u a favor which I besee c h you
.
,
to grant me Y o u mus t c ome yourself and propose this mar

.
r i a e t o my fa t he r I have t hank G o d a little for tu n e whi ch

g .
, ,
is qu i t e a t your disposal ; y ou may take p ossess i on w heneve r ,
see fit f fi ve hundred thousand fran c s my notar y s ’
y o u o , a t .
Y o u wi ll s a y t ha t t his sum b elon g s t o your nephew whi c h in ,
fact it does It i s no t a p resent that I am making him i t i s a

.
,
deb t w hi c h I a m p ayin g for I am the c ause o f the r uin o f ,
C roisilles and i t i s but j us t t ha t I should repair it

,
My .
father wi ll n o t easily g ive i n ; y ou will be obliged t o i nsis t

a n d you mus t have a little c ou r a g e ; I for m y p ar t will no t , ,
fail As nobody on earth ex c e p tin g myself has any right t o

.
the sum o f whi c h I am s p eak in g to you nobod y will eve r ,
k n ow in wha t w a y t his amount will ha v e p assed i nto you r

hands Y ou are not very rich yourself I know and you m ay
.
, ,
fear t ha t people will be astonished t o s ee y o u t hus e n d o w m g

your nephew ; but reme mber t hat my fat he r does no t kno w
you that y o u show yours elf very little in t own a n d that
, , ,
consequentl y i t wi ll be easy fo r y o u t o p ret end that y ou ha v e

,
j us t arrived from some j our n e y This step will doubtless be .
some exer ti on t o y o u ; you will have t o leave y our arm chai r -
and t ake a little trouble ; but you will make t w o p eople

happy madame a n d i f you have eve r known love I ho p e y ou
, , ,
”
will n o t r efuse me .
The ol d lad y duri n g this discourse had been i n turn

, ,
-
surprised anxious touched a n d delighted The last words

, , ,
.
p ersuaded her .
“
Y e s m y c hild
,
s h e repeated se v eral times
,
I kn ow what ,
it i s I k n ow what it i s
—
,
.
M A U P A S S AN T
( 1 85 0 1 8 9 3 )
-
G UY DE M AU P AS SA N T was bor n in N o rm a ndy ( nor t he rn

Fran c e ) in 1 8 5 0 H e c om p le t ed his edu c ation at R ouen and
.
then wen t t o P a ri s where he wa s fo r a t im e a c le r k in the

M inistr y o f M arine W hile yet a boy i t was his g ood for
.
tune t o have as t he di r e ct in g hand fo r his g enius an a ck n o w l

e d g ed m a s t e r o f pr os e s t yle his g o d fa t her F laubert H e
,
-
.
taught M aup a ssant h o w t o observe a cc urat el y an d ex p res s

himself c learl y ; h o w t o ch oose his c haracters and make them
a ct i n su c h a way as t o s eem r eal and fit the p art assigned t o
t hem i n t he s t ory Flauber t r ead all o f M a u p a s s a nt s ea rly
.
’
p oems and stories p oint ed o u t t heir f aults and t hen de

, ,
stro y ed them with t he resul t that when t he youn g a p p r en

,
tice finally be g an t o p ublish his work i t was t he fi nished

p roduct o f an exper t in the ar t o f wri tin g .
The t w o out sta n di n g features o f M au p a s s a nt s stories are ’
pre c ision o f obs er v ation and sim p licity o f s tyle H e had n o .
theories o f li fe t o expound n o p ro p a g anda t o advan c e H e

,
.
himself s ays t ha t his onl y doctrine was t o p or t ray nature ,
t hat is human na ture faithfully H e c hos e h i s c hara c ters

, ,
.
as t hey p resented themsel v es t o him in his o wn ex p erience ,
and then c ontrived the stor y around t hem H e never tries .
t o ex p lain ; he si mp l y gi ves the fac t s The reader draws his .
o w n c on c lusion .M au p assan t i s i n o t he r w ords unc om, ,
p romisingly real i s ti c .
M a u p a s s a n t s work fi lls t hi rt y volumes c o mpr isin g six

’
novels and t w o hundred and t welve short s t o r ies The .
ran g e o f his c hara c ters and si t uations i s equally extensiv e .
H e p ortrays t he p easa n ts o f his native N ormandy the bour ,
e o i s i e and the workin g c lasses both o f t he c ou n try and o f

g
P aris small t radesmen and their emplo y ees government
, ,
c le rk s t he m en and wo m en workin g o n the P arisian news

,
1 92
M A U PA SS A N T 1 93
papers and magazi n es an d fi n ally the gen tleme n a n d ladies

, ,
o f the salo n s Add t o these the my stic a n d fantastic sub

.
s that came to him in those mome n ts when his chro n ic

j e c t
n er v ous disorder caused his visions t o be distorted and ,
the categor y o f M au p a s s an t s material is fairly complete

’
Many o f hi s stories touch upo n the harshness o f the strug

gle for e xi s t enc e often m its mos t p rimi tive form the mer e
, ,
di fficulty o f making e n ds m eet ; o r agai n t he emphasis i s ,
placed upon the desire fo r money t o secure certain en ds

so c ial o r political o r for the pursuit o f pleasure S ome .
t imes t here 1 8 humor a sor t o f grim humor es pe cially 1 n h i s

, ,
earlier stories He liked t o t ell o f the barren li fe o f the

.
u n derpaid officials o f the bureaus T h e N e c k la c e bei n g n ot ,
o nl y the best o f this ty pe o f M aupassant story bu t in t h e ,
opinion o f man y c riti c s the m ost per fe ct short s to ry in any

languag e .
O f the other sele c tions i n t his book F rig ht T h e T wo , ,
F r i e nd s a n d T h e H a n d are excellent examples o f the a u

,
thor s power o f c alm and u n adorned re alism in de picti n g

’
the horrible T h e Wr e c k is a pleasan t lov e s t o r y a type n ot

.
,
at all c ommon with Maupassant .
In the appreciation o f M au p a s s ant s work his general ’
pessimism should be noted E ven when h e l augh s it is t h e

'
lau gh o f i rony His outlook, on li fe was essentially bitter

.
,
yet he makes the reade r feel that the bitterness i s not i n

the writer but in the essen c e o f thing s as t hey a r e And .
the fact t hat he w rote mostly about people in ordina ry lif e

makes the gloom all the deeper His stories almos t inva .
r i a bl y emphasize the tragedy o f the c ommonpla c e .
However even in the mos t unpleas an t o f his s t or i es the

,
r eade r i s c onscious o f the high ar t o f t he wr i t er Ther e .
is n o exuberan c e o f words there are n o overwrought p a s

,
sages nothi ng t o impede the progress o f the stor y S o

,
.
carefu lly di d M aupassa nt write that n ot a word seems super

fluo u s o u t o f pla c e wa n ting
,
E v er y word ever y idea ever y
,
.
, ,
i ncident is gi v en i t s proper value ; j ust that a n d no more .
These are some o f the qualities o f M aup a s s a nt s st y le that

’
are the des p air o f all imi t ators .

The las t few years o f his life were s p ent ve r y mi se r ab ly

i n a pr i va t e sani t a r i um nea r P a r i s whe r e he d i ed July 6 , ,
1 89 3 .
T H E N E C K LACE 1
By G UY D E MA UPA S S A N T
SH E was o ne o f thos e pretty and charm i n g gi rl s b o r n as ,
b y a mista k e o f destiny in a fa mi ly o f c lerks S he had n o

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dowry no ex p e ct ations n o m eans o f bein g known under

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stood lo v ed o r m arried by a r i c h and distin guished man ; s o

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s h e le t hers elf be married t o an o r dina r y c ler k i n the D e p art
m ent o f P ubl i c Instru ct ion .
S he was sim p le in her dress be c ause s h e c ould n ot be

ele g ant ; bu t s h e w a s unha pp y like o ne k e pt out o f her ,
pr o p e r c lass ; fo r wi t h women t here is nei t her c as t e nor

r ank Their beauty t he i r g ra c e and t heir c harm s erve i n
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s t ead o f bi rt h and family N a ti ve del i c a cy an ins tin ct fo r

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what i s fine and t hei r nimblenes s o f wit c onstitute their only

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h i e r archy m akin g dau ghters o f t he p eo p le t he equals o f t he

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great es t ladies .
S he su ffered c easeless ly f eel i n g hersel f b o r n fo r eve r y ,
d eli c a c y and eve r y luxu r y S he su ff e r ed b e c ause o f t he.
p overty o f her dwellin g t he wret c hedness o f i t s walls t he , ,
worn c hairs and the u glines s o f t he han gi n gs All the

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t hin g s whi c h any o t he r wo m an o f her c lass w o ul d n o t even

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have noti c ed t ortured her and m ade he r an gr y The si gh t

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o f the lit t le B r e t on gi rl w h o did he r humble hous ewor k awoke
i n he r tormentin g regrets and distra c ted dreams Her m i nd .
d wel t o n s i len t an t e r oo m s hun g w i t h Ori ental t a p es t r i es

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l i gh t ed by t all b r onz e la mp s and o n t he t w o t all footmen l n ,
knee bree c hes dozin g i n the bi g a rmc ha i rs m ade drowsy by

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t he heavy wa rmt h o f t he s t ove S he t hou gh t o f lon g p a r .
1 . T ra n s l a t ed by H . C . h
S c wei k ert .
disdainfully threw the invita tion t he t able mu rmu r

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on ,
i ng :
“
Wha t am I t o d o with that ?
B ut my dear I thou ght y o u would be p leased Y ou

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never go o ut and here is an o pp o rtunity a s p lendid on e I

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had c onsiderable tr ouble t o g et it E ver y body i s after them ; .
i t i s a very s ele ct affair and n o t m any are given to clerks .
The e n tire o ffic ial worl d will be t here .
S he looked at him w i th an ex p ression o f i rri t ation and

declared i m p atiently
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Wha t am I t o p ut o n my ba ck t o go there ?
H e had no t thou ght o f t hat ; he stammered

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Why t he dress y ou wea r t o the theater That s eems
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very fine t o m e .
Astonished a nd dis t ra c ted he s aid nothin g more His ,

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wi fe w a s c ryin g T w o lar g e t ears rolled slowly from t he

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corners o f he r eyes t o t he c orners o f her mouth He .
s tut te r ed :
“
What s t he mat t er W hat s t he ma tt er
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? ?
Bu t by a viole n t e ffort she had overcome her di ffic ulty ,
and s h e re p l i ed i n a c alm voi c e as s h e wi p ed her mois t ,
c heeks :
“
N o t h i ng Only I have no clothes and t herefore can t
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g o to this affair G ive your card t o s o me c olleague whos e

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wi fe has better c lothes than I .
H e was g rieved H e resumed .
“
L et s see M a t hilde H o w much would a suitable dress
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c ost o n e which you c ould us e o n other occasions s omethi n g

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ver y simple ?
S he reflected s everal s e c onds maki n g c alculations a n d , ,
t hi nki ng also of t he sum she c ould a s k witho u t an imme

diate refusal and a f right ened ex c lamation from t he e c o
n o m i c a l clerk .
At last she replied hesi t atin gly ,

TH E NE C K L A C E 1 97
I don t know exac tly but I beli e v e I c ould do with fou r

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hundred fran c s .
He grew p ale for he w as reserving j ust that amou n t to

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pur c hase a g un and treat himself t o a little shootin g the

coming summer o n the plai n of N ant e rre with se v eral frien d s
who used t o go there S und ays to sh oot larks .
However he said : ,
“
All right I ll gi v e y o u four hundred fra n cs But do
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t ry t o have a p retty dress .
The day o f t he party was drawi n g near an d Mme L oisel ,

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seemed sad restless anxious Her dress w a s ready how

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ever Her hu sban d said t o her on e eveni n g :

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“
What s the matter ? Y ou ve been quite queer the las t
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thr ee day s .
And she answered

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It anno y s me n o t t o have a single j ewel not a sto n e t o ,
p u t o n I shall
. look wretched I d almost rather n ot go t o .
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the re c e p tion .
“
Y o u c ould wear natural flo w ers It s very stylish thi s ’
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time o f the year F o r t en fran c s y o u c a n get two or thre e

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magnifi c e nt roses .
S he was not convi n c ed .
“
N o ; there s nothing more humiliati n g than to look poor
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among women who a r e rich .
But her husband co ntinued

“
H o w stupid of y o u ! Go fi n d y our frie n d Mme Fores .
tier an d ask her t o lend y o u some j ewelr y You ha v e been

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close enough t o her t o d o t hat

S he gave a c ry o f j oy :
That s true I had n ot thought o f that
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The next day s h e went t o her friend an d told her dis

tr ess .
3 Ab out ei gh t y d oll ars

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M me F o r es t i er went t o her mirrored wardrobe t ook o ut a

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l ar g e j ewel r y b o x o p ened i t and sa i d t o M me L oisel :

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“ ”
C hoose my dear ,
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Fi r s t s h e saw s ome b r a c el e t s then a pearl ne ckla c e then , ,
a Vene t ian c ross g old and pr e ci ous stones o f admirable

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workmanshi p S he tried on t he ornaments before the glass

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hesi t ated and c ould not make up her mind t o leave them
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t o give them ba ck S he k ept o n aski n g : .
“ ”
Y ou haven t an y o t hers
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Wh y yes L oo k I don t know wha t may p lease

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ou
y .
All at on c e s h e discovered i n a box o f bla ck s atin a , ,
su p erb diamo n d ne c kla c e and her heart began to beat with ,
i mmodera t e lon gi n g H er hands t rembled as s h e took i t

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u p S he fastened it around her neck over her high ne ck ed —

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d r ess and was ra pt in e c s t asy a t the si ght o f herself

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Then s h e as k ed hesita t ingly full o f anxiety :

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C a n you le t me ha v e this o n ly this ?
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Why yes ; c ertainly

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S he s p ra n g u p on her fr i end s ne ck embra c ed he r warmly ’
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a n d t hen escaped with her treasure .
The day of the p art y c ame M me L oisel was a su cc ess . . .
S he was t he bes t looking o f them all elegant gra c ious , , ,
smiling and crazy with j o y All the men were lookin g at

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her asking w h o s h e w a s and s eekin g an int rodu c tion All

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the a ttachés of the C abinet wanted t o wal tz wi t h he r The .
Minister himsel f t ook noti c e o f her .
S he da n ced in a trans p or t o f deligh t i n t ox i c a t ed w i th ,
p leasure th inking o f nothin g i n t he trium p h o f her beauty

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in t he glory o f her su c cess in a sort o f c loud o f happiness ,
p rodu c ed b y all this homage and admiration o f this vi ct ory ,
s o c omplete and s o dear to the heart o f woman .
S he left about four in the m orning H er husband had .
bee n slee p ing sin c e midnight in a small des er t ed ante room -

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H e asked
Y o u are su r e that y o u s t i ll had it when leavin g t he bal l ?
“
Y es I t o u c hed i t while i n t he ves tibule o f t he M inis t ry

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B u t if y o u had los t it in t he s tr eet we sh ould have heard

it dr op It mus t be in t he c arria g e
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Y es very likely Y o u t ook hi s number

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N o And y o u didn t y ou look a t i t
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No .
They look ed a t on e ano t her thoroughly u p se t Finally

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L oisel dres sed a g ain .
“ ’
I m g oin g ba ck over t he whole r oute sa i d he on f oo t , , ,

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t o s ee i f I c an t find i t
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And he w en t o ut S he r emained there in her evening
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g own wi t hout stre n gth to go t o bed utterly depressed

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without a fire without thought ,

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H er husba n d returned about s even o c lo ck H e had no t ’

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f ound i t .
H e wen t t o the P refe cture o f P olice to the news p apers ,
t o o ff er a reward to the cab compa n ies ; indeed he went

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w here v er a glimmer o f hope impelled him to g o .
S he waited all day i n the s ame s t ate of distra c tion over

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t his frightful disaster .
L oisel c ame home in t he eve n in g wi t h his face p ale and ,
s u n ke n ; he had disco v ered nothi n g .
“
Y ou must write to your frie n d he s aid that y ou have , ,
b roken the clasp o f the neckla c e and that y ou are havi n g i t

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r e p aired That will gi v e us time t o turn round
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S he wrote as he dictated .
At t he e n d o f the week the y had l o st all ho p e .
And L ois el w h o had aged fi v e years de clared

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We must see abo u t replaci n g that piece of j ewelry .
N ext day the y t ook the box i n which it had been contai n ed
to the j eweler whos e name w a s on the inside H e co n sulted .
h i s books .
TH E NE C K L A C E 20 1
It was not I mada m e w h o sold that n ecklace I mu st

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o nly ha v e furnished the case .
Then they we n t from on e j eweler to a n other searchin g ,
for a necklace like the other c o n sultin g their memories , ,
sick both o f them with c hagrin an d an xiety

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In a shop in the P a lais R o y al they found a diamo n d

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necklace which seemed t o them quite like the on e the y were

looki n g fo r It was priced at fo rty th ousand francs but
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the y could have it fo r thirty s i x -

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They begged the j eweler n ot t o sell it fo r three day s .
And they made a bargain that he would take it back for

thirt y four thousand fran c s i f the other was found before
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the end o f F ebruary .
L oisel had eighteen thousan d francs whi c h h i s father had

left him He had t o b o rrow the rest
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He b o rrowed aski n g a thousa n d fran cs from o n e fiv e

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hun dred from a nother fiv e louis here five there

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gave notes made ruinous obli gations di d business wi th the

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whole tribe o f m oney lenders He c ompromi sed all the rest -

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o f his existence risked his signature with ou t even knowi n g

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whether he c ould meet hi s obligation ; and terrifi ed b y the ,
a n g uis h o f t he future b y the bla c k mi sery which was goin g

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to fall upon hi m by the prospe c t o f phy sical pri v ations an d

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moral t o rtu r es o f every kind he went and bought the neck ,
lace layin g down thir ty si x thousand francs o n the j eweler s

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co unter .
When M me L o i sel t ook the ne ckla c e ba ck M me Fores

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tie r said wi th an air o f inquir y :

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Y o u should have b r ought it back sooner fo r I mi ght have ,

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needed it .
Her friend had been in dread lest Mme F orestier should .
4 p al ace i n P ari s b ui l t by Ri ch el i eu a nd a ft e wa d s l eft t o Lo ui s

A r r
h p es p eci a lly
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! IV It h a s g a ll eri e s a n d a c a d es s t i ll fa m ou s f o r r s o s,
Jew l r y h p
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e s o s.
5 T w ent y d o ll a s
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o p en t he c ase but her fea r w a s groundless I f s h e had

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o bserved t he subs t t utioni w hat would she have t hou ght ,

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W ha t would s h e have said ? W ould s h e no t h ave b een ta ken

f o r a t h i ef ?
M m e L o i sel.n o w ex p erien c ed t he h o rr ible li f e o f the

needy P resently however she too k her p art he r oically
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That fri g htful deb t had t o be p aid S he wo uld p ay i t . .
T hey s en t t he servant away ; they c h an g ed lod gi n g s ; they

r en t ed an a t ti c under a r oof .
S he learned wha t heavy housewor k was t he disa greeable ,
dut ies o f t he ki t c hen S he washed the d i shes wearing o ff.

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he r ros y nails on the g reasy kettles and t he bott oms o f t he

p ans S he washed the soiled linen t he sh i rt s and all t h e
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r ougher t hings whi c h s h e dried o n a line ; eve r y morning

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s h e c arried t he g arba g e down t o t he s t ree t and brou ght u p ,
t he water s t o p pin g t o regain her breath o n every landin g

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And dres sed like a wo m an o f t he p eo p le s h e went t o the

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frui t e r er t he g ro c er t he but cher with her bask e t o n her

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arm bargai n ing i nsul ted figh ti n g s ou by s o u with her

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wre tc hed money .
They had t o p ay s ome no t es ea c h m ont h and renew ,
o the r s t o g ain time .
H er husband worked evenings making fair c op i es o f a “
t rades m an s a cc ounts and a t ni ght he often did c o p ying

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a t fi ve sous a p a ge .
And t his life lasted t en years .
At t he end o f t en years t hey had r e p ai d eve r yth i n g r at es ,
o f usury a cc umulations o f c om p ound int e r es t all

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M me L o i sel see m ed ol d n o w S he had be c ome a ty p i c al

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wo m an o f a p oo r hous ehold s t ron g ha r d and r ou gh Wi t h , , ,

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ha i r badly c ombed her ski rts unt idy and he r hands r ed

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s h e t alked in a loud voi c e and w a shed t he fl oo r w i t h c o p i ous

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s p lashin g s o f wa t e r B ut a t t i m es when her hus b and was

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6 . One cent .
20 4: F REN CH S H OR T S T OR I E S
m att e r fo r us wh o h ad no t hin g At la s t t hat i s o v er and

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I m h app y en o u g
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Mm e F o re s t i er had sto pp ed
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“
Yo u s ay t h a t y o u b ou g ht a dia m ond ne ck la c e t o r e p lace
”
m in e ?
Y es Y o u didn t even no ti c e i t t hen did y ou

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? T hev
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w ere ve r y m u c h alike .
A nd s h e smiled with a p roud and na 1 ve j oy .
M me Forest i er s t ron gly m oved t oo k hold o f bo t h her

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hands .
“
Oh ! M y p oor M athilde ! Why m i ne w a s fals e
, . I t was
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wo rt h at m ost fi ve h und r e d fr a n c s !
TH E W RE C K 1
By G UY D E MA U P A S S A N T
IT W A Sy es t erday t h e 3 1 s t o f D ecember
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I had j ust finished bre akfast with my old friend Georges ,
Gari n The serva n t br ought him a letter covered with seals

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a n d foreign stamps .
Georges said t o me
“ ”
Allow me ?
C ertai nl y .
And he began t o read an eight page letter written m a -
large En glish ha n d scrawled i n ever y directio n He read .
s lowl y g1 v1 n g it s e r i o u s a t t en t i o n with that i n terest which

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o n e gi v es o n l y t o thi n gs that t ouch the heart .
Then h e placed the lett er on the edge o f the ma n tel

piece and said
“
Well here is a c urious story which I have n e v er told
,
y ou a se n timent al stor y withal an d on e which happened

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t o me ! Oh ! That was a red letter da y fo r me that year -

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That was twenty y e a rs a go fo r I was then thirty y ears old , ,
a n d I am no w fifty .
I was then an i n spe ct or for the M aritime I n surance

C ompan y o f whi c h I am n ow manager
,
I had expect ed t o .
pass N ew Year s D a y i n P aris sin ce it is the custom t o

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make that day a holiday when I recei v ed a letter fr o m the ,
man ager ordering me t o s et o u t immediately for the Islan d

of R é where a three masted schoo n er from S aint N azaire
2
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i n sured b y us had j ust been stran ded It was the n eight

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o clock in the mor n in g B y ten o clo ck I was a t the offic e

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1 T r ans a t el d by
H C S c w ei er t h k
y
. . . .
2 . l d
An i s an i n t h e B ay o f B i s ca .
20 5
to get m y i nstructio n s a n d that s ame nigh t I too k the ,

3
express which got me int o L a R o c helle the next day
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t he S l s t o f D ecember .
I had t w o hours o n my hands before g oin g aboard t he

b oa t for R é the Je a n G a z i o n I took a turn about the c i ty
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L a R ochelle is indeed a u n ique tow n o f impressive c hara ct er ,
with its lab y rinthi n e maze o f streets whose sidewalks run

un der galleries without e n d galleries and ar c ades like thos e ,
o f the R ue de R ivoli
4
but l o w with an air o f mys t ery as , , ,
t hough spe c ially buil t t o tem p t cons p irators and o f antique ,
appeara n ce sa v ori n g o f the wars o f olden times t he heroi c

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and s a v age wars o f religion It is indeed t he ol d Hugueno t 5

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cit y gra v e discreet without any great art and none o f

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thos e wonderful mo n uments which make R ouen so ma g 6
nifi c en t ; yet i t i s striking be c ause of its severe p h y si c al
outlines a little elusi v e too a city o f determined fi ghters

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the birthplace o f ma ny fa n aticisms a cit y in which fl ourished ,

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t he faith o f the C al v inists and where the p lot o f t he F our
8
S ergeants w a s born
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“
After I had wa n dered abou t thes e p i c turesque s t reet s
for some time I boarded the small s t eamboat bla c k and ,
s quat which w a s to take me to the I sland of Ré It started

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pu ffin g a n grily p assed between the t w o ancient t owers which

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guard the p ort cross ed the chan n el p assed o u t beyond , ,
the mole built by R ichelieu the e n ormous rocks o f which

9
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were visible abo v e the water s edge encircli n g the c ity like ’
a n imme n s e necklace ; the n we turned towards the ri ght .
3 A ci t y in sou t h ea s t e r n F r a n ce on t h e B ay of B i s ca y
P i s n t ed f h p
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4 A s t r ee t in ar o or it s s o s
n m e gi v n t P
. .
5 Th e a th e o e r o t e s t a n t s i n F r a n ce i n t h e 1 5 t h a nd
Th y we b p
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1 6t h c en t u i es r f t en e re o s u j ect e d to er s e c u t i o n
A i t y o n t h e S ei n e R i e
.
6 c v r It i s n o t e d
f o r i t s s h 1 p p i ng , f o r i t s
b g
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mt e c t u r a l m o n u m en t s a nd a s t h e s cene o f t h e urni n of oa n o f J
i
rc ,
re
P
.
7 The r o t es t a n t s w h o w er e fo ll o w er s of J oh n Ca l vi n i n s t ea d of
Lut h h y l l d H u gu n t
.
er In F r a n ce t e w e re c a e e o s
pi t o s b h e d d i n P ri s 1 8 2 2
. .
8 . F ou r con s ra r e a e a , , f o r t r ea s o n .
9 . A f am o u s F r e n h
c t a t es m n ( 1 5 8 5
s a
— ‘
in the ni gh t and s t eering by cha n ce o n a f oamy
, s ea a
milk sou p sea i t was c alled by the c aptain was wre c ked
’
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o n t hose immense shoals o f sh i ftin g sands whi c h m ake t he
c oas ts o f this re gion s eem li k e l i mi tless S aharas du r i n g t he

hours o f lo w t ide .
As we spoke I loo k ed around and ahead B etween the

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o c ean and the loweri ng sky there was an o p en spa c e throu gh

which o n e c ould s e e far We we r e s ki r tin g a shore I asked : . .
‘
Is tha t the Islan d o f Ré ? ’
‘
Y es monsieur
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And all a t on c e t he c a pt ain p ointing with his right ,
hand straight before us i ndi c ated to me an obj e c t almos t ,
i mperceptible o n the open s e a and s aid :

‘
L ook there i s your shi p !
,
The M a r i e Jo s ep h ? -
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Yes
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I was astou n ded That black speck well n i gh invisible

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w h i c h I should have taken for a reef s eemed to me abou t ,
t w o miles from shore .
“
I resumed :
‘
But c aptain there must be a hu n dred fathoms o f wat e r
, ,
a t the spot y ou are i n dicati n g

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H e laughed .
‘
A hu n dred fathoms m y dear s i r ! N ot t w o fathoms , ,
I assure you ! ’
“
H e w a s from B or deaux 0
H e co n ti n ued .
1
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It is high tid e n o w twe n ty mi n utes of te n Walk alon g ,
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the beach y our ha n ds i n your p ockets a fter you have

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lu n ched at the H é t el D a u p i n a n d I ll guara n tee tha t by

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t en mi n utes o f three or three o clock at the most you will ,

’
ha v e walked to the wr eck without gettin g your feet w et , ,
and y ou will ha v e from an hou r and three quarters t o t wo -
10 In t h e F r en c h
t h e c a t a i n s ea s t h e p p k di l a ec t of B or d ea u x , h h
w ic
it is p d
1 m p o s s i bl e t o r e r o u c e i n t r a n s a t i o n l .
TH E W RE C K 20 9
hours to remain o n it ; n o lon ger though or y ou ll get , ,
caught The further o u t the tide goes the qu icker it comes

.
,
back The coast alo n g here is as flat as a bug Be sure to

.
.
start back at ten minutes o f fi v e ; a n d at se v e n thirty y ou -
will again be o n board the Je a n G ui t o n which will t ake -

,
o u back this ver y night to the qua y a t L a R ochelle

y
.
I thanked the c apt ain a n d we n t to take a seat on the

’
,
h o w o f the boat to take a look ,

at the littl e t ow n o f S aint
M arti n which we were rapidl y approachi n g
,
.
“
It w a s like all the mi n iatu re seaports which s erve as
c apitals f o r the barre n little isla n ds scattered alo n g the
c o n ti n e n t It was a large fishi n g village part of it i n the

.
,
water a n d part o n lan d ; its people li vi n g o n fish an d

w ild fowl vegetables a n d shell fis h radishes a n d mussels
-
,
-
,
.
The isla n d is ver y lo w little cultivated but seems , ,
well populated However I did not p enetrate into the

.
,
i n terior .
After lu n ch I wen t up a little promon tor y a n d from ,
there as the tide w a s goi n g o u t fast I proceeded across the

, ,
s a n d towards a ki n d of black rock which I noticed j us t

abo v e the water way out ,
.
“
I walked rapidly across this y ellow le v el o f sand elasti c ,
as flesh an d i t seemed to sweat under my steps The s ea

,
.
‘
had been there a while before ; n ow I s a w it far o u t as ,
tho u gh fleei n g from s i ght a n d I could n o lo n ger d i s t i p gu i s h

,
the li n e which separated the la n d from the s e a I felt as .
thou gh I were a part of a giga n tic a n d s u per n atural spec

tacle The Atla ntic had j u st been before me but now i t
.
,
seemed to ha v e d isappeared i nt o the stran d like stage ,
sce n er y i n to a trap an d I walked n o w in the middle of a

,
desert Onl y the feeli n g a n d the breath of the salt water

.
remai n ed with me I smelled the odor of the d é b r1 s left

.
b y the s e a the smell o f the ocean , the good str on g sce nted
, ,
-
smell o f the coast I walked fast ; I was n o lo n ger cold ;

.
21 0 F R E N CH S H ORT S T ORIE S
I look ed at t h e w r eck whi c h be c a m e l a rg er t h e nea r er I

,
ap pr o a c h ed an d n o w r e s e m bled a hu g e s t randed wh a le
, .
It s eem e d t o r i s e o ut o f t he earth and o n t ha t vas t ,
e x p an s e o f s a nd ,
fl at and yello w i t as s u m ed s u rpr i s i n g
,
’
p r o p or t i ons
. I re a c hed i t a t las t a ft e r a n h o u
,
r s w al k .
It lay u p on it s s i d e s p li t o p en s ha tt ered i t s br oken b one s

, , ,
s h o wi n g li k e t h o s e o f a n a ni m al a n d i t s r i b s o f t a rr ed wood
,
p i e rc ed b y l a r g e n a i ls c learly visibl e T h e s a nd a l r
. eady
w a s envelo p i n g i t e n t er i n g t h r ou g h t he r en t s ho ldin g i t
, , ,
p oss es s i n g i t neve r t o l et go I t s ee m ed t o have be c o m e

,
.
r oo t ed i n t he s and The pr ow had sun k dee p i n t o t hat soft

.
,
tr ea c he r ous s and while t he s t e r n hi gh i n t he a 1 r s eemed

, , ,
t o t hrow t owa r d t he s k y l i k e a ho p eles s cr y o f a pp ea l t hos e

, ,
t wo wh i t e wo r ds on t he bla ck p lankin g M a ri e Jo s ep h ,
-
.
“
I c l i mbed u p on th i s c or p se o f a shi p by t he lower s i de ;
and a ft er g a i nin g t he de ck I wen t down i n t o t he i nte ri or .
The dayli gh t c om i n g i n t hrou gh the broken ha tc hes and t he

,
fissures i n t he s i des i llu m inated sadly wha t l ooked li k e

,
long and sombe r c aves full o f bro k en timbe r s T he r e was

,
.
nothin g inside ex c e pt s and whi c h s erved as a fl oor t o thes e

,
vaults o f p lank
“
I be g an t o t ak e no t es o n t he bo nd i t i o n o f t he vessel .
I s a t down o n a b ro k en em pt y barrel wri t in g by the li gh t ,
o f a lar g e cr a ck t hrou g h wh i c h I c ould see t he li mitles s
s tr et c h o f t he sho r e A p e c uli a r sh i ve r due t o t he c old and

.
,
t he soli tude c re pt over me fro m t ime t o time ; and I s t o pp ed

,
wr i ti n g a t ti mes t o lis t en t o t he va gue and mys t erious sounds

i n t he wre ck : t he sound o f c rabs s c ra p in g the ti m be r s w i t h
t hei r hoo k ed claws the sound o f a t housand small an i m als
,
o f t he sea already at t ached t o this c or p se ; t he sound so ft ,
a n d r e gula r ,
o f t he worms gnawi n g c easelessly m akin g a ,
nois e like t ha t o f a g imle t as t hey d i g o u t and devou r t he

‘
,
o ld p lan k s .
A nd suddenly I heard human vo i c es quite nea r m e I ,

.
to t he mi nu t es t details and I 1 nven t ed them as t hough I

, ,
had been pr esen t at t h e c atas t r o p he Then the whole family .
wen t down in t o t he i n t e ri o r o f the wr e c k A s soon as t hey .
had ent ered t h a t da rk g allery p oo r ly li gh t ed t hey utt e r ed

’
, ,
c ries o f a s t onish m en t and admi r ation ; and suddenly the

,
father a nd his t h r ee dau gh t ers were hold i n g ske tc h books -

,
whi c h doub t l e s s they had c arried c on ce aled in t he folds o f

their heavy w r a p s and t hey be g an a t t he sa m e ti m e f ou r
,
p en c il ske tc hes o f t h i s bizarre and gloomy s c ene .
“
They w e r e s eated side by side on a p roj e c tin g bea m ,
and the f ou r s k e tc h boo k s o n t he ei ght knees were c overed

-
,
wi t h lit tle bla c k li nes whi c h w ere t o r e pr esent t he sha tt ered

hull o f the M a ri e Jo s ep h-
.
“
Althou gh busy w ith her s k e tc h t he oldes t gi r l k e pt o n ,
talking t o me a s I c ontinued my i ns p e ct i on o f the r emains

o f the ship
I learned t hat t hey were s p ending the w i n t er a t B i ar

ri t z and that t hey had c ome t o the I sla n d o f R é ex p ressly
,
1 1
t o view t his t hree mas t e r stuck in the sand

-
They d i d no t .
have the usual E n glish ar r o g an c e t hese p eo p le ; t hey were ,
simple and strai ghtforward o f t hat c las s o f W anderers with ,
whi c h E n gland i s c overin g the world The fa the r w a s t all .
and slender his red f a c e frin g ed with whis k e r s a so r t o f

, ,
li v in g sandw i c h a sli c e o f ham in the form o f a human head

,
betwee n t w o la y ers o f hair The daughters were li k e youn g

.
a n d g rowin g hero n s lon g legged slender also ex c e p t t he

,
-
, ,
oldes t ; a n d all three were g ood lookin g e s p ec fa lly t he

— -
t allest .
“
S he had su c h a droll way o f speaking of tellin g th i n g s , ,
o f laughi ng o f unders t anding and no t u nders t andi n

,
g of ,
r aisin g her eyes t o question me eyes like t he dee p blue sea , ,
o f s t o pp in g her drawi n g to fi gure out what I had s aid and ,

‘ ‘
o f begin n in g her wor k again saying Y es or N o tha t I ’ ’
-
,
1 1 A F rench b a t h i ng eso t on t h e B a y of B i s ca y
. r r .
TH E W RE C K 21 3
c ould have s t ayed indefinitely to listen t o her an d look at her .
“
All o f a s u dde n she murmured :
‘
I heard a slight mo v ement o n the ship .
’
I listened ; an d I immediatel y made out a s li gh t sound ,
pec uliar conti nu ous What was it

,
.
? I got up and looked
through the c rack an d uttered a sharp c r y
, .
“ !
The tide had returned ; and it w a s about t o surround us
We were on deck i n a trice It was t o o late The wate r
. .
en c ircled u s and was r unni n g towards the s hore with fright

,
ful speed N o it did not r un it glided alon g it crept

.
, , , ,
stretchi n g i t self a s though i t were c arr yi n g o u t a defi n ite l y

assi gned task Hardl y more than a few inche s o f water
.
c overed the sand ; but alread y the water was s o far i n that
we could n o lo n ger see the fleei n g li n e o f its edge .
“
The En glishman wa nted t o j ump i n but I held hi m b ack ;
,
fo r flight was impossible because o f t h e deep pools whi c h

,
we had avoided i n c o m l ng a n d which w e should be sure t o

,
fall into o n ou r return .
In o u r hearts there was a moment o f horrible anxiety .
Thenthe little E nglish girl smiled a n d remarked

‘
It 1 s we who are the shipwre cked ! ’
I wa n ted to laugh ; but fear prevented me a cowardly ,
fright base and stealth y li ke the tide All the dan gers
, , .
to which we were exposed appeared t o me at on c e I felt .
‘
li ke shouti n g Help ! But t o whom
’
?
“
The two y ounger girls were cli n gi n g t o their father wh o ,
look ed in conster n atio n at the bou n dless sea aroun d us .
“
And the night was falli n g with the same rapidity that
the ocean was rising a heav y n ight wet a n d icy
, , .
“
I said !
‘
There is n othing t o d o but to remain o n the boat .
’
The E nglishman responded

‘
Oh ! y es .
And we rema ined there a quarter o f an hour a half hour , ,

in truth I know not h o w long watchi n g the yellow water

, ,
around us bec o ming deeper a n d deeper edd y ing about s o ,
that it s eemed t o p lay over t he immens e shore on c e more

recovered .
“
On e o f the little girls was cold and the idea sugg est e d
,
its elf that we go below again to shelter ourselves from the

light but ic y breeze which struck us a n d hi t o u r skins
,
.
I w a s lea n i n g on t he hatch The ship w a s full of water

. .
W e h a d to keep c l os e t o t he bulwarks a t t he s t ern whi c h ,
pro t ected us somewhat .
“
D ar knes s now envelo p ed us and w e remained c rowded
,
o n e agai n st the other surrounded b y the shadows o f the

,
night and b y the s e a Agai n st my shoulder I fel t the

,
.
trembli n g o f that little E n glish girl whose teeth chattered ,
every n o w and then ; bu t I fel t also the soft warmth o f her

bod y through her heavy cloak and t hat warmth w a s as ,
pleasing t o me as a kiss W e no longer talked ; w e remained

.
motionless silen t cower ing like beasts i n a di tc h during a

, ,
‘
storm Y e t in spite o f all this in S pite o f the night in spite

.
, ,
o f the t errible and growin g da n ger I began to feel happy

,
at being t here glad o f t he p eril and t he c old glad o f thos e

, ,
lon g hours o f darknes s and anxiet y which I had t o s p end on

that spot s o near that p retty and charming girl
,
.
“
I asked m y self w h y that strange feeling o f ha pp i nes s
a n d j oy which p ermeated me .
Why ? Who knows ? B ecause s h e w a s there ? Who ,
sh e ? A lit tle E nglish g irl whom I did not even know ? I

did no t love her I did no t k n ow her and yet I felt myself
, ,
at t ra ct ed c onquered ! I wou ld have liked to save her t o

, ,
de v ote myself to her to do a thousa n d foolish thin g s !

,
S tra n ge thing ! H o w does it ha p pe n tha t t he p res en c e of a

woman s o ups e t s us ? Is i t the power o f her charm whi c h
en v elops us ? I s i t the allurement of beauty and you t h whi c h
intoxi c ates u s li k e wine ?
t er e d and disj o i n ted w a s i t tha t the first heavy s e a would

c arr y it o ff in p i eces .
“
S o o u r anxiety in c reased fr o m se c ond t o se c ond as the
gusts be c ame s tron g er a n d s t r on g er N o w the sea was hé .
c o mi ng a little rougher and I s a w in the darknes s li nes o f

—
,
white a p pear and dis ap p ear lines o f foam ; while ea c h wave

. ,
shook the b ulk o f t he M a r i e Jo s ep h c aus i n g an abrupt -

,
tremor wh i ch rose t o o u r heart s .
“
T he E n glish girl was shaki n g ; I felt her shi ve r ing
a g a i ns t me and I had a m ad des i re t o f old her i n m y arms
,
.
“
Out t here before us t o t he l eft t o t he ri gh t behind us
, , , , ,
t he ligh t houses were glarin g alon g t he c oast li ght s wh i t e —

,
yellow red revolvin g lik e enormous eyes t he eyes o f a

, , ,
giant w h o w a s lookin g a t us wa tc h i n g us wa i t i ng g reedily , ,
for us t o dis a p pear On e o f t he m es p e c ially i r r it ated me

. .
I t wen t o ut every thir ty se c onds t o be r e li t i mm edi a t ely ; ,

-
i t w a s t ruly an eye t ha t on e wi t h i t s lid always lowered

, ,
ove r i t s fiery glare .
“
From t ime t o time t he E n glishman s t ru ck a matc h t o see
t he t i me ; t hen he p u t h i s wa t ch bac k i nto h i s p o cket S ud .
d enly he said t o m e ove r t he heads o f his dau g ht e r s wi t h

, ,
s u p reme g ravi ty
‘
M onsieur I w i sh y ou a H a pp y N ew Yea r
, .
’
I t was m 1 dni gh t I held o u t m y hand t o h i m and he

.
shoo k i t Then he said somethi ng in E nglish and p resently

.
,
‘
he and h i s dau ghters be g an t o sin g G od S ave t he Queen ’
which rose i n the dark silen t air and was los t i n s p a c e

,
.
“
F i rs t I had a desi r e t o l au gh ; t hen I was se i z ed b y a
s t ron g and queer e m oti on .
“
I t was somet hin g s i n i s t e r and su p e r b t h i s son g o f the ,
sh ip w r e ck ed o f t he c onde m ned so m et hin g li k e a pr ayer

, , ,
and als o somethin g g rander c omp a r able t o the old and ,
sublime Av e Caes a r m o ri t u ri t e s a lu t a m us 12
.
”
12
“
Ha i l C a es a r ! W e wh o a re a b o u t t o d i e s al ut e y ou It wa s
t h e a dd res s of t h e G l a d i a t o rs ent eri ng t h e a rena t o t h e Ce s ar
.
.
, , ,
.
,
TH E W RE C K 217
When th ey had fini shed I asked the gi r l t o sing by her

self some ballad what s h e wou ld t o make us forget o u r
, , ,
an xiety S he c onsented an d soon her clear and youthful

.
voi c e took wing in the night S he was singing somethin g .
sad no doubt fo r the notes were long draw n o ut coming

, , ,
slowly from he r m outh and fluttered li ke wound e d bi r ds , , ,
a c ross the wate r s .
“
The tide became higher and now was batt er ing ou r
wreck As for me I thought o f nothi n g but that v oi c e An d
.
,
.
I thought also of t h e S irens I f a boat had passed near us .

,
what would the sailor hav e said ? M y trou bled spirit was
c arried away in a dream ! A S iren ! was she not in fact a , ,
S iren this c hild o f the s e a who had held me o n t hi s worm

, ,
eaten ship and who in a very shor t while was going to

, , ,
si nk with me into the wa v es ?

“
But all fi v e o f us were suddenl y ro lling p r om i s cu o 11 s ly '
o v er the deck be cause the M a ri e Jo s ep h had gi v en a lurch

,
-
,
t o her right side The En glish girl had falle n right over me
.
‘
.
I c aught her in m y a r m s a n d madly without kn owi n g what , ,
I was doing belie v in g my las t moment had come I kissed

, ,
her o n the lips o n the temples o n the hair The boat n o

, , .
lo n ger mo v ed a n d we also remai n ed motio nless

, .
“
The father said : The one I was holding a n
‘
s w er ed Y es a n d made a movement to dise n gage herself
’
, .
“
S urely at that insta nt I could have wi shed that the boat
, ,
wou ld split i n two s o that I might fall int o the sea with
,
her .
“
The En glishman wen t on
‘
Just a trifle o f a lurch ; it is nothin g I ha v e my three .
daughters safe .
’
N ot see i n g the oldest girl he had at first thought h e l , , ,
lost !
I rose slowly an d all at o n ce I s a w a light o n the s e a
'
, , ,
quite near us I shouted ; some o n e an swered It w a s a boat

. .
loo ki ng fo r us the p ro pri et o r o f the ho t el havin g foreseen

,
o u r imprudence .
“
We were saved I was sor r y fo r it ! They too k us o ff
.
from ou r r a f t and b r ou gh t us ba ck t o S ain t M ar t i n -

.
“
The E n gl i shman now rubbed his hands and mur mu r ed
‘
A g ood su p per ! A good su pp er !
’
We su pp ed but I was n ot lively ; I re g rett ed t he M a rz e

’
Jo s e p h .
“
We had t o se p arate the n ext day a fter many hand ,
shakes and pro mi ses to write They went t o Biarri tz and .

,
I came near following them .
“
I was hi t hard ; I want ed t o as k t ha t youn g gi r l t o m arry
me I am sure tha t i f we had p assed ei g h t days to g e t her I
.
should have married her H o w wea k a m an is so me ti m es

.
,
and h o w in c om p rehensible !
T w o years rolled by withou t my hear i ng a wo r d from
them Then I received a lette r from N ew Y ork S he w a s
. .
married and wrote to t ell me And sin c e then we write

,
.
ever y year o n the first o f J anuary S he t ells me abou t her

,
.
li fe talks about her c hildren her si sters but never abou t

, , ,
her husband Why ? Ah wh y

.
? And as for me I s p ea k
, ,
only of the M a r i e Jo s ep h S he is p erhaps the only woman

— .
I ever loved no sho uld have loved But .
Ah ! D oes one know ? The even t s o f li fe

carry you alon g An d then . a n d then
e v erythin g p asses S he must be o ld n o w
. I .
wouldn t know her ’

Ah ! Thos e old days
. t hat
wre c k . What a c rea ture divine ! S he w r i t es me
tha t her hair is quit e white Good heavens ! . Tha t
1 v e s me a terrible p a i n Ah ! H e r blonde lo ck s
g .
N o ! The girl I knew n o l on g e r ex i s t s H o w s ad i t i s .
all t h at .
in the p resen c e o f an immediate da n ger H e is moved .

,
”
a gi t ated anxious ; but frightened ; that s anoth er thing
’
.
,
The c aptain replied laughin g ,

“
The devil y ou s a y ! I insis t t hat I w a s a fri ghtened
”
man .
Then the man with the bronzed face said s p eaking slowly ,
“
P erm i t me t o ex p lain Fright ( and the hardiest o f men
.
can have it ) is somethi ng horrible a dreadful se n s atio n li ke , ,
the decom p osition o f the soul ; a fearful s p asm o f t he mind

and o f t he hear t the mere memory o f whi c h brin g s shivers of
,
ago n y B ut a brave man does not ex p erience i t even in the

.
momen t o f an atta ck o r when confronted by inevitable death

, ,
o r in t he p resence o f any o f t he k n o wn forms o f danger ; it
takes an abnormal situ a tion m y sterious i nfluences in t he face ,
o f u nknown perils R eal fright i s like a sort o f remi n isce nc e

.
o f the fantas t i c terrors of o l d A man w h o believes i n s p irits .
and i ma gi nes hims elf seein g a ghost in the night mus t ex p e

r i en c e fri ght i n all i t s fearful horror .
“
A s fo r m y self I had a t a s t e o f frigh t in broad daylight
,
about t en yea r s a g o I fel t i t a g ain last wi nter o n e night i n

.
,
D e c embe r .
“
A nd ye t I ha v e c ertainly had many a narro w es c a p e
, ,
ma n y an adventure whi c h p ointed to deadly cons equen c es .
I have often been in fights I have been left fo r de ad by r o b .
ber bands I have been condemned to the g allows in Amer

.
i c a to be hanged as a rebel ; and I have bee n thrown into the

s ea,
near the coast o f C hi n a from the bridge o f a shi p , .
E ach time I thought m y self lost a cc e pt in g my fat e wi thou t ,
c omme n t or even regre t .
“
But that w a s not fright .
I had a touch of it while i n Afri ca And ye t f ri gh t is a .
ch ild o f the north ; sunshi n e dissi p ates it as thou gh i t were

a fo g N o t e t his well gentlemen : among the Orien t als li fe
.
,
c ount s fo r not hin g ; they readily resi gn themselves ; the

F R I G HT 221
night s a r e clear and free of the somber anxieties which

,
harass the imagi n atio n of the people o f n orther n climes I n .
the E ast me n kn ow panic but they do n ot know what ,
fright is .
“
And here is what happen ed to me i n that lan d of Africa
I w a s crossin g the broad san d d u nes i n the south of
Ouargla 2
That is on e of the stra n gest co u n tries in t h e
.
world Y o uha v e s ee n the smooth sa n d on the i ntermi nable

.
beaches of the ocean Well pictu re the ocea n itself i n the .

,
midst of a storm suddenly become sa n d ; imagi n e a silen t

tempest of motionless wa v es of yellow san d The y are as .
high e s mountai n s these wa v es u n equ al each o n e different

‘
, , , ,
a n d hea v i n g as though they had j u st bee n u n chai n ed larger ,
a n d larger with fu rrow like streaks o n their surface On

,
-
.
this ragi n g s e a sile nt an d motio n less the d ev ou rl n g sun of

, ,
the south beats down remorselessl y The tra v eler must .

_
climb these billows of golde n ashes com e dow n agai n go u p , , ,
climbin g witho u t en d without rest witho ut shade The , ,

.
horses pan t si nki n g to their kn ees a n d slipping as the y go

, ,
down the other side o f these peculiar hills .
“
There were two of us m y self a n d a frien d a c o m p an i ed , ,
by eight spahis a n d f our camels with their dri v ers We

3
.
no lon ger talked weaken ed b y the heat tired out a n d dr y

, , ,
as the desert itself with thirst S uddenl y o n e o f our men .
gav e a sort o f cr y ; al l o f us stopped ; we remai n ed motion '
less surprised b y a n i n explicable phenomen on known only

,
to travelers i n those desert lan ds .
“
S omewhere n ear us i n a direction which we could not
, ,
make ou t we heard the beati n g of a drum the my sterious

, ,
dr u m of the dunes ; the beati n g was disti n ct n ow stron g , ,
n ow weaker stoppi n g en tirel y then res u mi n g its fantastic

, ,
roll.
2 A pa r t of t h e Sa ha ra D e s er t i n A g eri a l
N h l di g y A l g e ri a
.
h
.
3 . a tive o rs e s o er s s e r v i n i n t h e F r en c a rm in .
The Arabs frightened looked a

,
t each other ; o n e s aid
,
‘
in his o w n lan guage D eath is upon u s
’
,
And behold all .
,
o f a sudden my c ompanion and friend almos t my brother , ,
fell f r om his horse head forward from su n s t ro k e

, , .
F o r two hours durin g wh i c h I t ried in vain to s ave hi m

, ,
t ha t d rum c easelessly ke p t fillin g m y ears with its m onoto

nous noise intermi tt ent and i nc om p rehens ible ; an d I be g an
,
t o feel glide i n to my bones fright t rue fright hideous fri ght , , ,
t here in the pres ence o f the dead body o f m y beloved friend ,
i n t hat s un s c or c hed t rou g h be t ween four hills o f sand ;

-
,
wh ile here six hundred miles from t he nearest French

,
v i lla g e c ont inued t he e c ho o f t he bea t in g o f that strange

,
d r um.
“
Tha t day I unders t ood what i t w a s t o be fr i ghtened ; I
k new it even be t ter o n an other o cc asion .
The c a p tain interru p t ed the story teller -
“
P ardon M onsieur but that drum W ha t was it
,
?
,
?
The traveler replied

“
I know no t hing about it N o one knows Offic ers oft en. .
,
surprised by tha t singular s ound g enerall y attribute i t to ,
an enlarged echo multi p lied immeasurabl y swelled by the

, ,
hollows o f the dunes a sor t o f hail o f g rains o f sand c arried

,
by the wind a n d t hrown agains t t ufts o f dr i ed g rass ; for i t

has been r e m a rk ed t hat the p henomenon is p roduced in t he
vi c ini ty o f small p lants p a rc hed by t he s un and hard as
p ar c hment .
“
This drum i s therefore no t hing m o r e than a sort o f
mira g e o f sound That s all Bu t this I learned only lat e r
.
’
. .
“
I go o n t o my s e c ond ex perience .
It was las t wi nt er i n a forest i n t he northeas t o f Fran c e

, .
N i gh t fell t w o hou r s befo r e i t s ti m e be c ause t he s k y w a s

over c as t M y guide was a p easan t who walk ed a t my s i de
.
,
alon g a V ery narrow p ath beneath an arch o f fir t ree s ,

-
t hrou gh whi c h the howlin g w i nd r oared B e t w een t he to p s .

‘
we are n ot very c alm
’
So .
I removed hi s fears as best I could p leased t o have c ome ,
o n j ust this evenin g when I c ould wi t n ess t his display o f

,
supers t i t ious terror I t old s t ories and su cc eeded somewhat

.
-
,
i n c al mi n g nearly all o f them .
“
N e a r t he fire p la c e an o ld d og sh aggy haired and almos t ,
-
bli n d on e o f t h o se dogs who seemed t o resemble someone

,
who m we know l ay aslee p his nos e between his p aws

, , .
“
Ou ts ide t h e f u r i ous s t or m b ea t u p on t he li tt le house ,
and t h r ou gh a na rr ow wi ndow a so rt o f p ee p hole p la c ed ,

-
nea r the doo r I s a w eve r y n o w and t hen i n the fl ashes o f

, ,
t he l i ghtni n g a c onfus i on o f t rees j os tled a b ou t by t he wi nd

, .
In s p it e o f m y effo rt s I c ould f eel t ha t a p rofound t e rr o r

gr i p ped t hese p eo p le and every ti m e I s t o pp ed s p eaki n g
,
every ear w as t urned as t hou gh t o c a tc h a di s t an t sound .
T ired o f wi t ness i n g t hes e fool i sh f ea r s I w a s about t o as k ,
t o be shown t o my r oom when t he o ld g uard m ade a sudden

,
bound from his c hair a g a i n seized his gun and ex claimed in

, ,
‘
a w i ld and bro k en voi c e : H e r e he i s ! H e r e he i s ! I hear
hi m ! The t w o w omen a g ain fel l t o t heir knees i n t he i r
’
c orners hidin g t heir f a c es ; and the sons aga i n t oo k up their

,
axes I was on c e more g oin g t o tr y t o c alm them when the

.
slee p in g dog r o used himself abru p tly and raisin g his head , , ,
stret c hin g out his ne ck g azin g in t o t he fire with his dimmed

,
eyes he gave f o rt h o n e o f t hose m ournful howls whi c h s o

,
oft en s t ar tle t ravelers a t ni gh t i n t he c ount ry All eyes .
were c entered o n him b u t he r e m ained motionless e r e ct o n

, ,
his feet as though haunted by a vision and be g an t o howl ,
t owards some inv i sible obj e ct unknown fearful no doubt , , , ,

‘
be c ause his hair was bristlin g T he guard p ale cr i ed : H e .
, ,
s c ent s him ! H e s c ents him ! H e w a s t here when I ki lled

him .
’
And the two women bo th u tt erly dis t ra ct ed b e g an
, ,
t o howl with the do g .
In s p i t e o f mysel f I f el t a c old sh i ver be t ween my shoul

F R I G HT 2 25
ders The sight of that a n imal i n that positio n at th at hour

.
,
i n the midst of those excited people was frightful to see ,

.
“
S o for a n hour the dog howled without moving ; h e
howled li ke someo n e in the agony o f a dream ; and fright ,
terrible fright took hold of me F right o f what ? D o I

,
.
’
know ? It was fright that s all ,
.
We remai n ed motio nless p ale awaiting some ghastl y , ,
outcome alert with beati n g heart upset at the least noise

, , , .
An d the dog b egan to walk aro u n d the room sni ffing t h e ,
walls an d gr owli n g c o n stantly That beast drove us mad ! .
Presently my guide grabbed him i n a sort of parox y sm o f

furious terror a n d openin g a door which ga v e upon a small
, ,
court he pitched the an imal o ut

,
.
“
The dog immediately bec a me qu iet ; a n d we remained in
a spell o f silence e v e n more terri f yi n g S udde n ly all o f u s .
together ga v e a start ; some bei n g scraped agai n st the w a l l

o n the outside in the direction o f the fores t ; it passed agai n s t
the door gr opi n g al on g as with a hesitati n g hand ; then we

,
heard nothi n g for about t w o min u tes which almost dro v e us ,
i n san e ; then it came back co n ti nually grazi n g the wall ;

,
there was a light scratchi n g such as a child might mak e ,
with its nails ; the n all o f a s u dde n a head app eared agai n s t
the glass o f the p e ep hole a whi te head with two glisten i n g
-
,
ey es like those o f a deer And a sound c ame from i t s mo u th

.
,
a n i n distinct sound a plai n ti v e murmur

, .
“
Then there was the noise o f a great explosio n i n t h e
kitchen The o l d guard had fired Quickly the so n s r u shed
. . ,
forth and stopped up t h e p e ep hole b y puttin g the tabl e

—
agai n st it buttressin g i t with the sideboard And I v ow

, .
that at the c rash o f the gun shot which I was n ot expecti n g

-
, ,
I felt such a depressi o n o f the hear t t he soul an d the bod y

,
, , ,
that I w a s near c ollapsing re a d y t o die from fright

,
.
“
We remained there u ntil dawn unable to mo v e or t o s ay ,
a word spellbou n d b y an u n speakable terror

,
.
We did n ot da r e t o f r ee t he door o f i t s b a r ri c ade until we

s aw t hrough a cra ck at the t o p a thin ray o f da y ligh t .
“
At the foot o f the wall against the door the o ld d o g lay
, , ,
h i s j aw shattered by a bullet .
H e had es c a p ed from the yard by di ggin g a hole beneat h

the fen c e .
T he m an w i th t he t anned fa c e s t o pp ed t alki n g ; then he

a dded :
That ni gh t however I r an n o ris k o f d anger ; yet I

, ,
S hould rather exper i ence again every hour in whi c h I w a s

c onfronted with the most terrible perils than that S ingle
minu t e o f the shot of that gun a t t he bea r ded head a g ainst
”
the p eep ho le
-
.
2 28 F RE N C H SH OR T S T OR I ES
an d t he ba cks o f those t w o passionate fi she rm en

bl e s s m g
with a p leasa n t warmth M o r i s s o t would murmur t o hi s ,
“ ”
nei ghbor : I s a y i sn t it heavenly and M S auva g e would
?
,
’
.
r eply : C ouldn t be j ollier It was qu It e enou gh to make

’
them understand and li ke each other .
O r in au t um n towards sunset when t he blood red

, ,
-
s k y a n d crimson c louds were refle c ted in the water the whole

‘
r iver stained with color the horizon flaming whe n o u r two , ,
fri e n ds looked as red a s fire and the t rees already russet and , ,
shi v eri n g at the touch o f wi n ter were turned t o g old M , ,

.
S a u vage would look smilingly a t M o ri s s o t and remark ,

“
What a sight ! and M o r i s s o t n o t taki n g his eyes off his ,
“
fl oat would reply e c s t ati c ally :
,
B i t be t ter than it is in
t own eh ?
,
H a v in g made sure of each other the y shoo k h a nds hear t ,
i l y quite moved at meeting a g ain in su c h d i fie r ent c ircu m

’
,
“
stan c es M S auvage heavin g a si gh murmured :
. .
,
Nice ,
sta t e of t hin g s ! M o r i s s o t very gloom y quavered out : ,

“
And what weather ! T oday s the first fin e day this year ! ”
The s k y w a s indeed qui t e blue and full o f light .
They moved on side by s i de ruminative sad M o ri s s o t

, , ,
.
p ursued his thou ght : And fi shin g eh ? What j olly times ,
we used to ha v e
“ ”
Ah ! muttered M S auva g e W hen shall w e go fishin g
. .
again ?
The y entered a little café took an absinthe together and , ,
star t ed o ff once more strollin g alo n g the p avement

,
.
“ ”
S uddenly M o ri s s o t hal t ed : Another nip
,
? he said .
R ight o res p onded M S auvage And in the y went to

-
. .
another wine shop They c ame o u t rather light headed

-
.
-
,
a ff ected b y s o much alcohol o n their sta rving s t omachs The .
day w a s mild and a soft breeze c aressed their faces

, .
M S auvage to whose light headedness this warmth w as

.
,
-
TW O F R I EN D S 22 9
putti n g the fi nishing touch stopped sho rt : I say suppose ,

—
we go ‘ 7 ’
“
What d y ou me an ?
’
”
Fishi n g .
Where ?
Why a t our islan d The Fren ch outposts are close t o

,
.
C olombes I know C olo n el D u mo u li n ; he ll be sure to let us

.
’
”
pass .
M o ri s s o t a n swered qu i v eri n g with eager n ess :

,
All right ;
”
I m o n ! And the y parted to get their fishi n g gear
’
,
.
An hour later they were marchi n g alo n g the high road .
The y came prese ntly to the villa occupied b y the C olon el “
w h o much amu sed b y their whim ga v e th em leave

,
And ,
.
furnished with his permit they set o ff agai n ,

.
They soo n passed the ou tposts an d t r a v e r s m g the aban , ,
dou ed vi ll age o f C olombes found themsel v es at the edge o f ,
the little vi n ey ard fields that run down t o the S eine It .
w a s about ele v en o clock

’
.
The v illage of Arge n teuil opposite seemed quite deserted , ,

.
The heights o f Orgemont a n d S a nn ois comman ded the whole

coun tr y side ; the great plai n stretchi ng to N a nterre w a s
empty utterl y empty o f all but its naked cherry trees an d
,
-
its gra y earth .
M S au v age j erki n g hi s thumb towards the heights mut

.
,
“
t e re d : The P russian s are up there ! An d disquietude
stole into the hearts o f the two friends looki n g at that de ,
s e r t ed land The Prussia n s ! The y had ne v er see n an y but

.
,
the y had felt them there fo r months all around Paris , ,
bri n gi n g rui n t o France bringing fami ne ; pi llaging mas

, ,
sacring ; i n visible y et i nv i n cible An d a sort o f s u p e r s t i

,
.
tious terror we n t surgi n g through t heir hatred for thi s

unk nown a n d v ictorious race .
“
M o ri s s ot stammered : —
I say supp ose we were t o meet
”
s om e ?
W i t h t ha t P arisian j o c ula r i ty wh i c h no thi n g c an r e pr es s

”
M S auva g e replied : We d give em so m e fried fish
.
’ ’
.
N one the less daun te d b y t he silen c e al l r ound t hey

, ,
hesitated t o go furt he r .
At l a s t M S auv a g e t oo k t he p l un g e
. C ome o n ! B ut we .
”
must kee p o u r eyes s ki nned !
They g ot down int o a vineyard where they cre pt along all , ,
eyes and ears ben t double t akin g c over behind ev ery bush
, ,
.
There was still a stri p o f o p en ground t o c ros s before they

c ould get t o t he riverside ; they too k it at the double and the ,
momen t t hey rea c hed the ban k p lum p ed down a m on g s t some

osiers .
M o r i s s o t glued h i s ea r t o t he ground fo r any sound o f

footste p s N o t hin g ! T h ey were alone u t terly alone
.
, .
They p lu c ked up s p irit a g a l n and be g an to fish ,

.
In fro n t o f them the Island o f M arant e uninhab i t ed hid , ,
them from the far bank The little i sland restauran t was
.
closed and looked as i f it had been abandoned for years

, .
M S au v age c aught the first g udgeon M o r i s s o t the se c ond

.
, ,
and ever y minute they ke pt p ulling In their lines wi t h a litt le

silvery c reature wri gglin g a t t he end T r uly a mira c ulous .
draught o f fishes !
They placed their s p oil carefull y i n a very fin e meshed net -
suspended in the water a t t heir feet and were filled b y the ,
del i cious j o y that visi t s thos e who k n ow once mo r e a p leasure

o f whi c h they have been deprived too lon g .
The g ood sun warmed t heir shoulders ; they heard noth

in g thought o f not hing were lost t o the world They fi shed
, ,
. .
But suddenly a dull boom whi c h s eemed t o c ome from ,
underground made the eart h t remble T he bo m bardment

,
.
had be gun a g ain .
M o r i s s o t turned his head A way a b ove t he b ank he could

.
s e e on the left the great silhouette o f M ont Valerien show ,
i n g a white plume high u p —

a h ash y puff j ust belched for t h .
standin g c lose t o t hei r very elbows four m en four big , ,
bearded men d r essed i n a so rt o f servant s livery wi t h fl at

’
, ,
c a p s o n th ei r heads p oint in g r i fl es at them ,

.
The r ods f ell fr o m thei r hands and fl oa t ed o ff down

s t ream .
In a few se c onds t hey were se i zed bound t hrown i nt o a

, , ,
boat and t a k en over t o t he island

,
.
B ehind the hous e that t hey had thou ght deser t ed t hey
p er c eived some twent y German soldiers .
A sort o f hairy giant smoking a great p or c elain p i p e and

, ,
“
sittin g as t ride o f a c hair s aid i n ex c ellen t Fren c h : W ell, ,
”
g entlemen wha t lu c k fishi ng
,
?
Whereupon a soldier l aid at his o ffi c er s feet t he ne t f ull ’
o f fish whi c h he had c arefully brou ght alon g

,
.
“
The P r us sian smiled I s ee no t bad Bu t we ve other
— . .
’
fish to fry N o w li sten t o me and kee p c ool I re g ard y o u

.
,
.
t w o a s spies sen t t o watch me I take y ou and I shoo t you .

, .
Y o u were p re t ending to fish t he better t o dis guise y our ,
p lans Y ou ve fallen i nto m y hands ; s o mu c h the worse for

.
’
you Tha t s w a r B ut seeing that you passed through y our

.
’
.
,
out p osts you mus t assuredly have been given the p assword
,
t o get ba ck agai n Give it me and I ll le t you g o

.
,
’
.
L iv i d side b y side t he t w o friends were sile nt bu t t hei r

, , ,
hands kept j erki n g with little nervous moveme nt s .
“
The o fficer c ontinued : N O o n e will ever know ; it will
be all right ; you can g o home quite easy i n your minds I f .
”
you refuse it s death instan t death C hoose
—
,
’
. .
They remained motionless withou t a word ,

.
The P russia n calm as ever s t ret c hed o u t his hand toward s

, ,
“
t he water an d s aid : Think ! In five mi nutes you ll be a t
,
’
the bottom of that river In five minu t es Y ou ve got fam i . .

’
”
lies I sup p ose
,
?
M on t Valerien went on thunderin g The t w o fishermen .
stood t here s ilent .

T wo F R I EN D S 2 33
The Germa n gav e a n order i n his o wn langu age Then .
he mo v ed his chair S O as n ot to be t o o n ear his prisoners .
Twelv e men came forward took their stan d twenty pa c e s ,
away an d grounded arms

,
.
“
The officer said : I give y ou o ne mi nute ; not a secon d
”
more .
An d getti n g up abruptly he approached t h et w o Fre n ch

, ,
men took M o ri s so t b y the arm and drawi n g him aside

, , , ,
“
whispered : Quick that password Your frie n d n eed n ev e r
,
.
know It will only look as i f I d relented M o ri s s o t mad e

’
. .
n o answer .
The n the Prussian took M S auva ge apar t and asked h i m .

,
the same question .
M S au v age did n ot repl y

. .
Onc e agai n the y were side b y side The o fli c er gav e a .
word o f command The soldiers rai sed their rifles. .
At that moment M o n s s ot s glance lighted on the n et full ’
o f gudgeo n s l y i n g o n the grass a few pa c es from h i m The .
su n shi n e was falli n g o n that glitterin g heap o f fishes still ,
full o f li fe His spirit sank In spite o f all e ffort his e y e s

. .
filled with tears .
“
Adieu M S au v age he stammered out
, . .
“
M S au v age an swered : Adi eu M M o r i s s o t
.
,
. .
They gr asped each other s hands shake n from head t o

’
foot b y a trembling that they could not c ont rol .
“
Fire ! cried the o fficer .
Twel v e shots ra n g o ut a s on e .
M S auvage fell forward like a lo g M o r i s s ot t he taller

. .
, ,
wav ered spun roun d and came dow n across his c omrade
, , ,
h i s face u ptur n ed t o the s k y ; blood spur t ed from h i s t uni c ,
torn across the chest .
The German ga v e another order His men dispersed . .
They c ame back with ropes a n d sto n es which the y fastene d ,
t o the feet o f the t wo dead friends whom the y c arried t o t h e ,

river ban k A nd M on t Valerien never c eased r umbl i n g

.
c rowned n o w wi th p iled up clouds o f smoke

-
.
T w o o f t he s ol di ers t oo k M o ri s s o t by t he head and heels

t wo o t hers laid hold o f M S auva g e . The bodies swun g
.
,
v i olent ly t o and fr o were hu r led fo r ward des c ribed a c u r ve

, , ,
t hen plun g ed u p righ t in t o t he r i ve r whe r e t he s t ones dra gged

,
them down fee t fi rs t

The wat er s p lashed u p b ub b led w ri n kled t hen fell c alm
, ,
again and t i n y waves ri pp led o ut t owards the bank s

,
.
A few bloods t ains floated away o u t there .
“
The offic er c alm as ever s aid quie tly : I t s t he fis h
, ,
’
”
who ve g o t the luck n o w ! and wen t ba c k towards the house
’
.
B ut suddenly c at c hin g si ght o f t he net full o f gudgeons

o n the g rass he t oo k i t u p looked i t ove r s m iled and c alled
, , , ,
o ut : Wilhelm !
A soldi er in a white a p ron c a m e runn i n g u p The P r uss i an .
threw him t he S p oil o f t he t w o dead fishermen .
“ ’
Ge t t hese little affairs fr i ed a t on c e while t hey r e s ti ll
ali v e First rate like that !
.
-
And he wen t b a ck t o hi s p ip e .
s urroun d i t B u t I had t o follow up an a fl a i r on c e where

.
t ruly there seemed t o be an element o f the fantasti c I t had .
t o be abandoned moreover through la ck o f mea n s t o solve it

, , .
S e v eral o f the ladies said at once speaking s o qui ckly ,
t hat t heir voi c es sounded a s o n e

“
Oh ! tell us about i t .
M o n sieur B e r m u t i er s mi led gravel y as an E xaminin g ,
M agistrate sho ul d s mi le H e c on tinued .
“ ’
D on t think thou gh that I w a s able even for a mome n t

, , , ,
to persuade myself t o believe there was any t hin g super

human i h this adventure I beli eve in normal c auses only . .
‘
B ut i f instead o f em p loyin g the word supernatural t o
,
’
e xpress t ha t which w e do no t understand w e use simply , ,
‘
t h e word i n explicable that would be much better At a ll
,
’
.
e ven t s in the affair abou t which I am going t o tell o u i t i s

, y ,
p articularly the surrounding c ir c umsta nc es the p reparatory ,
c ircums t ances which stirred me ,

I n fi n e here are the facts : .
,
“ 4
I w a s the E xamining M agi s t ra t e a t Aj accio a li ttle ,
white village nestli ng picturesquely o n the ed g e o f a gulf ,
surrounded on all sides by hi gh mou n tains .
“
My special business there w a s an i nves t igation o f the
5
a cti v ities c on n ec t ed with t he vende t tas On e finds some o f .
thes e feuds superb some dramati c to the utmost some

, ,
ferocious some heroic We fi n d there the most striki n g cases

,
.
o f vengeance imagi n able hatreds a hu n dred years O ld

, ,
a llayed for a while bu t never extinct ; execrable ruses ;

,
a ssassinatio n s w hi ch take on the p roportio n s o f massacres ,
a n d deeds that are almost gl o r i o u s F o r two y ears I heard .
s peak of nothi ng but the price o f blood o f that terrible C o r ,
sican c ustom which seeks to reve n ge every i nj ury o n t he .
p erso n o f him w h o committed it on his descenda n ts a n d his ,
4 T h e c a p i t a l o f C o s i ca
. T h e i s l a n d o f C o r s i c a i s a p r ov i nc e o f
r .
F a n ce
r
by w h h f ll w k n m en
.
5 A v en d t t is th
e a m d ef l f ed
o e o se -
r res s 1c e o -
i s
b u nd t t k ng ny p e n a l i nj u y d n e t
.
w ere o o a n e fo
e ve ea c r a a m mrs o r o o e
b er f th i
o l n e r c a fam i l y
or .
TH E HA N D 2 37
kin I s a w old men butchered and children together with

.
, ,
their blood relation s M y head was full of such stories . .
On e da y I learned that a n E n glishma n had j ust leased

for se v eral y ears a li ttle villa j ust back from the g ulf H e .
had brought with him a French domestic hired a s he passed ,
through M a rseill es 6
.
“
S oo n e v er y o n e busied hi mself about thi s strange i n di
vidual who li v ed all b y hi mself comi n g out o nl y to hunt ,
a n d to fis h He spoke to n o o n e n ev er came to town an d

.
, ,
e v er y morni n g for a n hour o r t w o practiced shooting with

, ,
the pistol an d the rifle .
He became the s u b j ect o f queer stories The gossip .
ran that he was a man o f high rank who had fled his country
for political reaso n s ; an d some i n sisted that he had com
mi tt e d a terrible crime and was hi di n g S ome e v e n supplied .
the horrible details

A S E xami ni ng Magistrate I wanted to get hold of som e
information about the man but it w a s impossible to learn ,
a ny thing H e went b y the n ame of S ir John R owell

. .
S o I conten ted my self with merel y keepi n g a close

watch ; but in truth nothi n g seemed to j ustify a suspi cio n
,
of hi m .
“
Howe v er as the rumors about hi m conti nued grew mor e
, ,
sweep i ng more gen eral I resol v ed to tr y to see thi s stra n ge r

, ,
m y self and I began hunting re g ularl y in the v icini t y o f

,
hi s estate .
I waited a long time for an opportuni ty It prese nted .
itself fi n all y i n the form o f a p artridge whi ch I shot a n d

, ,
killed under the ver y n ose o f the E nglishman M y dog .
fetched it but I as qui ckl y seized the fowl a n d wen t to

,
excu se my impropriety begging S ir John R owell to a c cept ,
the dead bird .
6 Th e
. l g ar es t p o rt in s o ut h e rn Fra n c e a nd the poi nt of
'
d epa rt ure
for C ors ica .
H e was a bi g man with red hair red beard very t all , , ,
well p roportioned a sor t o f Her c ules p la c id and p olite H e

, , .
had none O f the re p uted B ritish stiffness and he has t ened ,
t o t han k me for m y c ourtesy in a F rench s t rongly mark ed

wit h an E n glish a c cent In the c ou r se o f a m ont h w e had
.
c onve r sed five o r s i x times .
“
Finally o n e eve n in g as I p assed b y his house I not i ced
, ,
hi m s i ttin g straddle o n a c hair in his garden smo ki n g a ,
p i p e I gree t ed him and he i nvited me in t o have a glass

.
o f bee r with him H e did not have t o as k me twi c e

. .
“
H e r e c eived me with all t he meti c ulous c ourtesy o f the
E nglish s p oke in glowing te rm s o f F ran c e and o f C orsica
, ,
de c larin g tha t he g reatly li k ed t h i s c ount ry and t his c oast .
“
S o I asked him with mu c h p re c aution under t he s em
, ,
blan c e o f lively i n t eres t s everal questions about his life

,
and h i s ex p erien c es H e answered me wi t hout embarrass

.
m en t t elling me that he had traveled much in A fri c a i n

, ,
t he Indies in Amer i ca H e added laughingly

,
.
‘
I ve had many adventures oh !
’
Then I resumed the c o n versation about hunting ; he gave

me t he mos t c urious details abou t hunti ng hi p po p otami ,
t igers elephants and even about huntin g gorillas

, ,
.
“
I remarked
‘ ’
Thos e are all formidable animals .
H e smiled :
‘ ’
Oh ! no The most formidable is man

. .
He burst into a laugh the hearty laugh of a big , ,
c o n tented E nglishman H e c o n tinued .
‘ ’
I ve hunted men a great deal t oo
’
,
.
An d he s p oke o f weapons aski n g me i nto the house t o ,
show me his c olle ct ion o f gu n s o f various makes .
“
His livi n g room was draped in black black silk em b r o i d “
ered with gold L arge yellow fl owers bed ec ked the somber
.
cloth shi n ing like fire

,
.
2 40 F R E N C H S H OR T S TOR IE S
S ir John R owell resu m ed gravely °
‘
I t has c ons t ant ly t h r ea t ened t o run away T ha t c ha i n .
i s ne c essary
’
.
“
I glan c ed i n qu i ri ngly a t t he ex p ression o n hi s f a c e as ki ng ,
m yself :
‘
Is he c razy o r j us t a morbid j oke r
,
?
’
But his fa c e rema i ned imp enet rable c alm and b en ev o , ,
le n t I s p oke o f other t hings and admired hi s guns

.
, .
“
I no t iced t o o that o n t he t able t here were t hree l oaded
, ,
p istols as thou gh t he man li ved i n c ons t ant fear o f being

,
..
a tta c ked .
“
I v isited h i m s eve r al t imes m o r e T hen I s t op p ed g oin g
. .
The c ommunity be c ame a cc us t o m ed t o his p resen c e ; he was

n o longer the spe c ial o b j e ct o f a tt ention t o any o n e .
A whole y ear elapsed B ut one mor n ing toward t he end

.
,
o f N o v ember m y s e rvan t awoke me with the news tha t S ir

,
J ohn R owell had been ass assi n a t ed during t he night .
“
A half hour la t er I ent ered the house o f the E n glishma n ,
toget her with the preside nt o f t he poli c e board and the c hief
o f p oli c e .The vale t dis t ra c ted and In despair stood outside
, ,
the door wee p i n g At fi rs t I sus p e ct ed h i m b u t he was

, .
,
i n n ocen t .
“
The guilty p ar t y has never b een found .
Upon e nterin g the livin g room o f S ir J ohn R owell the

'
firs t thi n g which met my e y es was the c or p s e s t ret ched ,
o n its back in t he mi ddle o f t he fl oor

,
.
“
The vest w a s t orn a detached sleeve hung loos e and
, ,
e v er yt hin g indi c ated that a terrible s t ruggle had taken p lace .
“
The E n glishman had been s t rangled ! His f ace black ,
and swollen w a s dread ful and seemed to show sign s o f a

,
horrible fright B etween h i s teeth closed tight he held

.
, ,
s omethi n g ; and i n h i s ne ck were five holes whi c h see m ed

m ade with poi nts of steel and were covered wi t h blood .
TH E HA N D 241
A doct or j o ined us He exami n ed fo r a lon g time the

.
tor n flesh where the fi n gers had plowed through and spoke ,
these strange words °
‘ ’
It lo oks as though he had been stra n gled b y a skeleton .
A chill erept o v er me a n d I cast my ey es o n the wall

, ,
a t the spo t where I had see n that horrible han d with the
S ki n tor n off It was n o lo n ger there The broken chai n
. .
o nly da n gled there .
“
The n I stooped o v er the corpse a n d noti c ed in the mouth , ,
held tightly o n e o f the fi n gers of that van ished han d cut

, , ,
o r rather sawed O fi b y the teeth at the seco n d j oi n t .
“
Then we proceeded with the i nv estigatio n We di s c ov .
ered nothi n g N o door had bee n broken n o wi n dow n o

.
, ,
furni ture The two watch dogs had n ot been awaken ed

.
-
.
“
Here i n a few words is the depositio n o f the ser v a nt
, ,
For a month his emplo y er had seemed troubled He .
had recei v ed many letters all of which he burn ed imme ,
d i a t el y .
“
O fte n ,
tak in g a riding whip i n a fit of an ger which -
,
bordered o n mad n ess he stru ck with fu r y the shri v eled

,
ha n d fasten ed to the wall a n d detached n o on e kn ows how

,
at the v er y hou r of the crime .
“
He we n t to bed v er y late an d carefull y locked hi mself i n .
He alwa y s kept weapon s at han d O ften at n ight he S poke .

, ,
o u t lo u d as though he were quarrelin g with so me o n e

‘
This particu lar night howe v er he had made n o n oise

, , ,
and it was o nly whe n he came to ope n the wi n dows that the
serva n t found S ir John R owell assassinated He s u spected .
no o ne .
“
I told the magistrates an d the officers o f the police what I
knew abou t the dead man an d a minute i n quir y was made ,
o n the whole isla n d N o clue was fo u n d

. .
“
Then o n e n i gh t t h r ee months after the crime I had a
, , v
,
fea r ful ni ghtmar e It seemed t o me that I s a w the han d

.
,
t ha t horrible hand run l i k e a s c or p i on o r a s p i de r alon g my

,
cu rtains and m y walls Three t imes I awo k e thre e times

.
,
I went ba ck t o slee p t h r ee ti mes I s a w t ha t hideous hand

,
gallop around m y room movin g i t s fi n g ers li k e c laws

,
.
“
The nex t day i t was brought t o me havi ng been found ,
in t he c emet ery o n the tomb o f S ir J oh n R owell w

,
h o was ,
buri ed t here ; for we had been unable t o lo c ate his family

The index fin g er was missing .
“
There ladies y o u have my s t ory I know nothin g more
, .
ab ou t i t .
The women were aghast p ale trembling On e o f t hem , ,

.
ex c laimed :
“
Bu t tha t i s n o t a d é nouemen t o r an ex p lanation W e ,
.
”
s hall n o t sleep i f y o u d o n o t t ell us wha t your t heory i s .
The ma gis t rat e smiled with an ai r o f s erl ou s n e s s

“
Oh o f c ou r se ladies
, ,
I shall p reven t your havi n g bad
.
dreams I t hink i t was simply t hat the le gi tima t e owner

.
o f t he hand was no t dead ; that he came ba c k t o get i t with
the remai ni n g ha n d I ha v e been unable t o u n ders t and

.
,
‘
though h o w he did i t In t ha t res p e ct i t i s a so rt O f v en

,
.
detta .
On e o f t he women remar k ed slowly

“
N O i t could hardl y have been that
,
.
The E xaminin g M agi s t rate still smili n g co n cluded , ,

“
I told you a t the be ginning tha t my ex p lanation would
n o t s a t is fy y o u
.
a story full o f t ears and T he Pop e M a le and T he R e v e r e n d

’
,
s
F a t h e r G a u c h e r s E li xi r, bo t h p rinted i n this
volume t w o
’
o f his most e ff e ct ive short p i e c es o f humor The stor y .
mentioned first also illustrates D au d et s fondness fo r p o r

’
t rayi ng c hild l i fe Owin g t o his O wn earl y li fe he always

.
be c omes intensely e m otional when writing about the a ffli c

t ions o f c hildhood B esides a n umber o f short sto r ies o n this
.
theme at least t w o o f his lon ger novels L e P e t i t Ch o s e and

, ,
Ja c k are elaborat i o ns o f the s ame idea .
D audet Is a t his bes t In t he shor t s t or y and hi s s t o ri e s are

,
among the fines t t hat were produ c ed in a lan guage and a

li t erature s e c ond t o none in thi s p ar ti c ular form o f fi c tion .
H e always go t h i s material from his immediate surround

’
ings s o it is n o wonder t hat t he Fran c o P rus s ian W ar

,
-
entered into his work as it did into that o f s o man y o f

,
his c ontemporaries H e was in P aris at t he t ime o f the

.
siege a n d o f this he tells w ith r emarkable v i vid n es s and

,
striking originali ty i n the S i eg e of B er li n L i k e all his .
countrymen he w a s p rofoundly t ou c hed by t he f ate o f

,
Alsace a n d no nati v e Alsatian c ould exceed D audet in the

,
feeling o f des p air which he expresses i n T h e L a s t L e s s o n

'
o n e o f the stories selected for this v ol u me .
D a u det spent most of his li fe in P aris W here he died o n ,
D e c e m ber 1 6 1 8 9 7 , .
TH E L A S T LE S S ON 1
By A LP H ON S E DA UD E T
T H AT morning it w a s quite late before I started for
school and I w a s terribly afraid I should be scolded
, ,
for Mo n sieur Hamel had told us th at he would questio n us

upo n participles and I did n ot k now the first thing about
,
them F o r a moment I thou gh t o f es c api n g from school and

.
ro vi n g through the fields .
The da y was so warm s o clear ! The blackbirds were ,
whistling o n th e outskirts o f the woods I n R ippert .
Meadow behind the sawm i ll the Pr u ssia n s were drilling

, ,
.
All these thi n gs were far more attracti v e to me than the

r u le for the use O f p a rticiples But I mu stered up strength .
to resist temptation and hurried o n t o school

,
.
As I reached t he t own hall I s a w a group of people ; ,
the y loitered before the little grati n g readi n g the placard ,
posted u pon it F or t w o y ears e v er y bit of bad news had

.
been a no un c ed to us from that grat i n g There we read what .
battles had bee n lost what requisitions made ; there we

,
lear n ed what orders had Issued from headquarters An d .
tho u gh I di d not pau se with the rest I wondered t o m y self , ,

“ ”
What can be the matt er n ow ?
As I ran across the squ are Wachter the blacks mi th who , , , ,
i n comp any with hi s apprentice w a s absorbed i n reading the ,
n otice e x claimed
, ,
“
N o t s o fast child ! You will reach school soon e n ough !
,
I believ ed he was maki n g game of me a n d I was qu ite ,
out of breath when I entered Mo n sieur Hamel s small ’
domai n .
1 T ra n s a t e l d by M a ri an M cInt y r e Co py ri gh t 1 89 9 , by Li t t l e
y
. .
, ,
B ro w n a nd C o m p a n .
N o w, at the beginnin g o f t he session t here was usuall y

su c h an uproar that i t c ould be heard as far as the street ,
.
D esks were o p ened and shut lessons re c ited a t the t op o f ou r

,
voi c es all shoutin g together ea c h o f us sto p pin g his ears

, ,
that he might hear be tter Then the mas t er s bi g r ule r would

.
’
des c e n d u p on h i s desk and he would say , ,

“
S ilen c e
I c ounted u p on making my entran c e in t he mi ds t o f the
usual babel and r ea c hin g my seat unobserved bu t upon ,
this p arti c ular mo r nin g all was hushed S abbath s t illnes s .
rei gned Through the open window I c ould see t hat my

.
comrades had alread y taken their seats ; I could see M o n

sieur H amel hi mself p assin g ba ck and fo rth his f o rmi dab le
, ,
iron ruler under his arm .
I mus t o p en t ha t door I mus t en t er in t he midst o f that

.
dee p silen c e I need no t t ell y o u t ha t I g rew r ed i n the

.
fa c e and t e r ror seized me

, .
But s t ran g ely enough as M ons i eur H amel s c ruti nized

, ,
me there w a s n o an g er i n h i s g aze H e sa i d very g ently

, .
,
“
T ak e your sea t qui ckly m y li ttle F r an z We we r e go i n g
,
.
”
to be gi n wi t hou t you .
I c li m bed o v er the ben c h and s eated mys elf Bu t when

,
I had re c overed a little from my frigh t I no t i c ed that o u r ,
mas t e r h a d donned his beautiful gre en fro c k c oat h i s finest -

,
2
f r i lled shir t and his embroidered bla ck sil k c alott e whi c h
, ,
he wore only o n inspe c tion days o r upon t hose o c casions ,
when prizes we re dis t ribu t ed M oreover an ext raordinary .

,
solemnity had t aken p os session o f my c lassmates B ut t h e . .
great es t surprise of all came when my e y e fell upon the

b enches a t the far t her end o f the room Usually they were
‘ .
empty but upon this morni ng the villagers were se ated

,
t here solem n as oursel v es T here s a t old Hauser with his

,
.
,
t hree c ornered hat there s a t the v enerable m a y o r t h e a ged

-
, ,
‘
2 T h e s k u ll c a p w o rn by t ea c h ers
.
-
.
him fo r for ty years o f faithful service a nd desired t o p ay ,
thei r res p e c ts t o t he land whose em p ire w a s departin g .
I w as bus i ed wi t h t hese r e fl e c tions when I h eard m y

n am e c alled I t was n ow my tu rn t o re c i t e Ah ! wha t
. .
would I n ot h a ve g iven t hen had I been able t o r e p eat fro m

,
be gi nni n g t o end t h at famous rul e for t he us e o f p ar t i ci p les

loudly dis t in c tly a nd wi th ou t a s in gle mi s t ak e ; bu t I
, ,
be c ame ent an gled i n the fir s t f ew words and r e m ai ned ,
standi n g a t my se at swi n gi n g f r om S i de t o s i de my h eart

, ,
swelli n g I dared n ot r ai s e m y head M ons i eu r H amel

. .
was add r ess i n g m e .
“
I shall n o t chi de t hee m y li ttle F r an z ; t hy p unishmen t
,
w i ll be grea t enou gh S o i t i s ! W e s ay t o ou r selves e a c h

.
‘
day B ah ! I have t Im e enou gh I wi ll lea r n tomorrow
,
. .
’
And n o w s ee wha t r esults A h it has eve r been t he greatest

.
,
mi s fo rtune o f ou r Als a c e tha t s h e was wi llin g t o p ut o ff

learnin g t ill To m or r ow ! And n o w t hese forei gners c an
‘
s a y t o us and j us t ly ,
Wha t ! yo u p rofess t o be F ren c hmen
, ,
a n d c an ne i ther s p ea k n o r w ri t e you r o w n lan guage ?

’
And
i n all thi s my p oor Fran z y ou are n o t t he c h i ef c ul p r i t
, ,
.
E a c h o f us has somethin g t o r e pr oa c h hi m s el f wi th .
“
Y ou r p a r ent s have n ot shown enou gh anx i e t y abou t
havin g y ou edu c at ed They pr efer r ed t o s ee y o u s p i nnin g
.
,
o r t i lli n g t he so i l s i n c e t ha t b r ou ght t he m i n a f ew more

,
sous 5
. And have I no t h i n g wi th wh i c h t o r e pr oa c h myself ?
Did I n ot O ft en send y ou t o wa t e r m y g arden when y ou

should have b een a t y our t asks ? And i f I wished t o g o
trout fis h i ng w a s my c ons ci en c e i n t he l eas t d i s tu rb ed when
-
,
”
I g ave y ou a holiday ?
On e t opi c leadin g t o ano t he r M ons i eu r Hamel b e g an t o ,
s p eak o f t he F r en c h lan gua g e s ayin g it w a s t he stron gest

, ,
c leares t mos t beau ti ful langua ge in t he world whi c h we

, ,
m ust ke ep as o u r herita ge never allowin g it to be for gott en

, ,
5 A s ou i s w o rt h o ne c ent
. .
TH E L A S T LESSON 249
telli ng us that when a nation has be c ome enslaved she holds ,
the ke y w hi c h shall unloc k her pr i son a s lo ng a s s h e pr e

s erves her nati v e tongue .
Then he took a gram m ar and r ead our les s on t o us and

, ,
I w a s amazed t o s ee how well I unders t ood E ve ry thi ng .
he said seemed s o very S imple s o eas y ! I had never I , ,
beli e v e li stened t o an y one as I lis t ened t o hi m at that

,
moment and ne ve r befor e had he sho wn s o mu c h pati ence

,
i n hi s explanations I t really seemed as i f the poor man

.
,
a nxious t o impart eve rythi ng he knew before he t ook leave

o f us,
desired to strike a single blow t hat mi ght d ri v e all
h i s kno wledge into o u r heads a t on c e .
The lesson was followed b y writing F o r thi s o cc as i on .
M onsieur Hamel had prepared some c opie s tha t were cn

t i r ely n ew and upon these we r e wri t t en in a be au ti ful r ound
,
“ ”
ha n d Fr a nc e Als a c e ! F r a n c e Als a c e !
, , ,
These words were as inspiri n g as the sigh t o f the ti ny

flags attached to t h e r o d o f o ur desks It was good t o see .
’
how ea c h on e applied hi mself and how silent it was ! N o t

,
a sound sa v e the scrat chi n g o f pe n s as they t ou ched our

papers On c e indeed s o me c o ck chafers entered the room
.
, , ,
but no one paid the le a st attention to them not even the ,
ti n iest pupil ; for the youn gest were absorbed i n tra c ing
—
their s t raight strok es as earnestly and co n s cien tiously as i f

these too were wri tt en i nFren c h ! On the roof of the school
house the pigeon s were c ooi n g softly and I thought t o ,
“
m y self as I listened And must they als o be c omp elled t o
,
”
si n g i n German ?
From t ime t o time looki ng up from my p a ge I s aw
, ,
M o n sieur Hamel motionless in hi s c hair hi s eyes rive t ed

, ,
upon each ob j ect about hi m as i f he desired t o fi x i n hi s

,
mi nd and forever every detai l o f hi s li tt le s c ho ol

, , R em e m .
ber th at for forty y ears he had been c ons tantl y a t h i s p os t ,
in that ver y school r o om faci n g the same playground L i ttle

-
, .
had c hanged The des k s and ben c hes were p oli sh ed and
.
wo r n through lon g use ; t he walnu t t rees in t he p lay ground

,
-
had g rown taller ; and t he h o p vine h e himself had p lant ed -
c urled its t endrils a bout t h e wind o ws runnin g even t o the ,
r oo f What anguish must have fi lled the p oo r man s heart

.
’
as he thought o f leavin g all t hese t hin g s and heard his ,
sist er moving t o and fro i n t h e r oom overhead busied i n ,
fastening t heir t runks ! F o r o n t he m orrow t hey were t o

leave the c ountry never t o r et urn N evertheless his c ou r a g e
,
.
,
did n o t falter ; n o t a S in gle lesson was omit t ed A ft er writ .
“
in g c ame history and then t he li ttle one s san g thei r B a B e
, , ,
”
Bi Bo Bu
, t o g ether Old H auser a t t he b a ck o f t he r oom
, , .
, ,
had pu t o n his s p e ct a c les and holdin g his p rime r in both , ,
hands was S pelling ou t t he le tt ers with t he little ones H e

,
.
t o o was absorbed in his t as k ; his vo i c e t rembled wi t h em o

tion a n d i t w a s s o c omi c al t o hear hi m t hat we a ll wa nted
,
t o laugh and t o c ry a t t he s ame momen t Ah ! neve r shall .
I forget that las t lesson !

S udde n ly t he chur c h c loc k struc k twel v e a n d then the ,
An g elus was heard

6
.
A t the same moment a t rumpet blast u n der o u r window ,

-
annou nc ed tha t the P russians were re turning from drill .
M onsieur H amel ros e in his c hair H e was very pale bu t .

,
never before had he s eemed t o me s o t all as at tha t moment .
“
M y friends he said my friends I I — —
,
B ut something c hoked him H e c ould not fi n ish . .
Then he took a p iece o f chalk and g ras p in g i t wit h all , ,
his strengt h wro t e in his lar g es t hand

, ,
“
VI V E LA F RA N C E
H e r emained standin g a t t he blackboard his head resting ,
aga i ns t t he wall H e did no t s p eak again but a motion o f

.
,
his hand s aid to us

“
T hat is all Y o u are dismissed . .
6 T h e An gel u s i s a C a t h o l i c d e t i o n l ex r i s e re p ea t e d a t m o rn
vo a e c
u n et u p n t h e i n g i n g o f t h e h u h b ell
.
i ng n
,
n ndoo ,
a s s o r c rc .
2 52 F RE N C H S H OR T ST O R IE S
ended b y d i s c ove ri n g what I want ed namel y the s t ory o f , ,
the mule with that famous kic k whi c h S he ke pt fo r seven

years The t ale is p rett y thou gh r at he r nai ve a nd I shall
.
, ,
tr y t o t ell i t t o y o u j us t as I read it yest erda y in a manus c ript

c olored b y the wea t her smellin g o f good dried lavender and ,
tied w i t h t he Vir gi n s th r eads — as t hey call g ossamer in t hese

’
p arts .
W hoso did n o t s e e A v ign on in the days o f the P o p es has

s een nothin g F or gaye ty life animatio n the ex c i t emen t of
.
, , ,
fes t ivals neve r was a t own like i t From mornin g t il l night

,
.
t here w a s nothin g but pro c ess i ons p i l grimages s t reets , ,
strewn w it h flowers draped with t a p es t ries c ardinals arriv

, ,
ing b y the R hone banners i n the breeze gal leys dressed in

, ,
flags the P o p e s soldiers c hantin g L atin o n the squares and

’
, ,
the tinkling ra t tle o f t he begging friars ; while from garret .
to c ellar of houses t ha t pressed hummin g r ound t he g rea t , ,
p a p al p ala c e like bees ar o und their hi v e c ame the ti c k ta c k ,

-
o f la c e looms the t o and fr o o f shuttles weaving the gold

-
,
- -
thread o f c hasub les t he ta p ta p o f the g oldsmith s c hasing ’

-
,
tools t a pp i n g on t he c hali c es t he t un i ng o f c hoir instruments ,

-
at the lu t e makers the so n gs o f t he S pinners at their work ;

-
,
and above all this ros e t he sound o f bells and alwa y s t he e c ho ,
o f c er t ain t ambourines c om i n g fro m away down t here o n the
brid g e o f A v i gnon B e c ause w i th us when the p eo p le are

.
, ,
ha pp y t hey mus t dan c e t hey mus t dan c e ; and as i n t hose

—
days t he s treets were too narrow fo r the fa rcm do le fifes and 5

,
tambour i nes posted t hemselves o n t he bri d g e o f Avignon in

the fresh breeze o f t he R hone and day and ni ght f olk s ,
da nc ed t hey dan c ed Ah ! the ha p py ti mes ! t he ha pp y t own !

,
.
H alberds t ha t did no t wound p riso n s where the w m e w a s p u t ,
to c ool ; n o hunge r no w a r That s h o w t he P o p es of t he

’
.
,
5 A P ro v enca l d a nce in w ic h h the dan c ers w er e a r ra n g ed in a

l ng l i n
.
o e.
TH E P O P E S M U LE
’
253
C omtat governed their people ; a n d that s why their people

6 ’
s o deepl y regretted them .
There was o n e P ope especially a good old man c alled ,
Bon i face Ah ! that on e many were the tears S hed i n Avign o n

.
,
whe n he was dead He was s o ami able s o a ff able a pri n ce !

.
,
He la u ghed s o merrily o n the back of his mule ! And whe n

y o u passed him were y o u o n l y,
a poor little gatherer of mad
der roots or the gran d pro v ost of the town he ga v e y ou his
-
, ,
ben ediction s o politel y ! A real Pope of Y v etot b ut a Yvetot ,
of P ro v en ce with somethi n g delicate i n his lau gh a S prig o f

, ,
sweet marj oram i n his cardi n al s cap an d n e v er a Je a nn et o n ’
, ,
-
the onl y Je a nn e t o n he was e v er kn own to ha v e that good ,
F ather was his v i n ey ard his own little v i n e y ard which he

, ,
pla nted himself three leagues from Av igno n amon g the

, ,
my rtles o f C h ateau N eu f
—
.
E v er y S unday after vespers the good ma n paid court

'
, ,
to h i s vi n ey ard ; a n d when he was up the re S itti n g i n the ,
blessed s un his mu le n ear hi m his cardi n als stretched o u t

, ,
be n eath the grape vi n es he wou ld order a flask of the wi n e ,
o f his o w n growth to be ope n ed — that beau ti ful wi n e the , ,
color of r u bies which is n ow called the C h é t e a u N e uf d e s

,
-
P a p e s a n d he sipped it with S ips gazi n g at his v i n e y ard

, ,
ten derly Then the flask empt y the da y fadi n g he rode

.
, , ,
back j o y ously to town the C hapter followi n g ; an d when he ,
crosse d the bridge of Av i gno n throu gh the tambou rines an d

the fa r a n dbl e s his mule s e t goi n g b y the mu sic paced alon g
, , ,
i n a S kippi n g little amble while he himself beat time to the ,
dan ce with his cap which greatl y scan dalized the cardi n als
,
“
but made the people s ay : Ah ! the good pri n ce ! Ah ! the
”
ki n d Pope !
What the P ope lo v ed best in the world n ext to his v i n e ,
yard o f C h ateau N eu f was his mu l e The good ma n doted

-
,
.
o n that a n imal Ev er y e v eni n g before he we nt to bed he we nt

.
6 A not h
. n me f th erd i t i t i n lu d i n g A i gn n
a or e s r c c v o .
to see i f the s t able was locked i f nothing was la cki n g in the

,
manger ; and never did he rise fro m the table without seeing
with h is o w n e y es the p re p aration o f a grea t bowl o f wi ne
in the Fren c h fash i on with su g ar and s p i c e whi c h he took ,
to hi s mule himself 1 n s p ite o f t he remarks o f h i s c ard i nals

, .
It must be said tha t t he mule was worth the t rouble S he .
w as a handsome bla c k mule with reddish points sure footed

, ,
-
,
hide shining back broad and full c arr y ing proudly her thin
, ,
little head decked o ut with p ompo n s a n d ribbo n s silver bells ,
and streamers ; ge n tle as an angel withal innocent eyes a n d , ,
t w o long ears always shaking which gave her t h e look o f a

, ,
downright good fellow All Avignon respected her and

.
,
whe n s h e passed through the streets there were no civilities

that the p eople did not pay her ; fo r every o n e knew t here
’
was no better w a y t o stand well at court a n d that the P o p e s ,
mule fo r all her inno c e n t look had led more than o n e man t o
, ,
fortune wi tness T i s t et V ed ene and his amazin g adventure

,
-
.
This T i s t et V edene w a s in point o f fact an i mpudent

, ,
youn g rogue whom hi s father G uy V edene the goldsmith

, , , ,
had bee n forced t o turn ou t o f his house be c ause he would ,
not work and onl y debauched the appre ntices For S i x .
months T i s t et dragged his j acke t through all the gutters o f

Av ignon bu t p rincipall y thos e near the p apal palace ; for
,
the rascal had a notion in his head about the P o p e s mul e

’
and you shall n o w s e e wha t mischief w a s in i t .
On e day when his Holines s was riding all alone beneath

the ramparts behold our T i s t et approaching him and say
,
ing with his hands c lasped in admiration

,
“
Ah ! m o n D i e u H oly F ather what a fine mule y ou are
, ,
riding ! Jus t le t me look at her Ah ! P ope wha t a mule ! .

,
The E m p eror o f German y has n t her equal ’

.
And he stroked her and spoke to her softly as i f t o a

prett y you n g lad y
“
C ome here my treasure m y j ewel m y pearl
, , ,
’
h er t ail Qui nquet j um p ed o n he r ba ck Bé lu gu et pu t his ha t

.
,
o n her head an d n ot o n e o f the ras c als e v er t hought that

,
'
with o n e g ood kic k o f her hi n d legs the worthy animal c ould -
send t he m all t o the p olar star and farther still i f s h e c hose ,

.
B u t n o ! y ou are n ot t he P ope s mule fo r nothing that mule

— ’
o f benedi c tions and p lenary i ndulgen c es The lads m i gh t .
do w ha t t hey liked S h e was never angry wi th them ; i t was

,
only T i st et V ed ene whom S he hated H e i n deed ! when .

,
S he felt him behind her her hoofs itched ; and reason enough ,
t oo .
—
That good fo r nothi n g T i s t et p la y ed her such villai n ous
-
t ri c ks H e had such c ruel ideas and inventions after dri nk

.
1n
g.
On e da y he took it into his head to mak e her g o with him

into t he belfry high up very high up t o the p eak o f the
, , ,
p ala c e ! W ha t I am telli n g y o u i s n o t ale ; t w o hundred

thousand P ro v e n cal men a n d wo m en s ay i t Im a gl n e t he .
terror o f t ha t unfortunat e mule when after turnin g fo r an , ,
hour blindly r ound a c or k screw stair c ase and climbin g I

, ,
don t know h o w many s t eps S he found herself all o f a sudden

’
o n a p latfo r m blazing with light while a t housand feet below ,
he r S h e saw a diminutive Avignon t he boo ths i n t he market ,
n o bi g ger t han nuts t he P o p e s soldiers movin g about t heir

’
barra c k li k e little red ant s and down t he r e brigh t as a S ilver , ,
t hread a micros c o p i c li ttle brid g e o n which t hey were

,
dancin g dancin g A h ! poor beast ! wha t a p an i c ! A t the

,
.
cr y S h e gave all t he windows o f t he p ala c e shook

, .
W hat s t he ma tter ? wha t are they doing to my mule

’
?
cri ed the g ood P o p e rushin g o ut u p on his balco ny ,

.
T i s t et V edene was already i n t he c our t yard p retending t o

wee p and t ear hi s ha i r .
“
Ah ! grea t Hol y F ather what s the matter indeed ! M o n ,
’
D i e u ! what will b e c o m e o f us ? T he r e s you r m ule gone u p t o

’
the belfry .
All alone ?
TH E POPE S ’
M UL E 257
great Holy Father all alon e L ook up there high

Y es , ,
.
,
up Don t y ou s e e the tips o f her ears poi n tin g o u t like

.
’
—
”
two swall ows ?
”
M erc y ! cried the p oor Pope raisi n g his e y es Why,
.
,
s h e must have go n e mad ! S he ll kill herself ! C ome down

’
come down you lu ckless thi n g !

,
S he wa nted n oth in g s o much as to come down

but how ? which wa y The stairs ? not t o be thought o f ;
?
the y ca n be mounted those thi n gs ; but as fo r goi n g do wn !

,
s
why the y are en ough t o break on e s legs a h u n dred times

,
’
.
The poor mule was in despair a n d while circli n g roun d an d

,
rou n d the platform wi th her big e y es fu ll o f v ertigo S h e

thought o f T i s t et Veden e .
“
Ah ! bandi t i f I o nly escape what a kick tomorro w
,
—
”
morni n g !
That idea o f a kick put some courage i n to her heart ; with
o u t i t she ne v er could have held good At last the y ’
.
,
managed t o save h er ; but t was quite a serious affair The y

’
.
had t o get her down with a derrick ropes a n d a sli n g Y ou , ,

.
can fan c y what humiliatio n it was for a P ope s mule t o s e e ’
h erself suspended at that height her four hoofs swimm ing ,
in the void like a cockchafer han ging t o a stri n g And al l .
Av ignon look ing a t her !
The unfortunate beast coul d not S leep at n ight Sh e .
fan cied s h e was still turning round a nd rou n d that curse d

platform while the town laughed below and again S he ,
thought o f the i n famous T i st et and a fi n e kick of her heels

S he would let fly at him nex t day Ah ! friends what a k i ck .
,
the dus t o f i t would be seen as far as Pam p é ri gou s t e .
N ow while this notable reception was bei n g made read y

,
fo r him i n the P ope s stable what d o y o u thin k T i s t et V eden e

’
~
was about ? He w a s descen di n g the R ho n e o n a papal gal

ley singi n g as he we n t his way t o the C our t o f N aples with a
,
,
7 A P ov enca l exp es s i o n of p i ty
. r r .
tr oo p o f youn g nobles who m t he t own o f Av i gnon sen t eve r y

year t o Queen J eanne t o pr a ct i c e di p loma c y and fine man
ners T i s t et Vedene was n ot noble ; but t he P o p e was bent
.
o n rewardin g him f o r t he c a r e he had given t o his mule and

,
e spe c i all y fo r the a c tivity he dis p layed in sav i n g he r f r o m he r
p erilous situation .
T h emule was the dis a pp ointed par t y o n t he m o rrow !

“ ”
Ah ! th e ba n dit ! he suspected something S he thought , ,
“
S haki n g her silver bells N o matter fo r that scoundrel ;
.
,
’ ’
you ll find i t when y o u ge t back t ha t ki c k ; I ll keep i t fo r
,
”
you !
A n d S he kept i t fo r him .
Aft er T i s t et s de p a r ture the P o p e s mule returned t o he

’ ’
tra n quil wa y o f li fe and her usual p roceedin gs N o more .
Qui n que t no more B élu gu et in t he stable The g ood ol d days

, .
o f the spiced wine came bac k and with t hem good humor -
,
,
lo ng sies t as and t he li ttle g avo tt e ste p as s h e crossed the

,
bridge of Avi gnon N e v ertheless S i n ce her adventure a cer

.
,
t ain c oldnes s was S hown t o her i n the t own W h i s p er m g s .
were heard as s h e p assed o ld p eo p le shoo k t he i r heads chil

, ,
dren laughed and p ointed t o t he belf r y T he g ood P ope .
himself no longer had quite the same c onfiden c e i n his

friend a n d when he le t himself g o i n t o a ni c e l i ttle na p o n
,
her back of a S unday retur n i n g from his v i ne y ard he

, ,
“
always had t his t hough t latent in his mind : What i f I
”
S hould wake u p there o n t he platform ! The mul e felt th1 s ,
a n d s h e suffered bu t s aid nothing ; only wheneve r t he name

, ,
o f T i s t et V eden e was uttered i n her hearing he r lo n g ea r s ,
quivered and s h e s t ru ck t he i ron o f he r shoes hard u p on

,
t he p avement with a little snor t .
S even years wen t b y Then a t t he end o f thos e seven

.
,
years T i s t et V edene returned from the C our t o f N a p le s

,
.
His time was n ot yet fin ished over t he r e bu t he had heard ,
t hat the P ope s head mus t ard beare r had d i ed sudd enly at
’
-
le ft t he p ala c e, and with what im p atien c e he awaited the

ceremony o f the morrow A n d y et there was o n e more i m.
p a t ient and more content than he ; it w a s the mule After .
V edene s re t urn until ves p ers o n the fo ll o w 1 n g day that

’
terrible animal never c eas ed t o stuff herself with oats and ,
p ra cti c e her heels o n the wall behind her S he t o o was p re .

, ,
p arin g fo r t he c eremony .
Well o n the morrow when vespers were said T i s t et

, , ,
V edene made his e ntr y into t he papal c ourt yard All the -
.
grand cl er gy were t here ; the c ardinals in t heir red robes ,
,
8
the devil s advo c a t e in bla ck velvet the c onven t abbots i n
’
the i r sm all m iters t he wardens o f S aint Ag r i c o t he V iolet

,
—
,
hoods o f the P ope s household the lower clergy also the

’
, ,
’
P ope s guard in full uniform the three peni t ential brother ,
hoods the hermi t s of M ont Ventoux wi t h their sullen fa c es

,
-
, ,
and the li ttle cler k who walk s behind t hem with a bell t he ,
fl a g ella t i n g friars naked t o the waist the ruddy sex t ons in

j udge s go w
,
ns all all down t o t he g i vers o f holy wat er

’
, , , ,
and t he man w h o lights and h i m w h o p uts o u t t he c andles

not o n e mis si n g Ah ! t w a s a fi ne ordination ! B ells fir e
.
’
crackers sunshine musi c and always thos e frantic t am

, , ,
b o u r i n e s leadin g t he f a r a n d o le over there on t he bridge ,

.
When V edene a p peared in the midst o f t his great assembly ,
his fine bearin g a n d handsome fa c e sen t a murmur of ad m i

'
rat i on through t he c rowd H e w a s truly a ma gnifi c e n t

.
P roven cal ; bu t o f the blonde ty pe with thi c k ha i r c urling at ,
the t ips a n d a dainty lit tle beard tha t looked like slivers o f
, ,
fine metal falle n from the chis el o f his father the goldsmith ,
.
The rumor ran that the fingers o f Queen Jeanne had some
times played i n the curls of that golde n beard ; and in truth , ,
the S i eur de V edene had the s elf glorifyi n g air and the -
abstracted loo k o f men that queens have lo v ed On this .
day in order to do honor to his native t own he had s ub s t i

, ,
8 T h e d o ct o r w h o o pp o s es t h e ca nd i d at e f or c a no ni at i o n
.
z .
TH E P O P E S M U LE
’
2 61
t u t ed for his N eapolita n clothes a tunic edged with pi nk ,
a la P r o v e n a le a n d i n his hood there qu ivered a tall feather

c ,
of the C amargu e ibis 9

.
A S soo n as he e ntered the new o ffic ial bowed with a gallant

,
air a n d approached the high portico where the Pope was

,
waiti n g to gi v e him the i n s i gnias of his rank n amel y a , ,
woode n spoo n a n d a sa ffro n coat The mule was at the .
foot of the steps saddled a n d bridled all read y to go t o the

, ,
vi n ey ard ; as he passed beside her T i s t et V ed en e smiled ,
pleasa ntly a n d stopped to gi v e her a frien dl y pat or two o n

,
the back glan ci n g a s he did so o u t o f the cor n er of his ey e

, , ,
to s ee if the Pope noticed it The positio n was j u st right .

,
the mule let fl y her heels .
There take it v illai n ! S even y ears ha v e I kept it for

, ,
”
thee !
An d s h e gave him so terrible a kick s o terrible that e v en
—
,
a t P a m p e r i o u s t e t h e smoke was seen a whirlwi n d o f blo n de

g
'
d u st i n which flew the feather of a n ibis an d that w a s all

, ,
that remai n ed of the u n fortunate T i s t et V ed en e !

M ule kicks are n ot u s u all y s o destructi v e ; b u t this was a
papal mule ; a n d then j ust thi nk ! s h e had kept it for him for
,
se v en y ears There is n o fi n er example o f ecclesiastical

.
ran cor .
9 . l d
A n i s an i n th e R h o ne , nea r i t s m out h .
T H E R E V E R E N D FAT H E R GAU C H E R S E L I X I R ’
1
BY A L PH ON S E D AUD E T
D RIN K t h i s neighbor and tell m e what y o u think o f it

, ,
.
And drop b y drop with the scrupulous care o f a lapidary

,
c ou n ting p earls the c u ré o f Gra v eson p o u r ed m e o ut t w o

,
'
fin g ers o f a golde n green liquor warm S himmering exquisite

-
, , ,
.
It warmed my stomach like su n shi n e .
That is F ather Gaucher s eli xir the pr ide and the heal t h ’
,
”
o f o u r P rovence the good man informed me trium p hantly
2
.
,
It is made at the P remonstratensian convent a cou p le o f

3
,
lea g ues from your mill Isn t it worth all t heir

.
’
C hart reuses ? 4
And i f y o u only knew how amus
ing the story o f this elixir is ! Jus t lis t en .
Thereupon quite innocently t hinki n g n o evil i n t he p res , ,
by t e ry di n ing room s o simple and quie t with its little p i c tures

-
o f the S tations o f t he C ros s and its p retty white star c hed
c urtains like surplices the abbé bega n to tell me a tale j ust

,
a little S keptical and irre v ere n t a fter the man n er o f a story ,
f rom E rasmus or D A s s o u c y
5 6 ’
T went y y ears ago the P remonstratensia n s o r rather the ,
White Fathers as o u r P rovencals call them had fallen into

, ,
great po v ert y I f y ou had s ee n their hous e in those da y s it

.
,
wo u ld ha v e made your heart ache .
“ ’
The grea t wall a n d S t P achomius towe r were fallin g .
i nt o p ieces .Arou n d the weed grown cloisters the columns

—
1 T a n s l a t ed by W i ll i m M et c l f e
. r a a .
2 A di st i t i n s ut h e n F an e
r c o r r c
d o f Au gu t i ni n m n k s f u n d ed i n 1 1 2 0
.
.
3 An or er s a o o
by t h e C t h u i n m n k s
.
,
4 A l i qu u m ad
.
e r e ar s a o .
5 A f m us D ut h s h l
.
a o 1 465 1 5 36
c c o a r, -
6 A b u l es qu e p et
. .
. r f th 1 7th
o e n t u ry
o e c .
2 62
wi tt ed wo m an i n L es B aux c alled Aunt ie B é go n and t hen , ,
t a k en i n by the m on k s the unfortuna t e c owherd had never ,
b een able t o learn any t hing ex c e pt t o drive his beasts and t o

r e p eat his p a t ernos t er and even tha t he s aid i n P rovencal :
,
f o r he had a t hi c k skull and his wits were about as shar p as ,
a l e a d e n dagger A ferve n t C hr i stian fo r all that tho ugh

.
, ,
s omewhat visionary quite c omfor t able i n h i s sackcloth

,
and ,
d isci p linin g himself wi t h stron g c onv i ct i on and su c h arms !
When the y saw him enter the c ha pter house S im p le and -

,
c low n ish and salut e the assembly with a s c ra p e p rior

, , ,
c a n ons t reasurer and every o n e burs t o u t lau ghin g ‘

.
, ,
That w a s always t he effect produced ever y where t hat his

ho n est grizzled face a p peared with its goatee and i t s
, ,
somewhat vacuous eyes ; s o B rothe r G au c he r w a s not p u t

about .
‘
Y our R e v erences he said in a good natured tone t wist
,
’
-
,
‘
i n g a t hi s oli v e stone beads it s a true saying that em pt y ’
-
,
barrels make the most sou n d What do y ou t hi n k B y p ut

? .
t ing m y poor brains to steep though they re so ft enou gh ,

’
alread y I do believe I ve found t he w a y t o g e t us all o ut

,
’
o f o u r di fficulties .
‘
It s this w a y You k now Au n ti e B eg on the good woman
’
.
,
who took care of me w hen I was lit tle God rest her soul the
—
,
o l d S i n ner S he used to sin g some queer son g s when she had

drink Well what I wan t to tell y o u my reverend fathers
—
, , ,
is tha t when Au ntie B egon w a s ali v e she knew the herbs that
grow in the mountains as well and better than any o ld hag in
C orsica A n d b y the same token i n her latter days s h e com
.
, ,
pou n ded a h i n comparable elixir by blending fi v e o r six sorts

o f simples which we used to go and gather to g ether in the
,
Al p i ll e s That s ma ny a year ago ; but I think that with the

.
’
aid o f S ai n t Augustine a n d the permissio n o f o u r father

’
abbot I might i f I sear ch carefully re c all the c omposi

,
— —
RE V FATH ER G A U C H ER S EL I X I R
’
.
2 65
tion o f that my ster i ous elixir Then we S hould only have t o

.
put it into bottles an d sell it a little dear and the c om ,
mun ity would be able to get ri c h at its ease like o u r br ethren ,
at L a Trappe a n d the Gran de .
“
He had not time to fi n ish The prior got up and fell .
o n his neck The c an ons took him b y the han ds The treas
. .
u r er e v en more deepl y mo v ed tha n any of the others

, ,
respectfully kissed the fra y ed hem o f his cowl Then .
each retur n ed t o his stall to deliberate ; and i n solemn assem

bly the chapter decided t o entru st the cows to Brother
Thras y bulus i n order that B rother Gaucher might de v ote
,
himself entirely t o the preparation o f his elixir .
H ow did the good brother man age t o recall Auntie

B é go n s recipe What efforts what vigils did it cost him ?
’
?
,
His t or y does n o t relate But this much is certain at the end

.
,
of S ix mo n ths the White F athers elixir was v er y popular ’
alread y In all the C omtat in all t h e Arles district not a

.
,
m a s n o t a farm house but had at the backdoor o f its spence

,
-
,
among the bottl es o f wi n e s y rup and j ars o f o li ve s p i c k o lz nes

’
a little brown sto n e flagon sealed with the arms o f P rovence ,
with a monk in ecstas y o n a S il v er label Thanks t o the .
v ogue o f its elixir the house o f the Premo n stratensia n s got

rich ver y rapidly S t P achomius tower was rebuilt The
. .
’
.
prior got a new miter the church grand n ew painted wi n

,
dows ; and in the fine t racer y o f the steeple a whole fli gh t

of bells big and little alighted one fine E aster morni n g
, , ,
chiming an d pealin g in full swi n g .
“
As fo r Brother Gau c her the poor l ay brother whos e
,
rusti c ities used t o amuse the chapter so he was ne v er men ,
t i o n ed n o w in the c onvent They only knew the R everen d

.
Father Gaucher a man o f brains and abilit y who li v ed qui te

, ,
isolated from the petty multifarious o ccupatio n s o f the clois

,
ter and S hut himself u p all day in h i s disti llery whi l e

, ,
th i rty m onk s s c oured the mountains in search o f h i s fragran t

herbs . This distillery to whi c h n o o n e n o t even , ,
the p rio r had the right o f ent ry was an ol d abandoned

, ,
c ha p el a t t he bott om o f the c anons garden The good ’

.
fathers S implicity had made i t int o a very mysterious

’
and formidable pla c e ; and any bold and i nquisi tive monk
w ho managed t o rea c h the rose window above t he door by -
scrambling up the climbing vines pr om p tly t umbled down ,
terrified at his pee p o f Father Gaucher with his n ec r om a n

cer s beard stoopi n g over his furnace s hydromet er in hand ;
’ ‘
, ,
a n d all around him red stone retorts gi g anti c alembics glass , ,
worms a regular weird litter t ha t glowed as i f en c hant ed

,
i n the red gleam o f the windows .
“
At c lose o f day when t he las t s t ro k e o f t he A n g elus
,
10
s ounded the door o f this p la c e o f mystery was o p ened dis

,
c r e et l
y a n d his
,
R everen c e betook himself to the church f o r
t he e v eni n g o ffice Y ou S hould have seen the r ece pt ion t hat

.
he got as he traversed the monastery ! The b r e t h r en lined

up as he passed They said .
‘
Hush ! H e has t he s e c ret !
The t reasurer walk ed behind him an d s p ok e t o h i m ,
bowin g deferentially Amid thes e adula t i ons t he

.
F ather went his w a y wi p in g his brow h i s three cornered , ,

-
hat w ith its broad brim o n the ba ck o f his head li k e a n

aureole lookin g compla c ent ly abou t him at the w i de c our t s
,
p lanted with orange t rees the blue roofs where new vanes -
,
were t urni ng and in t he dazzlin g whi te clois t er amid the

, ,
nea t flower columns the c anons all newly ri gg ed ou t w al ki n g

, ,
t w o and t w o wi t h c ontented faces .
‘
They o w e all t ha t t o me ! his R everen c e sa i d i nwardly ; ’
and as oft en as he did s o the t hou gh t made his p ri de r ise i n

, ,
g us t s .
1 0 Th e A n g el u s i s a Ca t o i c h l
ev o t i o n adex er c i s e l rep eat ed at m o rn
p h b ell
.
i ng , n o o n, a n d s u n s et , u o n t h e ri n gi n g o f t h e c u r c h .
2 68 F RE N CH S H OR T S T OR I ES
side door o f the c hoir s tr u ggl i ng l ik e a demonia c and g oi n g

,
‘ ‘
o n wors e than e v er with h i s a t a t i n s and t a r a b a n s
’
N ex t morni n g a t daybreak the unfortunate man was

, ,
o n his k nees in the p rior s oratory ownin g his fault with a’
torre nt o f t ears .
‘
It was the elixi r my lord ; it was the elixi r that o v er
,
came me he said beatin g o n his breas t

’
,
.
,
“
And seei n g him so conscien c e s mi tten s o p enit en t the -
, ,
goo d p rio r hims elf was moved .
‘
C ome c ome F ather Gau c her se t you r m i nd a t rest ; i t
, , ,
will all p as s awa y like dew in the s u n A fter all .

,
the s c a n dal has not been s o grea t as y o u t h i nk T o be sure .

,
there was a song that was a little he m ! hem ! .
Yet let us hope t hat t he novi c es would n o t pi ck i t u p .
B ut n o w le t us s ee ; t ell me frankly how it all ha p pened

,
.
I t w a s when you were t ry i n g t he eli xir w a s it n o t ?

,
P erha p s your hand w a s t oo heav y Y es yes I under , ,
sta n d . It is like brother S c hwar t z the i n v entor of ,
gu n powder : you have been the vi c tim o f your invention Bu t .
tell me my g ood friend i s i t absolu t ely ne c essa r y f o r y ou t o

, ,
try this terrible elixir o n yours elf ?

’
‘
U n fortunatel y it is m y lord ! The gauge gives me t he
,
strength and the degree o f alcohol it is t rue ; but for the fin e ,
ness the velvetiness I can t very well trust anything but my

’
, ,
t ongue !
‘
Ah t o be sure !
,
B u t lis t en for another mome n t
to what I am goin g to s a y to you When y o u are .
compelled t o taste the elixir thus does i t seem good ? Do ,

’
you derive any pleasure from i t ?
‘
Alas y e s my lord ! said the unfor t unat e father blush ’
, , ,
‘
ing to the root s o f his hair Thes e last t w o evenin g s I have .
fou n d such a bou quet i n it such an aroma ! S urely it ,
m ust be the D e v il tha t has played me this sorr y tri c k .

li E V FATH ER G A U C H ER S EL I X I R
’
.
269
An d so I h a v e qu i t e d ecided to u s e n othi n g but the gauge i n

f ut u r e . If t h e liq uor i s n ot fi n e e n o u gh if it does n ot pearl
,
enou
g h mu ch the worse
,
so .
‘
F o r a ny sake do n t do that the prior i n terrupted e x c i t
’ ’
,
‘
e d ly . We must not ru n the risk of maki n g our customers
d i s satisfied All y ou ha v e to do n ow that y ou are
.
,
forewar n ed is to be o n y o u r guard
,
L et u s s e e how .
,
m u ch do y ou require to ascertai n Fi ftee n or twen t y ?
drops eh ?
,
L et s s a y twenty drops The D ev il
’
w ill be smart indeed i f he catches y o u with twe n t y drops .
I n a ny case to pre v e n t accidents I ll dispense y o u

, ,
’
from co mi n g to chu rch i n future You will s a y the e v e n i n g .
o ffice i n the distiller y An d mea n while go in peace.

, , ,
re v eren d father a n d above all thi n gs cou nt y our drops care

, , ,
fully .
’
Alas his poor re v ere n ce had much n eed to cou nt hi s

,
drops ! The D ev i l h a d hold of h i m an d n e v er after ,

! !
wards let him go .
“
The distiller y heard some stran ge o ffices
S o lon g as it w a s da y all wen t well The father was ,

.
tolerably calm : he prepared his chafi n g dishes and a l em b l c s ,
sorted his herbs carefull y all P ro v en ce herbs fi n e gray , , , ,
serrated hot with perfume an d s u n shi n e

,
B u t in the .
e v eni n g when the S l m p l e s were infused a n d the elixir was

,
cooli n g in great copper basi n s the poor ma n s marty rdom ,

’
began .
‘
S e v entee n eighteen n i n etee n twenty !
The drops fell from the stirring rod into the S ilver gilt — -
goblet The father swallowed the twent y at a gu lp almos t

.
,
without pleasure What he longed for was the twent y fir s t

.
-
.
Oh that twe n ty fir s t drop !

,
Then t o es c ape t em p t a
-
,
tio n he wen t an d knelt down at the farthest end o f the labor a

,
t ory and buri ed himself in his paternosters But f ro m t he

,
.
still warm liquo r there ros e a fai n t s team charged with

—
aromas which c ame stealing about him a n d s ent him back

,
willy n i lly t o his basins

-
The liquor was a lovely .
golden green L eaning over it with o p en nost rils the

.
,
—
fath e r s tirred i t ge ntl y with hi s stirring r o d and in the li t tle ,
s p arkli n g bubbles tha t the emerald wave carried round he

s eemed to s e e Auntie B é g on s eyes laughin g and t wink li n g as ’
they looked at him .
‘ ’
H ere goes Another dro p ! .
And with o n e dro p and another the un f or tuna t e a t las t

had his goblet full t o the brim Then completely vanquished .
,
he sank down i n a grea t arm chair a n d lollin g a t ease h i s -

, ,
e y es half S hut t asted his sin s i p by s ip s ayin g softly t o h i m

, ,
s elf with a delicious remorse

‘
Ah ! I m damning m y self damnin g mysel f
’
The most terrible thing was that at the bot t om o f this

. .
diabolical elixir he redisco v ered by some bla ck ar t o r o t her

‘
all Aunt i e B é go n s n aughty s ongs : The re are three little
’
‘
g ossips , who talk o f maki n g a banquet or : M as t e r ’
’
Andrews little shepherdes s goes off to the wood by her little
s elf and always the famous one about the White Fathers :
’
,
‘
P at at i n ,
“
Imagine his c onfus i on nex t day when his c ell mates said -
to him slyly
‘
E h eh F a t her Gaucher you had a bee in your bonne t
, , ,
last night when you went to bed !

’
Then i t was tears despair and fasting s ack c loth and , ,
dis c ipli n e But nothi n g c ould avail agains t the demon o f the
.
elixir a n d every even i n g a t t he s ame hour his p ossession

,
bega n anew .
All this time orders were p our i n g i nt o t he ab b ey i n ex c es s

of ex p ectation They c ame from N i mes from Ai x f rom
.
, ,
I t s at n i gh t is i t n ot m y dear s on t hat
’
arranged .
, , ,
t he demon a ssails y o u ?
‘
Y es S ir P rior re gularly every evenin g
, ,
W hen .
I s ee t he n igh t comin g o n,I g et all i n a swea t s a vin g your ,

’
R evere n ce s prese n ce like C a p i t o n s ass when he s a w the m ,

’
c ome wi t h the p a c k saddle

x -
.
’
‘
Well t hen k ee p you r mind easy
, ,
In fut u r e .
,
e very e v ening durin g the o ffic e we ll r e c i t e o n your behal f

, ,
’
t he P ra y er o f S ain t Au gustine t o whi c h p lena r y indul g en c e ,
i s at t ached W ith t ha t y o u are safe wha t ever ha p , ,
I t i s absolution a t the very momen t o f s i n ’

p ens . .
‘
O t h a t i s g ood than k you S ir P rior
’
.
, ,
A n d withou t askin g any thin g more F at her G au c he r

, ,
r eturned to his alembi c s as light as a lar k .
“
And in fact from tha t moment every evenin g a t t h e
, , ,
e n d o f compli n e the O fficiant never failed t o say

,
‘
L et us p ray for o u r p oor F ather Gau c her w h o i s S a c ri ,
fic i ng h i s soul in t he in t eres t s o f t he c ommunity Or e m u s .

,
13
D om ine .
“
And while t he p rayer ran along all thos e wh i t e c owls
,
p rostrated in the shadow o f the naves like a li ttle b r eez e ,
o v er s n ow awa y at the other end o f the convent behind the

, ,
lighted wi n dows o f t he distillery Fa t her Gau c her mi ght be ,
heard c hanting open throa t ed -
(
In P ar i s t h er e d well s a W h it e F ath er, ;
P a t at i n , p a t a t a n , t a r ab i n , ta r ab an ;
In P a r i s t h er e dwel l s a W h ite F ath er
W h o s et s all t h e l i t t le n un s dan ci n g ,
T ri p, tri p , t rip , tri p i n a g arden ;
W h o s et s al l t h e
At t his point t he good c u r é sto pp ed shor t i n ho rr o r .
“ ”
M er c y on us I f my p arishioners heard me !
13 . L et u s p ra y , 0 Lo d r , pa rt of t h e Cat h li
o c s erv i ce.
C OPPEE
—
( 1 8 42 1 9 0 8 )
F RA N C O I S C OP P EE was bor n i n P aris J anua ry 1 2 1 8 4 2

, , .
While a y oung man he worked as a cle rk i n the Minist r y o f

War a n d later was dramatic c riti c for L a Pa t ri e a promi
, ,
n ent Parisian newspaper F r om 1 8 7 8 t o 1 8 8 4 he was archi v

. :
i s t o f the C omédi e F r a n cai s e g1 v1 ng u p t his p osition on h i s

,
election t o the French Academy .
C o pp é e began his literar y career as a poet bu t i n later ,
y ears turn ed to the drama a n d the short stor y as modes o f

expression He received n o reco gnition as a poet u ntil 1 8 6 9
.
,
when the phen omen al success o f his play L e P as s a n t drew , ,
him from the obscurity o f his go v er n me n t clerkship It was .
in this pla y that Sa rah Bernhardt met wi th her first s u ccess .
C o p p é e conti n u ed to prod u ce v ol u me after volu me o f poetr y

as well a s a nu mber of play s ; at the same time he took acti v e
part in the a ffairs o f the day espe c ially politi c al movements
,
such as the Drey fu s a ffair .
His stories are of u n e v e n merit but the bes t of th em

,
promise to guarantee him a n importa n t place i n Fren ch fic

tion In his stories he aimed to be simple a n d inten se thor
.
,
oughly e ar n est and deepl y s y mpathetic At times he b e

,
.
comes somewhat morbid a n d o v er se ntimen tal but o n the

-
, ,
whole there 1 S a c ertain gen ialit y about his stories a charac

, ,
t e r i s t i c n ot at all commo n to mos t o f his co n temporaries .
These v arious traits are shown particularl y i n those stories

in which he describes the trials a n d sufferin gs o f the poor
a n d t h e u n fortun ate
.
L ike e v er y Fren ch writer o f his da y C o p p é e was influenced

by the War o f 1 8 7 0 with Germany a n d a n umber o f his ,
stories tou ch upon some phase o f the hardship a n d inj ustice

of w a r when brought home to the in di vidual The bes t o f .
2 73
2 74 F REN C H S H OR T S T O R I ES
thes e a r e A P i e c e of B r ea d ( pr i nt ed in this volume by p er

m i ss i on o f C u r r e nt Opi nio n N Y ) and T h e S u bs t i t ut e , . . .
A PIE C E OF B RE AD
By FR A N C OI S C OP P EE
TH E youn g D u c de H ardimo nt hap p ened to be a t Aix i n

1
S avoy whose wa t e r s he hoped would benefit h i s famou s
,
mare P er i c h ol e wh o had be c ome wind broken S in c e t he c old

, ,
-
S he had c au gh t a t the l a s t D erby 2—

and was finishing his -
breakfast while glancing over the mornin g p aper when he ,
read the news o f the dis as t rous e n ga g ement at R ei c h s h o ffen f” ’
H e em pt ied his glas s o f C hartreuse laid h i s nap ki n u p on

4
,
the restau r an t t able ordered his vale t t o p a c k his trunks , ,
and t wo hours later too k the expres s t o P aris ; arrivin g

t here he hastened t o the re c rui t in g o ffic e and enlist e d in a
,
re giment o f the line .
In vain had he led t he enervating li fe o f a fashionable

swell that was the word o f the time and had kno c ked
— —
about race c ours e stables from the a g e o f ni n et een to twenty

-
fiv e . In c ir c umstances like thes e he could n o t forget tha t ,
E n gu e r r a n d de H ardimon t died o f the p lagu e a t Tunis the

5
same day as S a int L ouis t ha t J ean de Hardimont c om -
,
6
m a n d e d the Free C ompanies under D u G u e s c l i n a n d that ,
7
F ran cois H e n ri de H ardimo n t w a s k illed at Fonte n oy with
-
“ ”
R ed M aison Upon lear n i n g that F ra n ce had lost a
.
battle o n F rench soil the you n g duke felt the blood mount ,
t o his fa c e giving him a horrible feeling o f suffocat i on

,
.
And s o early in N ovember 1 8 7 0 H enri de H ardimon t

, , ,
1 A p r ov i n c e i n s o u t h ea s t er n F ra nce
t E p s m E n gl n d
. .
2 Th f m u e nnual
a ac o s a r e a o a
A b t t l e w s fo u g h t t h e e Aug 6 1 8 7 0
.
,
3 A t ow n i n A l a e
.
s c a a r
4 A l i q u eu m d e by t h e C a t h u s i a n m n k
. .
. . ,
r a r o s
L ui s I! f F a n c
. .
H d i ed A u g 2 5 1 2 7 0
2 AA F lln gh g en e l gl ( 1 3 2 0 h
. o o r e . e .
,
.
re c ra
7 . vi a e i n B i u m w e e a b l oo d y b a t t l e w a s f o u g h t o n M a y
e ,
r
1 1 , 1 745 .
S uddenly he felt hungr y .
St ooping he drew from his knapsack which stood nea r

, ,
him leaning against the wall a pie c e of ammu n itio n bread , ,
a n d as he had lost h i s kni fe he bit off a morsel and slowly ,
ate it .
B ut a fter a few mo u thfuls he had enough o f it ; the brea d ,
w a s hard a n d had a bitte r taste N o fresh would be gi v en .
u n til the n ext morni n g s distributio n s o the c ommissary ’
o fficer had willed it This w a s certainl y a ve r y h ard li fe

.
sometimes The remembra n ce o f former breakfasts came to

.
“
him such as he had called h y gie n ic when the da y a fter
, , ,
too o v er heating a supper he wo u ld s eat himself by a w i n

-
,
dow on the ground floor o f the C afé An glais and be s erved -

,
with a cutlet o r buttered eggs with aspara g us tips and the

, ,
\
butler kn owing his tastes would bri n g him a fi n e b ottle o f
, ,
old L é o vi l e lyi n g in its basket and which he would pour

, ,
o u t with the greatest c are The deuce take it ! That w a s a

.
good time all the s ame a n d he would never become a cc us

, ,
t o m e d t o this li fe o f wre t chedness .
And in a mome n t o f impatience the y oung man threw the

, ,
rest o f his bread int o t he mud .
At the same moment a soldier o f the line came from the

taver n stooped a n d p icked up the brea d drew back a fe w
, ,
steps wiped it with h i s S leeve and began t o devour i t

,
eagerl y .
H e n ri de Hardimont w a s already ashamed o f his a c tion ,
a n d n o w wi t h a feeli n g o f pi ty watched the p oor devil w h o

, ,
ga v e proo f o f such a good appetite H e w a s a tall large .

,
y oung fellow bu t badly made ; w i t h feveri sh eyes and a

,
hos p ital beard a n d s o thin t ha t h i s shoul der blades s t ood

,
-
out beneath his well wo r n c a p e -

.
”
Y ou are very hun gry ? he sai d a pp roa c h i n g t h e ,
soldier .
“
As you see replied t he other w ith h i s mou t h full
,
.
A P IE C E O F B RE A D 2 77
E xc u se me then For if I had known that y o u would

,
.
li ke the bread I would not have thrown it awa y

,
.
It does n ot harm it replied the soldier I am n ot , ,
dainty .
“
N o matter said the gentleman It w a s wrong to do s o
, , ,
and I reproach my self But I do n ot wish y ou to ha v e a

.
bad opinio n o f me and as I hav e some old cogn a c in my

,
c an let us drink a drop together

,
.
The ma n had finished eati n g The duk e a n d he drank a .
mouthful o f brandy ; the a c quainta n ce was made .
“ ”
Wh at is y our n ame ? asked the soldier o f the li n e
Hardimo n t repli ed the duke omi tti n g his title
,
And ,
.
”
yours ?
“
J ean Victor I have j ust entered this company I am
—
- —
—
j ust o ut o f the ambulanc e I was wounded at C h atillo n
oh ! but it was good i n the ambulan ce and i n the i n fir m a r y ,
they gave me horse bouill on But I had onl y a s c ratch .

,
and the ma j or S igned my dismissal S o much the worse for .
me ! N ow I am goi n g to commen c e to be de v oured b y hunger

again for believe me if y ou will comrade but s u ch as
—
, , , ,
o u s ee me I have bee n hungr y all m y life

y ,
.
T h e words were startli n g especiall y to a Sy barite who,

1 1
had j u st been lo n gi n g for the kitchen of the C afé Anglais

'
-
,
a n d the D u e de Hardimo n t looked at his compani o n i n almost
terrified amazeme n t The soldier smi led s adl y showi n g hi s

.
,
hungr y wolf li ke teeth as white as his sickl y face a n d as

,
—
, , ,
if understan di n g that the ot her expected somethi n g further

in the way of explanatio n o r c o n fide n ce
“
C ome said he s u dden ly ceasing hi s fami li ar way o f
, ,
speaki n g do u btless di vi ni n g th at hi s comp an ion belo n ged to

,
“
the rich an d happ y ; let u s walk alo n g the road to warm ou r
feet an d I will tell y ou thi n gs which probabl y y ou ha ve
,
11 . On e w h o li v es in l ux u y r .
never hea r d of—

I am c alled J ean Victor tha t i s all fo r I —
, ,
am a fou n dli n g and my only hap p y remembran c e is o f m y

,
earliest childhood a t the As y lum The shee t s were wh i t e on

,
.
o u r li t tle beds i n t he dormitor y ; we played in a g arden
under lar g e trees and a kind S ister t ook c are o f us quite

, ,
you ng and as pale as a wax tap er S he died afterwards o f

— -
lun g trouble I w a s her favorite and would rather walk by

—
,
her tha n p lay with t he o t her c hildren be c ause she used t o ,
draw me t o her side and lay her w arm t hin hand o n my fore
head Bu t when I w a s twelve years o ld aft er my fi rs t c o m m u
.
,
nio n there was nothing but p overty The managers p ut m e as

,
.
apprentice with a c hai r m ende r i n F aub o u r g S aint J a c ques

- -
.
That i s not a trade you know i t i s i m p ossible t o earn one s ’
, ,
livin g at it and as p roof o f i t t he greate r p ar t o f the t i m e

, ,
the master w a s only able t o en g age t he poor little blind boys

!
from the Blind As y lum I t w a s t here t hat I began t o suffer
.
12
with hunger The mas t er and mis t ress t wo old L im ousins
.
,
— afterwards murdered— were terrible m i sers and t he bread

, ,
c ut in tiny pieces for ea c h meal w a s k e pt unde r lo ck and ,
k ey the res t of t he time Y o u should have s een t he m istress

.
a t su p per time servin g t he soup si ghin g at ea c h ladleful ,
S h e dished out The other a p prenti c es t w o blind boys wer e

.
, ,
less unhapp y ; t hey were no t given more than I bu t t hey ,
could not s e e the reproachful look t he wicked woman used

to give m e as s h e handed me my plate And then u n fo rt u .
,
n a t el y I w a s always s o terribly hungry Was i t my fault

,
.
,
do you t hink ? I served there fo r three years in a c o nt i nual ,
fit of hunger Three years ! An d one c an learn t he wor k

.
in o n e month But the managers c ould not k now everythin g

.
,
and had n o suspicion tha t t he children were abused Ah ! .
y o u we r e as t onished j ust n o w when you s a w me take the

b r ead o u t o f t he mud ? I am used t o t hat fo r I have p icked ,
up e n ough o f i t ; a n d crus t s from t he dus t and when t hey ,
1 2 P e o p l e fro m L i m o ges s ou t h er n F r an ce
.
, .
t hen harassed and worn by t heir f requen t w a tc he s and

,
ala r ms as n i gh t f ell t hey re t urned t o t he t ave r n w he r e

, , ,
t welve sold i ers were S lee p in g o n the straw ; and t h r owi n g ,
themselves down S i de by side t hey w er e so o n S l ee p i n g ,
s oundly .
T owa r d mi dn i gh t J ean Vi ct o r awok e bein g hun gry pr ob

—
,
The wind had s c att ered the c louds and a r ay o f

’
a bly .
,
m oonl i gh t m ade i t s way i n t o t he roo m t hrou gh a hol e in t he

!
r oof li ghtin g u p t he handsom e blonde head o f t he youn g

,
duke wh o w a s S lee p i n g li ke an E ndym i on

,
.
St i ll t ou c hed by the ki ndnes s o f h i s c omrade J ean Vi ct or ,

-
w a s g az i n g at hi m w i t h admi r ation when t he s er g ean t o f ,
t he p lat oon o p ened t he doo r and c alled t he fi ve m en who

w ere t o rel i eve t he s en t i nels o f t he ou tp os t s T he duk e was .
o f the numbe r but he did no t waken when h i s nam e w a s

,
c alled .
“
H ardimont stand u p ! re p ea t ed t he n o n c om mi s s i oned
,
-
offic er .
“
I f y o u are willin g sergea n t said J ean Vi ct or r i s i n g I
, ,
-
, ,
wi ll t ake his du ty he is slee p in g s o soundly and he i s m y

,
—
c omrade .
“
AS y ou p le as e .
The fi ve m en l eft and t he snor i n g r e c om m en c ed

, .
B u t hal f an hour later t he noise o f near and r a p i d fi r i n g

b u r s t u p on t he n i gh t In an i ns t an t eve r y m an was on hi s
.
f ee t and ea c h wi t h h i s hand o n the c ha mbe r o f hi s gun

, , ,
s t e pp ed c au t i ous ly o u t l oo ki n g earnes tl y a l on g t he r oad

, ,
ly i n g w h i t e in t he m oonligh t .
“ ”
Wha t t i me i s i t ? asked the du k e I was t o go on dut y .
”
t on i gh t .
“
J ean Vi ct or wen t i n you r p la c e
-
.
At t hat moment a soldier was s een r unni ng t oward the m .
a lon g t he r oad .
“
Wha t i s i t t hey c r i ed as he s t o pp ed o ut o f br ea t h
?
,
v f
.
A PI E CE or B RE A D 281
The Prussian s have attacked us let us f all ba ck t o t he ,
r edoub t .
“ ?
And your comrades
—
They are c oming all but poo r J ean Vi ct o r -
.
”
Where i s he ? c ried t he duk e .
—
S hot through t he head with a bullet died wi thout a
word — o ugh
'
On e night las t winter the D ue de H ardimont left his

,
club about two o clo ck in the morning with hi s n ei ghbor

’
, ,
18
C ount de S a u lnes ; the duk e had lost some hundred louis ,
a n d had a S light heada c he .
”
I f you are willi ng An d r e he said t o his c omp anion
, , ,
w e will go home o n foot — I need the air .
“
Just as y ou p lease I am willin g although the walking
, ,
”
ma y be bad .
They dismissed t heir c oupés turned up the c ollars of ,
their overcoats and set o ff towards the Madeleine

,
14
S ud .
d e nly an ob j ect rolled before the duke wh i c h he had struck

with the toe o f his boot ; it was a lar g e pie c e of bread
spattered with mud .
Then to his amazemen t M onsieur de S auln es s aw the

, ,
D u e de Hardimo n t pick u p the piece of bread wipe it c are ,
f ully with his han dkerchief embroidered with his armori al

bearings an d place it o n a be n ch In full view under the
, ,
gas light
-
.
“
What did y ou do that for ? asked the c ount laughing ,
“ ”
heartily ; a r e y o u c razy ?
“
It is in memor y o f a p oo r fellow who died for me \
,
replied t he duke in a voice whi ch trembled slightly “

Do .
not laugh my friend it o ffends m e

, , .
13 A g o ld c oi n w o r t h
A fa m o u s c h u r c h o f P a ri s
.
14 . .
F RAN C E
( 1 8 44
JA C Q U E S AN AT O L E T H I B A U L T w h o w r i t es unde r t he na m e
,
o f A N AT O L E F R A N C E, was born in 1 8 44 i n P aris : H e was ,
a b oy o f lively imagination alw ays t ryin g t o p u t i nt o pr a e

,
t i c e t he ideas and ideals o f the stories which he read o r had

read t o h im At the a g e o f s even T h e L i ve s of t he S a i nt s
.
was r ead t o him by his m other and t his p rofoundly i m ,
p ress ed him B efore his ambit i on had been t o die a heroic

.
,
death o n t he field o f ba ttle l i ke t he kni ghts o f old b ut a s ,
t ha t seemed impra ct i c able i n his youthful fan c y he decided

,
“
t o be c ome a saint a c areer which had
,
fewer requirements
”
a n d w a s o f greater r enown t han tha t o f a soldier S c hool .
inter fered with h i s final r esolve t o be c ome a her m i t i n t he

des ert was t es o f L e J ardin des P lant es on e o f t he m os t ,
beaut iful publi c g ardens o f P ar i s .
His father w a s a books eller o n t he Qu ai Voltaire and i n ,
h i s sho p France early a c qu i red t he habit o f p romis c uous

readi n g H e w a s fond o f roamin g around the older and
.
more pi cturesqu e p ar t s o f P a r is observ i ng with interest the

,
o ld shops full o f c urios ; t hen t o o what i n teresti n g persons

, ,
o n e c ould alwa y s fi n d o n the s t reets su c h as the milkme n, ,
the soldiers i n their resplendent uniforms and above all the , ,
women who sold flowers on the quay !

As a stude n t in c ollege Anatole France became fond o f the
L atin and Greek classics a n d this t ogether with an inna t e
, ,
love f or the c urious has led him into all sorts of li t erary
,
a n d his t orical b y ways gi vin g his wor k an atmosphere o f

-
,
erudition which c onstitutes o n e o f its most fascinatin g

c harms In this respe c t he resembles C harles L amb and like
.
, ,
L amb Anatole F ran c e c ons t antly p uts his o wn p ersonal i t y

,
into ever y thing he wr ites .
Hi s firs t p ublished work a critical essa y on D e Vigny was

, ,
2 82
T H E J UGG LE R O F N oT R E DAM E 1
By A N A T OL E FR A N C E
IN TH Edays o f King L oui s there w a s a p oo r j u ggler i n

Fran c e a nati v e o f C o m pIe gn e B arnaby by name who
, , ,
we n t about from t own t o t own p erformin g feat s o f s k i ll and

stre n gth .
On fair days he would unfold an o ld worn out c ar p et i n -
the p ubli c square a n d whe n by means o f a j ovial address

, ,
which he had lear n ed o f a ver y an c ient j uggler and which he ,
n ever varied in the least he had drawn t ogether the c hildren

,
a n d l oafers he assumed extraordinary attitudes and bal

, ,
a n c e d a t in p late o n the ti p o f his nose At fi rs t t he c rowd .
would feign i n differen c e .
B u t when supporting h i mself o n his hands fa c e down

,
!
wards he threw into the air s i x c opper balls which glit

, ,
t e r e d in the sunshi n e a n d caught them a g ain with his fee t ;

,
or when throwi n g himself ba c kwards u n til his heels and

the nap e o f hi s n eck met gi v i ng his body t he form o f a
,
p erfe ct wheel he would j uggle in this p osture with a dozen

,
k n ives a murmur of admiration would escape the S p e c tators

, ,
and p ie c es o f money rain dow n u p on the carpet .
N evertheless like t he maj orit y o f those w h o live by t heir

,
w i t s B arnaby had a grea t struggle t o make a livin g

,
.
E arning his bread i n the sweat of his brow he bore rat her ,
m ore t han his S hare of t he p enalt ies c onsequent u p on the

misdo i ng s o f o u r father A dam .
A gai n he was unable t o work as c ons t antly as he would

,
have been willing to do The warmth of the s un and the

.
b r oad dayligh t were as ne c essary t o enable him to dis p lay

1 . T r a ns l at ed by F red eri c C h ap m an .
2 84
TH E JU GG LER O F NO T RE D A M E 2 85
his brilli a n t parts as to the trees i f flower a n d fr uit should

be expected of them In wi n ter time he was nothing more .
tha n a tree stripped o f its lea v es a n d as it were dead The ,

.
froze n groun d w a s hard to the j uggler and like the grass , ,
hopper o f which M arie de Fra n ce tells us the in clement 2

,
seaso n cau sed him to su ffer both cold an d h u n ger But as .
he w a s S imple natured he bore his ills patientl y

-
.
H e had never meditated o n the origi n o f wealth nor ,
upon the i n equality o f human conditio n s He believed .
firml y that i f thi s life Should prove hard the life to come ,
could not fail to redress the balan c e and this hope upheld ,
him He did not resemble those thievish a n d miscreant

.
M erry Andrews who sell their souls to the devil He nev e r

3
.
blasphemed God s name ; he li ved uprightl y and altho u gh

’
he had no wife o f his o wn he did not covet hi s neighbor s ’
, ,
since woman is e v er the enemy o f the s t rong m an as it ,
a pp ears b y the hi stor y o f S amson re c orded in the S criptures .
I n truth his was not a nature much disposed to c arn al

,
delights an d i t was a greater deprivation t o him to forsake

,
the tankard than t he Hebe who bore it For whilst not

4
.
wa n ti n g l n sobriet y he was fo n d of a dri nk whe n the weather

,
waxed hot H e was a worth y man w h o feared God an d was

.
,
ver y de v oted to the Blessed Virgin .
N e v er did he fail o n en t e r l n g a church to fall upo n his

knees before the image of the Mother of God a n d offer up , ,
this pray er t o her

“
Blessed L ad y keep watch o v er m y life u n til it S hall
,
p lease God that I die an d whe n I am dead en s u re to me the , ,
p ossessio n of the j o y s of paradise .
2 A l y n d m et i l m n i n t h M i ddl Ag
w ri t er of a s a r ca ro a ces e e es
y A nd w w b u ff n w n d i n g
.
l wn
.
3 Th M e er r re s ere c o s or oo s, a er f r om
pl pl m ll m p ni M i ddl A g e
.
a cet o in a ce In t h
s a ll co a es e e s a s o rt s of
n id ed
.
a t
c ors w er e ut
co t
s er o ca s s
4 A G k g dd f y ut h up b g d b f
.
r ee o t th
es s o o c -
ea r e r o e o s e ore th
f G n y m ed
.
,
com ng
l o a e .
N ow on a c er ta in eveni n g a ft er a dreary we t day as B ar

naby p ursued his road s a d a n d be nt c arryin g under hi s arm
, ,
hi s balls and knives wra pp ed u p in his o ld c ar p et o n the ,
watc h fo r some ba r n where t hou gh he might no t s up he , ,
m i gh t slee p , he p er c eived on t he road g oin g i n t he sam e ,
dire c tion as himself a monk whom he salu t ed c ourteously

, , .
An d as they walked at t he sa m e r a t e t hey fell i nt o c onversa

ti on wi t h one anothe r .
“
F ellow traveler sa i d t he monk h o w c omes i t about that
, ,
o u are c lothed all i n g reen ? Is it p

- erhaps i n order to t ake
y
”
t he p ar t o f a j ester i n some m yster y pla y ?
“ ”
N ot a t all g ood fa t her
,
r e p lied B arnaby
,
S u c h as you .
s ee m e ,
I a m c alled B arnaby and fo r m y c alling I am a ,
j u ggler T here would be n o p leasante r c allin g in the world

.
”
i f it would always p rovide o n e w i th daily bread .
“ ” “
Friend B arnaby r eturned the monk be c areful what
, ,
u say There i s n o c alling m o r e p leasan t t han the m o n

y o .
a s t i c life . Thos e who lead i t are o cc u p ied with the p raises

o f God t he B lessed Virgin and t he s aints ; a n d i ndeed t he
, , , ,
”
r eli gious life i s o n e c easeles s hymn t o t he L ord .
B arnaby r e p lied
“
G ood father I o wn t ha t I s p oke like an ignoran t man
, .
Y our c allin g c anno t be i n any r es p e c t c ompared to mine ,
and although t here may b e some meri t i n dan c in g wi t h a

’
p enny balan c ed o n a sti ck on t he t i p o f one s nose i t i s n ot

’
a mer i t wh i c h c omes within hail o f your o wn Gladly would .
I like you g ood father s m g m y offic e day b y day and

, , , ,
es p e c ially the o fli c e o f the m os t Holy Virgin t o whom I ,
have vowed a sin gular devotion In order t o embra c e the .
m onastic li fe I would willingly abandon the ar t b y whi c h

from S oissons t o B eauvais I am well known i n upwards of
”
S i x hundred towns and villa g es .
T he m on k w a s t ou c hed b y t he j u ggler s simp li c ity and as

’
,
p er c e i ved a t on e and the s ame time E v e the Wife abased —
and M ary the Vi rgi n exal t ed .
Fu rthe rm o r e t o t he m arvel o f t he beholder this boo k

, ,
c ont a i ned pr esentm ent s o f t he W ell o f L ivi n g W a ters the ,
F ount ain t he L i ly t he M oon the S un and t he Garden

, , , ,
E n closed o f whi c h t h e S on g o f S on g s tells us t he G at e o f

5
,
H eaven an d t he C ity o f G od and all these t hin g s we r e ,

!
sy m bols o f t he B lessed Vi rgin .
B r ot he r M a rbo d e was li k ewi se one o f t he m os t lovi n g

c h i ld r en o f M a r y .
H e s p en t all h i s days c a r vin g i m a ges i n s t one s o t hat ,
hi s b eard h i s eyebr ows and his hai r we re wh it e wi t h dus t

, , ,
and h i s eyes c on ti nually s wollen and wee p i n g ; b u t hi s

s t rengt h and c hee r fulnes s we r e not dimi nished alt hou gh ,
he was n o w wel l g one i n yea r s and i t wa s c l ea r t hat the ,

'
Queen o f P aradise s t i ll c her i shed he r s e r van t in h i s old a ge .
M a rbo d e re p resent ed her sea t ed u p on a t h r one he r br ow ,
en c i r cled with an o rb sha p ed n i mbus s e t wi t h p ea r l s And

-
.
he t ook c are t hat the f old s o f he r d r ess should c ove r t he

f ee t o f he r c on c erni n g who m t he pr o p he t de cl a r ed : My
,
b eloved i s as a g a r den en c losed .
S o m et i m es t oo b e de p i cted her i n t he se mblan c e o f a

, ,
c h i ld full o f gr a c e a pp ear i n g t o say Thou ar t m y G od

, , ,
even fr o m t he day o f m y b i rt h .
In t he pri ory m oreove r we r e p oets who c om po sed hymns

, ,
i n L atin both i n pr os e and ve r s e i n honor o f t h e B lessed

, ,
Vir gi n M ary and a m on g s t t he c om p any was even a b r o ther

,
f r o m P i c a rdy wh o s an g t he m i r a cles o f Ou r L ady i n r hym ed

6
ve r se and i n t he vul g a r t on gue .
5 One of th e b o ok s of t h e Ol d T es t a m en t , s o m et i me s ca ll ed th e
G d d ll b f ound
.
S on g o f S o l o m o n T h e r ef er en c e t o th e a r en E n c o s e l
wi e
k
.
h
i n i v :1 2 o f t a t B o o
k b y t h e com m on
.
6 T h e v u l g a r t o n g u e o f a ny a n i s t a t s p o en l d h
a d i a l ect
.
l
p eop e H ere, o f cour s e, It was F renc , p er ap s even
.
.
h h .
TH E JU G G L E R O F NO T RE D A M E 2 89
B ei n g a wi t ness o f this emulation i n praise an d the glo

ri o u s harves t o f t heir labors B arnab y mourned his own
,
i gnoran c e and S i mp li c ity .
“ ”
Alas ! he sighed as he took hi s solit ar y walk in the
,
“
S helte r l es s garden of the monastery wretched W ight that ,
I am t o be unable li k e my brothers wo rt hfl y to p ra i se the

, , ,
Hol y M other o f G o d t o whom I have vowed my whole

,
hear t s affecti on Alas ! alas ! I am b ut a rough man and

’
.
unskilled i n the a rts and I c an render y ou in servi c e blessed

, ,
L ady neither e di fy in g sermons n o r treatises se t out in

, ,
order a cc ordi n g t o rule n or in geni ous paintings nor statues

, ,
truthfully s c ul ptur ed nor verses whose mar c h i s m easured

,
”
t o the beat o f fe et N o gift ha v e I alas !
.
,
Aft er thi s f ashi on he groaned and gave h im self up to

sorrow But on e eveni ng when the monks we r e s p endi ng
.
,
their hour o f li be rt y in c onversation he heard on e o f them ,
tell the t ale o f a reli gious man wh o c ould repea t nothing

other than t he Av e M a ri a Thi s p oor man was d e s p i s ed fo r
q
.
'
his ignoran c e ; but after hi s death there Issued forth from

hi s mouth five r oses in hon o r o f the five le tt ers of the name
M ar y ! M arie ! and thus his sanctit y was made mani fest
,
.
Whi lst he li stened t o this narrati v e B ar n ab y mar v eled

yet on c e again at the loving ki n dness o f the Virg in ; bu t the
lesson o f that blessed death did not avail t o co n sole him ,
fo r his hea rt o v e r fl o w e d with zeal and he lon g ed to ad v a nc e

,
the glo r y o f his L ady wh o is in heaven

, .
How t o c ompass this he sought but c ould find no way ,
a nd da y by day he be c ame the more c ast down when on e ,
m orning he awakened filled wi th j oy hastened to the chapel , ,
and remained t here alone fo r m ore than an hour After .
di nne r he r etu rned to the c hap el on c e m o r e .
And sta rtin g from t hat moment he repai r ed daily to the

, ,
chapel a t su c h hours as it was deserted and spen t withi n ,
it a good pa rt o f the t im e whi c h the othe r m onk s devot ed t o

the li b er al and m e c hani c arts H i s s adness vani shed no r

.
”
,
did b e any lon g e r g roan .
A de m e a no r s o str an g e awa k ened the c uri os i ty o f t he

m onk s .
These be g an t o as k on e another fo r wha t p u rp ose B rothe r

B arnaby c ould b e indul g in g s o p ersis t en tly i n r e tr eat .
T he prior whose dut y i t is t o le t no thi n g es c a p e hi m i n

,
t h e behavio r o f h i s c hild r en i n religi on res o lved t o k ee p

,
a wat c h over B a r naby durin g h i s withdrawals t o the c ha p el .
On e d ay then when he was shut u p t here afte r his c us t om

, , ,
the pri o r a cc om p an i ed by t w o o f t he older monk s went t o

, ,
d i s c over throu gh t he c h i nk s i n t he doo r what was g oin g on

w i t hin t he c ha p el .
They s a w B arnab y b efo r e t he alta r o f t he B lessed V i rgi n . ,
head downwards wi th hi s f ee t i n t he a i r and he was j u g

, ,
gl i n g wi th S i x balls o f c opper and a do z en k nl v es In hono r .
o f the H oly M othe r o f G o d he was p er f o r mi n g t hose fea t s
whi c h a fore t ime had wo n h i m m os t r enown N ot r ec o gni z .
in g t ha t the S i m p le f ellow w a s thus p la c i n g a t the se r vi c e

o f t he B lessed V i r gi n his k nowled g e and s k i ll t h e t w o o ld
,
m onk s ex cla i med a g a i ns t t he s a cri le g e .
’
The p rio r w a s awa r e h o w s t ainles s was B a r nab y s soul ,
bu t he c on c luded t ha t he had been se i z ed wi th m adness :
They were a ll t hree pr e p a r i n g t o lead h i m swi ftly f r om t he

c ha p el when t hey s a w t he B lessed V i rgi n des c end t he s t e p s
,
o f t he al t a r and advan c e t o w i p e away wi t h a f o l d o f he r
azure r obe t he s w ea t wh i c h was d r o pp i n g fr o m he r j u ggler s

’
f o r ehead .
T hen t he p r i o r f all i n g u p on h i s f a c e u p on t he p ave m en t

, ,
u tt e r ed t hese w ords
“
B lessed a r e t he s i m p le hearted fo r they S hall s ee G o d
-
,
.
”
Amen ! r e s p onded t he old b r e t h r en and ki s s ed t he
,
g r ou nd .
lies in his fi ct i on T hou g h he has n ot done m u c h i n t h e S ho r t

.
s t o ry T h e B i rd s i n t h e L e t t e r B ow in t his volume by t h e -
, ,
k i nd p e rm ission o f T he F r an k A M unsey C o N Y is . .
, . .
,
an ex c ellent story His most re c ent work is a c ollection o f

.
s hort S ket c hes and s t ories deal i n g wi t h t he G r eat War none

,
o f t hem howe ver o f spe c ial m eri t B azin s s tyle and m a t e ’
,
.
,
r ial are ve r y a greeable and he i s an autho r wh o dese r v es ,
t o be be tt e r k no wn by E nglish r eade r s .
T H E B I R D S I N T H E LE T T E R -
B O!
B y R E N E BA ! I N
N O T H I N G c an des c ribe the pea c e t hat su r rounded t h e

c oun t ry p arsona g e The p arish was small modera t ely .
,
hones t p rosperous and w a s used t o t he O ld p r i es t wh o

, , ,
had ruled i t fo r t h i rty yea r s T he town ended a t t he p arson .
age ,
and there began m eadows which sloped down t o t h e
r iver and we r e fi lled i n summe r with t he p erfu m e O f fl owe r s
a n d all t he musi c o f t he earth B ehind the grea t hous e a .
k it c hen g arden en c roa c hed o n the meadow The firs t ray o f

-
.
t he s u n w a s f o r i t and s o w a s t he las t Here the c he r ri e s

,
.
ripened i n M ay and the c urrants O ften earlier and a wee k

, ,
before As sumptio n usuall y you c ould n ot pas s with i n a

,
1
,
hund r ed fee t wi t hou t b reathing among the hedges t he heavy

‘
odo r o f t h e m elons .
B u t y o u m us t not t hink that t he abb é o f St P hil emo n .
w a s a g ou rm and H e had rea c hed the a g e when a pp et ite

.
i s only a memo r y His shoulders wer e bent h i s f a c e wa s

.
,
wr i n kl ed he had t w o l i ttle gr ay eyes one O f whi c h c ould

, ,
n ot see any lon g er and he w a s s o deaf i n o n e ear t ha t i f

,
y o u ha pp ened t o b e on that side y o u j u st had t o g et round

o n t he o t her .
M er cy no ! he di d not e a t all t h e f r uits i n his o rc h ard

,
.
1 . Au gus t 15 .
B I R D S I N TH E LE TT ER B OX 2 93
The boy s got their share an d a big share but the biggest — —
share b y all odds was eate n b y the birds the blackbirds

, ,
—
,
who lived there comfortably all t h e y ear a n d s ang i n retur n ,
t h e best the y could ; the orioles prett y birds of passage who , ,
helped them i n s u mmer a n d the sparrows and the warblers , ,
of e v er y variety ; an d the tomtits swarms of them with , ,
feathers as thick as y our fi n ger and they hu n g o n the ,
branches and pecked at a grape or sc r atched a pear veri —
“ ”
table li ttle beasts o f p rey whose only than k you was a ,
shrill cr y l ike a saw .
i
E ven to them old age had made the abbé of S t Ph l emon
,
.
“
indulgen t The beasts c annot c orre c t their faults he used
.
,
to s a y ; i f I got angr y at them fo r not chan gi n g I d have

“
,
’
to get a n gr y with a good many of my par i shio n ers !

And he co n te n ted himself with clappi n g his han ds together
loud when he wen t i n to his orchard so he should n ot see t oo ,
mu c h stealing .
Then there w a s a spreadi n g of wi ngs as if all the silly ,
flowers cut o fi b y a great wind were fl yi n g awa y ; gra y and ,
w hi te a n d y ellow a n d mottled a short fl ight a rustli n g of

, , , ,
leav es and then quiet for fi v e mi nu tes But what mi nutes

,
' .
Fanc y if y ou c an that there was n ot o n e factor y in t h e

, ,
v illage not a weaver or a blacksmith and that the noise

, ,
o f men with their horses a n d cattle spreadi n g o v er the Wide , ,
distant plai n s melted into the whisperi n g of the breeze a n d

,
was lost M ills were unk n own the roads were little fr e
.
,
q u e n t e d the railroads
,
were v er y far away Indeed i f the .
,
ravagers of his garden had repented for lon g t he abbé would

have fallen asleep of the silen ce over his breviary .
Fortu nately their return was prompt ; a sparrow led the

,
wa y a Ja y followed and then the whole s w a rm w a s back

, ,
'
at work And the abbé could walk up a n d down c lose h i s

.
,
“
book or open it and murmur : They ll not leave me a berry
,
’
”
this y ear !
It made n o diffe r ence ; n ot a bird left his pr ey any m ore ,
tha n if the good abbé had been a co n e shaped p ear tree wi t h

’
- -
,
t hick leaves balanci n g himself o n t he gravel o f the wal k

,
.
The birds k n ow that those w h o complain t ake no a ction .
E ver y year they built t heir nests around the parsona g e o f

St P hil emon in greater numbers than a ny where els e The
“
. .
b est p laces were qui c kly t aken the hollows i n the t rees , ,
—
t he holes in t he walls the f orks o f the apples trees and t h e
,
elms and y o u c ould s ee a brown beak like t he p oint o f a

, ,
sword sti cking o u t o f a whi s p o f straw between all the

’
r a fte rs o f the roo f On e yea r when all t he p la c es we r e

.
,
take n I suppos e a t omt it i n her embarrassment spied t he

, , , ,
slit of the letter b o x p ro t e ct ed b y i t s little roof a t t he righ t

-
,
o f the p arso n a g e gate S he sli pp ed in was satisfied with the

.
,
res ul t o f her ex p lorat ions and brought t he m aterials t o ,
build a nest There was nothi n g she negle c ted t hat would
.
make it warm neither t he feathers n o r the horsehair n o r

, , ,
t he wool n or even the scales o f lichens that co v er ol d wood

,
.
On e mor n ing the hous ekeeper came i n p erfectly furious , ,
c arr y i ng a pape r S he had found it under t he laurel bush

.
,
at the foot of the garden .
L ook s i r a p aper and dirty t oo ! They are u p to fine

, , , ,
doi n gs !
“
Who P hilom ene ,
?
Y our mis erable birds ; all the birds that y ou let stay
here ! P retty soon they ll be building their nests in you r ’
soup turee n s
-
“
I ha v e n t but one ’
.
Have n t t hey got the idea of lay i n g thei r e ggs in y ou r

’
letter box ! I opened it be c ause the p os t man rang and that

-
doesn t hap p e n every day It w a s full of straw and horse

’
.
hair and spiders webs with enough feathers t o make a quilt

’
, ,
’
a n d i n the midst o f all tha t a beas t t hat I didn t s ee hissed

, ,
”
at me like a v iper !
2 96 F RE N C H S H OR T S T OR I E S
A p r i l t he ab bé t hou ght it wise t o write t o t he only t h r e e

,
friends wo rthy o f t hat name whom dea t h had left him a , ,

“
la y man and t wo p r i es t s : M y friend d o n o t c on gratulate ,
m e o n m y s ai n t s day thi s year i f you p lease It would

’
.
,
in c onvenien c e m e t o re c eive a lett e r a t this ti m e L at e r I .
s hall ex p lain and y o u will a pp re c ia t e m y r easons

, .
They t hou gh t t ha t hi s eye was worse and did n ot w r it e , .
T he abb é o f St P hil emon was delighted

. F o r t hree weeks .
he never en t ered his gate o n e time withou t t hin k in g o f the

e g gs ,
spe c kled with p ink that were l y ing in t he letter box
,
-
,
a n d when t he t wenty fi r s t day c ame r ound he ben t d o wn and

-
listened w it h his ea r c lose t o the sl i t o f t he b o x T hen he .
s tood u p b eamin g :
,
“
I hear t hem c hir p P hilom ene ; I hear t hem c hir p T hey
,
.
o w e t heir lives t o me sure enough and they ll n o t b e t he ’
, ,
ones t o re gre t i t any m ore t han I .
H e had i n h i s boso m t he heart o f a ch i ld t ha t had neve r

g rown old .
N o w a t t he s ame time in t he green room o f t he p ala c e a t

, , ,
the chief t own o f t he departmen t the bisho p was deliber ,
a tin g over t he ap p ointments to be made with his r egular

c ouncilors his t w o grand vicars the dean o f the c hapter
, , ,
the s ecretary g eneral o f the pala c e and the dire c tor o f the
-
,
grea t academy After he h a d a pp o i nt ed several v i c ars and

.
p riests he made t his sugges tion :

,
“
Gentlemen o f the c oun c il I have i n mind a c andida t e ,
suitable in all res p ects for the parish of ! bu t I t hink

i t would be well at least to o ffer tha t c harge a n d t ha t honor
, ,
t o o n e of our oldest priests the abbé o f S t P hil emon He ,

. .
w ill u n doubtedly refuse it and his modesty no less than his

, ,
a e
g,
will be the c aus e ; but w e shall have shown as far as ,
”
we could our a p preciation of his v i rtues
,
.
The fi v e councilors a pp ro v ed una n imously and t ha t very ,
evening a letter w a s s e nt from the p ala c e si gned by t he ,

B I R D S I N TH E LE TT ER B OX 2 97
bishop and which contai n ed in a postscrip t : Answer at

,
on c e my dear abbé ; o r better c ome t o s e e me because I

, , , ,
must submit my appointments to the government within three

day s.
The letter arri v ed at S t Phil emon the ver y day the tom .
ti ts were hatched The postma n had di fficulty in slipping it

.
i nto the sli t o f the box but it disappeared i n side a n d la y

, ,
touchi ng the base o f the n est like a whi te pavement at the ,
bottom o f the dark chamber .
The time came when the tiny poi nts o n the wi n gs o f the
li ttle t om t i t s bega n t o be c overed with down There were .
fourteen o f t hem and t hey twittered and staggered o n their

,
little feet w ith their beaks open u p t o their ey es never

, ,
c easing from mornin g till night t o wai t fo r f o od eat it

, , , ,
digest it and deman d more That was the first period when
,
.
,
the bab y birds hadn t any sen se B ut in birds it doesn t ’ ’
last long Very s oon they quarreled in the nest whi c h began
.
,
t o break with the fluttering o f their wi n gs the n the y tumbled ,
o ut o f it and walked along the side of the box peeped ,
thro ugh the sli t at the bi g world outside a n d at last they ,
ventured out .
The abb é o f St Phil emon with a n eighbori n g priest

.
, ,
att ended this p leasan t garden p arty Whe n the little ones .
—
ap p eared be n eath the roof o f the bo x t w o three together
—
, ,
and too k t heir flight c ame ba ck s t arted again like bees a t

, , ,
the door o f a hive he said ,
B ehold a babyho od ended and a go o d work ae c om

,
”
p l i s h e d
. They a r e hardy and strong every o n e ,
.
The nex t da y during his hour o f leisure after di nn er the

, ,
“ ”
abbé c ame to the bo x with the k ey in his ha n d Tap tap .
, ,
“
he went There was no answer
. I thought s o said he .
,
.
Then he o p e n ed the b o x and mingled wi th the débris o f the , ,
nest the letter fell into his hands

, .
“ ”
Good Heavens ! said he r eco gm z m g the writing A ,
.
l e tt er fro m t he bishop ; and in wha t a state ! H o w long ha s

”
i t been here ?
H i s c hee k g rew p ale as he read .
“
P hilom ene harnes s R ob i n quickly
, .
S he c ame t o see what was the matter before obe y in g .
“
Wha t have y o u t he r e s i r ? ,
The bisho p has been waitin g fo r me t hree weeks !

Y ou ve missed your c ha n ce said t he o l d woman
’
, .
The abb é was away until t he nex t evenin g When he .
c ame ba c k he had a pea c eful air bu t sometimes p ea c e i s n o t

,
a tt a i ned without e ffort and we have t o stru gg le t o k eep it

, .
When he had helped to unharness R obin and had given him

s ome hay had cha n ged hi s c assock and un p acked his b o x
, ,
from which he t ook a dozen little p a c ka g es o f t hin g s bough t

o n his visit t o the city it was the very time that t he birds
,
a ssembled in the branches t o t ell each other abou t t he day .
There had been a shower and the drops still fell from t he
lea v es as t hey were shaken by these bohemian c ou p le s l ook
i n g for a g ood place t o spend the night .
R e c ognizin g their f riend and master as he walked u p and ’
down t he g ravel p ath t hey c ame down fl utt ered about him
, , ,
making an u n usually loud noise and the t omt i ts t he four , ,
t een o f t he nes t whos e feathers were still no t quite grown

, ,
ess ayed their firs t spirals about t he p ear t rees and their firs t -
c ries in the open air .
The abbé o f St P hil em on watc hed t hem with a fatherly

.
e y e bu t his t endernes s w a s s a d as we look at things that

, ,
‘
have c os t us dear .
“
Well my little ones wi thou t me y ou would not be he r e
, , ,
a n d withou t u I would be dead I d o no t re gr e t i t a t all

y o .
,
bu t don t insist Y our t hanks are t o o no i sy

’
. .
H e clap p ed h i s hands im p a t iently .
H e had never been ambi tious t hat i s very sure and even , , ,
a t tha t m oment he t old the t ruth N ever t heless t he nex t

,
.
,
Ahs E N E A R N AU D who writes under t he pen name Jules
C l a r et i e w a s born m 1 8 4 0 at L imoges i n southern Fra n ce
, ,
.
H e w a s edu c a t ed in P ar i s H e began his literar y c areer as

.
a j ournalist a c ting a s war correspondent i n t he Fran c o

,
P russian w a r C la r et i e has had a lo n g and varied career

.
b oth as a writer and as editor o f L e T e m p s H e also has .
wr i tten p lays and served as dramatic critic fo r t he foremost

P arisian j ournals ; his abili ty in this dire ction s ecured him
the a pp oint ment as direct or o f the C omédie Fra n caise in
1 8 8 5 a p os t whi c h he held c reditably fo r many years
,
.
C l a r e t i e has written many novels and t ales A mo n g his .
novels are : L As s a s s z n 1 8 6 6 ; M a d e l e i ne B e r t i n 1 8 6 8 ; L e
’ ’
, ,
T r a i n 1 7 1 8 7 7 ; M o n s i e u r l e M i n i s t r e 1 8 8 2 ; and L A c e u s a
’
, ,
t ea r. H e has also wri t ten exte n si v ely o n historical subj ects

C i n q a ns Ap r e s 1 8 77 ; L e s P r u s s i e n s c h e z c um 1 8 7 2 ; and
, ,
L a Vi e a P a r i s 1 8 9 6 In F ran c e a n d amo n g F rench r eaders

, .
in other countries C l a r et i e e nj oys a generous p o p ularity ;

unfortunately however fe w o f his works have been trans
, ,
lated int o E n glish P ra c tically all he wrote i s o f the k ind

.
t hat is read e n j o y ed and then forgo tte n mu c h like t h e

, , ,
“
ordi n ary s o called p o p ula r novel o f o ur o wn c ount ry His
-
.
creative tale n t has suffered through over production for -

,
C l a r e t i e has always r emained a p ro fessional j ournal i st .
The story o f B au m B a u m i n th i s book shows him a mas

-
, ,
ter in a di ffi c ult field that o f writing about childre n witho u t

,
bei n g ei t her se n timent al or silly The dire ct ness of his sty le .
i s due to his lon g j ou r nalisti c caree r .

B OU M B O U M - 1
By JU LE S C L A R E T IE
—
TH E child was lyi n g stretched out i n his little whi te bed ,
and hi s ey es grow n large through fe v er looked straight

, ,
before him alway s with the strange fix i t y o f the sick who

, ,
alread y percei v e what the livi n g do not see .
The mother at the foot o f the bed torn b y su ff erin g an d ,
wri n gi n g her han ds t o keep herself from cr y i n g a n xiou sl y ,
followed the pro gress o f the disease on the poor emaciated ,
face o f the little bei n g The father a n honest workman

.
, ,
kept back the te ars which b u r n ed his ey elids .
The da y broke clear a n d mi ld a beautiful mor ni n g in ,
Ju n e and lighte d up the n arrow room i n the street of the

,
Ab e s s e s s where little Fra n cois the child of Jacqu es a n d ,
Madeleine L egrand lay dy i n g He w a s se v en y ears old

,
.
a n d was very fair very ros y and s o livel y N ot three

, ,
.
weeks a go he was gay as a sparrow ; but a fev er had seized

hi m a n d the y had brought hi m home o n e even i n g from the
public school with hi s head hea vy and his han ds ver y hot .
From that time he had been here in this bed a n d some ,
times i n hi s delirium when he looked at his li t tle well

, ,
blacken ed shoes which his mother had c arefully pla c ed in

,
a corn er on a board he said ,

“
Y o u can throw them awa y now little Francois shoes
’
!
,
L ittle Francois will not put them o n any more ! L ittle

”
r n i —
F a co s will not go t o school an y more never nev er ! ,
“
Then the father cried ou t a n d said : Wilt thou be still !
An d the mother ver y pale buried her blo n d head i n hi s
, ,
pillow s o that little Francois c ould n o t hear her weep .
1 T n l t ed by M
ra s a y S ym ond s R p ri nt ed by t h e ki nd p e m i si on
ar e r s
o f C u r en t Op i ni on N ew Y or k
. .
r , .
This ni gh t the c hild had n ot b een delirious ; b u t fo r the

t w o days past the doctor had been uneas y ove r an o dd sort
o f prostration whi c h res embled abandon it was as i f at seven ,
years the sick o n e alre ady felt the weariness o f li fe H e .
w a s tired silent s a d and tossed his little head abou t o n the

, , ,
bolster H e had n o lon g er a smile o n his poor thin lips and

.
, ,
with ha gg ard eyes he sought s eei n g they kn e w n ot what , ,
s omethi n g there be y ond ver y far o fi ,
In Heaven ! P erha p s ! thought M adeleine t rembling ,

.
When they w i shed him t o take some medi c ine some sirup , ,
o r a little sou p he refused ,

H e refused everythin g . .
“ ”
D os t t hou wish a n ythin g Fran cois ?
,
N o I w ish nothing
,
!
“
We must draw him o u t o f this the doctor said This ,
.
tor p or frightens me you are the father a n d the mother

-
,
you know your child well S eek for something to r e

a nimate this little body recall t o earth this s pi rit which
,
runs a fter the clouds

Then he wen t away .
“ ”
S eek !
Y e s without doubt they knew him well t hei r Fran cois
, , ,
these worth y people ! They knew how it amused h i m the ,
little one to p lunder the hedges o n S unday a n d t o c ome back

,
t o P aris o n his father s shoulders laden wi t h hawthorne

’
Jacques L egrand had bou ght some i mages some gilded sol ,
diers and some C hi n es e shadows for Fran cois ; he c ut t hem

,
o u t p ut them on the child s b ed and made them dan c e before

’
the bewildered e y es of the little one a n d with a desire t o ,
weep himself he tried to make him laugh .
“
D ost thou see Fran cois it i s the broken b r i d g e
,
And ,
that is a general ! Thou rememberest we s a w o n e a ,
general on c e in t he B ois de B oulogne

, ,
P2
I f thou
t akest th y medici n e well I will buy thee a r eal o ne with a
2 A well k no w n p ub l i c p a rk i n P a ri s
.
-
.
30 4 F REN C H S H OR T S T OR I E S
W ha t does t ha t m ean J a c ques ? H e i s los t !

,
But t he father had o n his rough wor ki n gman s fa c e a ,

’
smile almos t hap py bu t asto n ished t o o the smi le O f a c o n

, ,
d em n e d man w h o foresees a p ossibility O f libe rt y .
B oum B oum ! H e remembered well the mornin g O f E aster

-
M o nday when he had taken Fra n cois t o t he c ircus H e had .
still i n his ears the child s outburs t O f j o y t he ha p py laugh

’
O f t he amused boy when t he c lown the beautiful c lown

, , ,
all s p an gled with gold and with a great gilded butterfly

sparkli ng many colored o n t he bac k O f his black costume
,
-
, ,
skipped across t he t ra c k g ave t he tri p t o a rider o r held

,
hims elf motionless and s t i fi o n the s and his head down ,
a n d his feet in the air Or a g ain he t ossed u p t o the chan

.
, ,
d el i er s ome soft felt hats whi c h he caught adroitly o n his

,
head where they formed o n e by o n e a p y ramid ; and at

, , ,
each j est like a refrain brighteni n g up his int elligent and

,
droll face he uttered the same c ry repeated the same word

, ,
-
accompa n ied now and then by a burs t from t he or c hestra

B oum B oum !
—
B oum B oum ! a n d each time t hat it rang o ut B oum

-
,
B oum the audie n ce burst i nto hurrahs a n d the li ttle o n e

,
j oined in with his hearty little lau gh B oum B oum ! It .

-
was this B oum B oum it w a s the c lown O f t he c ir c us i t was

—
, ,
this fa v orite o f a large par t o f t he c i ty that l i tt le F ra n cois ,
wished to s e e and t o ha v e and whom he c ould no t have and

could n ot s e e sin c e he w a s lyin g here wi thou t s t ren gt h i n
his white bed .
In the e v e n ing J acques L e grand brou ght t he c hild a

j ointed clo wn all s tit c hed wi th s p angles whi c h he had
, ,
bough t in a p assageway and which was very ex p ensive .
It w a s t he price of four O f his worki ng da y s ! B u t he would

ha v e gi v en twe nty thirty h e would have given the p rice
—
,
O f a y ear s labor t o brin g ba ck a smile t o t he p ale li p s o f

’
t he sick c hild .
B O UM B O UM -
30 5
The c hild looked a t the play thi n g a moment as it glis t e n ed

o n the white c o v er O f the bed then said sadly , ,
“
It is not B oum Boum ' I want t o s e e Boum Boum !
- -
Ah ! if Ja c ques could have wrapped him up in his bla n

kets could have carried hi m to the circus c ould ha v e shown
, ,
h i m the clown da nc i n g under the lighted chandelier a n d ,
ha v e said to hi m L ook ! H e did better Jacques he went

, , ,
to the circ us deman ded the address O f the clown a n d

, ,
timi dly his legs shaki n g with fear he c li mbed o n e b y o n e

, , , ,
the steps which led to the apartmen t o f the artist at Mo nt ,
martre 3
It was ver y bold this that J acques was going t o
.
,
do ! But after all the comedian s go t o si n g and recite their

mon ologues i n drawi n g rooms at the hou ses o f the great -
,
lords P erhaps the clown Oh ! i f he on ly would would

.
— —
co n sent to c ome a n d s a y good da y t o Fra ncois N O matter ; -

.
how would the y recei v e him J acqu es L egra n d here at , ,
Bo u m B ou m s h o u Se ?
’
'
H e was n o lon ger Boum Boum ! He was M on sieur -
More n o a n d i n the artistic dwellin g the books the en g r a v

, , , ,
i n gs the elegan ce was like a choice decoration arou n d the

,
charmi n g man w h o received Jacques in his Office li ke that

O f a doctor .
Jacques looked but di d not recognize the clown a n d

, ,
turn ed and twisted his felt hat bet w een his fi n gers The .
“
other waited Then the father ex c used himself
. It was .
astonishin g wh at he c ame there t o ask it c ould not be

, ,
pardo n excuse ,
But in short it was c on c erning the little ,
one A n ice little o n e monsieur And S O intelligent ! ,

.
Alway s the first at school except in arithm etic whi c h he , ,
did not un derstand A dreamer this little on e do y ou , ,
s ee ! Yes a dreamer An d the proof wait the proof

, .
— —
Jacqu es n ow hesitated stammered ; but he gathered up ,
hi s courage a n d said briskl y .
3 A sec t i o n O f P a i s i n w h i c h a t i s t s a n d li t era r y m en l i ve
. r r .
Th epr oo f i s t ha t he wishes t o see y ou t ha t he t hink s ,
only o f y ou a nd t ha t y o u a r e t he r e before him li k e a star

,
whi c h he would like t o have and tha t he looks ,
When he had fi ni shed the fa t her was deadly p ale and he , ,
had grea t d r o p s o n his forehead H e dared n ot loo k a t the .
clo wn w h o remai n ed wi th his eyes fixed o n the workman

, .
And wha t was he going t o s a y this Boum B oum ? W as he ,

-
goin g t o dismiss him tak e him fo r a fool and p u t h i m out

,
the door ?
Y o u li ve ? asked B oum B oum -
.
Oh ! ver y near ! S tree t o f the Ab e s s e s s !

“
C ome ! said the other Y o ur boy wan t s t o s ee B oum
.
”
B oum ? Ah well he i s g oi ng t o s ee B oum B oum
, ,
-
.
When the door opened a n d showed the c lo wn J a c ques ,
L egra n d c ried o ut j oyfully to his s o n :

“
F ran cois be ha pp y c hild ! S ee here he i s B oum
, , ,
”
B oum !
A loo k O f grea t j oy c ame over t he child s face H e ra i sed ’
.
himself on his mo ther s ar m and turned his head t oward the

’
t w o men w h o app r oa c hed ques t ionin g for a momen t w h o , , ,
i t was by t he side of his father ; this g entleman in an over

c oat whose g ood p leasan t fa c e he did n ot know W hen
, ,
.
“ ”
the y said t o h i m I t i s B oum B oum ! he slowly f ell ba c k
,
-
o n the pillow and remained t here his e yes fixed his b eau t i
, , ,
ful large blue eyes whi c h looked beyond the walls o f the
, ,
little room and were always seek i ng the spangles and the
,
butterfly o f B oum B ou m lik e a l ove r wh o p ursues hi s

-
,
dream .
“
NO re p lied t he c h i ld wi t h a vo i c e whi c h w a s no longer
,
”
dry bu t full O f despair no i t i s not Boum B oum
, , ,
-
.
The clown standi n g near the little bed threw u p on the

, ,
child an earnes t loo k very grave but O f an inex p ressible

, ,
sweetness .
The f a t her and t he m o ther we pt but t hi s time fr om j o y

, .
Unti l li t tle F r ancoi s was o n his feet a g a l u a c arria g e

sto pp ed every da y before t he d we llin g O f a workman 1 n the
street o f the Ab e s s e s s at M ontmartre and a m an g ot o u t
, ,
wi t h a ga y powdered fa c e enveloped in an Ov er c oat with a

,
collar turned back and underneath i t o ne could s e e a c lown s ’
costume .
“
Wha t d o I o w e y o u monsieur ? s ai d Ja c ques at last to
, , ,
t h e master c lown when the child took h i s first walk

-
for now ,
”
I o w e you somethin g !
The c lown s tre t c hed o u t his t wo soft herculean hands t o
,
he p aren t s .
A shake o f t he hand ! s aid he .
Then pla c in g t w o great kisses on the on c e mo r e rosy

cheeks O f the child :
“ ”
And ( laughing ) p ermission to p ut o n m y visiting
a nd :
B OUM B OUM
-
Ac r o ba t i c D o c t o r an d P hy s i ci a n i n o r di na r
y t o li t t le
F r a nco i s
) ,
.
I
L E M Ai T R E
( 1 85 3 1 9 1 4 )
-
F RA N C O I S E LI E JU L E s L E M Ai T R E was b o r n a t Venne cy ,
i n the D epartm en t O f L oiret cent ral Fran c e April 2 7 , ,

‘
1 858 . After some p relimi nar y s c hooli n g a t home he wen t

to Paris and completed his studies there He was inter .
e s t e d in educatio n al work and ta u ght fo r a number O f

y ears holdi n g positions in various schools and c olleges
,
.
I n 1 8 8 2 he recei v ed his doctor s degree and t wo y ears ’
later he aban do n ed the teaching profession s o t ha t he

might devote his whole att ention t o literar y pu r sui t s .
L emai tre had alwa y s been i nterested in literature as ,
b e fit t ed a P rofessor o f R hetori c a n d earl y in his career ,
began t o contribut e poems a n d articles t o various j ournals .
B y 1 8 7 9 he w a s alread y attracti n g atten tion as a critic

throu gh a number O f articles i n the R e vu e B le u e especiall y ,
o n e o n Flaubert whom he had k nown well at Havre

,
whi le
teachin g A small volume O f poems made hi m known more
.
widely but his real forte seemed t o lie in criti cism a field
, ,
for which he was eminen tl y fitted b y virtue O f his wi de

readi n g a n d splen did scholarship F o r man y years he .
shared hi gh hon ors as a criti c with Bruneti ere Faguet , ,
a n d Doumi e o f whom Doumi e is n o w the onl y survivor

,
.
U nli ke the others L emai tre did n ot limit hi s interest to

,
criticism alone ; he made origi n al contributions t o poetr y ,
the d r am a a nd fiction with considerable suc c ess in each

,
‘
,
.
It is however as a critic that L emai tre will be best

, ,
remembered He kep t up a continuous seri es O f c ritical

.
essay s on the drama and other literar y subj ects O f the .
Im p r e s s i o ns d e T h é dt r e there are ten vol u mes while O f ,
the secon d series en titled L e s C o n t e m p o r a in s there are

, ,
se v e n volumes .
The story of T h e S i r en selected for this volum e is taken

, ,
3 09
from t he firs t s e ries o f E n M a rg e d e s Vi e um L i v r es The .
idea o f the stories and sketches in these t wo volumes is

u n ique ; ea c h o n e begi ns with an e p isode o r chara c ter from
so me well known O ld story and t hen diver g es as the imagi
nation O f t he author dictates The stories are ver y readable .
be c ause O f L emai tre s dire c t s ty le and be c ause O f the novelty

’
o f t he underly i n g i dea .
T H E S I RE N 1
By JU L E S L E MAI T R E
A s T H E Y neared the Isle t o f the S ire n s the wind c almed 2
down and t he waves were hushed The sa ilors fu rled the .
sails Ul y sses reme m bering t h e w a rni ng c ounsel o f C ir c e

.
2
,
2
,
k neaded a lum p O f w a x in his sturdy hands and s t o p ped the

ears o f his c om p anions wi t h it They in turn tied him to the .
mast and then s t ruc k the foamin g s ea with t he i r oa rs .
From the de p ths O f their grott o t he S i rens had O bserved

the vessel When i t c ame within range o f t he i r voi c es t hey
.
came down t o the shore and began t o sin g

“
C ome hither beloved wanderers come ! N O seafarer has
, ,
ever p assed ou r isla n d without listeni ng to o u r voice ; then

they de p ar t filled with j oy having learned ma n y things ; ,
fo r w e know all that ha p pen s on the bounti ful earth .
R ising erect out O f the still water their bodies gleaming ,
a n d moist they made appeali n g gestures w ith their beauti ful

,
arms A n d an irresistible witcher y lay in their voices soft

.
,
as a milk y sea per v asive as the O dor O f sea weed tender and
,
—
, ,
a little wi stful as though it were the voice o f longi n g .
Ul y sses writhed within h i s bands but his c ompanio n s , ,
forewar n ed o n ly bou n d them tighter around his arms and

,
thighs .
1 l
T ran s a t e b d y
H C S c w e i er t h k
k
. . . .
S ee H o m e r s Od y s s ey , B o o ! II, C la s s i c M y t h s
’
Ga y l ey
’
2 . or s .
O f t he s ea B ut I should be hap p l er s till i f dea t h should

.
”
c o m e t o m e at yo u r hand s alone .
T he S i r en l ook ed a t hi m in sur pri se I t w as t he fi rs t ti m e

.
s h e had eve r s een a w i sh o r a t hou gh t i llu m ina t e t he f a c e o f
a m an ; fo r usually the fea t u r es and eyes O f t he shi p w r e ck ed
ma ri ne r s showed no t hi n g bu t t e r ror ; o r indeed m o r e O ft en , ,
u tt e r ly exhaus t ed by t he i r exe rti ons t hey di s p layed no ,
e m o t ion at all .
S he made a s 1 gn t o her sis t ers t o k ee p away s ayi n g ,

“
The stran g er belong s t o me .
T he res t O f the S irens wi thdrew e i the r b e c ause s h e wh o

,
s p o ke i n t his manne r had some authority over her c o m

p anions o r be c ause s ome t a c i t a gree m en t a m on g t hem de t er
,
mined t he allo t men t O f thes e derelicts O f t h e s ea .
Alone w it h the c raft y Gr ee k s h e as k ed : ,

“ ”
Wha t i s your name ?
And when s h e had learned i t she a t on c e r e p lied
“
E u p horion I love y o u And although i mmortal t hat 1 s
,
.
, ,
t he first time I have ever s p oken t ha t word o r f elt tha t whi c h

”
i t si g n i fies .
“
And what is your name asked t he Gree k
? .
L eu c o s i a .
T he other S ire n s faithful t o the p act a greed u p on let

, ,
E u p horion and L eu c o s i a li ve t o g ether by t hemselv es as t he y

l i k ed .
B a ck O f t he grott o t here w a s a se c luded meadow in whic h

a foun t ain gently p layed E u p ho ri on d r an k it s water a n d
.
l i ved o n shell fis h -
.
L eu c o s i a neve r le ft h im A s a p as ti me t hey enj oyed being

.
r o ck e d on t he cr es t O f a wave t o b e l i fted u p and c arried

,
alon g ami d i t s wa t ery c aresses At times t he S i r e n would

.
l e t herself dro p from the sum m it o f a high rock he r finny t ail ,
s t rai gh t o u t li k e an arrow ; he would c atch her i n his a r ms
and t o g et her they would dive dee p into the salty p ool At .
TH E S I REN 31 3
other times in t he bas i n s of the coves they reveled i n the

, ,
s un shin e amo n g the foaming eddies Or agai n they gam ~ .

,
boled with the dolphi n s playi n g merr y pranks upon them

,
.
At night when the other S irens we n t t o sleep on the grass

, ,
their unwieldy tails stretc hi n g o ut side b y side E uphorio n ,
a n d L euc o s i a retired t o a remote nook i n the meadow an d ,
the wa n derer fell asleep in the cold arms O f thi s quaint

goddess O f the s ea .
The y co nv ersed but little L eu c o s i a w as famili ar with

.
'
words which pertai n ed t o thi n gs n ecessar y t o n ymph li fe on

the reefs o f the M e diterra n ean S he knew how to n ame the .
s k y the s e a the s u n the moon the stars the rocks t h e fi

, , ,
sh
, , , ,
a n d the various parts O f the bod y S he also knew how t o .
“
say : I s e e ; I hear ; I feel ; I lo v e ; I desire somethi n g ; I
hope ; I wan t B ut that was practicall y a ll the vocabulary
.
’
o f t hi s y oung immortal .
On e da y E uphor ion said t o her

“
When from the swift ship I heard the v oices O f t h e
S ire n s y ou boasted that y ou knew many thi n gs n ot kn own to
”
man Tell me about them n o w L eu c o s i a
.
,
.
But s h e gave him t o un dersta n d that the y spoke untruths ,
o nl y t o excite the curiosity o f t ravelers .
An d in tru th the words they chanted whi ch he n ow heard

.
, , ,
ever y e v eni n g di d n o t e v ide n ce an i ntelligen t u n derstan di n g

,
O f the S pirit O f thi n gs bu t o nl y such exceedi n g emotio n as

,
arises from rej oici n g at the comin g O f the dawn the glory ,
O f the setti n g s un the boundless n ess an d beauty O f the s e a ;

,
o r simpl y the j o y O f possessi n g a n agile body i n capable O f

,
fatigue S ometimes the artful singers seemed t o suggest

.
the pain O f a lo n ging p u rposel y left va gue but whi ch pre

, ,
c i s ely defi n e d the gloom in the so u l o f E uphorio n b u rde n ed ,
with memories of his life as a hu ma n bei n g .
L eu c o s i a n oticed the mela n chol y o f her compa ni o n a n d

soothed him with her cool kisses On the sea an d i n the .
hollow gr o tt o she was str on g e r t han he and mo r e su pp l e and

, ,
hel p ed him alon g and wa tc hed over him eve r y momen t But .
o n the bea c h and in the fra gr an t meadow obli g ed t o w alk ,
o n her hands and dra g her c u m bersome t a i l al on g she ,
wonde r ed a t her c omrade be c aus e o f his fee t wh i c h enabled

him t o walk ere c t and envied him In such moments S h e
,
.
felt that his ex p erien c es had been more varied t han hers ,
t hat his mind mus t be filled with p i ctures and idea s whi c h
s h e c ould n o t even surmise .
H e resolved t o teach her attemptin g t o give her s o m e i d ea

,
h o w human bein g s lived o n t he c ontinen t and the lar g er

i slands. B ut he soon s a w that she did n ot understand him
be c aus e the words he used had n o relation t o any O bj e c t upon
whi c h she c ould p ut her e y es .
Then he began t o g row a trifle weary L eu c o s i a no lo n ger .
had the c harm O f novelty There was t o o great a di ff ere n ce

.
between t hem be c ause O f the p rimitiveness O f her m i n d .
W hat had a t firs t fascinated him n o w made him tired H e .
'
felt a sor t O f resentme n t t owards L eu c o s i a o n a c c o u n t O f

.
—
her ignorance and becaus e o f her cold brin y skin , .
H e remembered his li fe as i t used to be his homesi c kness ,
becomi n g co n sta n tly more a c ute At night in t he quie t

.
,
meadow while the stra n ge goddes s with the scaly body lay
,
asleep n ear him he once again s a w the fields the woods , ,
—
the streams the oxen at t heir work the dwelli n g p laces o f
, ,
huma n bei n gs the booths O f the merchants t he temples on

, ,
the hills the ships in port and the taverns where o n e dri nks
, ,
t he sparkli n g wine ; the little dan c i n g gi rls dark e y ed b e-

,
-
,
spa n gled who stic k red flowers in their hair and whos e
, ,
hands are warm and w h o have pretty feet .
About this time a vessel which happe n ed along w a s lured

b y the song of the S irens a n d wrecked o n a nearby reef .
E uphorio n was horrified when he s aw those gra c eful maide n s

s et their pierci n g teeth into the bodies of the seame n an d ,
O f es c a p e from t he i sland o f the S ire n s S O he was p lannin g

.
,
a separation from his c om p anion at the very moment when

s h e w a s be c omi n g more intelligen t a n d beginnin g t o under
sta n d him .
H e c onti n ually told her entran c ing t ales O f life amo n g

m eIi .
“
I f y o u c are to c ome wi th m e he said o n e day w e c an
, ,
s wi m a c ros s t he s ea u n til w e come to a ci ty c alled Athens ,

”
s c ar c ely t hree days j our n ey from here
’
“ ”
B ut I c anno t walk ver y far o n land .
I will hel p y o u replied E uphorion ; a n d w h e n we ve

,
l
’
arrived in the c it y a s p lendid chariot like those y ou s a w

, ,
in the pi ctures will c arr y you wheresoever y ou wish to go

, .
And w e w i ll li ve happily t ogether with the gold in tha t

”
chest .
But he did n o t s a y all t ha t w a s i n his mind .
A three days j ourney was mere p lay for the S iren A t

’
.
times they swam alo ng side by side while again E uphorion

, ,
w a s hel p ed by her s o t hey r ea c hed the shore O f the main

,
land without his bein g exhausted by fati g ue .
They landed a t an unfrequent ed s p ot bu t i n the distance ,
s a w si gns O f a city approa c hed by a lon g road which w a s

, ,
ru g ged and c overed with dus t .
The S iren c rawled along for a while on her han ds bu t s h e ,
w a s bruised by the s t ones and weakened by the scorchin g

rays o f the s u n .
E uphorion w a s already far in advan c e O f her S he c alled .
t o him :
The land u p on whi c h m en l i ve i s ha r d and r ou gh In .
the s e a I hel p ed t o c a rr y y o u ; n o w i n tu r n should y o u no t

, ,
help me ?
H e did n o t have t he hea rt t o r e fuse Re tr a c i ng his ste p s

.
,
he s t ooped down and O ffered t o assis t he r T he S i ren put .
he r arms around his ne c k ; he rose and as he walk ed alon g

,
TH E S I REN 31 7
the road the end O f her s c ale covered tail dragged i n the dust -
.
P erspiri n g un der his burden E u phorio n mu ttered words ,
O f a nn oy a n ce H e bega n to ask himself what he was to d o

.
with this fin tailed woma n n ow that they were i n the coun try
-
,
O f men .
S u dde n ly he roughl y u n clasped from his n eck the arms

O f L e u c o s i a let her fall at full le n gth to the grou nd and ran
, ,
away with rapid strides .
“
E uphorio n ! E u phorio n cried the S iren plai n ti v ely ,
.
That cr y was s o to u ching that he stopped .
“ ”
Be patie n t he said I am going to the city and will
,
.
,
”
retu rn wi th a chariot to fetch y ou .
“
N O no ,
s h e moa n ed
,
You will n ot ret urn I know it
. . .
You no lo n ger love me because I am not like other women .
T O me y ou o w e y our li fe a n d it is thro u gh y ou that I am,
doomed to lose mi n e for surel y the gods ha v e depri v ed me of

,
immortality as p unishmen t for ha v i n g falle n i n love with a

”
human bei n g .
S he wrun g her ha n ds a nd for the first time tears flowed,
from her pale e y es Her tail whose beautiful shi ny colors

.
,
were soiled by the dust be a t feebl y o n the hard road

,
.
“
E uphorio n ! E u phorio n ! Have pity o n me ! s h e r e
s u med .
he exclaimed Y o u have ne v er before spoke n

.
”
that word !
“
That is because I ha v e n ever before s u ffered s h e r e ,
plied . L iste n to me dear frie n d an d comrade I clearl y

, .
s ee that I S hall alwa y s be an embarrassme n t t o y ou An d .
as for me I kn ow I wou ld be u n easy amo n g women who

,
ha v e feet Alas ! tha t which I longed for n o w t e r ri fie s me

.
, .
But I am t o o weak to regain the sea C arr y me to the .
”
S hore a n d I ll return alo n e t o m y c r u el sisters
’
, .
“
said E u phorion S till another word which .
”
y ou have n e v er before used !
Alas ! s h e a n swered It i s y o u w h o have revealed it s ,

”
m eani n g t o me .
E uphorion without saying an y thin g lift ed h e r int o hi s

, ,
arms whil e her lo ng flowi ng hair entwi n ed itself about his

,
knees S he smiled at him a mi d her tears and t hen she

.
,
s ighed s o tenderly that he felt his resolution weakenin g .
H e p laced L eu c o s i a gently o n the bea c h near t he water s ,

’
edge .
Adieu dear friend she s aid

, .
”
Ah he sobbed if only y ou were like othe r women
, ,
.
B ut why ho p e ! I am n ot B esides I have n o need O f .

,
limbs in t he waters O f t he s ea I shall try t o for g et for g et

— .
,
and be c ome on c e m ore like my sis t ers F o r I shall be e xc eed .
i n gly unhap p y i f I remember y o u and all the t hings you have

taught me Bu t t hen c an I for g et
.
— Alas I fe ar I c annot
, , ,
and I shall be a p oor f o r sak en nym p h n o lon g er even a ,
S i ren .
E uphor i on we pt
“
B e c ome what y o u will said he I know that I love ,
.
you a n d I do n o t wan t y o u t o g o away wi thou t me L et

, .
—
happen whatsoeve r m ay p lease t he g ods y ou and I are go
”
i n g away t ogether !
E uphorion would r eally have c o mmi tt ed t hat folly had it
no t been for Thetis kindhear t ed g oddess O f the s ea w h o
, ,
a p peared before the t w o lovers .
I have l on g been i nterested i n y o u s h e said and I wish , ,
you well Y o u L eu c o s i a have been kind t o o n e w h o but

.
, ,
‘
lately fou gh t a t t he side O f my s o n Achilles ; while y ou ,
E uphorion have shown c om p assion t o o n e O f my daught ers

,
o f the s e a a t t he very m o m en t when o u were abou t t realiz e

y o
your deares t ho p e t ha t O f on c e m ore s ee i n g your nati v e

—
la n d ; a n d finally be c ause y o u have elevated ea c h other the

, ,
o n e through greater knowled g e the o t her by increased for ti ,
t ude .

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F RE N C H

E D ITE D FOR S CH OOL US E BY

CEN TR A L H IG H SC H OOL , ST . LOUI S , M O .

B Y S oon , F ORE S M A N AN D COM PA N Y

I n l a t e y e a r s c on s t an t ly i n creasi n g attention has been

colleges N umero u s texts have bee n prepared to meet t his

new ten dency but in all o f them there has been a p r ep o n

derance o f En glish and American stories The few foreign .

stories i n cluded in some of the collectio n s implied a scan t

The presen t war has greatl y stimulated i n terest in con

these none is richer i n its ﬁction than F ra n ce The high .

artisti c ex c elle n ce o f the F ren ch short s t or y has lo n g been

The editor wishes to make a gen eral acknowledgmen t

of his i n debted n ess to all pre v ious editors o f collectio n s o f

c ei v e d much help a n d stimulatio n from the ma ny recent books

on the a rt of the short stor y S pecial ackn owledgme n ts are

due t o Mr C E Miller a n d M r R A Alp i s e r both o f

the Mercantile L ibrar y o f St L oui s for their ma ny c ourte

sies an d t o the editor s frie n d a n d col league M r L oui s

Acknowledgments t o publisher s will be found in c onn e c

III T h e S h ort Sto ry i n M o de rn F r a nc e

PRON O U N CI N G G LOS S ARY

The R everend F ath er G a u ch e r s E lixi r

the art O f narration itself However it has been left to

comparatively modern times to give close attention to the

a n d sho r t s t o ry have come t o mean something fairl y di s t i n c

str u ction was characteristic o f the lo n g stor y a n d the short ,

both l n poetr y an d prose In the eightee nth and n i n etee nth

centuries when the modern n o v el began to S hape itself more

care was bestowed on the question of form a n d as the art , ,

o f ﬁction progressed the short stor y graduall y began to

emerge as a separate v ariet y But loosen ess of structure .

short stor y as something new a n d disti n ct i n ﬁction sub ,

j to special laws of its own He published B r e n z c e his

ﬁrst stor y i n 1 8 3 5 a n d i n 1 8 4 2 he wrote his famous re view

of Hawthor n e s T w i s e T o ld T a les Both the T a le s and the

critique are lan dmarks i n the de v elopment of the short

o v er emphasized I n Fran ce his stories had the good for

tun e to be tra n slated b y Baudelaire ( 1 8 5 6 an d with

tri es es p e cially i n E n gland Germany and R ussia

I t is an an c i en t tru i s m t o Say th at li t e r a tu r e i s a r e ﬂ e cti on

o f t he dev elo p men t o f t he shor t s t ory In t he last ﬁfty years

li fe has become more c om p li c a t ed t he ﬁeld o f hu m an t hou ght

and endeavor h a s widened a ct ion has be c ome more and more

s p e c ialized edu c a tion i s almos t c ommon p roperty and

reading a universal habi t Thes e very c ond i t ions however

have im p os ed restri ctio ns on le i su r e fo r r eadin g s o t ha t t o ,

day a hundred readers ﬁ nd t i me f or a shor t s t ory t o on e

t herefore ﬁlls a na t ural wan t c reated in lar g e p a rt by the

c onditions O f modern life and writers have n ot been slow

in taki n g advantage o f this demand for brev i t y .

A con c omita n t fac t or in t he p o p ular i za t ion o f the short

zine more p articularl y i n E n gland short stories were used

fairl y groan with magazi n es which loudly pro c laim them

s e r v a t i v e o f t he O lder p eriodicals do no t hesi t a t e t o c all

special atte n tion t o t heir shor t stories B esides a su rp ris .

i n gly large number o f thes e stories ﬁnd t heir w a y into book

insiste nt and c ons t antly growin g demand has no t only s t i m u

A s tud y o f t he short s t ory inev itably su gg es t s a c ontrast