diff options
Diffstat (limited to '1737-h/1737-h.htm')
| -rw-r--r-- | 1737-h/1737-h.htm | 1101 |
1 files changed, 1101 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/1737-h/1737-h.htm b/1737-h/1737-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..779a43a --- /dev/null +++ b/1737-h/1737-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,1101 @@ +<?xml version="1.0" encoding="us-ascii"?> + +<!DOCTYPE html + PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd" > + +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="en"> + <head> + <title> + Facino Cane, by Honore de Balzac + </title> + <style type="text/css" xml:space="preserve"> + + body { margin:5%; background:#faebd0; text-align:justify} + P { text-indent: 1em; margin-top: .25em; margin-bottom: .25em; } + H1,H2,H3,H4,H5,H6 { text-align: center; margin-left: 15%; margin-right: 15%; } + hr { width: 50%; text-align: center;} + .foot { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; text-indent: -3em; font-size: 90%; } + blockquote {font-size: 97%; font-style: italic; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;} + .mynote {background-color: #DDE; color: #000; padding: .5em; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 95%;} + .toc { margin-left: 10%; margin-bottom: .75em;} + .toc2 { margin-left: 20%;} + div.fig { display:block; margin:0 auto; text-align:center; } + div.middle { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; } + .figleft {float: left; margin-left: 0%; margin-right: 1%;} + .figright {float: right; margin-right: 0%; margin-left: 1%;} + .pagenum {display:inline; font-size: 70%; font-style:normal; + margin: 0; padding: 0; position: absolute; right: 1%; + text-align: right;} + pre { font-style: italic; font-size: 90%; margin-left: 10%;} + +</style> + </head> + <body> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Facino Cane, by Honore de Balzac + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Facino Cane + +Author: Honore de Balzac + +Translator: Clara Bell and Others + +Release Date: March 1, 2010 [EBook #1737] +Last Updated: April 3, 2013 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FACINO CANE *** + + + + +Produced by John Bickers, and Dagny, and David Widger + + + + + + +</pre> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <h1> + FACINO CANE + </h1> + <p> + <br /> + </p> + <h2> + By Honore De Balzac + </h2> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <h3> + Translated by Clara Bell and others + </h3> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <h3> + <a href="#link2H_4_0001"> <b>FACINO CANE</b> </a><br /><br /> <a + href="#link2H_4_0002"> ADDENDUM </a> + </h3> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> <a name="link2H_4_0001" id="link2H_4_0001"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <h1> + FACINO CANE + </h1> + <p> + <br /> + </p> + <p> + I once used to live in a little street which probably is not known to you—the + Rue de Lesdiguieres. It is a turning out of the Rue Saint-Antoine, + beginning just opposite a fountain near the Place de la Bastille, and + ending in the Rue de la Cerisaie. Love of knowledge stranded me in a + garret; my nights I spent in work, my days in reading at the Bibliotheque + d'Orleans, close by. I lived frugally; I had accepted the conditions of + the monastic life, necessary conditions for every worker, scarcely + permitting myself a walk along the Boulevard Bourdon when the weather was + fine. One passion only had power to draw me from my studies; and yet, what + was that passion but a study of another kind? I used to watch the manners + and customs of the Faubourg, its inhabitants, and their characteristics. + As I dressed no better than a working man, and cared nothing for + appearances, I did not put them on their guard; I could join a group and + look on while they drove bargains or wrangled among themselves on their + way home from work. Even then observation had come to be an instinct with + me; a faculty of penetrating to the soul without neglecting the body; or + rather, a power of grasping external details so thoroughly that they never + detained me for a moment, and at once I passed beyond and through them. I + could enter into the life of the human creatures whom I watched, just as + the dervish in the <i>Arabian Nights</i> could pass into any soul or body + after pronouncing a certain formula. + </p> + <p> + If I met a working man and his wife in the streets between eleven o'clock + and midnight on their way home from the Ambigu Comique, I used to amuse + myself by following them from the Boulevard du Pont aux Choux to the + Boulevard Beaumarchais. The good folk would begin by talking about the + play; then from one thing to another they would come to their own affairs, + and the mother would walk on and on, heedless of complaints or question + from the little one that dragged at her hand, while she and her husband + reckoned up the wages to be paid on the morrow, and spent the money in a + score of different ways. Then came domestic details, lamentations over the + excessive dearness of potatoes, or the length of the winter and the high + price of block fuel, together with forcible representations of amounts + owing to the baker, ending in an acrimonious dispute, in the course of + which such couples reveal their characters in picturesque language. As I + listened, I could make their lives mine, I felt their rags on my back, I + walked with their gaping shoes on my feet; their cravings, their needs, + had all passed into my soul, or my soul had passed into theirs. It was the + dream of a waking man. I waxed hot with them over the foreman's tyranny, + or the bad customers that made them call again and again for payment. + </p> + <p> + To come out of my own ways of life, to be another than myself through a + kind of intoxication of the intellectual faculties, and to play this game + at will, such was my recreation. Whence comes the gift? Is it a kind of + second sight? Is it one of those powers which when abused end in madness? + I have never tried to discover its source; I possess it, I use it, that is + all. But this it behooves you to know, that in those days I began to + resolve the heterogeneous mass known as the People into its elements, and + to evaluate its good and bad qualities. Even then I realized the + possibilities of my suburb, that hotbed of revolution in which heroes, + inventors, and practical men of science, rogues and scoundrels, virtues + and vices, were all packed together by poverty, stifled by necessity, + drowned in drink, and consumed by ardent spirits. + </p> + <p> + You would not imagine how many adventures, how many tragedies, lie buried + away out of sight in that Dolorous City; how much horror and beauty lurks + there. No imagination can reach the Truth, no one can go down into that + city to make discoveries; for one must needs descend too low into its + depths to see the wonderful scenes of tragedy or comedy enacted there, the + masterpieces brought forth by chance. + </p> + <p> + I do not know how it is that I have kept the following story so long + untold. It is one of the curious things that stop in the bag from which + Memory draws out stories at haphazard, like numbers in a lottery. There + are plenty of tales just as strange and just as well hidden still left; + but some day, you may be sure, their turn will come. + </p> + <p> + One day my charwoman, a working man's wife, came to beg me to honor her + sister's wedding with my presence. If you are to realize what this wedding + was like you must know that I paid my charwoman, poor creature, four + francs a month; for which sum she came every morning to make my bed, clean + my shoes, brush my clothes, sweep the room, and make ready my breakfast, + before going to her day's work of turning the handle of a machine, at + which hard drudgery she earned five-pence. Her husband, a cabinetmaker, + made four francs a day at his trade; but as they had three children, it + was all that they could do to gain an honest living. Yet I have never met + with more sterling honesty than in this man and wife. For five years after + I left the quarter, Mere Vaillant used to come on my birthday with a bunch + of flowers and some oranges for me—she that had never a sixpence to + put by! Want had drawn us together. I never could give her more than a + ten-franc piece, and often I had to borrow the money for the occasion. + This will perhaps explain my promise to go to the wedding; I hoped to + efface myself in these poor people's merry-making. + </p> + <p> + The banquet and the ball were given on a first floor above a wineshop in + the Rue de Charenton. It was a large room, lighted by oil lamps with tin + reflectors. A row of wooden benches ran round the walls, which were black + with grime to the height of the tables. Here some eighty persons, all in + their Sunday best, tricked out with ribbons and bunches of flowers, all of + them on pleasure bent, were dancing away with heated visages as if the + world were about to come to an end. Bride and bridegroom exchanged salutes + to the general satisfaction, amid a chorus of facetious "Oh, ohs!" and + "Ah, ahs!" less really indecent than the furtive glances of young girls + that have been well brought up. There was something indescribably + infectious about the rough, homely enjoyment in all countenances. + </p> + <p> + But neither the faces, nor the wedding, nor the wedding-guests have + anything to do with my story. Simply bear them in mind as the odd setting + to it. Try to realize the scene, the shabby red-painted wineshop, the + smell of wine, the yells of merriment; try to feel that you are really in + the faubourg, among old people, working men and poor women giving + themselves up to a night's enjoyment. + </p> + <p> + The band consisted of a fiddle, a clarionet, and a flageolet from the + Blind Asylum. The three were paid seven francs in a lump sum for the + night. For the money, they gave us, not Beethoven certainly, nor yet + Rossini; they played as they had the will and the skill; and every one in + the room (with charming delicacy of feeling) refrained from finding fault. + The music made such a brutal assault on the drum of my ear, that after a + first glance round the room my eyes fell at once upon the blind trio, and + the sight of their uniform inclined me from the first to indulgence. As + the artists stood in a window recess, it was difficult to distinguish + their faces except at close quarters, and I kept away at first; but when I + came nearer (I hardly know why) I thought of nothing else; the wedding + party and the music ceased to exist, my curiosity was roused to the + highest pitch, for my soul passed into the body of the clarionet player. + </p> + <p> + The fiddle and the flageolet were neither of them interesting; their faces + were of the ordinary type among the blind—earnest, attentive, and + grave. Not so the clarionet player; any artist or philosopher must have + come to a stop at the sight of him. + </p> + <p> + Picture to yourself a plaster mask of Dante in the red lamplight, with a + forest of silver-white hair above the brows. Blindness intensified the + expression of bitterness and sorrow in that grand face of his; the dead + eyes were lighted up, as it were, by a thought within that broke forth + like a burning flame, lit by one sole insatiable desire, written large in + vigorous characters upon an arching brow scored across with as many lines + as an old stone wall. + </p> + <p> + The old man was playing at random, without the slightest regard for time + or tune. His fingers traveled mechanically over the worn keys of his + instrument; he did not trouble himself over a false note now and again (a + <i>canard</i>, in the language of the orchestra), neither did the dancers, + nor, for that matter, did my old Italian's acolytes; for I had made up my + mind that he must be Italian, and an Italian he was. There was something + great, something too of the despot about this old Homer bearing within him + an <i>Odyssey</i> doomed to oblivion. The greatness was so real that it + triumphed over his abject position; the despotism so much a part of him, + that it rose above his poverty. + </p> + <p> + There are violent passions which drive a man to good or evil, making of + him a hero or a convict; of these there was not one that had failed to + leave its traces on the grandly-hewn, lividly Italian face. You trembled + lest a flash of thought should suddenly light up the deep sightless + hollows under the grizzled brows, as you might fear to see brigands with + torches and poniards in the mouth of a cavern. You felt that there was a + lion in that cage of flesh, a lion spent with useless raging against iron + bars. The fires of despair had burned themselves out into ashes, the lava + had cooled; but the tracks of the flames, the wreckage, and a little smoke + remained to bear witness to the violence of the eruption, the ravages of + the fire. These images crowded up at the sight of the clarionet player, + till the thoughts now grown cold in his face burned hot within my soul. + </p> + <p> + The fiddle and the flageolet took a deep interest in bottles and glasses; + at the end of a country-dance, they hung their instruments from a button + on their reddish-colored coats, and stretched out their hands to a little + table set in the window recess to hold their liquor supply. Each time they + did so they held out a full glass to the Italian, who could not reach it + for himself because he sat in front of the table, and each time the + Italian thanked them with a friendly nod. All their movements were made + with the precision which always amazes you so much at the Blind Asylum. + You could almost think that they can see. I came nearer to listen; but + when I stood beside them, they evidently guessed I was not a working man, + and kept themselves to themselves. + </p> + <p> + "What part of the world do you come from, you that are playing the + clarionet?" + </p> + <p> + "From Venice," he said, with a trace of Italian accent. + </p> + <p> + "Have you always been blind, or did it come on afterwards—" + </p> + <p> + "Afterwards," he answered quickly. "A cursed gutta serena." + </p> + <p> + "Venice is a fine city; I have always had a fancy to go there." + </p> + <p> + The old man's face lighted up, the wrinkles began to work, he was + violently excited. + </p> + <p> + "If I went with you, you would not lose your time," he said. + </p> + <p> + "Don't talk about Venice to our Doge," put in the fiddle, "or you will + start him off, and he has stowed away a couple of bottles as it is—has + the prince!" + </p> + <p> + "Come, strike up, Daddy Canard!" added the flageolet, and the three began + to play. But while they executed the four figures of a square dance, the + Venetian was scenting my thoughts; he guessed the great interest I felt in + him. The dreary, dispirited look died out of his face, some mysterious + hope brightened his features and slid like a blue flame over his wrinkles. + He smiled and wiped his brow, that fearless, terrible brow of his, and at + length grew gay like a man mounted on his hobby. + </p> + <p> + "How old are you?" I asked. + </p> + <p> + "Eighty-two." + </p> + <p> + "How long have you been blind?" + </p> + <p> + "For very nearly fifty years," he said, and there was that in his tone + which told me that his regret was for something more than his lost sight, + for great power of which he had been robbed. + </p> + <p> + "Then why do they call you 'the Doge'?" I asked. + </p> + <p> + "Oh, it is a joke. I am a Venetian noble, and I might have been a doge + like any one else." + </p> + <p> + "What is your name?" + </p> + <p> + "Here, in Paris, I am Pere Canet," he said. "It was the only way of + spelling my name on the register. But in Italy I am Marco Facino Cane, + Prince of Varese." + </p> + <p> + "What, are you descended from the great <i>condottiere</i> Facino Cane, + whose lands won by the sword were taken by the Dukes of Milan?" + </p> + <p> + "<i>E vero</i>," returned he. "His son's life was not safe under the + Visconti; he fled to Venice, and his name was inscribed on the Golden + Book. And now neither Cane or Golden Book are in existence." His gesture + startled me; it told of patriotism extinguished and weariness of life. + </p> + <p> + "But if you were once a Venetian senator, you must have been a wealthy + man. How did you lose your fortune?" + </p> + <p> + "In evil days." + </p> + <p> + He waved away the glass of wine handed to him by the flageolet, and bowed + his head. He had no heart to drink. These details were not calculated to + extinguish my curiosity. + </p> + <p> + As the three ground out the music of the square dance, I gazed at the old + Venetian noble, thinking thoughts that set a young man's mind afire at the + age of twenty. I saw Venice and the Adriatic; I saw her ruin in the ruin + of the face before me. I walked to and fro in that city, so beloved of her + citizens; I went from the Rialto Bridge, along the Grand Canal, and from + the Riva degli Schiavoni to the Lido, returning to St. Mark's, that + cathedral so unlike all others in its sublimity. I looked up at the + windows of the Casa Doro, each with its different sculptured ornaments; I + saw old palaces rich in marbles, saw all the wonders which a student + beholds with the more sympathetic eyes because visible things take their + color of his fancy, and the sight of realities cannot rob him of the glory + of his dreams. Then I traced back a course of life for this latest scion + of a race of condottieri, tracking down his misfortunes, looking for the + reasons of the deep moral and physical degradation out of which the lately + revived sparks of greatness and nobility shone so much the more brightly. + My ideas, no doubt, were passing through his mind, for all processes of + thought-communications are far more swift, I think, in blind people, + because their blindness compels them to concentrate their attention. I had + not long to wait for proof that we were in sympathy in this way. Facino + Cane left off playing, and came up to me. "Let us go out!" he said; his + tones thrilled through me like an electric shock. I gave him my arm, and + we went. + </p> + <p> + Outside in the street he said, "Will you take me back to Venice? Will you + be my guide? Will you put faith in me? You shall be richer than ten of the + richest houses in Amsterdam or London, richer than Rothschild; in short, + you shall have the fabulous wealth of the <i>Arabian Nights</i>." + </p> + <p> + The man was mad, I thought; but in his voice there was a potent something + which I obeyed. I allowed him to lead, and he went in the direction of the + Fosses de la Bastille, as if he could see; walking till he reached a + lonely spot down by the river, just where the bridge has since been built + at the junction of the Canal Saint-Martin and the Seine. Here he sat down + on a stone, and I, sitting opposite to him, saw the old man's hair + gleaming like threads of silver in the moonlight. The stillness was + scarcely troubled by the sound of the far-off thunder of traffic along the + boulevards; the clear night air and everything about us combined to make a + strangely unreal scene. + </p> + <p> + "You talk of millions to a young man," I began, "and do you think that he + will shrink from enduring any number of hardships to gain them? Are you + not laughing at me?" + </p> + <p> + "May I die unshriven," he cried vehemently, "if all that I am about to + tell you is not true. I was one-and-twenty years old, like you at this + moment. I was rich, I was handsome, and a noble by birth. I began with the + first madness of all—with Love. I loved as no one can love nowadays. + I have hidden myself in a chest, at the risk of a dagger thrust, for + nothing more than the promise of a kiss. To die for Her—it seemed to + me to be a whole life in itself. In 1760 I fell in love with a lady of the + Vendramin family; she was eighteen years old, and married to a Sagredo, + one of the richest senators, a man of thirty, madly in love with his wife. + My mistress and I were guiltless as cherubs when the <i>sposo</i> caught + us together talking of love. He was armed, I was not, but he missed me; I + sprang upon him and killed him with my two hands, wringing his neck as if + he had been a chicken. I wanted Bianca to fly with me; but she would not. + That is the way with women! So I went alone. I was condemned to death, and + my property was confiscated and made over to my next-of-kin; but I had + carried off my diamonds, five of Titian's pictures taken down from their + frames and rolled up, and all my gold. + </p> + <p> + "I went to Milan, no one molested me, my affair in nowise interested the + State.—One small observation before I go further," he continued, + after a pause, "whether it is true or no that the mother's fancies at the + time of conception or in the months before birth can influence her child, + this much is certain, my mother during her pregnancy had a passion for + gold, and I am the victim of a monomania, of a craving for gold which must + be gratified. Gold is so much of a necessity of life for me, that I have + never been without it; I must have gold to toy with and finger. As a young + man I always wore jewelry, and I carried two or three hundred ducats about + me wherever I went." + </p> + <p> + He drew a couple of gold coins from his pocket and showed them to me as he + spoke. + </p> + <p> + "I can tell by instinct when gold is near. Blind as I am, I stop before a + jeweler's shop windows. That passion was the ruin of me; I took to + gambling to play with gold. I was not a cheat, I was cheated, I ruined + myself. I lost all my fortune. Then the longing to see Bianca once more + possessed me like a frenzy. I stole back to Venice and found her again. + For six months I was happy; she hid me in her house and fed me. I thought + thus deliciously to finish my days. But the Provveditore courted her, and + guessed that he had a rival; we in Italy can feel that. He played the spy + upon us, and surprised us together in bed, base wretch. You may judge what + a fight for life it was; I did not kill him outright, but I wounded him + dangerously. + </p> + <p> + "That adventure broke my luck. I have never found another Bianca; I have + known great pleasures; but among the most celebrated women at the court of + Louis XV. I never found my beloved Venetian's charm, her love, her great + qualities. + </p> + <p> + "The Provveditore called his servants, the palace was surrounded and + entered; I fought for my life that I might die beneath Bianca's eyes; + Bianca helped me to kill the Provveditore. Once before she had refused + flight with me; but after six months of happiness she wished only to die + with me, and received several thrusts. I was entangled in a great cloak + that they flung over me, carried down to a gondola, and hurried to the + Pozzi dungeons. I was twenty-two years old. I gripped the hilt of my + broken sword so hard, that they could only have taken it from me by + cutting off my hand at the wrist. A curious chance, or rather the instinct + of self-preservation, led me to hide the fragment of the blade in a corner + of my cell, as if it might still be of use. They tended me; none of my + wounds were serious. At two-and-twenty one can recover from anything. I + was to lose my head on the scaffold. I shammed illness to gain time. It + seemed to me that the canal lay just outside my cell. I thought to make my + escape by boring a hole through the wall and swimming for my life. I based + my hopes on the following reasons. + </p> + <p> + "Every time that the jailer came with my food, there was light enough to + read directions written on the walls—'Side of the Palace,' 'Side of + the Canal,' 'Side of the Vaults.' At last I saw a design in this, but I + did not trouble myself much about the meaning of it; the actual incomplete + condition of the Ducal Palace accounted for it. The longing to regain my + freedom gave me something like genius. Groping about with my fingers, I + spelled out an Arabic inscription on the wall. The author of the work + informed those to come after him that he had loosed two stones in the + lowest course of masonry and hollowed out eleven feet beyond underground. + As he went on with his excavations, it became necessary to spread the + fragments of stone and mortar over the floor of his cell. But even if + jailers and inquisitors had not felt sure that the structure of the + building was such that no watch was needed below, the level of the Pozzi + dungeons being several steps below the threshold, it was possible + gradually to raise the earthen floor without exciting the warder's + suspicions. + </p> + <p> + "The tremendous labor had profited nothing—nothing at least to him + that began it. The very fact that it was left unfinished told of the + unknown worker's death. Unless his devoted toil was to be wasted for ever, + his successor must have some knowledge of Arabic, but I had studied + Oriental languages at the Armenian Convent. A few words written on the + back of the stone recorded the unhappy man's fate; he had fallen a victim + to his great possessions; Venice had coveted his wealth and seized upon + it. A whole month went by before I obtained any result; but whenever I + felt my strength failing as I worked, I heard the chink of gold, I saw + gold spread before me, I was dazzled by diamonds.—Ah! wait. + </p> + <p> + "One night my blunted steel struck on wood. I whetted the fragment of my + blade and cut a hole; I crept on my belly like a serpent; I worked naked + and mole-fashion, my hands in front of me, using the stone itself to gain + a purchase. I was to appear before my judges in two days' time, I made a + final effort, and that night I bored through the wood and felt that there + was space beyond. + </p> + <p> + "Judge of my surprise when I applied my eye to the hole. I was in the + ceiling of a vault, heaps of gold were dimly visible in the faint light. + The Doge himself and one of the Ten stood below; I could hear their voices + and sufficient of their talk to know that this was the Secret Treasury of + the Republic, full of the gifts of Doges and reserves of booty called the + Tithe of Venice from the spoils of military expeditions. I was saved! + </p> + <p> + "When the jailer came I proposed that he should help me to escape and fly + with me, and that we should take with us as much as we could carry. There + was no reason for hesitation; he agreed. Vessels were about to sail for + the Levant. All possible precautions were taken. Bianca furthered the + schemes which I suggested to my accomplice. It was arranged that Bianca + should only rejoin us in Smyrna for fear of exciting suspicion. In a + single night the hole was enlarged, and we dropped down into the Secret + Treasury of Venice. + </p> + <p> + "What a night that was! Four great casks full of gold stood there. In the + outer room silver pieces were piled in heaps, leaving a gangway between by + which to cross the chamber. Banks of silver coins surrounded the walls to + the height of five feet. + </p> + <p> + "I thought the jailer would go mad. He sang and laughed and danced and + capered among the gold, till I threatened to strangle him if he made a + sound or wasted time. In his joy he did not notice at first the table + where the diamonds lay. I flung myself upon these, and deftly filled the + pockets of my sailor jacket and trousers with the stones. Ah! Heaven, I + did not take the third of them. Gold ingots lay underneath the table. I + persuaded my companion to fill as many bags as we could carry with the + gold, and made him understand that this was our only chance of escaping + detection abroad. + </p> + <p> + "'Pearls, rubies, and diamonds might be recognized,' I told him. + </p> + <p> + "Covetous though we were, we could not possibly take more than two + thousand livres weight of gold, which meant six journeys across the prison + to the gondola. The sentinel at the water gate was bribed with a bag + containing ten livres weight of gold; and as far as the two gondoliers, + they believed they were serving the Republic. At daybreak we set out. + </p> + <p> + "Once upon the open sea, when I thought of that night, when I recollected + all that I had felt, when the vision of that great hoard rose before my + eyes, and I computed that I had left behind thirty millions in silver, + twenty in gold, and many more in diamonds, pearls, and rubies—then a + sort of madness began to work in me. I had the gold fever. + </p> + <p> + "We landed at Smyrna and took ship at once for France. As we went on board + the French vessel, Heaven favored me by ridding me of my accomplice. I did + not think at the time of all the possible consequences of this mishap, and + rejoiced not a little. We were so completely unnerved by all that had + happened, that we were stupid, we said not a word to each other, we waited + till it should be safe to enjoy ourselves at our ease. It was not + wonderful that the rogue's head was dizzy. You shall see how heavily God + has punished me. + </p> + <p> + "I never knew a quiet moment until I had sold two-thirds of my diamonds in + London or Amsterdam, and held the value of my gold dust in a negotiable + shape. For five years I hid myself in Madrid, then in 1770 I came to Paris + with a Spanish name, and led as brilliant a life as may be. Then in the + midst of my pleasures, as I enjoyed a fortune of six millions, I was + smitten with blindness. I do not doubt but that my infirmity was brought + on by my sojourn in the cell and my work in the stone, if, indeed, my + peculiar faculty for 'seeing' gold was not an abuse of the power of sight + which predestined me to lose it. Bianca was dead. + </p> + <p> + "At this time I had fallen in love with a woman to whom I thought to link + my fate. I had told her the secret of my name; she belonged to a powerful + family; she was a friend of Mme. du Barry; I hoped everything from the + favor shown me by Louis XV.; I trusted in her. Acting on her advice, I + went to London to consult a famous oculist, and after a stay of several + months in London she deserted me in Hyde Park. She had stripped me of all + that I had, and left me without resource. Nor could I make complaint, for + to disclose my name was to lay myself open to the vengeance of my native + city; I could appeal to no one for aid, I feared Venice. The woman put + spies about me to exploit my infirmity. I spare you a tale of adventures + worthy of Gil Blas.—Your Revolution followed. For two whole years + that creature kept me at the Bicetre as a lunatic, then she gained + admittance for me at the Blind Asylum; there was no help for it, I went. I + could not kill her; I could not see; and I was so poor that I could not + pay another arm. + </p> + <p> + "If only I had taken counsel with my jailer, Benedetto Carpi, before I + lost him, I might have known the exact position of my cell, I might have + found my way back to the Treasury and returned to Venice when Napoleon + crushed the Republic— + </p> + <p> + "Still, blind as I am, let us go back to Venice! I shall find the door of + my prison, I shall see the gold through the prison walls, I shall hear it + where it lies under the water; for the events which brought about the fall + of Venice befell in such a way that the secret of the hoard must have + perished with Bianca's brother, Vendramin, a doge to whom I looked to make + my peace with the Ten. I sent memorials to the First Consul; I proposed an + agreement with the Emperor of Austria; every one sent me about my business + for a lunatic. Come! we will go to Venice; let us set out as beggars, we + shall come back millionaires. We will buy back some of my estates, and you + shall be my heir! You shall be Prince of Varese!" + </p> + <p> + My head was swimming. For me his confidences reached the proportions of + tragedy; at the sight of that white head of his and beyond it the black + water in the trenches of the Bastille lying still as a canal in Venice, I + had no words to answer him. Facino Cane thought, no doubt, that I judged + him, as the rest had done, with a disdainful pity; his gesture expressed + the whole philosophy of despair. + </p> + <p> + Perhaps his story had taken him back to happy days and to Venice. He + caught up his clarionet and made plaintive music, playing a Venetian + boat-song with something of his lost skill, the skill of the young + patrician lover. It was a sort of <i>Super flumina Babylonis</i>. Tears + filled my eyes. Any belated persons walking along the Boulevard Bourdon + must have stood still to listen to an exile's last prayer, a last cry of + regret for a lost name, mingled with memories of Bianca. But gold soon + gained the upper hand, the fatal passion quenched the light of youth. + </p> + <p> + "I see it always," he said; "dreaming or waking, I see it; and as I pace + to and fro, I pace in the Treasury, and the diamonds sparkle. I am not as + blind as you think; gold and diamonds light up my night, the night of the + last Facino Cane, for my title passes to the Memmi. My God! the murderer's + punishment was not long delayed! <i>Ave Maria</i>," and he repeated + several prayers that I did not heed. + </p> + <p> + "We will go to Venice!" I said, when he rose. + </p> + <p> + "Then I have found a man!" he cried, with his face on fire. + </p> + <p> + I gave him my arm and went home with him. We reached the gates of the + Blind Asylum just as some of the wedding guests were returning along the + street, shouting at the top of their voices. He squeezed my hand. + </p> + <p> + "Shall we start to-morrow?" he asked. + </p> + <p> + "As soon as we can get some money." + </p> + <p> + "But we can go on foot. I will beg. I am strong, and you feel young when + you see gold before you." + </p> + <p> + Facino Cane died before the winter was out after a two months' illness. + The poor man had taken a chill. + </p> + <p> + PARIS, March 1836. + </p> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> <a name="link2H_4_0002" id="link2H_4_0002"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <h2> + ADDENDUM + </h2> + <h3> + The following personages appear in other stories of the Human Comedy. + </h3> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Cane, Marco-Facino + Massimilla Doni + + Vendramini, Marco + Massimilla Doni +</pre> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Facino Cane, by Honore de Balzac + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FACINO CANE *** + +***** This file should be named 1737-h.htm or 1737-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/1/7/3/1737/ + +Produced by John Bickers, and Dagny, and David Widger + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, +set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to +copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to +protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project +Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you +charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you +do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the +rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose +such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and +research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do +practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is +subject to the trademark license, especially commercial +redistribution. + + + +*** START: FULL LICENSE *** + +THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE +PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK + +To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free +distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work +(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project +Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project +Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at +http://gutenberg.org/license). + + +Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic works + +1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to +and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property +(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all +the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy +all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. +If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the +terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or +entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. + +1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be +used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who +agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few +things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works +even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See +paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement +and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works. See paragraph 1.E below. + +1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" +or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the +collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an +individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are +located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from +copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative +works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg +are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project +Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by +freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of +this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with +the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by +keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project +Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. + +1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern +what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in +a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check +the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement +before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or +creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project +Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning +the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United +States. + +1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: + +1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate +access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently +whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the +phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project +Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, +copied or distributed: + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + +1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived +from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is +posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied +and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees +or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work +with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the +work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 +through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the +Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or +1.E.9. + +1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted +with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution +must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional +terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked +to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the +permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. + +1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm +License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this +work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. + +1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this +electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without +prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with +active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project +Gutenberg-tm License. + +1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, +compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any +word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or +distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than +"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version +posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), +you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a +copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon +request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other +form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm +License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. + +1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, +performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works +unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. + +1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing +access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided +that + +- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from + the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method + you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is + owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he + has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the + Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments + must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you + prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax + returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and + sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the + address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to + the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." + +- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies + you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he + does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm + License. You must require such a user to return or + destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium + and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of + Project Gutenberg-tm works. + +- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any + money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the + electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days + of receipt of the work. + +- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free + distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. + +1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set +forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from +both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael +Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the +Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. + +1.F. + +1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable +effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread +public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm +collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain +"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or +corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual +property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a +computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by +your equipment. + +1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right +of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project +Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project +Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all +liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal +fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT +LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE +PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE +TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE +LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR +INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH +DAMAGE. + +1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a +defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can +receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a +written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you +received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with +your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with +the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a +refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity +providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to +receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy +is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further +opportunities to fix the problem. + +1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth +in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER +WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO +WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. + +1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied +warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. +If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the +law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be +interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by +the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any +provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. + +1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the +trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone +providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance +with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, +promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, +harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, +that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do +or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm +work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any +Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. + + +Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm + +Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of +electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers +including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists +because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from +people in all walks of life. + +Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the +assistance they need, are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's +goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will +remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project +Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure +and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. +To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation +and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 +and the Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org. + + +Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive +Foundation + +The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit +501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the +state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal +Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification +number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at +http://pglaf.org/fundraising. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg +Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent +permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. + +The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. +Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered +throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at +809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email +business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact +information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official +page at http://pglaf.org + +For additional contact information: + Dr. Gregory B. Newby + Chief Executive and Director + gbnewby@pglaf.org + + +Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg +Literary Archive Foundation + +Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide +spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of +increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be +freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest +array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations +($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt +status with the IRS. + +The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating +charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United +States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a +considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up +with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations +where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To +SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any +particular state visit http://pglaf.org + +While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we +have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition +against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who +approach us with offers to donate. + +International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make +any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from +outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. + +Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation +methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other +ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. +To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate + + +Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works. + +Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm +concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared +with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project +Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. + + +Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed +editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. +unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily +keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. + + +Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: + + http://www.gutenberg.org + +This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, +including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary +Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to +subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. + + +</pre> + </body> +</html> |