The Guy De Maupassant Megapack (R) Read online

  Table of Contents

  COPYRIGHT INFO

  A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER

  THE MEGAPACK SERIES

  GUY DE MAUPASSANT

  BOULE DE SUIF

  TWO FRIENDS

  THE LANCER’S WIFE

  THE PRISONERS

  TWO LITTLE SOLDIERS

  FATHER MILON

  A COUP D’ETAT

  LIEUTENANT LARE’S MARRIAGE

  THE HORRIBLE

  MADAME PARISSE

  MADEMOISELLE FIFI

  A DUEL

  THE COLONEL’S IDEAS

  MOTHER SAUVAGE

  EPIPHANY

  THE MUSTACHE

  MADAME BAPTISTE

  THE QUESTION OF LATIN

  A MEETING

  THE BLIND MAN

  INDISCRETION

  A FAMILY AFFAIR

  BESIDE SCHOPENHAUER’S CORPSE

  MISS HARRIET

  LITTLE LOUISE ROQUE

  THE DONKEY

  MOIRON

  THE DISPENSER OF HOLY WATER

  A PARRICIDE

  BERTHA

  THE PATRON

  THE DOOR

  A SALE

  THE IMPOLITE SEX

  A WEDDING GIFT

  THE RELIC

  THE MORIBUND

  THE GAMEKEEPER

  THE STORY OF A FARM GIRL

  THE WRECK

  THEODULE SABOT‘S CONFESSION

  THE WRONG HOUSE

  THE DIAMOND NECKLACE

  THE MARQUIS DE FUMEROL

  THE TRIP OF LE HORLA

  FAREWELL!

  THE WOLF

  THE INN

  MONSIEUR PARENT

  QUEEN HORTENSE

  TIMBUCTOO

  TOMBSTONES

  MADEMOISELLE PEARL

  THE THIEF

  CLAIR DE LUNE

  WAITER, A “BOCK”

  AFTER

  FORGIVENESS

  IN THE SPRING

  A QUEER NIGHT IN PARIS

  THAT COSTLY RIDE

  USELESS BEAUTY

  THE FATHER

  MY UNCLE SOSTHENES

  THE BARONESS

  MOTHER AND SON

  THE HAND

  A TRESS OF HAIR

  ON THE RIVER

  THE CRIPPLE

  A STROLL

  ALEXANDRE

  THE LOG

  JULIE ROMAIN

  THE RONDOLI SISTERS

  THE FALSE GEMS

  FASCINATION

  YVETTE SAMORIS

  A VENDETTA

  MY TWENTY-FIVE DAYS

  “THE TERROR”

  LEGEND OF MONT ST. MICHEL

  A NEW YEAR’S GIFT

  FRIEND PATIENCE

  ABANDONED

  THE MAISON TELLIER

  DENIS

  MY WIFE

  THE UNKNOWN

  THE APPARITION

  CLOCHETTE

  THE KISS

  THE LEGION OF HONOR

  THE TEST

  FOUND ON A DROWNED MAN

  THE ORPHAN

  THE BEGGAR

  THE RABBIT

  HIS AVENGER

  MY UNCLE JULES

  THE MODEL

  A VAGABOND

  THE FISHING HOLE

  THE SPASM

  IN THE WOOD

  MARTINE

  ALL OVER

  THE PARROT

  THE PIECE OF STRING

  TOINE

  MADAME HUSSON’S “ROSIER”

  THE ADOPTED SON

  COWARD

  OLD MONGILET

  MOONLIGHT

  THE FIRST SNOWFALL

  SUNDAYS OF A BOURGEOIS

  A RECOLLECTION

  OUR LETTERS

  THE LOVE OF LONG AGO

  FRIEND JOSEPH

  THE EFFEMINATES

  OLD AMABLE

  THE CHRISTENING

  THE FARMER’S WIFE

  THE DEVIL

  THE SNIPE

  THE WILL

  WALTER SCHNAFFS’ ADVENTURE

  AT SEA

  MINUET

  THE SON

  THAT PIG OF A MORIN

  SAINT ANTHONY

  LASTING LOVE

  PIERROT

  A NORMANDY JOKE

  FATHER MATTHEW

  THE UMBRELLA

  BELHOMME’S BEAST

  DISCOVERY

  THE ACCURSED BREAD

  THE DOWRY

  THE DIARY OF A MADMAN

  THE MASK

  THE PENGUINS’ ROCK

  A FAMILY

  SUICIDES

  AN ARTIFICE

  DREAMS

  SIMON’S PAPA

  THE CHILD

  A COUNTRY EXCURSION

  ROSE

  ROSALIE PRUDENT

  REGRET

  A SISTER’S CONFESSION

  COCO

  DEAD WOMAN’S SECRET

  A HUMBLE DRAMA

  MADEMOISELLE COCOTTE

  THE CORSICAN BANDIT

  THE GRAVE

  XOLD JUDAS

  THE LITTLE CASK

  BOITELLE

  A WIDOW

  THE ENGLISHMAN OF ETRETAT

  MAGNETISM

  A FATHER’S CONFESSION

  A MOTHER OF MONSTERS

  AN UNCOMFORTABLE BED

  A PORTRAIT

  THE DRUNKARD

  THE WARDROBE

  THE MOUNTAIN POOL

  A CREMATION

  MISTI

  MADAME HERMET

  THE MAGIC COUCH

  BEL AMI

  PIERRE & JEAN

  STRONG AS DEATH

  YVETTE

  COPYRIGHT INFO

  The Guy de Maupassant Megapack is copyright © 2013 by Wildside Press LLC. All rights reserved. For more information, contact the publisher.

  * * * *

  Translated by Albert M. C. Mcmaster, B.A., A. E. Henderson, B.A., Mme. Quesada, and Others.

  A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER

  Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant (1850 – 1893) was a popular 19th-century French writer, considered one of the fathers of the modern short story and one of the form’s finest exponents.

  A protégé of Flaubert, Maupassant’s stories are characterized by their economy of style and efficient, effortless dénouements. Many of the stories are set during the Franco-Prussian War of the 1870s and several describe the futility of war and the innocent civilians who, caught in the conflict, emerge changed.

  He authored some 300 short stories, six novels, three travel books, and one volume of verse. The story “Boule de Suif” (“Ball of Fat”, 1880) is often accounted his masterpiece. His most unsettling horror story, “Le Horla” (1887), is about madness and suicide.

  —John Betancourt

  Publisher, Wildside Press LLC

  www.wildsidepress.com

  ABOUT THE MEGAPACK SERIES

  Over the last few years, our “Megapack” series of ebook anthologies and collections has proved to be one of our most popular endeavors. (Maybe it helps that we sometimes offer them as premiums to our mailing list!) One question we keep getting asked is, “Who’s the editor?”

  The Megapacks (except where specifically credited) are a group effort. Everyone at Wildside works on them. This includes John Betancourt, Sam Cooper, Carla Coupe, Steve Coupe, Bonner Menking, Colin Azariah-Kribbs, A.E. Warren, and many of Wildside’s authors…who often suggest stories to include (and not just their own!).

  A NOTE FOR KINDLE READERS

  The Kindle versions of our Megapacks employ active tables of contents for easy navigation…please look for one before writing reviews on Amazon that complain about the lack! (They are sometimes at the ends of ebooks, depending on your reader
.)

  RECOMMEND A FAVORITE STORY?

  Do you know a great classic science fiction story, or have a favorite author whom you believe is perfect for the Megapack series? We’d love your suggestions! You can post them on our message board at http://movies.ning.com/forum (there is an area for Wildside Press comments).

  Note: we only consider stories that have already been professionally published. This is not a market for new works.

  TYPOS

  Unfortunately, as hard as we try, a few typos do slip through. We update our ebooks periodically, so make sure you have the current version (or download a fresh copy if it’s been sitting in your ebook reader for months.) It may have already been updated.

  If you spot a new typo, please let us know. We’ll fix it for everyone. You can email the publisher at [email protected] or use the message boards above.

  THE MEGAPACK SERIES

  MYSTERY

  The Achmed Abdullah Megapack

  The Charlie Chan Megapack

  The Craig Kennedy Scientific Detective Megapack

  The Detective Megapack

  The Father Brown Megapack

  The Jacques Futrelle Megapack

  The Anna Katharine Green Mystery Megapack

  The First Mystery Megapack

  The Penny Parker Megapack

  The Pulp Fiction Megapack

  The Raffles Megapack

  The Victorian Mystery Megapack

  The Wilkie Collins Megapack

  GENERAL INTEREST

  The Adventure Megapack

  The Baseball Megapack

  The Christmas Megapack

  The Second Christmas Megapack

  The Classic American Short Stories Megapack

  The Classic Humor Megapack

  The Military Megapack

  SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY

  The Edward Bellamy Megapack

  The First Reginald Bretnor Megapack

  The Philip K. Dick Megapack

  The Randall Garrett Megapack

  The Second Randall Garrett Megapack

  The Murray Leinster Megapack

  The Second Murray Leinster Megapack

  The Martian Megapack

  The Andre Norton Megapack

  The H. Beam Piper Megapack

  The Pulp Fiction Megapack

  The Mack Reynolds Megapack

  The First Science Fiction Megapack

  The Second Science Fiction Megapack

  The Third Science Fiction Megapack

  The Fourth Science Fiction Megapack

  The Fifth Science Fiction Megapack

  The Sixth Science Fiction Megapack

  The Robert Sheckley Megapack

  The Steampunk Megapack

  The Time Travel Megapack

  The Wizard of Oz Megapack

  HORROR

  The Achmed Abdullah Megapack

  The E.F. Benson Megapack

  The Second E.F. Benson Megapack

  The Cthulhu Mythos Megapack

  The Ghost Story Megapack

  The Second Ghost Story Megapack

  The Third Ghost Story Megapack

  The Horror Megapack

  The M.R. James Megapack

  The Macabre Megapack

  The Second Macabre Megapack

  The Mummy Megapack

  The Vampire Megapack

  The Werewolf Megapack

  WESTERNS

  The B.M. Bower Megapack

  The Max Brand Megapack

  The Buffalo Bill Megapack

  The Cowboy Megapack

  The Zane Grey Megapack

  The Western Megapack

  The Second Western Megapack

  The Wizard of Oz Megapack

  YOUNG ADULT

  The Boys’ Adventure Megapack

  The Dan Carter, Cub Scout Megapack

  The G.A. Henty Megapack

  The Penny Parker Megapack

  The Pinocchio Megapack

  The Rover Boys Megapack

  The Tom Corbett, Space Cadet Megapack

  The Tom Swift Megapack

  AUTHOR MEGAPACKS

  The Achmed Abdullah Megapack

  The Edward Bellamy Megapack

  The B.M. Bower Megapack

  The E.F. Benson Megapack

  The Second E.F. Benson Megapack

  The Max Brand Megapack

  The First Reginald Bretnor Megapack

  The Wilkie Collins Megapack

  The Philip K. Dick Megapack

  The Jacques Futrelle Megapack

  The Randall Garrett Megapack

  The Anna Katharine Green Megapack

  The Zane Grey Megapack

  The Second Randall Garrett Megapack

  The M.R. James Megapack

  The Murray Leinster Megapack

  The Second Murray Leinster Megapack

  The Andre Norton Megapack

  The H. Beam Piper Megapack

  The Mack Reynolds Megapack

  The Rafael Sabatini Megapack

  The Saki Megapack

  The Robert Sheckley Megapack

  OTHER COLLECTIONS YOU MAY ENJOY

  The Great Book of Wonder, by Lord Dunsany (it should have been called “The Lord Dunsany Megapack”)

  The Wildside Book of Fantasy

  The Wildside Book of Science Fiction

  Yondering: The First Borgo Press Book of Science Fiction Stories

  To the Stars—And Beyond! The Second Borgo Press Book of Science Fiction Stories

  Once Upon a Future: The Third Borgo Press Book of Science Fiction Stories

  Whodunit?—The First Borgo Press Book of Crime and Mystery Stories

  More Whodunits—The Second Borgo Press Book of Crime and Mystery Stories

  X is for Xmas: Christmas Mysteries

  GUY DE MAUPASSANT

  Photograph by Félix Nadar (1888)

  BOULE DE SUIF

  For several days in succession fragments of a defeated army had passed through the town. They were mere disorganized bands, not disciplined forces. The men wore long, dirty beards and tattered uniforms; they advanced in listless fashion, without a flag, without a leader. All seemed exhausted, worn out, incapable of thought or resolve, marching onward merely by force of habit, and dropping to the ground with fatigue the moment they halted. One saw, in particular, many enlisted men, peaceful citizens, men who lived quietly on their income, bending beneath the weight of their rifles; and little active volunteers, easily frightened but full of enthusiasm, as eager to attack as they were ready to take to flight; and amid these, a sprinkling of red-breeched soldiers, the pitiful remnant of a division cut down in a great battle; somber artillerymen, side by side with nondescript foot-soldiers; and, here and there, the gleaming helmet of a heavy-footed dragoon who had difficulty in keeping up with the quicker pace of the soldiers of the line. Legions of irregulars with high-sounding names “Avengers of Defeat,” “Citizens of the Tomb,” “Brethren in Death”—passed in their turn, looking like banditti. Their leaders, former drapers or grain merchants, or tallow or soap chandlers—warriors by force of circumstances, officers by reason of their mustachios or their money—covered with weapons, flannel and gold lace, spoke in an impressive manner, discussed plans of campaign, and behaved as though they alone bore the fortunes of dying France on their braggart shoulders; though, in truth, they frequently were afraid of their own men—scoundrels often brave beyond measure, but pillagers and debauchees.

  Rumor had it that the Prussians were about to enter Rouen.

  The members of the National Guard, who for the past two months had been reconnoitering with the utmost caution in the neighboring woods, occasionally shooting their own sentinels, and making ready for fight whenever a rabbit rustled in the undergrowth, had now returned to their homes. Their arms, their uniforms, all the death-dealing paraphernalia with which they had terrified all the milestones along the highroad for eight miles round, had suddenly and marvellously disappeared.

  The last of the French soldiers had just c
rossed the Seine on their way to Pont-Audemer, through Saint-Sever and Bourg-Achard, and in their rear the vanquished general, powerless to do aught with the forlorn remnants of his army, himself dismayed at the final overthrow of a nation accustomed to victory and disastrously beaten despite its legendary bravery, walked between two orderlies.

  Then a profound calm, a shuddering, silent dread, settled on the city. Many a round-paunched citizen, emasculated by years devoted to business, anxiously awaited the conquerors, trembling lest his roasting-jacks or kitchen knives should be looked upon as weapons.

  Life seemed to have stopped short; the shops were shut, the streets deserted. Now and then an inhabitant, awed by the silence, glided swiftly by in the shadow of the walls. The anguish of suspense made men even desire the arrival of the enemy.

  In the afternoon of the day following the departure of the French troops, a number of uhlans, coming no one knew whence, passed rapidly through the town. A little later on, a black mass descended St. Catherine’s Hill, while two other invading bodies appeared respectively on the Darnetal and the Boisguillaume roads. The advance guards of the three corps arrived at precisely the same moment at the Square of the Hotel de Ville, and the German army poured through all the adjacent streets, its battalions making the pavement ring with their firm, measured tread.

  Orders shouted in an unknown, guttural tongue rose to the windows of the seemingly dead, deserted houses; while behind the fast-closed shutters eager eyes peered forth at the victors-masters now of the city, its fortunes, and its lives, by “right of war.” The inhabitants, in their darkened rooms, were possessed by that terror which follows in the wake of cataclysms, of deadly upheavals of the earth, against which all human skill and strength are vain. For the same thing happens whenever the established order of things is upset, when security no longer exists, when all those rights usually protected by the law of man or of Nature are at the mercy of unreasoning, savage force. The earthquake crushing a whole nation under falling roofs; the flood let loose, and engulfing in its swirling depths the corpses of drowned peasants, along with dead oxen and beams torn from shattered houses; or the army, covered with glory, murdering those who defend themselves, making prisoners of the rest, pillaging in the name of the Sword, and giving thanks to God to the thunder of cannon—all these are appalling scourges, which destroy all belief in eternal justice, all that confidence we have been taught to feel in the protection of Heaven and the reason of man.

  Small detachments of soldiers knocked at each door, and then disappeared within the houses; for the vanquished saw they would have to be civil to their conquerors.

  At the end of a short time, once the first terror had subsided, calm was again restored. In many houses the Prussian officer ate at the same table with the family. He was often well-bred, and, out of politeness, expressed sympathy with France and repugnance at being compelled to take part in the war. This sentiment was received with gratitude; besides, his protection might be needful some day or other. By the exercise of tact the number of men quartered in one’s house might be reduced; and why should one provoke the hostility of a person on whom one’s whole welfare depended? Such conduct would savor less of bravery than of fool-hardiness. And foolhardiness is no longer a failing of the citizens of Rouen as it was in the days when their city earned renown by its heroic defenses. Last of all—final argument based on the national politeness—the folk of Rouen said to one another that it was only right to be civil in one’s own house, provided there was no public exhibition of familiarity with the foreigner. Out of doors, therefore, citizen and soldier did not know each other; but in the house both chatted freely, and each evening the German remained a little longer warming himself at the hospitable hearth.