Brother Jacques (Novels of Paul de Kock, Volume XVII)Kock, Paul de
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Brother Jacques (Novels of Paul de Kock, Volume XVII)
Kock, Paul de
Brothers -- Fiction; French fiction -- Translations into English; Paris (France) -- Fiction
But the public curiosity abated, and the effects of our pills did not
always correspond to the expectations of the purchasers. Moreover, I
began to be less in love with Clairette; I had surprised her several
times being rejuvenated by Pierre and Jérôme, and that had taken away
all the illusion of a first love. So that I was not disappointed when my
companion suggested that we should go away.
For six months we lived in that same way, remaining a longer or shorter
time in one place according to the number of dupes we made there. That
worked very well; but we did not always find accomplices, and then we
were likely to make serious mistakes. One day I told a money-lender that
he didn’t care for money, a drunkard that he didn’t like wine, a gambler
that he didn’t care for cards, and a bachelor that his wife was false
to him; you can imagine, Sans-Souci, that we did not make a brilliant
success in that town.
I began to be tired of that kind of life; I had informed my companion
that I wished to leave him, but he always strove to keep me. But one day
I resolved to give my love of mischief a free rein and to play some
trick on him that would take away all desire on his part to have me for
a partner.
We were in a small town where we were performing miracles. Magnetism and
somnambulism seemed to have turned everyone’s head; people fought for
the privilege of consulting us first, of obtaining private conferences.
I could not fill the orders for pills, and even the charms were selling
very well. It was in that place that I determined to try an experiment
of my own invention on the fools who applied to us.
An old advocate had been paying court for some time to a coquette of
uncertain age, who refused to respond to his flame, but did not cease to
listen to his tender declarations. The lady was crafty, she was well
pleased to inspire passions, and she was afraid of losing her influence
over her adorer if she yielded to his desires. They both came to consult
us: the advocate to learn how to soften the heart of his charmer, and
she, how to retain the charms that made so many men wretched. My
companion promised Monsieur Gérard--that was the old suitor’s name--a
philter that would make the coldest woman amorous; and he promised
Madame Dubelair a charm that would shelter hers from the ravages of
time.
In the same house with Madame Dubelair lived the deputy mayor of the
town. Monsieur Rose was an excellent man; but his wife complained of one
great failing in him; he was not enough in love with her, and was not
in the slightest degree jealous. So Madame Rose also came to consult us
as to the means she could employ to put an end to her husband’s
indifference. To make a husband amorous of his wife after fifteen years
of wedlock was rather difficult. Nevertheless my companion promised
Madame Rose a philter with a marvelous power of causing jealousy, and
the dear soul went away, overjoyed to know that she might still hope to
drive her husband frantic.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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