Produced by David Widger CONSCIENCE By Hector Malot With a Preface by EDOUARD PAILLERON, of the French Academy HECTOR MALOT HECTOR-HENRI MALOT, the son of a notary public, was born at La Brouille (Seine-Inferieure), March 20, 1830. He studied law, intending to devote himself also to the Notariat, but toward 1853 or 1854 commenced writing for various small journals. Somewhat later he assisted in compiling the ‘Biographie Generale’ of Firmin Didot, and was also a contributor to some reviews. Under the generic title of ‘Les Victimes d’Amour,’ he made his debut with the following three family-romances: ‘Les Amants (1859), Les Epoux (1865), and Les Enfants (1866).’ About the same period he published a book, ‘La Vie Moderne en Angleterre.’ Malot has written quite a number of novels, of which the greatest is ‘Conscience,’ crowned by the French Academy in 1878. His works have met with great success in all countries. They possess that lasting interest which attends all work based on keen observation and masterly analysis of the secret motives of human actions. The titles of his writings run as follows: ‘Les Amours de Jacques (1868); Un Beau Frere (1869); Romain Kalbris (1864), being a romance for children; Une Bonne Afaire, and Madame Obernin (1870); Un Cure de Province (1872); Un Mariage sons le Second Empire (1873); Une Belle Mere (1874); L’Auberge du Monde (1875-1876, 4 vols.); Les Batailles du Mariage (1877, 3 vols.); Cara (1877); Le Docteur Claude (1879); Le Boheme Tapageuse (1880, 3 vols.); Pompon, and Une Femme d’Argent (1881); La Petite Soeur, and Les Millions Honteux (1882); Les Besogneux, and Paulette (1883); Marichette, and Micheline (1884.); Le Lieutenant Bonnet, and Sang Bleu (1885); Baccara, and Zyte (1886); Viceo Francis, Seduction, and Ghislaine (1887); Mondaine (1888); Mariage Riche, and Justice (1889); Mere (1890), Anie (1891); Complices (1892); Conscience (1893); and Amours de Jeunes et Amours de Vieux (1894).’ About this time Hector Malot resolved not to write fiction any more. He announced this determination in a card published in the journal, ‘Le Temps,’ May 25, 1895--It was then maliciously stated that “M. Malot his retired from business after having accumulated a fortune.” However, he took up his pen again and published a history of his literary life: Le Roman de mes Romans (1896); besides two volumes of fiction, L’Amour dominateur (1896), and Pages choisies (1898), works which showed that, in the language of Holy Writ, “his eye was not dimmed nor his natural force abated,” and afforded him a triumph over his slanderers. EDOUARD PAILLERON de l’Academie Francaise. CONSCIENCE BOOK 1. CHAPTER I. THE REUNION