All rascals of position--and I have had to do with more than
one--are this sort. At the moment of arrest, they are incapable of
anything; their heart fails them; but they recover themselves next day."
"Upon my word, one would say he has gone to sleep! What a joke!"
"I tell you, my friend," added the old man, pointedly, "that nothing
is more natural. I am sure that, since the blow was struck, this young
fellow has hardly lived: his body has been all on fire. Now he knows
that his secret is out; and that quiets him."
"Ha, ha! M. Balan, you are joking: you say that that quiets him?"
"Certainly. There is no greater punishment, remember, than anxiety;
everything is preferable. If you only possessed an income of ten
thousand francs, I would show you a way to prove this. I would tell you
to go to Hamburg and risk your entire fortune on one chance at rouge et
noir. You could relate to me, afterwards, what your feelings were while
the ball was rolling. It is, my boy, as though your brain was being torn
with pincers, as though molten lead was being poured into your bones, in
place of marrow. This anxiety is so strong, that one feels relieved, one
breathes again, even when one has lost.
Pages:
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340