# Short Fiction — Chapters explained

> Chapter companions for Short Fiction by Guy de Maupassant.

- [Guy de Maupassant](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/guy-de-maupassant.md): An introductory chapter on the life and works of Guy de Maupassant, exploring his literary style, themes, and influence.
- [I](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/i.md): Henry James reflects on Guy de Maupassant's literary theories, particularly his preference for external, objective storytelling over psychological analysis, and discusses the nature of artistic illusion and originality.
- [II](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/ii.md): Henry James reflects on Guy de Maupassant's literary works, focusing on the novel 'Une Vie' and the short story 'La Maison Tellier.' He discusses the portrayal of passive heroines, the dominance of picture over idea, and
- [Short Fiction](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/short-fiction.md): A collection of short stories exploring themes of love, desire, obsession, social class, and the illusions that shape human relationships, often set in 19th-century French society.
- [The Dead Hand](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-dead-hand.md): A group of friends gather for an evening of drinking and storytelling when a friend, Pierre, arrives with a gruesome souvenir: a skinned, dried hand that once belonged to a notorious criminal. He hangs it on his bell-pul
- [Doctor Heraclius Gloss](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/doctor-heraclius-gloss.md): Doctor Heraclius Gloss, a learned and eccentric scholar, discovers an ancient manuscript that leads him on a journey of obsession and delusion, blurring the lines between reality and illusion.
- [I: The Mental Faculties of Doctor Heraclius Gloss](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/i-the-mental-faculties-of-doctor-heraclius-gloss.md): The chapter introduces Doctor Heraclius Gloss, a man widely regarded as very learned in the city of Balançon, despite having no published works or formal diploma. His reputation is inherited from his father and grandfath
- [II: The Physical Appearance of Doctor Heraclius Gloss](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/ii-the-physical-appearance-of-doctor-heraclius-gloss.md): This chapter describes the physical appearance of Doctor Heraclius Gloss, emphasizing the harmony between his mental and physical traits. He is depicted as small, alert, and wiry, with a rat-like, ant-like, and terrier-l
- [How Doctor Heraclius Used to Spend His Days](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/iii-how-doctor-heraclius-used-to-spend-his-days.md): The chapter describes Doctor Heraclius Gloss's daily routine: a morning garden stroll, a lunch of roast quails, and then a visit to the Ruelle des Vieus Pigeons, where he spends hours in bookshops searching for philosoph
- [IV: How Doctor Heraclius Spent His Nights](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/iv-how-doctor-heraclius-spent-his-nights.md): Doctor Heraclius Gloss returns home laden with old philosophical books, spends his evenings reading and pondering, and attempts to synthesize disparate doctrines in his mind, seeking truth without success.
- [How the Dean Placed His Hopes in Eclecticism, the Doctor in Revelation and the Warden in Digestion](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/v-how-the-dean-placed-his-hopes-in-eclecticism-the-doctor-in-revelation-and-the-warden-in-digestion.md): The Dean, the Warden, and the Doctor engage in a philosophical debate about truth, eclecticism, revelation, and digestion, with the Doctor advocating for absolute truth through revelation, the Warden promoting eclectic e
- [VI: How for the Doctor the Road to Damascus Turned Out to Be the Ruelle des Vieux Pigeons, and How the Truth Was Revealed to Him in the Form of a Metempsychosic Manuscript](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/vi-how-for-the-doctor-the-road-to-damascus-turned-out-to-be-the-ruelle-des-vieux-pigeons-and-how-the-truth-was-revealed-to-him-in-the-form-of-a-metempsychosic-manuscript.md): Doctor Heraclius Gloss, after a feverish night and a prophetic dream, visits the Ruelle des Vieux Pigeons and discovers a parchment manuscript titled 'My Eighteen Metempsychoses.' The manuscript, written by a philosopher
- [VII: How One May Interpret a Couplet by Corneille in Two Ways](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/vii-how-one-may-interpret-a-couplet-by-corneille-in-two-ways.md): Doctor Heraclius Gloss purchases a strange manuscript, spends days deciphering it with the help of a friend, the Warden, who finds both the translation and the text absurdly funny. The doctor becomes radiant and enlighte
- [VIII: How, Just as One Can Be More Royalist Than the King and More Devout Than the Pope, One Can Equally Be More of a Metempsychosist Than Pythagoras](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/viii-how-just-as-one-can-be-more-royalist-than-the-king-and-more-devout-than-the-pope-one-can-equally-be-more-of-a-metempsychosist-than-pythagoras.md): Doctor Heraclius Gloss, after long philosophical uncertainty, fully embraces the doctrine of metempsychosis, developing a precise system to calculate the transmigration of souls through animal forms based on past deeds, 
- [IX: Obverse and Reverse](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/ix-obverse-and-reverse.md): Doctor Heraclius Gloss, elated by his discovery of metempsychosis, attempts to share his doctrine but faces mockery from the Dean and the Warden, who ridicule his beliefs with absurd animal genealogies.
- [X: How a Mountebank Can Be More Cunning Than a Learned Doctor](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/x-how-a-mountebank-can-be-more-cunning-than-a-learned-doctor.md): Doctor Heraclius Gloss, undeterred by previous failures, continues his quest to find evidence of metempsychosis in animals. While visiting a traveling menagerie, he becomes fascinated by a monkey labeled 'The Man of the 
- [XI: In Which It Is Shown That Heraclius Gloss Was in No Way Exempt from All the Weaknesses of the Stronger Sex](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/xi-in-which-it-is-shown-that-heraclius-gloss-was-in-no-way-exempt-from-all-the-weaknesses-of-the-stronger-sex.md): Doctor Heraclius Gloss, returning home, is troubled not by philosophical problems but by the practical difficulty of introducing a wild man into his household without provoking the wrath of his servant Honorine. The chap
- [XII: Which Explains How Doctor and Animal Tamer Are in No Way Synonymous](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/xii-which-explains-how-doctor-and-animal-tamer-are-in-no-way-synonymous.md): Doctor Heraclius Gloss attempts to study his newly acquired monkey by freeing it from its cage, hoping to observe its natural behavior and uncover memories of a former life. The monkey escapes, wreaks havoc, and chases t
- [XIII: How Doctor Heraclius Gloss Found Himself in Exactly the Same Position as Good King Henry IV Who, Having Heard Two Leading Counsel Plead Their Case, Was of Opinion That Both Were Right](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/xiii-how-doctor-heraclius-gloss-found-himself-in-exactly-the-same-position-as-good-king-henry-iv-who-having-heard-two-leading-counsel-plead-their-case-was-of-opinion-that-both-were-right.md): Doctor Heraclius Gloss, confined indoors by heavy rain, spends the morning in his study philosophically observing his monkey and dog, Pythagoras. He reflects on the gradations of intellect in declassed men, comparing ins
- [XIV: How Heraclius All but Devoured a Dish of Beautiful Ladies of a Past Age](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/xiv-how-heraclius-all-but-devoured-a-dish-of-beautiful-ladies-of-a-past-age.md): At lunch, Doctor Heraclius Gloss reads a passage from his manuscript warning against eating any food that once had life, as it may contain reincarnated human souls. Horrified, he orders his servant to remove the quail di
- [XV: How the Warden Interpreted God’s Commandments](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/xv-how-the-warden-interpreted-god-s-commandments.md): The Dean and the Warden visit Doctor Heraclius in his study. The Doctor explains his dietary restrictions, which prohibit eating quails and other edible animals, comparing it to a Jew avoiding ham. The Dean reacts with b
- [How the Forty-Second Reading of the Manuscript Shed New Light Into the Doctor’s Mind](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/xvi-how-the-forty-second-reading-of-the-manuscript-shed-new-light-into-the-doctor-s-mind.md): Doctor Heraclius, after reading the manuscript for the forty-second time, is struck by the idea that its author may have returned to human form. He feverishly calculates the probability and becomes convinced that the aut
- [How Doctor Heraclius Gloss Set About Finding the Author of the Manuscript](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/xvii-how-doctor-heraclius-gloss-set-about-finding-the-author-of-the-manuscript.md): Doctor Heraclius Gloss places a cryptic advertisement in the Balançon Star, hoping to attract the author of the manuscript he discovered. He visits the post office daily, growing increasingly anxious and discouraged as n
- [XVIII: In Which Doctor Heraclius Recognises with Amazement the Author of the Manuscript](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/xviii-in-which-doctor-heraclius-recognises-with-amazement-the-author-of-the-manuscript.md): Unable to sleep, Doctor Heraclius Gloss goes to his study in the middle of the night to reread a passage of the manuscript. There he is horrified to see what appears to be a duplicate of himself reading the manuscript. A
- [XIX: How the Doctor Was Placed in a Terrible Dilemma](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/xix-how-the-doctor-was-placed-in-a-terrible-dilemma.md): Doctor Heraclius Gloss, having discovered that the soul he sought resides in a monkey, faces a terrible moral and practical dilemma. He realizes that without a human apostle, his crusade against superstition is doomed. C
- [XX: In Which the Doctor Has a Little Talk with His Servant](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/xx-in-which-the-doctor-has-a-little-talk-with-his-servant.md): Doctor Heraclius Gloss wakes at seven o'clock to find his monkey missing. His servant Honorine recounts how she struck the monkey with a shovel after it mimicked the Doctor and attacked her. The Doctor angrily insists th
- [XXI: In Which It Is Shown That a Dearly-Loved Friend Can Lighten the Heaviest Sorrow](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/xxi-in-which-it-is-shown-that-a-dearly-loved-friend-can-lighten-the-heaviest-sorrow.md): Doctor Heraclius Gloss, having discovered his monkey to be a great philosopher, devotes himself entirely to the animal, treating it with the tenderness of a lover and the reverence of a worshipper. The monkey accepts thi
- [XXII: In Which the Doctor Discovers That His Monkey Resembles Him Even More Than He Thought](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/xxii-in-which-the-doctor-discovers-that-his-monkey-resembles-him-even-more-than-he-thought.md): Doctor Heraclius Gloss wakes to a commotion in the kitchen, where his housekeeper Honorine has tied his monkey to a table leg and torments it by tempting it with food just out of reach. The monkey breaks free, and the Do
- [XXIII: How the Doctor Realized That His Monkey Had Shamefully Imposed Upon Him](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/xxiii-how-the-doctor-realized-that-his-monkey-had-shamefully-imposed-upon-him.md): Doctor Heraclius, enraged by his monkey's deception, thrashes the animal, which retaliates by flinging snuff and stealing the manuscript. The doctor pursues in vain, then discovers the monkey tearing pages from a tree. R
- [XXIV: Eureka](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/xxiv-eureka.md): After a visit from the Dean and the Warden, Heraclius confides his despair over the manuscript and the monkey's trick. The Warden suggests he might be the author himself, leading Heraclius to a revelation: he is the prop
- [XXV: “I Am That I Am.”](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/xxv-i-am-that-i-am.md): Heraclius Gloss, believing himself to be the reincarnation of Pythagoras, becomes consumed with pride and isolates himself in a world of animals. He forbids the killing of any creatures, leading to an infestation of pest
- [XXVI: What Was Said at Madame Labotte’s, the Fruiterer’s, 26, Rue de la Maraicherie](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/xxvi-what-was-said-at-madame-labotte-s-the-fruiterer-s-26-rue-de-la-maraicherie.md): At Madame Labotte's fruit shop, a gathering of servants hears from Doctor Heraclius's housekeeper, Mademoiselle Honorine, about her master's increasingly erratic behavior toward animals. She recounts how he freed a mouse
- [How Doctor Heraclius Did Not Agree with the Dauphin, Who, Having Saved a Monkey from Drowning, Threw It Back Again and Went Off to Find a Man to Save Instead](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/xxvii-how-doctor-heraclius-did-not-agree-with-the-dauphin-who-having-saved-a-monkey-from-drowning-threw-it-back-again-and-went-off-to-find-a-man-to-save-instead.md): Doctor Heraclius, noticing the curious stares of passersby, initially believes his doctrine has gained him admiration. However, he witnesses a group of children tormenting a drowning kitten by throwing stones at it. Enra
- [XXVIII: “This Story Will Show You That, if You Want to Save a Fellow Creature from Blows and Believe That It Is Better to Rescue a Cat Than a Man, You Will Excite the Anger of Your Neighbours. All Roads Lead to Rome—But Metempsychosis Leads to the Lunatic Asylum.”—Balançon Star](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/xxviii-this-story-will-show-you-that-if-you-want-to-save-a-fellow-creature-from-blows-and-believe-that-it-is-better-to-rescue-a-cat-than-a-man-you-will-excite-the-anger-of-your-neighbours-all-roads-lead-to-rome-but-metempsychosis-leads-to-the-lunatic-asylum-balan-on-star.md): Doctor Heraclius Gloss is arrested and committed to a mental asylum after a mob, incited by local priests, attacks his home. In the asylum, he meets Dagobert Félorme, who also claims to be the reincarnation of Pythagoras
- [XXIX: How One Sometimes Exchanges Scylla for Charybdis](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/xxix-how-one-sometimes-exchanges-scylla-for-charybdis.md): After being released from the asylum, Doctor Heraclius Gloss is immediately harassed by a mob of street urchins who mock him as the 'animal man.' He flees home, where in a fit of rage he kills his monkey and then massacr
- [XXX: How the Proverb—“The Madder One Is, the More One Laughs”—Is Not Always Quite True](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/xxx-how-the-proverb-the-madder-one-is-the-more-one-laughs-is-not-always-quite-true.md): The chapter describes the escalating conflict between Heraclius and Dagobert over their opposing beliefs about metempsychosis. Their rivalry splits the community into two violent factions, forcing the Governor to schedul
- [On the River](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/on-the-river.md): The narrator recounts a night spent alone on the Seine, where a boating enthusiast shares a terrifying experience of being stranded on the river at night, grappling with irrational fear and the supernatural, only to disc
- [At the Church Door](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/at-the-church-door.md): A wheelwright and his wife lose their young son Jean to a traveling circus. After years of desperate searching, poverty, and grief, they settle near a church where the father becomes the holy water attendant. One day, a 
- [Lieutenant Laré’s Marriage](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/lieutenant-lar-s-marriage.md): During the Franco-Prussian War, Lieutenant Laré leads a detachment to rescue a general, encounters an old butler and his daughter fleeing from Uhlans, and when the girl collapses from exhaustion, his men carry her on a s
- [Simon's Father](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/simon-s-father.md): Simon, the son of the unmarried La Blanchotte, is taunted by his schoolmates for not having a father. After a violent confrontation, he runs to the river intending to drown himself, but is stopped by a blacksmith named P
- [A Family Affair](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-family-affair.md): Monsieur Caravan, a chief clerk at the Admiralty, leads a monotonous life defined by his office routine and his recent receipt of the Legion of Honour. On a stifling summer evening, he travels home by steam-tram with Doc
- [Boule de Suif](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/boule-de-suif.md): During the Franco-Prussian War, a diverse group of travelers flee Rouen in a stagecoach. Among them is Boule de Suif, a prostitute. Initially shunned, she shares her provisions with the starving passengers, who then warm
- [Les Dimanches d'Un Bourgeois](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/les-dimanches-d-un-bourgeois.md): The chapter follows a bourgeois man's Sundays, exploring his routines, observations, and interactions that reveal the monotony and social pretensions of middle-class life.
- [I: Preparing for Excursions](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/i-preparing-for-excursions.md): Monsieur Patissot, a Parisian clerk who has spent his life indoors and advanced slowly through imitation of Napoleon III, is suddenly spurred to take up walking excursions after a doctor warns him of apoplexy. He spends 
- [Patissot's First Outing](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/ii-patissot-s-first-outing.md): Patissot, a Parisian clerk, eagerly prepares for his first country outing, but his journey is marked by a series of mishaps: he falls, breaks a wine bottle in his knapsack, gets lost, and encounters a lost couple. The hu
- [A Visit](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/iii-a-visit.md): Patissot, having become friends with his colleague Monsieur Boivin, visits Boivin's home in Colombes for a Sunday breakfast. He meets Boivin's hostile wife, helps water the garden, suffers through a meager meal, and late
- [IV: Fishing](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/iv-fishing.md): Monsieur Patissot, a novice fisherman, prepares for his first fishing trip by studying a pamphlet and buying equipment. He joins his friend Boivin and a fat man on a boat at Bezons, where he struggles to bait his hooks a
- [Two Famous Men](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/v-two-famous-men.md): Patissot, accompanied by his journalist cousin, visits the homes of two celebrated artists: the painter Meissonier at Poissy and the writer Émile Zola at Medan. The chapter contrasts the lavish, eccentric estate of Meiss
- [Before the Festival](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/vi-before-the-festival.md): As a grand festival approaches, Monsieur Patissot eagerly prepares his decorations, consulting neighbors and strangers for original ideas. He rents a room from a royalist coachman, buys flags and lanterns, and engages in
- [VII: A Sad Story](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/vii-a-sad-story.md): Monsieur Patissot, seeking a tranquil Sunday in nature, visits the terrace of Saint-Germain. There he meets a melancholy gentleman who, prompted by Patissot's casual remarks about love, recounts a tragicomic tale of his 
- [VIII: A Trial of Love](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/viii-a-trial-of-love.md): Monsieur Patissot, seeking a poetic and tender companion, visits the Folies-Bergères and chooses a young débutante, but she sends a substitute, Octavie, a loud and coarse red-haired girl. They travel to Maisons-Laffitte 
- [A Dinner and Some Ideas](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/ix-a-dinner-and-some-ideas.md): Monsieur Antoine Perdrix, newly made Chevalier of the Legion of Honor, hosts a dinner for his office staff at his home in Asnières. After speeches, the conversation turns to love and women, then to politics and principle
- [X: A Public Meeting](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/x-a-public-meeting.md): Monsieur Patissot attends a public meeting organized by the General International Association for the Vindication of the Rights of Women. The meeting features speeches by various women's rights advocates, including Zoé L
- [Suicides](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/suicides.md): A meditation on suicide, presented through the discovered letter of a man who, after a lifetime of monotonous routine and the painful resurgence of memories triggered by old letters, decides to end his life. The narrativ
- [A Grandmother's Advice](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-grandmother-s-advice.md): In an old-fashioned château, a grandmother and her granddaughter Berthe discuss modern love and marriage after reading newspaper accounts of violent love affairs. The grandmother, representing the gallant spirit of the 1
- [Story of a Farm Girl](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/story-of-a-farm-girl.md): Rose, a farm servant, becomes indispensable to her master Vallin but struggles with her low wages. After a brief affair with a farmhand named Jacques, she becomes pregnant and secretly gives the child to a nurse. Years l
- [A Country Excursion](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-country-excursion.md): The Dufour family takes a long-awaited country outing to Bezons. While the parents indulge in food and drink, the daughter Henriette and a young man named Henri share a romantic, intense encounter on the river and in a s
- [In the Spring](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/in-the-spring.md): A narrator describes the intoxicating effect of spring in Paris, which leads him to take a steamboat on the Seine. There he becomes infatuated with a young working-girl. A stranger intervenes, warning him of the dangers 
- [Paul's Mistress](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/paul-s-mistress.md): Paul, the son of a senator, is deeply in love with his mistress Madeleine, a thin brunette with a coarse and unfaithful nature. Despite his refined sensibilities, he is hopelessly enslaved by her. At La Grenouillère, Mad
- [Madame Tellier's Establishment](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/madame-tellier-s-establishment.md): Madame Tellier, the owner of a brothel in Fécamp, decides to close her establishment for a day to take her five girls to the confirmation of her brother's daughter in a nearby village. The journey is marked by humorous a
- [An Adventure in Paris](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/an-adventure-in-paris.md): A provincial woman, driven by unsatisfied curiosity and longing for the excitement of Parisian life, fabricates a trip to Paris alone. After failing to find the debauchery she imagines, she encounters the famous writer J
- [A Christmas Eve Festival](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-christmas-eve-festival.md): The narrator and his cousin Jules de Banneville, staying at a remote Norman château during a hunting trip, discover it is Christmas Eve. After dinner, they attend midnight mass and later visit the home of the deceased sh
- [The Cake](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-cake.md): Madame Anserre, a beautiful Parisian socialite, hosts receptions where a brioche is ceremonially cut by a chosen guest, a privilege that once conferred status and favor. Over time, the honor becomes a burden as guests fl
- [The Log](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-log.md): An old lady and her lifelong friend sit by the fire in comfortable silence. When a log falls from the grate, the friend is prompted to explain why he never married. He recounts how a similar accident once saved him from 
- [Words of Love](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/words-of-love.md): A man writes a letter to his lover explaining that her trivial and ill-timed expressions of affection have ruined his passion for her, arguing that love requires perfect harmony and refined sensibility, not childish ende
- [Marroca](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/marroca.md): The narrator recounts his passionate affair with Marroca, a Spanish-descended woman married to a French civil servant in Algeria. Their intense, sensual relationship culminates in a dangerous game when the narrator hides
- [The Shepherd’s Leap](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-shepherd-s-leap.md): A story is told of a violent young priest in a coastal village who, driven by a fanatical hatred of love and natural instincts, beats a mother dog to death after she gives birth to puppies. Later, in a storm, he discover
- [The Bed](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-bed.md): The narrator purchases a beautiful Louis XV chasuble at an auction and discovers hidden letters inside addressed to Monsieur l'Abbé d'Argence. The letters, written by a woman confined to her bed, reflect on the profound 
- [Mademoiselle Fifi](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/mademoiselle-fifi.md): The Prussian officers stationed at the château d'Uville, led by Major Count von Farlsberg and Captain Baron von Kelweinstein, endure a monotonous rainy day. To alleviate their boredom, the captain arranges for five prost
- [Relics of the Past](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/relics-of-the-past.md): An elderly woman, Adélaide, writes to her friend Colette reflecting on a life lived in one house, finding solace in memories and the objects that evoke them. She contrasts youthful dreams of happiness with the quieter, m
- [The Blind Man](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-blind-man.md): A blind peasant, neglected and cruelly mistreated by his family after his parents' death, is subjected to relentless abuse, forced to beg, and ultimately abandoned in the snow to die. His corpse is discovered half-eaten 
- [Magnetism](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/magnetism.md): At a dinner party, bachelors debate the reality of magnetism and supernatural phenomena. A skeptic dismisses the stories as humbug, then recounts two tales: one about a fisherman's child who dreamed of his father's death
- [Guillemot Rock](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/guillemot-rock.md): A group of aging hunters gather annually at Étretat to hunt guillemots, rare migratory birds that return to the same rock each spring. One year, Monsieur d'Arnelles arrives late, distracted, and eventually reveals he has
- [A Son](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-son.md): An Academician recounts to a politician and a senator his agonizing return to Pont-Labbé thirty years after a brief, violent encounter with a servant, only to discover she died in childbirth and that her son—a degraded, 
- [Travelling](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/travelling.md): The narrator writes to a friend from Saint-Agnès, describing the spring landscape of the South, the intoxicating scent of orange blossoms, and a tragic story told by an old gentleman about two boys who fell into a deep r
- [A Corsican Bandit](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-corsican-bandit.md): The narrator and his companion traverse the rugged Corsican landscape, entering the wild valley of Niolo, a refuge for bandits. The companion recounts the story of the infamous bandit Sainte-Lucie, who, after years of in
- [A Dead Woman's Secret](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-dead-woman-s-secret.md): After the death of their seemingly virtuous mother, her son, a stern magistrate, and her daughter, a nun, grieve beside her body. They decide to read her old letters to remember her life, but discover a packet of passion
- [Dreams](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/dreams.md): Five friends—an author, a doctor, and three wealthy bachelors—discuss the tedium of idle days and nights. The conversation turns to the desire for new sensations, and the doctor describes his experiences with ether, whic
- [A True Story](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-true-story.md): At a dinner party of Norman squires, Monsieur de Varnetot recounts his youthful affair with a servant girl named Rose. After she becomes pregnant, he arranges her marriage to a peasant by providing a dowry of land and a 
- [The Burglar](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-burglar.md): An old artist recounts a drunken night at the studio of the late Sorieul, where he, Sorieul, and Le Poittevin, costumed as soldiers, discover a real burglar hiding in a cupboard. After a mock trial and a series of absurd
- [A Woman's Confession](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-woman-s-confession.md): An elderly, childless woman recounts her first romantic adventure and a traumatic event from her early marriage to Count Hervé de Ker. After noticing her husband's suspicious behavior and hearing footsteps at night, she 
- [Moonlight](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/moonlight.md): Madame Henriette Létoré returns to Paris from Switzerland and reveals to her sister, Madame Roubère, that she has taken a lover. She explains that her husband's emotional detachment and a moonlit night on Lake Lucerne le
- [A Cock Crowed](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-cock-crowed.md): Madame Berthe d'Avancelles, a tall and determined woman, resists the advances of Baron Joseph de Croissard, who is ruining himself for her with lavish fêtes and hunts at his château. She promises to yield only if he kill
- [The Child](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-child.md): A doctor defends a woman who committed infanticide, arguing that society's harsh moral judgments fail to account for the overwhelming power of natural passions. He recounts the story of Madame Hélène, a woman of intense 
- [The Lock](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-lock.md): At a bachelor's dinner, the narrator recounts his first affair with a married woman of society, which culminates in a comedic and humiliating interruption when his landlord, concierge, and chimney-sweep burst into his re
- [A Normandy Joke](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-normandy-joke.md): The chapter describes a rustic Norman wedding feast for Jean Patu and Rosalie Roussel, marked by heavy eating, drinking, and crude jokes. On their wedding night, Jean is repeatedly distracted by distant gunshots from poa
- [My Uncle Sosthène](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/my-uncle-sosth-ne.md): The narrator describes his uncle Sosthène, a freethinker and Freemason who despises the clergy. After a heavy Good Friday dinner that leaves him incapacitated, the narrator plays a prank by fetching a Jesuit priest to vi
- [A Reckless Passion](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-reckless-passion.md): Two young officers, Paul d'Henricel and Jean Renoldi, observe Madame Poinçot, a reputedly virtuous married woman, who becomes infatuated with Renoldi. Despite his reluctance, he becomes her lover. Her obsessive passion s
- [Mad?](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/mad.md): A man tormented by obsessive jealousy and hatred for his wife recounts his descent into madness. He describes his initial infatuation, his growing suspicion that she has tired of him, and his eventual conviction that she
- [Correspondence](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/correspondence.md): Two women exchange letters discussing the perceived decline in male politeness and the hypocrisy of female manners. The younger niece complains about men's vulgarity at the seaside, while her older aunt counters that wom
- [A Widow](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-widow.md): During a rainy hunting season at the de Banville country seat, a young lady notices a ring made of blond hair on her old aunt's finger and asks for its story. The aunt reluctantly recounts her tragic past: as a seventeen
- [Rust](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/rust.md): Baron Hector de Coutelier, a man whose life is consumed by his passion for hunting and sport, falls ill with rheumatism and is bedridden for two months. His friends, the Courville family, nurse him and later decide he sh
- [The Chair Mender](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-chair-mender.md): At a hunting season dinner, a discussion arises about whether one can love truly more than once. The doctor arbitrates by recounting the story of an old chair mender who loved the chemist Chouquet for fifty-five years wi
- [An Artifice](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/an-artifice.md): A doctor tells a young married patient a story about a woman whose lover dies in her bedroom and the frantic cover-up she orchestrates with the doctor's help before her husband returns home.
- [An Old Man](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/an-old-man.md): Monsieur Daron, an 86-year-old man obsessed with prolonging his life, moves to the spa town of Rondelis and enlists the local doctor to provide him with detailed reports on all inhabitants over eighty. He treats these el
- [A Parricide](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-parricide.md): A young joiner, Georges Louis, confesses to murdering a wealthy couple, revealing they were his biological parents who abandoned him at birth. He recounts his discovery of their identity, their rejection of him, and his 
- [Pierrot](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/pierrot.md): Madame Lefèvre, a parsimonious country widow, and her servant Rose decide to get a small dog after their onions are stolen. They acquire a small, odd-looking dog named Pierrot for free. However, when faced with the eight
- [A Norman](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-norman.md): The narrator and a companion travel from Rouen to Jumièges, discussing the landscape and the eccentric Father Matthew, a former sergeant-major who tends a miraculous chapel dedicated to 'Notre Dame du Gros-Ventre'. Matth
- [The Pardon](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-pardon.md): Berthe Savignol, a naive provincial woman, marries Georges Baron and moves to Paris. She discovers through an anonymous letter that her husband has been having an affair with a young widow, Madame Rosset. Georges convinc
- [The Relic](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-relic.md): Henri Fontal writes to his old schoolfellow, the Abbé Louis d'Ennemare, explaining how his engagement to the Abbé's cousin Gilberte was broken off due to a foolish deception. Henri bought a relic (a bone of one of the El
- [In the Moonlight](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/in-the-moonlight.md): The fanatical Abbé Marignan, who believes he can divine God's intentions and despises women as temptresses, learns from the sacristan's wife that his beloved niece has a lover. Furious, he takes an oaken club and sets ou
- [Fear](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/fear.md): On a moonlit Mediterranean voyage, the captain recounts a time he was frightened when his ship was wrecked. A sunburned traveler challenges the captain's use of the word 'fear,' arguing that true fear is a supernatural d
- [In the Country](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/in-the-country.md): Two peasant families, the Tuvaches and the Vallins, live side by side in poverty. A wealthy couple, the d'Hubières, offer to adopt one of their children. The Tuvaches refuse indignantly, while the Vallins accept, selling
- [A Million](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-million.md): Léopold Bonnin and his wife are modest clerks expecting a million-franc inheritance from a wealthy aunt, but the will stipulates the fortune goes to their firstborn child within three years or to the poor. Their desperat
- [The Will](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-will.md): René de Bourneval recounts the dramatic reading of his mother's will, which reveals her secret love affair with Monsieur de Bourneval, declares René to be his son, and exposes the hypocrisy and cruelty of her marriage to
- [The Wolf](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-wolf.md): The old Marquis d'Arville recounts a family legend about his great-grandfather Jean and his brother François, two passionate hunters in 1764 Lorraine. After a monstrous gray-white wolf terrorizes the region and kills the
- [The Kiss](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-kiss.md): An old aunt, Collette, advises her crying niece that she may be losing her husband's affection because she kisses him too much and at inappropriate times. She argues that love is a delicate art where the kiss is the most
- [That Pig, Morin](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/that-pig-morin.md): A story about Morin, a man who is arrested for assaulting a young woman on a train, and the subsequent social and legal repercussions.
- [I](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/i.md): The narrator asks Labarbe why Morin is always called a pig, and Labarbe recounts Morin's disastrous attempt to seduce a young woman on a train from Paris to La Rochelle, which resulted in his arrest for assault.
- [II](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/ii.md): The narrator recounts how he and his colleague Rivet attempted to resolve the scandal involving Morin, who had assaulted a young woman on a train. They visit the victim's uncle, Monsieur Tonnelet, and the narrator become
- [III](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/iii.md): Labarbe recounts the seduction of Henriette Bonnel after dinner, the subsequent resolution of Morin's legal trouble, and the lasting social stigma that haunts Morin until his death.
- [Madame Baptiste](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/madame-baptiste.md): The narrator, waiting at a station in Loubain, follows a civil funeral out of curiosity. A fellow mourner explains that the deceased is a young woman who committed suicide after being publicly humiliated. As a child, she
- [My Wife](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/my-wife.md): At a dinner party of married men, Pierre Létoile recounts how he came to marry his wife. After a drunken mistake at a cousin's wedding in Normandy, he mistakenly entered the room of Miss Dumoulin and was found asleep the
- [The Snipe](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-snipe.md): Baron des Ravots, a former champion sportsman now paralyzed, spends his days shooting pigeons from his chair. During hunting season, he hosts dinners where guests recount their hunting exploits and participate in a ritua
- [The Mad Woman](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-mad-woman.md): Monsieur d'Endolin recounts a harrowing story from the Franco-Prussian War about a neighbor, a mad woman who had lost her mind after losing her father, husband, and child within a month. She remained bedridden and silent
- [Artfulness](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/artfulness.md): The Count of L—— recounts his three-year affair with a clever bourgeoise who fabricated a pregnancy, a child, and a journey to Italy to maintain his interest. When his brother investigates and exposes the deception, she 
- [The Legend of Mont Saint-Michel](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-legend-of-mont-saint-michel.md): The narrator describes his awe-inspiring first views of Mont Saint-Michel from Cancale and Avranches, and his subsequent visit across the sands. A local peasant then recounts a folk legend about Saint Michel tricking the
- [Minuet](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/minuet.md): Jean Bridelle, an old bachelor, reflects on how certain small, poignant episodes can leave deeper emotional scars than great tragedies. He recounts his encounter with an elderly former dancing master from the time of Lou
- [Mother and Daughter](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/mother-and-daughter.md): The chapter recounts the tragic story of the Comtesse Samoris, a courtesan, and her virtuous daughter Yveline. After overhearing gossip about her mother's lifestyle at a ball, Yveline confronts her and demands they chang
- [A Christmas Tale](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-christmas-tale.md): Doctor Bonenfant recounts a strange Christmas miracle he witnessed as a country doctor in Rolleville. During a severe winter, the blacksmith's wife becomes violently possessed after eating an egg found in the snow. Despi
- [Christmas Eve](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/christmas-eve.md): Henri Templier recounts a disastrous Christmas Eve two years prior when, seeking a companion for the night, he picked up a beautiful, plump woman only for her to go into labor in his apartment. The ensuing chaos involved
- [The Substitute](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-substitute.md): A captain recounts a scandalous tale about the seemingly devout Madame Bonderoi, who secretly hires dragoons for weekly assignations, paying them ten francs each. The story involves a quarrel between two soldiers over he
- [On Horseback](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/on-horseback.md): Hector de Gribelin, a poor aristocrat working as a clerk, uses a small bonus to rent a horse for a family outing. His inept riding causes an accident that injures an elderly charwoman, Mme. Simon, who then feigns paralys
- [The Wooden Shoes](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-wooden-shoes.md): A young, naive peasant girl named Adélaïde is sent by her parents to work as a servant for the wealthy widower Maître Césaire Omont. Despite his initial gruffness, he insists she eat and drink with him, play dominoes, an
- [Monsieur Jocaste](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/monsieur-jocaste.md): The narrator recounts a past argument with a woman about a father who committed incest, and now tells the story of Pierre Martel, who fell in love with a married woman, fathered her child, and later, after her death, unk
- [Beside a Dead Man](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/beside-a-dead-man.md): The narrator encounters a dying German man who was a personal friend of the philosopher Schopenhauer. The German recounts the night of Schopenhauer's death, when he and a comrade watched over the body and experienced a t
- [Two Friends](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/two-friends.md): During the Siege of Paris, two fishing companions, Monsieur Morissot and Monsieur Sauvage, reunite and decide to go fishing at their old spot despite the danger. They are captured by Prussian soldiers, who demand the pas
- [At Sea](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/at-sea.md): A newspaper report of a recent shipwreck prompts the narrator to recall an earlier maritime tragedy involving Captain Javel and his brother. During a storm, Javel junior's arm is crushed by a fishing cable. To save the n
- [The Necklace](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-necklace.md): Mathilde Loisel, a beautiful but poor woman married to a minor clerk, longs for wealth and luxury. When her husband secures an invitation to a prestigious ball, she borrows a diamond necklace from her wealthy friend Mada
- [The Awakening](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-awakening.md): Jeanne, a young married woman living a quiet life in the Val de Ciré, is advised by doctors to spend winter in Paris for her health. There, she becomes animated by social life and receives attentions from two men: the bo
- [Father Judas](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/father-judas.md): The narrator visits a remote, desolate region and meets an old boatman, Father Joseph, who lives on a gloomy tarn. During a boat ride, they see a ruined hovel with a red cross on its wall, which Father Joseph claims is w
- [Feminine Men](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/feminine-men.md): Maupassant critiques the 'feminine man' in French society, describing him as fickle, charming, and inconsistent—a figure prevalent in politics, journalism, and daily life. He draws parallels to the volatile friendships a
- [Mademoiselle Cocotte](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/mademoiselle-cocotte.md): The narrator, visiting an asylum, notices a man named François who obsessively calls for an imaginary dog. The doctor explains that François was a coachman who went mad after drowning his beloved dog, Cocotte. The story 
- [The Jewels](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-jewels.md): Monsieur Lantin, a modest clerk, marries a seemingly virtuous and economical woman who loves the theatre and costume jewelry. After her sudden death, Lantin discovers that her 'paste' jewels are actually priceless gems, 
- [Saint Anthony](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/saint-anthony.md): Saint Anthony, a robust and cunning Norman peasant, adopts a captured Prussian soldier as his 'pig' during the Franco-Prussian War, using him as a source of amusement and local fame. After a drinking contest, a violent s
- [An Apparition](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/an-apparition.md): The old Marquis de la Tour Samuel recounts a terrifying experience from his youth in 1827. While stationed in Rouen, he meets an old friend consumed by grief after his wife's sudden death. The friend asks the Marquis to 
- [Walter Schnaffs' Adventure](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/walter-schnaffs-adventure.md): Walter Schnaffs, a reluctant Prussian soldier, terrified of battle and longing for his family, hides in a ditch after a skirmish with French sharpshooters. Driven by hunger, he stumbles into a castle where he gorges hims
- [Queen Hortense](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/queen-hortense.md): Queen Hortense, an imperious old maid in Argenteuil, lives a solitary life ruling over her animals and servants with authority. When she falls fatally ill, her estranged relatives gather, and in her final moments, she de
- [On the Journey](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/on-the-journey.md): A group of travelers embarks on a journey, facing various challenges and interactions that reveal their personalities and social dynamics.
- [I](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/i.md): A physician recounts the story of the Comtesse Marie Baranow, a Russian noblewoman traveling alone to Mentone for her health. During the journey, a mysterious wounded man enters her compartment, and after a tense encount
- [II](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/ii.md): The doctor recounts the story of a mysterious stranger who silently loves the Comtesse Marie Baranow, visiting daily to inquire about her health without ever speaking to her. The comtesse, aware of his devotion, refuses 
- [A Surprise](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-surprise.md): The narrator recounts his upbringing by his uncle, the abbé Loisel, in a Norman village, his harsh seminary education, and his move to Paris with his brother. After a period of strict piety, he and his brother take on tw
- [Old Milon](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/old-milon.md): During the Franco-Prussian War, old peasant Pierre Milon, after his father and son were killed by Prussians, systematically murders sixteen German soldiers by disguising himself in a dead Uhlan's uniform and luring them 
- [The Accursed Bread](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-accursed-bread.md): Old Taille, a widowed foreman, has three daughters: Anna, who ran away and now lives well with a wealthy man; Rose, who is engaged to the son of the cooper Touchard; and Clara. When Anna returns to the family, she offers
- [II](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/ii.md): The wedding party gathers at Anna's house after the civil and religious ceremonies. The guests, including relatives and friends, are impressed by the luxurious setting. During the wedding breakfast, the bridegroom Philip
- [Friend Joseph](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/friend-joseph.md): Monsieur de Méroul rekindles his college friendship with Joseph Mourador, a Republican district councillor. When Joseph visits the Mérouls' country estate, his boisterous, anti-clerical, and democratic manners clash with
- [The Mother of Monsters](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-mother-of-monsters.md): The narrator recounts a visit to a rural town where a local friend shows him a woman known as the 'She-Devil,' who deliberately deforms her unborn children by tight-lacing during pregnancy and sells them as freaks to sho
- [The Orphan](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-orphan.md): Mademoiselle Source, a lonely, disfigured woman, adopts an orphan boy out of pity and a desire for companionship. She raises him with tenderness, but as he grows into a quiet, bookish youth, his behavior becomes increasi
- [Old Boniface's Crime](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/old-boniface-s-crime.md): Postman Boniface, while on his rural delivery route, becomes deeply affected by a gruesome crime story he reads in a newspaper. When he arrives at the house of the new tax-collector, Monsieur Chapatis, and finds it locke
- [The Greenhouse](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-greenhouse.md): M. and Mme. Lerebour, a married couple living in a country house near Mantes, endure a strained relationship marked by Madame's constant irritability and Monsieur's cheerful endurance. After two nights of mysterious nois
- [Denis](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/denis.md): Monsieur Marambot, an old village chemist, receives news that he will collect a debt of five thousand francs from Malois. His servant Denis, usually energetic and cheerful, becomes agitated and later attacks Marambot in 
- [He?](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/he.md): The narrator explains to a friend his decision to marry, despite his belief that marriage is foolish and that men are naturally inclined to love many women. He reveals that his true motive is a desperate fear of being al
- [The Window](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-window.md): The narrator recounts his courtship of the widow Mme. de Jadelle, who proposes a summer trial period at her estate to study his character before marriage. Frustrated by her constant surveillance, he bribes her maid César
- [The Donkey](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-donkey.md): Two junk-gatherers, Labouise and Maillochon, poach and torture a donkey for sport, eventually killing it by shooting it in the mouth. They then deceive a wine shop owner into buying the carcass as if it were a deer, pock
- [André’s Disease](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/andr-s-disease.md): Mathilde, the wife of a lawyer, has an affair with Captain Sommerive while her husband is away. Their secret meetings are repeatedly interrupted by her infant son André's crying. To silence the child, the Captain brutall
- [The Moustache](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-moustache.md): In a letter to her friend Lucy, Jeanne describes her boredom at the Château de Solles during rainy weather, leading to amateur theatricals. Her husband shaves off his moustache to play a soubrette, which profoundly distu
- [Timbuktu](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/timbuktu.md): In the golden dusk of a Parisian boulevard, two officers encounter a jubilant, wealthy Negro named Timbuktu, who greets his former lieutenant with delight. The major recounts Timbuktu's service during the Siege of Bézièr
- [My Uncle Jules](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/my-uncle-jules.md): Joseph Davranche recounts the story of his Uncle Jules, who was once the family's shame for squandering money but later became their hope after writing from America of his success. The family, struggling with poverty, dr
- [Hydrophobia?](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/hydrophobia.md): A newlywed woman writes to her friend Geneviève, recounting the disastrous start of her honeymoon. Her innocence about marital intimacy leads to a public scene in a hotel, after which she becomes consumed by the fear tha
- [Caresses](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/caresses.md): Two letters exchanged between a man and a woman debate the nature of physical love and desire. The woman, Geneviève, recoils from the idea of carnal intimacy, viewing it as shameful and degrading, while the man argues th
- [A Duel](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-duel.md): In the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War, M. Dubuis, a Parisian merchant traveling to Switzerland, encounters a boastful Prussian officer on a train. The officer provokes him, leading to a physical confrontation and a
- [The Little One](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-little-one.md): Monsieur Lemonnier, a widower who adored his late wife, raises their son Jean with excessive indulgence and grief. His friend Monsieur Duretour dotes on the boy, while the old nurse Céleste warns against spoiling him. Af
- [Madame Luneau’s Case](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/madame-luneau-s-case.md): A comical and scandalous court case unfolds as Hippolyte Lacour sues Madame Luneau for breach of contract after she refuses to pay him the promised one hundred francs for fathering a child intended to secure her inherita
- [Friend Patience](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/friend-patience.md): The narrator recounts a chance reunion with an old college friend, Robert Patience, who has become ostentatiously wealthy and invites him to his home. The visit reveals a garishly decorated house with erotic art and a my
- [The Funeral Pile](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-funeral-pile.md): The chapter recounts the secret cremation of an Indian prince, Bapu Sahib Khanderao Ghatgay, on the shore of Étretat. After his death from gangrene, his relatives and servants, with the mayor's tacit permission, build a 
- [Miss Harriet](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/miss-harriet.md): A group of seven travelers, including four women and three men, journey by drag along the winding coast road from Étretat to Tancarville at dawn. The women are drowsy, but the men watch a hare. René Lemanoir teases the B
- [I](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/i.md): The narrator, a young painter of twenty-five, recalls his wandering life along the Normandy coast, where he stays at Mother Lecacheur's farmhouse inn. He becomes intrigued by Miss Harriet, a strange, solitary Englishwoma
- [II](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/ii.md): The narrator recounts his deepening acquaintance with Miss Harriet, a solitary Englishwoman. He describes how she became fascinated with his painting after he showed her a study of her favorite rock. Their friendship gro
- [III](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/iii.md): The narrator, Léon Chenal, recounts the tragic story of Miss Harriet, a lonely and eccentric woman who drowned herself in a well. He describes finding her body, the subsequent burial preparations, and his realization of 
- [Martin's Girl](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/martin-s-girl.md): Benoist becomes obsessed with Martin's girl after seeing her from a distance, but she marries another man. Later, he helps her through childbirth, which unexpectedly cures his obsession.
- [The Orient](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-orient.md): The narrator visits a friend who has retreated to the Orient, where he lives in a state of opium-induced reverie, contrasting the harsh, angular, and stressful life of the West with the soft, sensual, and dreamy existenc
- [The Child](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-child.md): Jacques Bourdillère, a formerly dissolute man, marries the innocent Berthe Lannis after a seaside romance. On their wedding night, he receives an urgent letter from his dying ex-mistress, who has just given birth to his 
- [A Party](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-party.md): Maître Saval, a notary from Vernon who fancies himself a musical artiste, travels to Paris for the opera and ends up at a Montmartre café where he meets the painter Romantin. Invited to the painter's housewarming party, 
- [The Odyssey of a Prostitute](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-odyssey-of-a-prostitute.md): The narrator recounts a chance encounter with a young prostitute on a rainy Parisian night. After rescuing her from a police roundup, he listens to her tragic life story: orphaned at sixteen, seduced and betrayed by her 
- [A Coup d'État](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-coup-d-tat.md): In the chaotic aftermath of the French defeat at Sedan and the proclamation of the Republic, the small town of Canneville becomes a microcosm of national upheaval. Doctor Massarel, the fervent Republican leader, attempts
- [A Humble Drama](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-humble-drama.md): The narrator reflects on the charm and melancholy of travel encounters, then recounts meeting an elderly Englishwoman in Auvergne. After a chance meeting at a lake and later at the castle of Murol, she confides her story
- [Théodule Sabot’s Confession](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/th-odule-sabot-s-confession.md): Théodule Sabot, a radical joiner and vocal atheist, is tempted by the lucrative contract to restore the church choir. After a tense negotiation with the rector, he agrees to publicly confess and take communion to secure 
- [A Vendetta](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-vendetta.md): After her son Antoine is murdered by Nicolas Ravolati, the elderly widow Saverini swears a vendetta. Unable to rely on male relatives, she trains her dog Sémillante to attack and kill a straw dummy baited with black pudd
- [The Confession](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-confession.md): On her deathbed, Marguerite de Thérelles confesses to her devoted sister Suzanne that as a jealous twelve-year-old she poisoned Suzanne's fiancé Henry de Sampierre by putting ground glass into cakes, a secret that has ha
- [Beside the Bed](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/beside-the-bed.md): The Comte and Comtesse de Sallure engage in a tense, witty, and sexually charged argument after a party. The Comtesse, feeling neglected due to her husband's past infidelities, turns the tables by demanding payment for h
- [Regret](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/regret.md): Monsieur Saval, an elderly bachelor, reflects on his empty life and the missed opportunity for love with his friend's wife, Madame Sandres. He confronts her years later to ask what would have happened if he had declared 
- [The Avenger](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-avenger.md): Antoine Leuillet marries his friend's widow, Mathilde, after a decade of unrequited love. Though initially happy, he becomes obsessed with her deceased first husband, Souris, constantly mocking him. One night, during an 
- [Suspense](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/suspense.md): Monsieur Le Brument recounts the story of a dying woman who, twenty years after her son discovered her affair with her lover and disappeared, hires him to find her son before she dies. The narrative explores the long-ter
- [Decorated!](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/decorated.md): Monsieur Sacrement has been obsessed since childhood with obtaining the Legion of Honour. Despite his lack of qualifications, he pursues the decoration through pamphlets, applications, and the help of Deputy Rosselin. Re
- [The Father](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-father.md): François Tessier, a lonely bureaucrat, becomes obsessed with a young woman he sees daily on the omnibus. After a brief affair, she becomes pregnant, and he abandons her in fear. Years later, he sees her again with their 
- [The String](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-string.md): Maître Hauchecorne, a peasant, picks up a piece of string from the ground, but is falsely accused by his enemy Malandain of stealing a lost pocketbook. Despite the pocketbook being returned by another man, Hauchecorne's 
- [A Wise Man](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-wise-man.md): The narrator recounts his deep friendship with Blérot, which is strained after Blérot's marriage to a pale, delicate woman. After an eighteen-month absence, the narrator finds Blérot emaciated and confessing that his wif
- [The First Fall of Snow](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-first-fall-of-snow.md): A woman trapped in a cold, isolated Norman manor suffers from her husband's indifference to her physical and emotional needs. After losing her parents, she becomes increasingly desperate for warmth and change. In a despe
- [The Model](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-model.md): A painter, Jean Summer, is married to a crippled woman, his former model. The story of their relationship is recounted: he fell in love with her, they lived together, but constant quarrels led him to try to break off the
- [Practical Jokes](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/practical-jokes.md): The narrator reflects on the lost art of practical jokes, recounting two personal anecdotes: one where he is the victim of a prank involving a moved mattress and a falling footman, and another where he exacts revenge on 
- [The Hand](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-hand.md): Examining magistrate Monsieur Bermutier recounts a mysterious case from his time in Corsica involving an Englishman, Sir John Rowell, who lived in seclusion and kept a flayed, chained hand in his home. After a year, Rowe
- [Waiter, a Bock](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/waiter-a-bock.md): The narrator recounts encountering an old college friend, the Comte Jean des Barrets, in a beer hall. Des Barrets has become a permanent fixture of the café, drinking bocks from morning until closing. He explains that hi
- [The Old Man](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-old-man.md): A peasant couple, Maître Chicot and his wife Phémie, await the death of Phémie's elderly father, who lingers on despite their expectations. Anxious not to miss the good weather for transplanting colza, they decide to pro
- [Letter Found on a Drowned Man](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/letter-found-on-a-drowned-man.md): A man writes to a woman explaining that he has never been in love, attributing it to his overly critical nature and a high ideal of harmony between body and soul. He recounts a single night on a river with a woman that a
- [The Christening](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-christening.md): A peasant family gathers for the christening of the newborn Dentu child. The procession walks to the church, where the child's uncle, a priest, officiates the ceremony. Afterward, the family returns home for a festive me
- [Coco](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/coco.md): A young farmhand, Zidore, is tasked with caring for an old, retired horse named Coco. Resentful of feeding a useless animal, he gradually starves it to death by moving its tether less and less until it dies of hunger. Th
- [Misti](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/misti.md): A bachelor recounts his affair with a married woman, Emma, and their shared adventures, including a visit to a fortune teller whose story about a jealous cat leads Emma to give away her own cat, Misti, out of fear for he
- [A Coward](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-coward.md): Viscount Gontran-Joseph de Signoles, a confident and socially admired man, finds his composure shattered after he challenges a stranger to a duel for staring at a female companion. As he prepares for the duel, he is cons
- [Rose](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/rose.md): Two young women, Marguerite and Simone, enjoy the battle of flowers at Cannes and later discuss love and servants. Marguerite recounts a disturbing story about her maid Rose, who was actually a male convict named Jean Ni
- [A Traveller's Notes](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-traveller-s-notes.md): The narrator describes a train journey along the French Riviera, observing fellow passengers and their behaviors, including a sleeping hunchback, a hostile stout lady, and a young couple. He reflects on the vulgarity of 
- [The Patron](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-patron.md): Jean Marin, a provincial sheriff's son who becomes a State Councillor, develops an obsessive need to patronize everyone he meets, writing countless letters of introduction. One rainy day, he offers shelter and recommenda
- [The Umbrella](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-umbrella.md): Madame Oreille, a frugal and domineering wife, is forced to buy her husband a new silk umbrella after his cheap one is ruined by office jokes. When the new umbrella quickly becomes riddled with burn holes, she accuses hi
- [An Idyll](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/an-idyll.md): On a train from Genoa to Marseilles, a young Italian laborer and a peasant woman traveling to work as a nurse share a carriage. The woman, suffering from engorgement due to not nursing, accepts the man's offer to suckle 
- [A Sale](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-sale.md): In a courtroom, two peasants, Brument and Cornu, are tried for attempting to drown Brument's wife in a barrel. The trial reveals a drunken scheme where Brument agrees to sell his wife to Cornu by the cubic meter, leading
- [Mother Savage](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/mother-savage.md): During the Franco-Prussian War, an old woman named Mother Savage lives alone in a remote house after her son's death in battle. She is forced to quarter four Prussian soldiers, whom she treats with cold civility. When sh
- [I](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/i.md): The narrator returns to Virelogne after fifteen years to hunt with his friend Serval. He reflects on his deep, sensual love for the landscape and recalls a ruined hut once inhabited by the Savage family, whose story Serv
- [II](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/ii.md): Mother Savage receives news that her son Victor has been killed in the war. In her grief, she sets fire to her house while four Prussian soldiers are sleeping in the attic, burning them alive. She confesses to the act an
- [The Tramp](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-tramp.md): The story follows Nicolas Toussaint, known as 'Bell,' a crippled beggar who has spent forty years dragging himself through the same few villages. After two days without food, he steals and kills a hen from Maître Chiquet
- [A Meeting](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-meeting.md): Baron d'Étraille, separated from his wife Berthe for six years after catching her in an affair, accidentally shares a train compartment with her. He is struck by how much she has improved and matured, while she remains i
- [The Legacy](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-legacy.md): A story about a woman who inherits a legacy from her aunt, but the legacy comes with a condition that leads to unexpected consequences.
- [I](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/i.md): The chapter introduces the office dynamics at a government ministry, focusing on clerks Cachelin, Maze, Pitolet, Boissel, and old Savon. They discuss promotions, play pranks on Savon, and Cachelin schemes to secure a pro
- [II](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/ii.md): Lesable visits the Cachelin home, where he is introduced to Mademoiselle Charlotte and Cora. Over dinner, he impresses the family with his opinions on work, religion, and society, and is chosen king of the Twelfth Night 
- [III](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/iii.md): Lesable and Cora settle into married life, but Lesable's anxiety over his aunt's conditional inheritance and his lack of promotion at work grows. The aunt dies, and her will reveals that Cora must bear a child within thr
- [IV](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/iv.md): After Aunt Charlotte's burial, Lesable becomes obsessed with fathering a child to secure her million-franc inheritance. He and his wife Cora move to the countryside to improve his health and chances of conception, but th
- [V](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/v.md): Lesable and his wife Cora, along with her father Cachelin, are consumed by their failure to produce an heir and secure Aunt Charlotte's fortune. Cora and Cachelin constantly reproach and humiliate Lesable, blaming him fo
- [VI](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/vi.md): Cora's pregnancy is announced, bringing joy and hope for a fortune. The tension between Lesable and Maze eases into a cautious friendship, culminating in Maze's acceptance of a dinner invitation. Cachelin's delight over 
- [VII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/vii.md): After the discovery of Cora's pregnancy, the three relatives live in perfect accord, but the presence of Maze becomes increasingly uncomfortable. Cora eventually asks Maze to stop visiting when her husband is not home, a
- [VIII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/viii.md): The chapter covers the period leading up to Cora's confinement and the christening of her daughter Désirée. The family buys a country house at Asnières, and Cachelin retires to pursue scroll-saw crafts. The christening i
- [Happiness](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/happiness.md): During a twilight conversation about love and its endurance, a group of friends witnesses the rare appearance of Corsica on the horizon. An old gentleman recounts his journey to the island, where he discovered a woman wh
- [Farewell](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/farewell.md): Pierre Carnier recounts to his friend Henri Simon the painful moment he realized he had grown old. He describes a passionate love affair from twelve years ago with a beautiful young woman at Étretat. Years later, he acci
- [Solitude](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/solitude.md): After a male dinner-party, the narrator walks with a friend along the Champs-Élysées. The friend delivers a long, anguished monologue about the fundamental and inescapable loneliness of every human being. He argues that 
- [My Landlady](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/my-landlady.md): George Kervelen recounts his time as a law student in Paris, living under the strict but increasingly fond eye of his landlady, Mme. Kergaran. After negotiating a latchkey for late-night freedom, he begins an affair with
- [The Little Cask](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-little-cask.md): Maître Chicot, the innkeeper, covets Mother Magloire's farm and proposes a life annuity of fifty crowns per month in exchange for the property after her death. She hesitates but eventually agrees after consulting a notar
- [Châli](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/ch-li.md): Admiral de la Valle recounts a singular love adventure from his past, speaking from his armchair with a dry, Voltairian smile.
- [I](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/i.md): A first lieutenant in the navy recounts his astronomical expedition to Central India, where he is hosted by the wealthy and capricious Rajah Maddan. The rajah presents him with six young girls as a harem, and the narrato
- [II](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/ii.md): Two years later, the narrator returns to Bombay and visits Rajah Maddan. He inquires about Châli and learns from Haribadada that she was accused of stealing a shell-covered box that the narrator had actually given her. U
- [The Drunkard](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-drunkard.md): A story about a man whose life is consumed by alcoholism, leading to his downfall and the suffering of those around him.
- [I](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/i.md): A violent storm rages along the coast of Yport, driving two Norman fishermen, Jérémie and Mathurin, into Parmelle's café. They drink heavily, play dominoes, and eventually leave late into the night, with Mathurin locking
- [II](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/ii.md): A drunken sailor, Jérémie, returns home late at night, collapses into his house, and in a fit of drunken rage, beats his wife to death with a chair leg, then falls asleep beside the bed.
- [A Woman’s Hair](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-woman-s-hair.md): A man becomes obsessed with a lock of blond hair he discovers hidden in an antique cabinet, leading to a descent into madness as he begins to believe the dead woman whose hair it was returns to him each night. The story 
- [The Horrible](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-horrible.md): General de G—— recounts two harrowing stories to illustrate the true meaning of 'horror': the mistaken execution of a woman as a spy during the Franco-Prussian War, and the cannibalistic survival of the Flatters Mission 
- [A Memory](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-memory.md): The narrator recalls a youthful Sunday adventure in the woods near Paris, where he encounters a quarreling couple. The husband, a glove-shop keeper, has lost his dog and his wallet, while his wife openly berates him. Aft
- [A Walk](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-walk.md): Old Levas, a bookkeeper who has spent forty years in a dark, monotonous office, takes a rare evening walk on a warm spring night. He observes the vibrant life of Paris—lovers in carriages, women of the night—and is overw
- [The Sisters Rondoli](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-sisters-rondoli.md): A man recounts his travels in Italy, focusing on his encounter with the Rondoli sisters, particularly Francesca, and the complexities of love and desire that arise during his journey.
- [I](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/i.md): Pierre Jouvent describes his aversion to travel, particularly the discomforts of train journeys, hotel beds, and solitary dinners, and explains how he persuaded his friend Paul Pavilly to accompany him to Italy by promis
- [II](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/ii.md): The narrator recounts his journey to Genoa with a mysterious Italian woman named Francesca Rondoli, whom he met on the train. Despite warnings from his friend Paul, he becomes entangled with her, spending days wandering 
- [III](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/iii.md): The narrator returns to Genoa a year later and is haunted by memories of Francesca Rondoli. He seeks her out, but finds her mother, who tells him Francesca has gone to Paris with a painter. The mother then introduces her
- [What the Colonel Thought](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/what-the-colonel-thought.md): Colonel Laporte, an old veteran, recounts a story from the Franco-Prussian War where his exhausted detachment, facing certain death in a snowstorm, is reinvigorated after rescuing a young girl and her father. The soldier
- [Bed No. 29](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/bed-no-29.md): Captain Épivent, a handsome and celebrated officer in Rouen, enjoys a public affair with the beautiful Irma before being sent to war. Upon returning, he learns Irma is in a hospital's syphilis ward, bed 29. She reveals s
- [Nerves](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/nerves.md): The narrator describes the social dynamics of a hotel dining room at a watering-place, where new arrivals are scrutinized. A father and daughter arrive; the father has a nervous twitch in his hand, and the daughter appea
- [Confessing](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/confessing.md): Céleste Malivoire confesses to her mother that she is pregnant by Polyte, the coachman, after a long period of exchanging free rides for sexual favors. Her mother beats her in fury, then they calculate the financial cost
- [Fear](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/fear.md): A traveler on a midnight train witnesses a strange vision of two men around a fire in a forest, prompting a conversation with an elderly fellow passenger about the nature of fear. The old man argues that true fear comes 
- [The Return](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-return.md): A fisherman's wife, Madame Martin-Lévesque, becomes alarmed when a strange, ragged man begins loitering near her home. The man is revealed to be her first husband, Martin, long believed lost at sea. His return throws the
- [The Tomb](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-tomb.md): In the early hours of July 17, 1883, the cemetery caretaker Vincent discovers a young lawyer, Courbataille, exhuming the corpse of his recently deceased mistress. At his trial, Courbataille delivers a passionate defense,
- [The Confession](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-confession.md): Captain Hector-Marie de Fontenne, a strict and austere officer, marries the precocious and wealthy Mlle. Laurine d'Estelle. During military maneuvers, he gets drunk and has a one-night stand with an actress. Tormented by
- [The Castaway](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-castaway.md): Madame de Cadour, an elderly woman, persuades her old friend Monsieur d'Apreval to accompany her on a walk in the countryside despite her husband's objections. During their journey, she reveals her long-suppressed desire
- [Yvette](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/yvette.md): The chapter introduces Yvette, a young woman navigating her relationships and social standing, revealing themes of love, desire, and the illusions of her world.
- [I](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/i.md): The Duc de Servigny describes to his friend Saval the alluring and morally ambiguous world of the Marquise Obardi's salon, focusing on her mysterious daughter Yvette. He oscillates between seeing her as an innocent girl 
- [II](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/ii.md): Yvette confronts her mother, the Marquise Obardi, about Servigny's marriage proposal. The Marquise, a courtesan, dismisses the idea as impossible, knowing Servigny's intentions are dishonorable. Meanwhile, Servigny and S
- [III](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/iii.md): Yvette, after overhearing her mother's secret, is plunged into a crisis of disillusionment and resolve. She confronts Madame Obardi, demanding they leave their life of luxury and live honestly, but her mother refuses and
- [IV](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/iv.md): Yvette, despairing of her mother's lifestyle and her own future, resolves to commit suicide by chloroform rather than become a kept woman. She procures the drug from multiple chemists, writes a farewell letter, and prepa
- [Mad?](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/mad.md): The narrator recounts his acquaintance with Jacques Parent, a man who died mad in an asylum. Jacques reveals his terrifying power of magnetism, which allows him to control animals and even objects through his will and ga
- [Unmasked](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/unmasked.md): The narrator encounters his old friend Henri Sidoine on a boat to Trouville, who expresses intense frustration with the English passengers. Sidoine reveals he married an Englishwoman and explains how his infatuation with
- [The Dowry](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-dowry.md): Maître Simon Lebrument marries Mlle. Jeanne Cordier, who brings a dowry of three hundred thousand francs. After a week of marital bliss, they travel to Paris, where Lebrument convinces his wife to ride inside an omnibus 
- [Mohammed-Fripouille](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/mohammed-fripouille.md): Captain Marret recounts a brutal early adventure in Algeria, where as a young spahi he joined a rogue sergeant named Mohammed-Fripouille in a punitive expedition against the Ould-Berghi tribe. After executing the chief, 
- [The Legacy](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-legacy.md): Monsieur and Madame Serbois learn that their friend Vaudrec has left his entire fortune to Madame Serbois. Monsieur Serbois, initially shocked and suspicious, accuses his wife of being Vaudrec's mistress. After her calm 
- [The Keeper](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-keeper.md): An old friend, Monsieur Boniface, recounts a shooting story from his past. In 1854, he arrives at his hunting lodge to find his keeper, Cavalier, troubled by his nephew Marius's poaching. After punishing the boy, a fire 
- [Berthe](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/berthe.md): A doctor recounts the story of Berthe, a beautiful but severely intellectually disabled young woman. Through a series of experiments, he teaches her to associate sounds and sights with mealtimes, awakening a limited awar
- [Bombard](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/bombard.md): Simon Bombard, a lazy Norman with a desire for wealth and leisure, marries the Englishwoman Kate Robertson for her fortune. He soon finds himself under her firm control and resorts to cunning schemes to pursue his pleasu
- [The Confession](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-confession.md): After the funeral of the highly respected Monsieur Badon-Leremincé, his children and son-in-law open his will, which contains a posthumous confession. He reveals that as a young man in Paris, he took a mistress who becam
- [Scene I](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/scene-i.md): M. de Garelle, a divorced bachelor, reflects on his past marriage, his suspicions of infidelity, and the thrashing he gave his ex-wife. He muses on the pleasures of anticipation and the hunt for a new love, only to unexp
- [Scene II](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/scene-ii.md): De Garelle confronts his ex-wife, Mathilde, now married to Chantever, and argues that her infidelity justified his past violence. He proposes they become lovers, framing it as restitution for her betrayal. After a tense 
- [Country Courts](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/country-courts.md): In a provincial courthouse, the Justice of the Peace presides over a case brought by Madame Bascule against Isidore Paturon, a young peasant she raised and supported for fifteen years. She claims he promised never to lea
- [Room No. Eleven](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/room-no-eleven.md): The narrator recounts the scandalous story of President Amandon's transfer, revealing his wife's secret double life. For eight years, Madame Amandon, a respected provincial woman, maintained a rented room at the Hôtel du
- [The Closet](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-closet.md): A man recounts a night spent with a prostitute, during which he discovers she has a young son hidden in a closet because she cannot afford separate lodging. The revelation exposes the harsh realities of poverty and the c
- [Military Honors](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/military-honors.md): In the Aveline forest, a young forester's daughter named Berthine and her mother are left alone while her father, Nicholas 'Longlegs' Pichon, is away. A detachment of Prussian soldiers, lost and starving, arrives at thei
- [For Sale](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/for-sale.md): The narrator describes a blissful morning walk along the Brittany coast, where he encounters a charming seaside house with a 'For Sale' sign. He feels an inexplicable familiarity and love for the place. Inside, he sees a
- [Toine](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/toine.md): The story of Toine, a lazy and obese innkeeper who is bedridden after a stroke, and his wife who exploits his condition by using him to hatch eggs for profit.
- [I](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/i.md): The chapter introduces 'Toine, a famously fat and jovial tavern-keeper in the hamlet of Tournevent, known for his humor and his cognac. It describes his contentious relationship with his perpetually angry wife, Mother 'T
- [II](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/ii.md): Toine, a paralyzed tavern-keeper, is bedridden and cared for by his wife, who resents his idleness. His friends visit daily to play dominoes, but his wife disrupts their games. Prosper Horslaville suggests she use Toine'
- [III](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/iii.md): Toine is forced to hatch chicken eggs in his bed, leading to a comical and triumphant event when all the eggs hatch successfully, bringing joy and pride to Toine and amusement to the townsfolk.
- [The Christening](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-christening.md): A naval doctor recounts a tragic story from his time in Brittany, where a christening ceremony in bitter cold leads to the death of an infant. The parents and nurse, following local customs, strip the baby naked in the s
- [The Unknown](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-unknown.md): Roger des Annettes recounts his obsessive pursuit of a mysterious, alluring woman he repeatedly encounters in Paris, whose identity remains unknown and who ultimately refuses to acknowledge him, leaving him tormented by 
- [Blue and White](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/blue-and-white.md): The narrator rows out onto the Mediterranean with his friend Pol, who reads aloud news of devastating avalanches in Piedmont. As they drift away from the white town and toward the towering snow-covered Alps, the conversa
- [Our Friends the English](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/our-friends-the-english.md): The narrator finds a traveler's diary in a railway carriage and copies out its last three pages. The diary recounts the author's stay at a hotel in Mentone, where he is surrounded by a group of stiff, religious English t
- [Letter from a Madman](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/letter-from-a-madman.md): A man writes to a doctor, confessing his descent into madness after a philosophical realization about the limitations of human senses. He describes how a quote from Montesquieu led him to understand that our organs deter
- [Old Mongilet](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/old-mongilet.md): Old Mongilet, an eccentric office clerk who has never left Paris, recounts his one and only disastrous trip to the countryside twenty years ago. Invited by his friend Boivin to Colombes, he endures a miserable day: a tin
- [Roger's Method](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/roger-s-method.md): Roger confides to a friend the embarrassing story of his wedding night, when his new wife's teasing and his own nervousness led to a humiliating failure. To regain his confidence and exact revenge, he left the house and 
- [In a Railway Carriage](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/in-a-railway-carriage.md): A group of aristocratic mothers in Royat worry about the moral dangers their sons might face traveling alone by train from Paris. They arrange for Father Lecuir, a young priest and tutor, to escort the three boys home. D
- [The Little Soldier](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-little-soldier.md): Two Breton soldiers, Jean Kerderen and Luc Le Ganidec, take weekly walks to a spot that reminds them of their homeland. Their routine is disrupted when Luc begins a secret romance with a local milkmaid, leading to Jean's
- [Checkmate](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/checkmate.md): The narrator encounters a young married woman on a ship to Corsica, engages her in conversation, and attempts to seduce her during the journey. Despite his efforts, she ultimately reunites with her husband with apparent 
- [Joseph](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/joseph.md): Two intoxicated young noblewomen, the Baroness Andrée de Fraisières and the Comtesse Noëmi de Gardens, share intimate confidences about their romantic exploits. The Baroness describes her method of seducing men, includin
- [Finis](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/finis.md): The Count of Lormerin receives a letter from an old lover, Lise de Vance, whom he has not seen for twenty-five years. He recalls their brief, intense romance and agrees to dine with her. Upon arriving, he finds her aged 
- [The Hairpin](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-hairpin.md): The narrator visits a reclusive Frenchman living on a distant, fertile coast. The man, who has amassed a fortune through relentless labor, reveals his consuming obsession with a woman named Jeanne de Limours, who ruined 
- [The Secret](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-secret.md): The Marquise de Rennedon visits the Baroness de Grangerie and confesses that she has taken revenge on her husband, Simon, by deliberately seducing a man named Baubiguac. She describes her husband's jealousy and oppressiv
- [My Twenty-Five Days](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/my-twenty-five-days.md): The narrator discovers a diary left behind by a previous hotel guest, chronicling a 25-day stay at a health resort in Châtel-Guyon. The diary details the monotonous treatment routine, observations of other guests, and th
- [A Madman](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-madman.md): The posthumous diary of a revered high-court judge reveals his secret identity as a cunning, undetected madman who murders for pleasure and frames an innocent man for his crime.
- [Indiscretion](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/indiscretion.md): A married couple, Paul and Henrietta, attempt to rekindle their waning passion by dining in a private room at a fashionable café, where Henrietta asks Paul to pretend she is his mistress. During the meal, she questions h
- [Mister Belhomme's Beast](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/mister-belhomme-s-beast.md): On a stagecoach journey from Criquetot to Havre, passengers including a priest, schoolmaster, and peasants discuss Mister Belhomme's severe ear pain. He believes a beast is inside his ear, and after attempts to remove it
- [The Woodcocks](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-woodcocks.md): The narrator writes to a friend in Paris, explaining his absence during woodcock season. He describes his rustic life in Normandy with the d'Orgemol brothers, their hunting rituals, and the anticipation of the first fros
- [Monsieur Parent](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/monsieur-parent.md): Monsieur Parent's servant Julie reveals to him that his wife Henriette has been unfaithful with his friend Paul Limousin and that his son Georges may not be his own. Parent is thrown into a crisis of doubt and anguish, e
- [II](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/ii.md): Parent, now living alone and haunted by memories of his son Georges, obsesses over whether the child is truly his or Limousin's. He follows his ex-wife Henriette, Limousin, and the now-grown Georges on a family outing, f
- [Ça Ira](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-ira.md): The narrator recounts a chance encounter with a former acquaintance, a woman once known as 'Ça Ira' among a group of boating enthusiasts at Chatou. She is now a tobacco shopkeeper in Barvilles. The story delves into her 
- [Saved](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/saved.md): A woman, after a passionate encounter, believes she has been saved from a life of sin and despair by the man she loves, only to realize that he views their relationship as a mere dalliance, leaving her to confront the pa
- [I](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/i.md): The little Marquise de Rennedon bursts into her friend's room, laughing uncontrollably, and announces she is saved because she can now get a divorce from her husband. She explains that for three months her husband has be
- [II](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/ii.md): A woman recounts her elaborate scheme to secure a divorce by hiring a professional maid, Rose, to seduce her husband and be caught in flagrante delicto. The plan succeeds, and she celebrates her newfound freedom.
- [Little Roque](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/little-roque.md): The postman Médéric discovers the naked body of a young girl in the copse belonging to Mayor Renardet. The doctor confirms rape and murder, and the mother, Madame Roque, arrives in hysterical grief. The mayor and examini
- [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/ii.md): Joseph Renardet, the mayor, is tormented by guilt after murdering a young girl. He contemplates suicide but hesitates, attempting to retrieve a confession letter from the postman. His nights are haunted by visions of the
- [The Wreck](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-wreck.md): The narrator, an agent for a shipping company, travels to the island of Ré to inspect the wreck of the Marie-Joseph. After meeting the captain of the Jean-Guiton, he learns the story of the ship's loss and is guided to t
- [Mademoiselle Pearl](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/mademoiselle-pearl.md): The narrator recounts a New Year's Day dinner at the home of his friend Monsieur Chantal, where the family tradition includes a peculiar ritual of presenting a gift to Mademoiselle Pearl, an elderly spinster who lives wi
- [I](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/i.md): The narrator describes his annual tradition of dining with the Chantal family on Twelfth Night, a family that lives in Paris as if in the provinces, isolated from the real Paris. He recounts their peculiar shopping exped
- [II](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/ii.md): The narrator attends the annual Epiphany dinner at the Chantal home, where he unexpectedly finds the lucky bean in the Twelfth Night cake and is proclaimed king. To avoid choosing between the two marriageable daughters, 
- [III](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/iii.md): On Twelfth Night, Monsieur Chantal recounts the mysterious story of how, forty-one years ago, his family discovered an abandoned baby girl left in a carriage with a dog, after a series of eerie bell rings and a search th
- [IV](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/iv.md): The narrator confronts Monsieur Chantal about his unspoken love for Mademoiselle Pearl, leading to an emotional breakdown. The narrator then reveals the truth to Mademoiselle Pearl, who faints. The chapter explores the h
- [The Hermit](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-hermit.md): A narrator recounts visiting a hermit living atop the Hill of Serpents near Cannes. The hermit, once a Parisian bachelor, reveals he fled society after discovering that a young woman he casually picked up on his fortieth
- [On Cats](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/on-cats.md): The narrator reflects on the dual nature of cats—their charm and treachery—and draws parallels to certain women. He recounts a dreamlike stay at a castle in Thorence, where a cat mysteriously enters his locked room throu
- [Rosalie Prudent](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/rosalie-prudent.md): Rosalie Prudent, a servant girl, is on trial for infanticide. She initially remains silent but eventually confesses that the father is Monsieur Joseph Varambot, her employers' nephew. She describes her seduction, pregnan
- [Madame Parisse](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/madame-parisse.md): Madame Parisse, a lonely and neglected wife, finds a brief but intense romantic escape with a young naval officer during her husband's absence. Their affair is discovered, leading to scandal and her husband's violent rea
- [I](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/i.md): The narrator, sitting on the breakwater at Obernon near Antibes, describes the stunning sunset view of Antibes against the Alps, evoking Homeric echoes of Troy. His companion M. Martini points out a woman named Mme. Pari
- [II](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/ii.md): Mme. Parisse, a beautiful young woman unhappily married to the dull M. Parisse, falls in love with Major Jean de Carmelin in Antibes. They begin a courtship through daily walks and glances. When her husband unexpectedly 
- [III](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/iii.md): Two travelers, M. Saribe and M. Parisse, arrive by train in Antibes only to find the town gates guarded by soldiers with bayonets. After being turned away and spending a fearful night in the station waiting room, they ar
- [IV](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/iv.md): The narrator reflects on the story told by M. Martini about Madame Parisse and her lover, observing her as she walks by at sunset. He muses on the nature of modern love, comparing the tale to Homeric epic but with a comi
- [Julie Romain](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/julie-romain.md): The narrator, while walking along the Mediterranean coast, discovers a charming villa named 'Villa d'Antan' and learns it belongs to the aging former actress Julie Romain. He visits her, and she reflects on her past triu
- [The Sign](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-sign.md): The little Baroness de Grangerie visits her friend, the little Marquise de Rennedon, early in the morning, distraught over an incident that occurred the previous day. While sitting at her window overlooking the Rue Saint
- [Old Amable](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/old-amable.md): The story of Old Amable, a stubborn and impoverished peasant who refuses to adapt to changing times, leading to conflict with his son and eventual tragedy.
- [I](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/i.md): Césaire Houlbrèque seeks to marry Céleste Lévesque despite his father Old Amable's fierce opposition, rooted in avarice and resentment over her illegitimate child. After hesitation, Césaire enlists the priest Father Raff
- [II](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/ii.md): After Césaire's death, Céleste is left alone to manage the farm with her child and her hostile father-in-law, Old Amable. She seeks help from Victor Lecoq, the father of her child, and they agree to marry. The wedding ta
- [III](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/iii.md): The village holds its annual feast day, the Assemblée, with traveling shows, gambling, and amusements. Old Amable attends, drinks with a friend, and returns home to find Victor Lecoq, the new man of the house, eating sup
- [A Family](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-family.md): The narrator visits his old friend Simon Radevin after fifteen years, only to find him transformed into a stout, complacent provincial family man. The visit reveals a household centered on mundane domesticity and the cru
- [The Devil](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-devil.md): Honoré Bontemps, a peasant, must decide whether to leave his dying ninety-two-year-old mother to harvest his corn. The doctor insists he hire the Rapet woman to nurse her. Honoré negotiates a lump sum of six francs with 
- [A Divorce Case](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-divorce-case.md): In a courtroom, the defense counsel for Mme. Chassel argues that her husband's behavior is not criminal but pathological, comparing him to the mad King of Bavaria. He reads from the husband's diary, which reveals a deep 
- [The Inn](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-inn.md): The Schwarenbach Inn, high in the Alps, closes for winter as the Hauser family descends to Loëche, leaving the old guide Gaspard Hari and young guide Ulrich Kunsi alone with the dog Sam. The two men settle into a monoton
- [Are We to Teach Latin?](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/are-we-to-teach-latin.md): The narrator recounts his youth at the Institution Robineau, a boarding school famous for its Latin instruction under the usher M. Piquedent. Piquedent, a lonely and passionate Latinist, confides his misery to the narrat
- [The Hole](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-hole.md): At the Assizes, upholsterer Léopold Renard is tried for causing the death of a man during a quarrel over a fishing spot. He recounts how a dispute with another couple escalated into a physical fight, resulting in the man
- [The Marquis of Fumerol](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-marquis-of-fumerol.md): The Vicomte Roger de Tourneville recounts the family's attempt to secure a deathbed conversion for his freethinking uncle, the Marquis de Fumerol, against the backdrop of political and religious tensions. His mother, the
- [The Farmer](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-farmer.md): Baron René de Treilles invites a friend to his farm at Marinville for shooting. Upon arrival, they are greeted by the farmer, Master Lebrument, an old and devoted servant. After dinner, the Baron recounts the tragic stor
- [A Cry of Alarm](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-cry-of-alarm.md): A bachelor recounts a letter he received from a naive man who, after getting his married mistress drunk, learns that women often manipulate and deceive their husbands and lovers. The drunken woman confesses that many wom
- [Love](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/love.md): The narrator reflects on a news story about a passionate crime, which triggers a memory of a duck hunt with his cousin Karl de Rauville in a frozen marsh. After a night of bitter cold, they shoot a pair of teal; the male
- [Clochette](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/clochette.md): The narrator recalls his childhood memory of Mother Clochette, an old, bearded, limping dressmaker who visited his family's home every Tuesday. He adored her and listened to her simple, dramatic stories. One day, he find
- [In the Wood](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/in-the-wood.md): A married couple in their sixties is caught by the village constable in a compromising act in the woods. Brought before the mayor, the husband is mortified while the wife explains her longing for romance and regret over 
- [The Tramp](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-tramp.md): Jacques Raudel, a carpenter's mate, wanders the countryside for forty days in search of work, reduced to begging and manual labor for scraps. Starving and desperate, he assaults a servant girl, then is captured by police
- [A New Year's Gift](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-new-year-s-gift.md): Jacques de Rayndal, alone on New Year's Eve, prepares to write letters and reflects on his love affair with Irène. His mistress unexpectedly arrives, claiming her husband struck her and that she cannot return home. After
- [Madame Hermet](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/madame-hermet.md): The narrator reflects on the fascination of madness, describing how the insane live in a world freed from reason and reality. He visits an asylum where a doctor shows him a patient, Madame Hermet, who believes her face i
- [Epiphany](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/epiphany.md): Captain the Comte de Garens recounts a Twelfth Night during the war when he and his men, led by the resourceful Pierre de Marchas, occupy the ruined village of Porterin. They set up quarters in an intact villa, and March
- [One Night's Entertainment](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/one-night-s-entertainment.md): Sergeant-Major Varajou visits his sister and brother-in-law in the dreary town of Vannes, but finds their pious, dull household unbearable. Seeking amusement, he goes to a café and is directed to a house of ill repute. M
- [The Door](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-door.md): Karl Massouligny recounts a tale of a husband who cleverly exposes his wife's lack of physical allure to discourage a suitor. The narrator, initially attracted to the wife, becomes intrigued by the husband's apparent com
- [The Baroness](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-baroness.md): A dealer of rare art recounts to the narrator and his friend Boisrené the story of Baroness Samoris, a woman of discreet reputation who uses a Renaissance Christ as a pretext to attract wealthy clients, ultimately buying
- [The Horla](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-horla.md): The narrator records his growing unease and eventual terror as he becomes convinced that an invisible, malevolent being—the Horla—is haunting him, controlling his actions, and threatening his very existence. The story cu
- [Night](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/night.md): The narrator expresses a passionate love for the night, describing how it rejuvenates him while daylight drains him. He recounts a nocturnal walk through Paris that begins with joy and wonder but gradually descends into 
- [The Dead Woman](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-dead-woman.md): A man recounts his obsessive love for a woman who died after catching a cold in the rain. Overwhelmed by grief, he visits her grave and, in a hallucinatory episode, witnesses the dead rising to rewrite their tombstones w
- [Madame Husson's May King](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/madame-husson-s-may-king.md): Doctor Marambot recounts the story of Madame Husson, a virtuous old woman who decides to crown a May King in Gisors after failing to find a girl of impeccable virtue. She selects Isidore, a notoriously chaste young man, 
- [The Father](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-father.md): The narrator visits his friend Jean de Valnoix, who recounts how seven years ago he discovered a caravan in the forest with a woman in labor. He helped deliver the child and brought the family to his home. Since then, th
- [The Rabbit](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-rabbit.md): Old Lecacheur, the mayor of Pavigny-le-Gras, discovers that a prized grey rabbit has been stolen from his farm. Suspecting the former laborer Polyte, he calls the police. Inspector Sénateur and Constable Lenient investig
- [The Orderly](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-orderly.md): Colonel Limousin's wife drowns herself and leaves a letter confessing her affair and the blackmail by the orderly Philip, leading the Colonel to kill Philip.
- [Moiron](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/moiron.md): M. Maloureau recounts the infamous case of schoolmaster Moiron, who was convicted of poisoning children with ground glass and needles. Despite a last-minute pardon from the Emperor, Moiron later confesses on his deathbed
- [The Assassin](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-assassin.md): A young defense attorney argues that Jean-Nicolas Lougère, who murdered his employer M. Langlais, is not a common criminal but a man driven by a deep, almost religious reverence for honor and integrity. Lougère, a model 
- [Duchoux](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/duchoux.md): Baron Mordiane, feeling the weight of loneliness and old age, decides to travel to Marseilles to secretly observe the son he fathered years ago. He finds the son, now a provincial architect named Duchoux, living in a mes
- [The Rival Pins](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-rival-pins.md): Two young men discuss romantic entanglements over drinks. One recounts how his two mistresses discovered each other through a series of pins left in his apartment, leading to their alliance and his dismissal.
- [Divorce](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/divorce.md): A retired notary recounts to his lawyer the bizarre circumstances of his marriage to a woman he met through a personal ad, only to discover that her substantial dowry was accumulated through bearing children for multiple
- [Our Letters](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/our-letters.md): The narrator, staying at the estate of Abelle, is given Aunt Rose's room. Unable to sleep, he discovers a secret compartment in a desk containing two packages of love letters. Reading them, he finds a correspondence betw
- [The Mother Superior's Twenty-Five Francs](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-mother-superior-s-twenty-five-francs.md): Old Pavilly, a comical peasant known for his pranks, breaks his leg during a harvest celebration and is taken to a hospital. There, he amuses the nuns with his antics and is eventually given twenty-five francs by the Mot
- [The Drowned Man](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-drowned-man.md): A man is found drowned, and the circumstances surrounding his death are investigated, revealing tensions and secrets among the local community.
- [I](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/i.md): The chapter recounts the story of old Mother Patin, a woman trapped in a brutal marriage with Patin, a fisherman who married her for her looks but soon regretted it. He subjects her to constant verbal abuse and physical 
- [II](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/ii.md): Widow Patin, haunted by the memory of her abusive drowned husband, buys a parrot that eerily mimics his voice. Convinced the bird is possessed by Patin's spirit, she kills it in a frenzy and disposes of its body, then co
- [The Cripple](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-cripple.md): The narrator encounters a crippled former officer, Captain Revalière, on a train. Through conversation, he learns that Revalière was engaged to Mlle. de Mandal before the war, but after losing both legs, he refused to ma
- [A Portrait](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/a-portrait.md): The narrator visits the home of M. Milial, a man of mysterious charm, and is captivated by a portrait of Milial's mother. The portrait seems alive, solitary, and deeply affecting, creating an intimate atmosphere. The nar
- [Hautot and His Son](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/hautot-and-his-son.md): The elder Hautot, a wealthy farmer, dies after a hunting accident, but not before confessing a secret to his son: he has a mistress in Rouen whom he has supported for years. The son, initially shocked, eventually visits 
- [I](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/i.md): On the first day of the shooting season, the elder Hautot, a wealthy Norman farmer, goes hunting with his son César and two guests. After shooting a partridge, he drops his gun and is accidentally shot in the abdomen. Mo
- [II](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/ii.md): César Hautot visits his father's mistress, Caroline Donet, in Rouen to deliver the news of his death and discuss financial arrangements. He discovers that the young boy, Emile, is his half-brother. The visit is marked by
- [III](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/iii.md): César Hautot struggles with loneliness after his father's death, visiting neighbors and recounting the accident. He thinks fondly of Mademoiselle Donet and plans to provide for her and his half-brother Emile. On Thursday
- [One Evening](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/one-evening.md): The narrator recounts a story told by Trémoulin, a bookseller, about his wife's infidelity. Trémoulin describes their happy marriage and his growing jealousy after suspecting she lied about an errand. He eventually sets 
- [Boitelle](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/boitelle.md): Antoine Boitelle, a scavenger who blames his parents for thwarting his youthful ambitions, recounts how he fell in love with a Black waitress while serving in the military. He brings her home to meet his parents, who are
- [Allouma](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/allouma.md): A French colonist in Algeria recounts his passionate and ultimately disillusioning relationship with an Arab woman named Allouma, exploring themes of cultural difference, desire, and the impossibility of true understandi
- [Allouma](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/i.md): The narrator recounts his encounter with an Arab girl named Allouma, given to him by his servant Mohammed. He reflects on the mysterious and impenetrable nature of the conquered Arab race, their habitual lying, and the c
- [II](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/ii.md): The narrator recounts his month-long relationship with Allouma, an Arab woman, describing the cultural and emotional distance between them. He observes her religious devotion during Ramadan, which creates a barrier to in
- [The Rendezvous](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-rendezvous.md): Madame Haggar delays her weekly rendezvous with her lover, the Viscount de Martelet, by loitering in a square, reflecting on the tedium and anxiety of their two-year affair. She dreads the predictable routine of the meet
- [In Port](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/in-port.md): The chapter recounts the story of a sailor returning to port after a long voyage, only to discover that his fiancée has married another man during his absence, leading to a confrontation and tragic consequences.
- [I](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/i.md): The three-masted sailing-ship Notre-Dame-des-Vents returns to Marseilles after a four-year voyage. The captain grants shore leave to two-thirds of the crew, and ten sailors, led by Célestin Duclos, venture into the city'
- [II](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/ii.md): Sailors celebrate ashore with wine and women; Célestin Duclos discovers that the prostitute he has been with is his long-lost sister Françoise, who reveals their parents and brother died of typhoid three years prior, lea
- [The Mask](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-mask.md): At a Mid-Lent ball at the Élysée-Montmartre, an old man wearing a youthful mask dances with frenzied desperation until he collapses. A doctor removes the elaborate disguise to reveal a wrinkled, white-haired face. The do
- [I](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/i.md): The chapter introduces the Bondels, a retired couple living in Saint Germain, whose peaceful life is marred by frequent quarrels. A dispute erupts at lunch over whether to socialize with neighbors rumored to be involved 
- [II](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/ii.md): Bondel, unsettled by his wife's laughter, broods on marital trust and suspicion. He recalls her unexplained quarrel with his friend Tancret and devises a plan to bring them face-to-face to test her reaction.
- [III](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/iii.md): Bondel travels to Paris to reconcile his wife with their estranged friend Tancret. He convinces Tancret to return home for dinner, but when Mme. Bondel appears, her emotional reaction—blushing, trembling, and offering bo
- [Alexander](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/alexander.md): The chapter depicts the daily routine of Mme. Maramballe and her devoted servant Alexander, who pushes her in a wheelchair. Their conversation reveals the captain's bad temper and Alexander's long, self-sacrificing servi
- [The Putter-to-Sleep](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-putter-to-sleep.md): The narrator reflects on suicide statistics, imagining the suffering of those who take their own lives. He dreams of an 'Institute of Voluntary Death' in Paris, a club that offers a painless and dignified death to the de
- [Mouche](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/mouche.md): A boating man recounts his youthful days on the Seine with four friends and their shared mistress, Mouche. When Mouche becomes pregnant, the friends collectively decide to adopt the child, but a tragic accident during a 
- [I](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/i.md): The chapter introduces Abbé Vilbois, a former man of the world who became a priest after a devastating love affair. It recounts his past as Baron Vilbois, his passionate relationship with an actress, her betrayal, and hi
- [II](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/ii.md): Abbé Vilbois encounters a ragged young man who claims to be his son, showing a photograph as proof. The priest initially denies it, recalling a past mistress who he believed had deceived him. The young man explains his m
- [III](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/iii.md): Philippe-Auguste recounts his criminal past to his father, Abbé Vilbois, including a prank that led to drownings and his later revenge. After a tense dinner, a violent struggle ensues in the dark, resulting in the priest
- [Useless Beauty](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/useless-beauty.md): The chapter explores the theme of beauty and its perceived uselessness, focusing on characters who grapple with societal expectations and personal desires.
- [I](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/i.md): The Comte and Comtesse de Mascaret ride through Paris in a tense silence, culminating in a violent confrontation in which the Comtesse reveals that one of their seven children is not his, as an act of revenge against his
- [II](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/ii.md): The Comtesse de Mascaret, after revealing a secret to her husband, waits in dread for his reaction. At dinner, the tension between them is palpable, and the Comte demands she swear to her truth on their children's heads.
- [III](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/iii.md): During an entr'acte at the Opéra, Roger de Salins and Bernard Grandin observe the Comtesse de Mascaret, a strikingly beautiful woman who has had seven children. Their conversation delves into a philosophical critique of 
- [IV](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/iv.md): After the opera, the Comte and Comtesse de Mascaret confront the long-standing doubt about the paternity of their children. The Comte, tormented for six years, demands to know which child is not his. The Comtesse reveals
- [Who Knows?](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/who-knows.md): The narrator recounts a strange and unsettling experience where his furniture and belongings mysteriously disappear from his home, only to later reappear in an antique shop, leading him to question the nature of reality 
- [The Horla (First Chapter)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/i.md): The narrator describes his love of solitude and his secluded life in a house surrounded by a large garden. After attending a performance of Sigurd, he returns home late at night and experiences an inexplicable unease. He
- [II](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/ii.md): The narrator recounts his travels through Italy, Sicily, and Africa before returning to France and settling in Paris. Bored, he decides to explore Normandy and, while wandering through Rouen, discovers a secondhand shop 
- [Graveyard Sirens](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/graveyard-sirens.md): Joseph de Bardon, a bachelor, recounts to his friends a curious encounter in the Montmartre cemetery. He describes his love for cemeteries and his habit of visiting the grave of an old flame. During one visit, he meets a
- [After](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/after.md): Abbé Mauduit confesses to the Countess de Saville that his extreme sensitivity as a child, exacerbated by boarding school, led him to renounce ordinary life and become a priest. He recounts the traumatic death of his bel
- [The Pedlar](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/the-pedlar.md): The narrator reflects on how fleeting associations and chance encounters reveal the desolating truth about life. While wandering in Savoy, he recalls a night from his youth when he met a pedlar on the road between Argent
- [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters/endnotes.md): This chapter consists of endnotes and citations from various volumes of Guy de Maupassant's works, including poetic excerpts, translator's notes, and references to other authors such as Baudelaire, Victor Hugo, and Alfre

HTML index: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_23_se/chapters