Illustrated by
FORSTER ROBSON
LONDON
HOLDEN & HARDINGHAM
CONTENTS
[THE SHADOWLESS MAN] | |
| PAGE | |
| [INTRODUCTION] | |
| [AUTHOR'S INTRODUCTION] | |
| [CHAPTER 1] | |
| [ " 2] | |
| [ " 3] | |
| [ " 4] | |
[THE COLD HEART] | |
| [INTRODUCTION] | |
| [PART 1] | |
| [ " 2] | |
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
THE SHADOWLESS MAN | |
"THE WHOLE SWARM PROCEEDED IMMEDIATELY TO RECONNOITREME AND TO PELT ME WITH MUD" | Frontispiece To face page |
"AN EXTRAORDINARY LOOKING OLD MAN LEFT ME THESEPAPERS SAYING HE CAME FROM BERLIN" | 2 |
FANNY | 6 |
"I DREW THE ILL-FATED PURSE FROM MY BOSOM; AND IN ASORT OF FRENZY THAT RAGED LIKE A SELF-FED FIREWITHIN ME, I TOOK OUT GOLD--GOLD--GOLD" | 16 |
"AND TREMBLING LIKE A CRIMINAL STOLE OUT OF THE HOUSE" | 18 |
"I SUFFERED HER TO FALL FROM MY ARM IN A FAINTING FIT" | 28 |
"SHE ADVANCED FROM THE MIDST OF HER COMPANIONS, ANDBLUSHINGLY KNELT BEFORE ME PRESENTING A WREATH" | 30 |
"NEXT EVENING I WENT AGAIN TO THE FORESTER'S GARDEN" | 42 |
"SO SAYING HE DREW MY SHADOW OUT OF HIS POCKET ANDSTRETCHED IT OUT AT HIS FEET IN THE SUN" | 50 |
"ALONE ON THE WILD HEATH I DISBURDENED MY HEART" | 52 |
THE FOREST OF ANCIENT FIRS | 62 |
"WITH SOME HESITATION HE PUT HIS HAND INTO HIS POCKETAND DREW OUT THE ALTERED AND PALLID FORM OF MR.JOHN" | 76 |
THE DREAM | 78 |
"AND SO WAS OBLIGED TO CONTENT MYSELF WITH ASECONDHAND PAIR" | 80 |
THE FROZEN SEA | 82 |
"AT LAST I SAT DOWN AT THE EXTREME POINT OF LOMBOCKLAMENTING" | 86 |
PETER AT HOME" | 92 |
THE COLD HEART | |
| To face page | |
DUTCH MICHAEL FELLING THE TREES | 14 |
PETER'S DREAM | 22 |
"HAVE YOU HAD ENOUGH, THEY ASKED HIM" | 24 |
"PETER MUNK! WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THE PINE GROVE" | 26 |
"THEN IN A FLASH A MONSTROUS WOODCOCK SWEPT DOWNFROM ABOVE AND SEIZED THE SNAKE IN ITS BEAK" | 28 |
"YOU HAVEN'T QUITE HIT IT, CHARCOAL PETER" | 30 |
PETER GAMBLING AT THE INN" | 36 |
"SO HERE WE ARE AT THE END OF IT ALL" | 40 |
"THEN THE MONSTER STRETCHED FORTH AN ARM AS LONG AS AWEAVER'S BEAM AND A HAND AS BROAD AS A LARGETABLE" | 46 |
"AH, HAVE MERCY, GOOD LADY AND GIVE ME A DRINK OFWATER" | 58 |
"BUT SCARCELY HAD HE UTTERED THESE WORDS THAN THEGLASS MANIKIN SUDDENLY BEGAN TO INCREASE IN SIZEAND STATURE" | 62 |
"AND AS HE PRAYED MICHAEL DECREASED MORE AND MORE INSIZE, FALLING TO THE GROUND" | 68 |
"LOOK ONCE MORE AROUND, PETER MUNK!" | 72 |
[INTRODUCTION]
LOUIS ADELBERT VON CHAMISSO
In 1813 Europe was busy watching the career of the Corsican Giant--which was nearing its end. Having reached the summit of power, and put his foot on the neck of Europe, Napoleon was suddenly hurled down from his dizzy height. And yet in the midst of stirring events and the din of arms, people found time to pay attention to important literary productions. A curious book, "The Strange Narrative of Peter Schlemihl," by Louis Adelbert von Chamisso, which made its first appearance in Germany in 1813, aroused an ever increasing interest, in spite of the distraction of the public mind, until the name of the author became world-famous.
Chamisso was by birth a Frenchman, having been born at the castle of Bon-Court in Champagne, on January 27, 1781.[1] On the outbreak of the French Revolution our author left France with his parents; and in 1795 we find them in Bayreuth, which then belonged to the King of Prussia, the Margrave of Anspach having sold the town to his Prussian Majesty in 1791. Chamisso's parents at last came to Berlin, and young Adelbert was appointed page to Queen Louise. This famous queen, wife of Frederic William II. and mother of Frederic William III., took a lively interest in the young page and decided to complete his somewhat neglected education. A commission in the army was secured for him, he was made ensign and soon afterwards lieutenant. Napoleon having in the meantime become First Consul, he recalled the French emigrants, and Chamisso's parents availed themselves of the permission and returned to their home, but they nevertheless advised their son to remain in Prussian service. Adelbert obeyed them, although he felt far from happy in Berlin. The service of page did not please him, and his correspondence is full of passages revealing the melancholy state of his mind. The court atmosphere was stifling him, and his poverty caused him a great deal of humiliation. We see him, at that time, as a young man of a serious and independent disposition, a dreamer and a sceptic, timid and naive, dissatisfied with his position as page and as soldier, unhappy in his exile, his misery and his solitude!