登陆注册
5251700000090

第90章 THE DIARY OF A MADMAN(2)

August 10. Who would ever know? Who would ever suspect me, especially if I should choose a being I had no interest in doing away with?

August 22. I could resist no longer. I have killed a little creature as an experiment, as a beginning. Jean, my servant, had a goldfinch in a cage hung in the office window. I sent him on an errand, and I took the little bird in my hand, in my hand where Ifelt its heart beat. It was warm. I went up to my room. From time to time I squeezed it tighter; its heart beat faster; it was atrocious and delicious. I was nearly choking it. But I could not see the blood.

Then I took scissors, short nail scissors, and I cut its throat in three strokes, quite gently. It opened its bill, it struggled to escape me, but I held it, oh! I held it--I could have held a mad dog--and I saw the blood trickle.

And then I did as assassins do--real ones. I washed the scissors and washed my hands. I sprinkled water, and took the body, the corpse, to the garden to hide it. I buried it under a strawberry-plant. It will never be found. Every day I can eat a strawberry from that plant. How one can enjoy life, when one knows how!

My servant cried; he thought his bird flown. How could he suspect me? Ah!

August 25. I must kill a man! I must!

August 30. It is done. But what a little thing! I had gone for a walk in the forest of Vernes. I was thinking of nothing, literally nothing. See! a child on the road, a little child eating a slice of bread and butter. He stops to see me pass and says, "Good day, Mr. President."And the thought enters my head: "Shall I kill him?"I answer: "You are alone, my boy?"

"Yes, sir."

"All alone in the wood?"

"Yes, sir."

The wish to kill him intoxicated me like wine. I approached him quite softly, persuaded that he was going to run away. And suddenly I seized him by the throat. He held my wrists in his little hands, and his body writhed like a feather on the fire.

Then he moved no more. I threw the body in the ditch, then some weeds on top of it. I returned home and dined well. What a little thing it was! In the evening I was very gay, light, rejuvenated, and passed the evening at the Prefect's. They found me witty. But I have not seen blood! I am not tranquil.

August 31. The body has been discovered. They are hunting for the assassin. Ah!

September 1. Two tramps have been arrested. Proofs are lacking.

September 2. The parents have been to see me. They wept! Ah!

October 6. Nothing has been discovered. Some strolling vagabond must have done the deed. Ah! If I had seen the blood flow it seems to me I should be tranquil now!

October 10. Yet another. I was walking by the river, after breakfast. And I saw, under a willow, a fisherman asleep. It was noon. A spade, as if expressly put there for me, was standing in a potato-field near by.

I took it. I returned; I raised it like a club, and with one blow of the edge I cleft the fisherman's head. Oh! he bled, this one!--rose-colored blood. It flowed into the water quite gently.

And I went away with a grave step. If I had been seen! Ah! Ishould have made an excellent assassin.

October 25. The affair of the fisherman makes a great noise. His nephew, who fished with him, is charged with the murder.

October 26. The examining magistrate affirms that the nephew is guilty. Everybody in town believes it. Ah! ah!

October 27. The nephew defends himself badly. He had gone to the village to buy bread and cheese, he declares. He swears that his uncle had been killed in his absence! Who would believe him?

October 28. The nephew has all but confessed, so much have they made him lose his head! Ah! Justice!

November 15. There are overwheming proofs against the nephew, who was his uncle's heir. I shall preside at the sessions.

January 25, 1852. To death! to death! to death! I have had him condemned to death! The advocate-general spoke like an angel! Ah!

Yet another! I shall go to see him executed!

March 10. It is done. They guillotined him this morning. He died very well! very well! That gave me pleasure! How fine it is to see a man's head cut off!

Now, I shall wait, I can wait. It would take such a little thing to let myself be caught.

The manuscript contained more pages, but told of no new crime.

Alienist physicians to whom the awful story has been submitted declare that there are in the world many unknown madmen; as adroit and as terrible as this monstrous lunatic.

同类推荐
  • 泛鄱阳湖

    泛鄱阳湖

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 音辞

    音辞

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 吴越备史

    吴越备史

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 教童子法

    教童子法

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 法句经

    法句经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 我有十万个分身

    我有十万个分身

    我叫袁虎,我有十万八千分身。我所有分身排成队列,一会组成“牛”字,一会组成“逼”字。我觉着吧,这世界快放不下我了。
  • 你没错,都怪我

    你没错,都怪我

    在记忆中,总有淡淡的橙子的清香,是她爱吃的橙子,是他不爱吃的橙子,是他。是他。
  • 桃花无意惹邪君

    桃花无意惹邪君

    穿越异世附身刺客之身,几经周折却将心失落;奈何天意弄人,一朝身世揭露,却没想到引发的却是另一个惊天的阴谋。为救他,她不惜以身犯险,待到尘埃落定之时,却已是……
  • 御灵狂女

    御灵狂女

    她才十八岁,就被爹妈恨,老弟嫌,村人算计,还没钱。带着个亡灵东奔西走,还以为是个高级亡灵,却不料他这也不会那也不行,还怕狼狗!好不容易用异能,杀凶灵,除恶鬼,御亡魂,终于走出穷山沟,奔向新世界,哪里知,她就是那地狱之门的钥匙,她的离开,让千百年来被困在羊角村的亡灵全部逃走。自己种的苦果自己吃,自己打碎牙齿自己吞。看到漂亮的衣服正要买,却发现衣中有鬼,杀完鬼后…衣服碎了…看到漂亮的房子想要租,却发现屋中藏灵,御完灵后…房梁断了…看到漂亮的男人准备追,却发现他印堂发黑,除完魂后…男人跑了…从此她戒荤吃斋,不近男色,一心抓鬼,誓不结婚。“姑娘,我有一组祖传的染色体想送给你儿女,请笑纳。”“先打赢了我的宠灵再说。”“你说的是那棵狗尾巴草吗?我把它做成戒指了,你看看合不合手。”“还有那棵千年老树。”“大树底下好乘凉,我刚刚做了个秋千在它身上,咱们去坐坐?”“我的鼠宝呢?”她终于变脸。“听说干锅鼠肉很好吃…”“你敢!”他指着拖着一袋子大肥鼠过来的鼠宝,“我不敢,它敢。”她大惊,“鼠宝!你竟然谋杀同胞!”“你是不是想说你还有个人类宠灵?放心,我早就看出他对你不怀好意,已经将他锁起来了,所以,现在你接受我的染色体了吗?”“接受了。”闪婚就闪婚,反正跟她结婚的就没有一个活人!一个月后…“喂!你怎么还没死?”“舍不得你,舍不得死。”两个月后…“你还能活多久呀?”“少则十年八载,多则百来年吧!”半年后…“你还是死了算了吧,我免费帮你超度亡灵,保证你能上天堂。”“宁为地狱人,不做天堂神,亲爱的,洗洗睡吧。”*灵异类异能女强文,现代架空,请勿较真。女主成长系,不会一口变成胖子,但会越来越强温馨提示:胆小勿入金品馆作品,质量保证,坑品保证,日更五千,欢迎入坑
  • 泰坦与龙之王

    泰坦与龙之王

    新书《极恶龙君》已发布!泰坦,与最古老的神袛一同诞生的近神生物。龙,雄踞无数世界食物链顶端的强大掠食者。继承了泰坦与金龙血脉的穆瑞亚,端坐于王座之上。红龙,蓝龙,绿龙……青铜龙,赤铜龙,黄铜龙……紫晶龙,水晶龙,翡翠龙,众多巨龙匍匐在王座之下。云巨人,雾巨人,石巨人,霜巨人……风暴巨人,山岭巨人,潮汐巨人……无数的巨人向王座跪拜。王者的力量,不仅仅是用来杀戮与征服!群:678832963
  • 我才不会爱上你

    我才不会爱上你

    爱情小故事……………………………………不虐
  • 佛说灌洗佛经

    佛说灌洗佛经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 极品修魔祖师

    极品修魔祖师

    一个以修魔为主的人。从出生的那天起他就不在平凡。可是到头来,他该何去何从。不是人?也不是鬼?究竟是什么?我也不知道。
  • 蜜恋情深:腹黑BOSS俏娇妻

    蜜恋情深:腹黑BOSS俏娇妻

    她是集智慧和美貌于一身的国家安全局特工,扮得了羸弱美人,打得了铁汉保镖,斗得过奸诈情敌;他是最腹黑狡诈的暗夜黑帝,亦正亦邪,集酷炫狂霸拽于一身,商场和情场上的无敌神话,却唯独与她陷入了一场持续终生的你追我赶的游戏中!“女人,嫁给我,有肉吃!”“男人,惹了我,有弹吃!”————————————————某夜,女人甜甜一笑,露出两个可爱的小酒窝,“小枫枫,我美不美?”男人一脸宠溺,“美!当然美!只是——”用一根手指挫了挫她引以为傲的酒窝,“这上面怎么还有两个坑?”女人瞬间暴怒,整个别墅响起了地动山摇的惊天狂吼,“滚!”
  • 我的温柔霸总

    我的温柔霸总

    傅一夕,中天集团的总裁。“傅总,大家都很好奇,您为什么不同意和沈家联姻?”“我有喜欢的人了。”“可以告诉我谁这个幸运儿吗?”“等我追到她,你们自然知道了。”总裁追妻之路小虐“桃桃,我可以给你一切,我所有的都是你所有的,你别嫁给别人!”“桃桃,只要有我在的一天,你就别梦想着还有别的出路可以走!”费尽心思终于抱得美人归的傅总,开始了宠妻日常。“傅总,夫人的建筑设计图被退回来了,正伤心呢!”“我出资,让他们建起来。”“收到。”“傅总,我们是不是该起来工作了?”“不要,蜜月期都没过呢!”“傅总,蜜月的期限是一个月。你的蜜月已经快一年了!”“才一年?我要一辈子的。”“......”傅总又开始了扑妻行动。