“Paris Secrets” Xu in brief summary
Mid-30’s. the last century, the slums of Paris, where gangsters and murderers are leading their black businesses, but honest poor people are struggling for existence.
Prince of Gerolstein Rodolphe, a thirty-seven-year-old handsome man with “big yellowish brown eyes” who perfectly knows the methods of pugilism, arrives in Paris with the aim of “rewarding good, pursuing evil, comforting the suffering, comprehending the plagues of mankind, in an attempt to save even a few souls from destruction” and thieves’ argot.
In his youth, the heir of the Grand Dukes of Gerolstein made a rash act – having learned that his beloved Sarah was waiting for a child, he secretly married her. The old duke did not recognize this union, and Rodolphe dared to expose his sword against his father. The teacher of Rodolphe, the insidious Polidori, with the help of which a marriage was made, told the angry father that the priest who performed the rite was not
Wanting to help the unfortunate Mrs. Georges to find her son, stolen from her by her criminal husband, the prince, disguised as a craftsman, descends to the bottom of Paris. Here he meets an honest little nickname, the Dagger, who served time for the murder of the sergeant. No matter how difficult it would be for a Knifter, he never steals. But, working on the slaughterhouse, he got accustomed to the sight of blood, and when the sergeant in the army rudely treated him, in a fit of rage he grabbed a knife and hit it. The ghost of the dead still torments the honest little one. Adored by the fighting talents of Rodolphe, touched by his praise, The Stalker
The same evening, Rodolphe meets a charming girl named Lilia-Maria, nicknamed Pevunya. Unbeknownst to her parents, she grew up in the care of Megers, nicknamed Sysoh, who tortured her, forced her to beg and steal. Lilia-Maria goes to prison and comes out when she turns sixteen. Unable to find work, she accepts the invitation of the ovres of the Ogress and steps on the path of vice.
Seeing how the girl suffers from her position, Rodolphe buys it from the ogre and takes her to the village, to the farm in Bukeval, where she is entrusted to her care by Madame Georges.
Sarah wants to find her daughter, or, if she died, give her any other age-appropriate girl, in order to soften Rodolphe’s heart and make him marry her. Searches lead her to Sychikha and her friend – a murderer and a robber, nicknamed Gramotey. With the help of the Stalker, Rodolphe violates Sarah’s plan and carries out her own – she offers the bandits to rob a rich and unguarded house. Of course, we are talking about one of the houses of Rodolphe in Paris, where the villains will wait in ambush the people of the prince. Not trusting Rodolphe, Sychyha and Gramotey, they lure him into the brothel’s “Bleeding Heart” and throw them into the basement with water, and they send themselves to rob the said house before the agreed time. The devotion and ingenuity of the Stalker saves not only Rodolphe, but his assistant and friend, Sir Walter Murph, who was attacked by Gramotey.
Rodolphe himself administers justice. He knows that Gramotey is the former husband of Mrs. Georges. This vicious man decided to take revenge on his virtuous wife: he kidnapped their son to raise a thief out of him. However, Francois Germain – that’s the name of the young man – managed to escape, and now, as he managed to find out to Gramotea, he lives on the street Temple. By order of Rodolphe his black doctor David blinds the Gramotea. Then the prince hands the unfortunate wallet and lets go on all four sides.
The prince wishes to reward the Knifter and gives him a butcher’s shop. There on the confused small find terrible memories of the killed sergeant, and he refuses the gift. Then Rodolphe offers him a farm in Algeria, who agrees to accept it and leaves.
Under the guise of a traveling salesman, Rodolphe comes to a house in the street of Temple, fascinates the fussy and good-natured gatekeeper, Mrs. Piple, her shoemaker husband, as well as a pretty and hard-working seamstress named Laughter,
Mrs. Pipple tells an imaginary traveling salesman about the residents of the house. Under the roof, in horrific poverty, the granite gemstone Morel and his family, consisting of a wife, her crazy mother, five young children and an adult daughter of Louise, live. Louise lives in a servant at the notary Jacques Ferrand, who is known as a saintly person, but in fact a mean debauchee. Morel is in debt, he wants to be put in a debt prison. Louise becomes a victim of harassment of a notary, she has a dead baby. Wanting to get rid of the girl, Ferran accuses her of killing a child, and Louise is taken to prison. Having paid Morel’s creditors, Rodolphe promises to take up the fate of Louise.
The unfortunate girl tries to help and François Germain, also an employee of Ferran. In the evening he takes from the cashier’s office several coins for Louise, so that the next day they will be returned from their own savings. His money was not needed, but when he returns them in the morning, the notary accuses him of embezzling a huge sum, and Germain is imprisoned.
Rodolfo learns about the fate of Germain from Khokhotushka, whom he writes a letter, where he explains what happened to him, and asks the girl not to think badly about him. Honest grisetka, always nourished friendly feelings for the young man, is shocked by what happened. Seeing her sincere grief, Rodolphe promises her to tackle the case of Germain.
On the orders of Sarah, who was jealous of Lily-Maria to Rodolphe, the blind Gramotey and Sychikha are kidnapped by the Pevun, and she again goes to jail. Sarah also goes to the notary Ferran: once he was entrusted to rent, intended for Lily Maria. Sarah accuses the notary of deliberately killing the girl and misappropriating money. Frightened Ferran admits that the girl was not dead, but was given up for education Sychikha. Sarah meets Sychikha, leads her to her room and shows a portrait of a small Lily-Mary, in which she identifies the Singers. Recording the story of the old mage, Sarah turns her back to her, she strikes her with a stiletto, takes the jewelry and leaves.
But the days of Sysochi are numbered. She goes to the brothel “Bleeding Heart”, where in the basement on the chain sits a blind Gramotey. Sychikha wants to hide the jewels there and, as always, to mock the blind man with impunity. The enraged Gramotte, contrived, seizes the vile old woman and literally rips her to shreds.
In the meantime, the notary, having achieved the liberation of the Peasant, sends for the girl his devoted servant, Mrs. Serafen. This unrequited lady, who once gave Lily-Maria Sychikha, should assure the girl that she is taking her back to Bukeval, but in fact luring her to the river and drowning her with the help of the family of river pirates of Martial. The old woman does not know that the master ordered, together with the girl, to drown her too.
The notary’s plan was a success, but only half: the fallen woman Wolf, who Pevunya, sitting with her in prison, managed to persuade her to live an honest life, pulls her out of the water. Lilia-Maria goes to the hospital for the poor.
Rodolphe decides to put an end to the foulness of Ferrand, making him a victim of his own passions. To this end, with the help of Madame Piplet, he introduces into his house the demon-wraith of Cecily, the depraved wife of Dr. David, who is escaped from Gerolstein prison, where Rodolphe concluded it. Dissolving the lust of the notary, the girl lures his wallet with documents and runs away. From unsatisfied passion in Ferrand begins fever, and he dies in terrible agony.
By the will of fate Clemence, the young wife of one of the prince’s friends, the Marquise d’Arville, dedicates Rodolphe to the woeful secrets of her family life. It turns out that d’Arville is suffering from hereditary epilepsy. About the illness of her husband Clemence learned only after the wedding, and her life turned into a total hell. Rodolphe with bitterness reflects on the imperfection of human laws, which can not save the victim of deception from “unnatural matrimony.” Wanting to help a young woman, to whom he feels sincere sympathy, he offers her to engage in charity and become his accomplice “in some mysterious intrigues of this kind.”
Jealous of his wife, d’Arville overhears their conversation. He is convinced that Clemence’s thoughts are pure, but she will never fall in love with him, for she can not forgive that he did not honestly confess to her in his illness before the wedding. Wishing to earn the forgiveness of his wife, he decides to decide on the terrible one by the Singers. Recording the story of the old mage, Sarah turns her back to her, she strikes her with a stiletto, takes the jewelry and leaves.
But the days of Sysochi are numbered. She goes to the brothel “Bleeding Heart”, where in the basement on the chain sits a blind Gramotey. Sychikha wants to hide the jewels there and, as always, to mock the blind man with impunity. The enraged Gramotte, contrived, seizes the vile old woman and literally rips her to shreds.
In the meantime, the notary, having secured the release of the Piggy, sends for the girl his devoted servant, Mistress Serafen, Siya the little-honorable lady who once gave Lily-Maria Sychikha, should assure the girl that she is taking her back to Bukeval, but in fact luring her to the river and using the family of river pirates of the Martials to drown. The old woman does not know that the master ordered, together with the girl, to drown her too.
The notary’s plan was a success, but only half: the fallen woman Wolf, who Pevunya, sitting with her in prison, managed to persuade her to live an honest life, pulls her out of the water. Lilia-Maria goes to the hospital for the poor.
Rodolphe decides to put an end to the foulness of Ferrand, making him a victim of his own passions. To this end, with the help of Madame Piplet, he introduces into his house the demon-wraith of Cecily, the depraved wife of Dr. David, who is escaped from Gerolstein prison, where Rodolphe concluded it. Dissolving the lust of the notary, the girl lures his wallet with documents and runs away. From unsatisfied passion in Ferrand begins fever, and he dies in terrible agony.
By the will of fate Clemence, the young wife of one of the prince’s friends, the Marquise d’Arville, dedicates Rodolphe to the woeful secrets of her family life. It turns out that d’Arville is suffering from hereditary epilepsy. About the illness of her husband Clemence learned only after the wedding, and her life turned into a total hell. Rodolphe with bitterness reflects on the imperfection of human laws, which can not save the victim of deception from “unnatural matrimony.” Wanting to help a young woman, to whom he feels sincere sympathy, he offers her to engage in charity and become his accomplice “in some mysterious intrigues of this kind.”
Jealous of his wife, d’Arville overhears their conversation. He is convinced that Clemence’s thoughts are pure, but she will never fall in love with him, for she can not forgive that he did not honestly confess to her in his illness before the wedding. Wishing to earn the forgiveness of his wife, he decides to take a terrible step – suicide and calling friends into witnesses, he sets him up as an accident.
Shaken by her husband’s act, Clemence devotes herself to charity with even greater fervor. She goes to the women’s prison, where she takes care of Louise Morel, visits the infirmary, where she meets Pevunya, and from her story understands that this is the same girl who disappeared from the bouqueval farm and is unsuccessfully sought by Rodolphe.
Francois Germain sits in a common cell among bandits and murderers. Scoundrels, feeling the instinctive aversion to them of a young man, decide to kill him, especially since many have nothing to lose – they are sentenced to death. Germaine constantly visits the Laughter; young people feel that they love each other. Now Germain is ready to kiss the whole world. But the conspiracy against him has already been drawn up, and only the intervention of the Stalker saves the young man from reprisal.
The stalker, on reaching Marseilles, realizes that he can not leave Rodolphe. He returns to Paris, where the prince gives him the task of getting into prison and defending Germain there.
The dying Sarah calls Rodolphe and tells him that their daughter is alive: it’s Lilia-Maria. Rodolphe, who considers the girl dead, curses Sarah because she threw the girl into the abyss of poverty and vice. He guessed that the perpetrator of the fall of his daughter was the notary Ferran.
Irresistible Rodolphe is going to leave Paris, staying in this city becomes intolerable for him. He even refuses to go to the wedding of the Laughter and the son of Mrs. Georges, which is to be held in Bukeval, although it was thanks to him that François Germain was acquitted and released from prison. The prince also generously benefited newlyweds.
Rodolphe does not want to see even Clémence d’Arville. She must understand that the death of her daughter is a fateful retribution and to atone for his guilt he must be alone!
Suddenly, Madame d’Arville enters the office of Rodolphe. She brought to the prince the recovered Peulone. Learning that the girl is the daughter of the prince, Clemence falls on her knees and thanks God for the happiness that brings him the glad tidings: his daughter is alive!
Clemence leads Lily-Maria, and Rodolphe informs her that her father was found. However, the girl is not happy – she does not know this person, does not know how he will react to her past. And Mr. Rodolphe did everything for her, did not disdain her when he found out how low she fell, and therefore she only likes Rodolfa. Unable to withstand, Rodolphe with tears tells her that he is her father. From unexpected happiness Lilia-Maria faints.
Rodolphe informs Sarah that their daughter is alive. For her sake, he is ready to combine with Sara a legitimate marriage. The priest summoned to the house commits a rite, witnesses sign a contract declaring the birth of Lilia-Maria legal. Repentant, Sarah dies without seeing her daughter.
On the day of the carnival, Rodolphe and his daughter leave Paris. The carriage is stopped by a mob of raging black mobs, a dump begins at the door. One of the bandits throws a knife at the prince. But the blow falls in the chest to the Knifter. Accompanied by anxious forebodings, the brave fellow again could not leave his beloved master and again saved him – now for the last time. Rodolphe and his daughter leave Paris forever.
In honor of his mother, Rodolphe is named daughter Amelia. He and his wife, the former Marquise d’Arville, are doing everything to make the girl forget her past. Princess Amelia is constantly engaged in charity, founds a shelter for poor girls, everyone loves and reveres her. In love with her, Prince Henry, awakening in her heart a reciprocal feeling, asks her hand. However, a girl can not forget the past, she can not forgive herself for her fall. She refuses the prince and goes to the monastery. There she was unanimously elected abbess. Considering herself unworthy of such an honor, Amelia falls ill and quietly dies. Rodolphe and Clemence sob at her grave.
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