Violated

"Violated" is a short story by Guy de Maupassant that explores themes of betrayal, desire, and the consequences of infidelity. Set in the context of a turbulent romantic affair, the narrative delves into the emotional turmoil faced by the characters as their illicit relationship unfolds. Maupassant's sharp observations of human nature and societal norms highlight the complexities of love and morality, leaving readers to reflect on the boundaries of passion and the repercussions of crossing them. The story is a poignant exploration of the darker aspects of human relationships, showcasing the author’s masterful ability to convey intense psychological depth within a compact narrative.

• Short story

								
"Really," Paul repeated, "really!"

"Yes, I who am here before you have been violated, and violated by!...
But if I were to tell you immediately by whom, there would be no story,
eh? And as you want a story, eh? And as you want a story, I will tell
you all about it from beginning to end, and I shall begin at the
beginning.

"I had been shooting over the waste land in the heart of Brittany for a
week, which borders on the Black Mountain. It is a desolate and wild
country, but it abounds in game. One can walk for hours without meeting
a human being, and when one meets anybody, it is just the same as if one
had not, for the people are absolutely ignorant of French, and when I
got to an inn at night, I had to employ signs to let the people know
that I wanted supper and bed.

"As I happened to be in a melancholy frame of mind at the time, that
solitude delighted me, and my dog's companionship was quite enough for
me, and so you may guess my irritation when I perceived one morning that
I was being followed, absolutely followed, by another sportsman who
seemed to wish to enter into conversation with me. The day before, I had
already noticed him obstructing the horizon several times, and I had
attributed it to the chances of sport, which brought us both to the same
likely spots for game, but now I could not be mistaken! The fellow was
evidently following me, and was stretching his little pair of compasses
as much as he could, so as to keep up with my long strides, and took
short cuts, so as to catch me up at the half circle.

"As he seemed bent upon the matter, I naturally grew obstinate also, and
he spent his whole day in trying to catch me up, while I spent mine in
trying to baffle him, and we seemed to be playing at hide-and-seek;
the consequences were, that when it was getting dark, I had completely
lost myself in the most deserted part of the moor. There was no cottage
near, and not even a church spire in the distance. The only land-mark,
was the hateful outline of that cursed man, about five hundred yards
off.

"Of course he had won the game! I should have to put a good face on the
matter, and allow him to join me, or rather I should have to join him
myself, if I did not wish to sleep in the open air and with an empty
stomach, and so I went up to him, and asked my way in a half-surly
manner.

"He replied very affably, that there was no inn in the neighborhood, as
the nearest village was five leagues off, but that he lived only about
an hour's walk off, and that he considered himself very fortunate in
being able to offer me hospitality.

"I was utterly done up, and how could I refuse? So we went off through
the heather and furze; I walking slowly because I was so tired, and he
went tripping along merrily with his legs like a basset hound's, which
seemed untirable.

"And yet he was an old man, and not strongly built, for I could have
knocked him over by blowing on him; but how he could walk, the beast!

"But he was not a troublesome companion, as I imagined he would have
been, and he did not at all seem to wish to enter into conversation with
me, as I feared he would. When he had given his invitation, and I had
accepted it and thanked him in a few words, he did not open his lips
again, and we walked on in silence, and only his glances worried me, for
I felt them on me, as if he wished to force me into an intimacy, which
my closed lips refused. But on the whole, his tenacious looks, which I
noticed furtively, appeared sympathetic and even admiring--yes; really
admiring!

"But I could not give him as good as he brought, for he was certainly
not handsome; his legs were short, and rather bandy and he was thin and
narrow-chested. His face was like a bit of parchment, furrowed and
wrinkled, without a hair on it to hide the folds in his skin. His hair
resembled that of an Ignorantin[9] brother, with its gray locks
falling onto his greasy collar; he had a nose like a ferret, and rat's
eyes, but he was able to offer me food and quarters for the night, and
it was not requisite that he should be handsome, in order to do that.

[Footnote 9: A lay brother in a monastery, who is devoted to the
instruction of the poor.--TRANSLATOR.]

"Capital food, and very comfortable quarters! A manorial dwelling, a
real old, well-furnished manor-house; and in the large dining-room, in
front of the huge fireplace, where a large fire was blazing, dinner was
laid; I will say no more than that! A hotch-potch, which had been
stewing since morning, no doubt! A salmis of woodcock, in defense of
which angels would have taken up arms; buckwheat cakes, in cream,
flavored with aniseed, and a cheese, which is a rare thing and hardly
ever to be found in Brittany, a cheese to make any one eat a four pound
loaf if he only smelt the rind! The whole washed clown by Chambertin,
and then brandy distilled by cider, which was so good that it made a man
fancy that he had swallowed a deity in velvet breeches; not to mention
the cigars, pure, smuggled havannahs; large, strong, not dry but green,
on the contrary, which made a strong and intoxicating smoke.

"And how the little old gentleman stuffed, and drank and smoked! He was
an ogre, a choirister, a sapper, and so was I, I must confess, and, upon
my word, I cannot remember what we talked about during our Gargantuan
feed! But we certainly talked, but what about? About shooting,
certainly, and about women most probably. Confound it! Among men, after
drinking! Yes, yes, about women, I am quite sure, and he told some funny
stories, did the little old man! Especially about a portrait which was
hanging over the large fireplace, and which represented his
grandmother, a marchioness of the old régime. She was a woman who had
certainly played some pranks, and they said that she was still frisky
and had good legs and thighs when she was seventy.

"'It is extraordinary,' I remarked, 'how like you are to that portrait.'

"'Yes,' the old man replied with a smile; and then he added in his
harsh, tremulous voice: 'I resemble her in everything. I am only sixty,
and I feel as if I should have lusty, hot blood in me until I am
seventy.'

"And then suddenly, very much moved, and looking at me admiringly, as he
had done once before, he said to the portrait:

"'I say, marchioness, what a pity that you did not know this handsome
young fellow!'

"I remembered that apostrophe and that look very well, when I went to
bed about an hour later, nearly drunk, in the large room papered in
white and gold, to which I was shown by a tall, broad-shouldered
footman, who wished me good-night in Breton.

"Good-night, yes! But that implied going to sleep, which was just what
I could not do. The Chambertin, the cider brandy and the cigars had
certainly made me drunk, but not so as to overcome me altogether. On the
contrary, I was excited, my nerves were highly strung, my blood was
heated, and I was in a half-sleep in which I felt that I was very much

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