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which fancy can picture better than words can paint。 But at this

particular spot a deep silence reigned; because in these two houses

lived two passions which never rejoiced。 Beyond them stretched the

silent country。 Beneath the shadow of the steeples of Saint…Martin;

these two mute dwellings; separated from the others in the same street

and standing at the crooked end of it; seemed afflicted with leprosy。

The building opposite to them; the home of the criminals of the State;

was also under a ban。 A young man would be readily impressed by this

sudden contrast。 About to fling himself into an enterprise that was

horribly hazardous; it is no wonder that the daring young seigneur

stopped short before the house of the silversmith; and called to mind

the many tales furnished by the life of Maitre Cornelius;tales which

caused such singular horror to the countess。 At this period a man of

war; and even a lover; trembled at the mere word 〃magic。〃 Few indeed

were the minds and the imaginations which disbelieved in occult facts

and tales of the marvellous。 The lover of the Comtesse de Saint…

Vallier; one of the daughters whom Louis XI。 had in Dauphine by Madame

de Sassenage; however bold he might be in other respects; was likely

to think twice before he finally entered the house of a so…called

sorcerer。



The history of Maitre Cornelius Hoogworst will fully explain the

security which the silversmith inspired in the Comte de Saint…Vallier;

the terror of the countess; and the hesitation that now took

possession of the lover。 But; in order to make the readers of this

nineteenth century understand how such commonplace events could be

turned into anything supernatural; and to make them share the alarms

of that olden time; it is necessary to interrupt the course of this

narrative and cast a rapid glance on the preceding life and adventures

of Maitre Cornelius。







CHAPTER II



THE TORCONNIER



Cornelius Hoogworst; one of the richest merchants in Ghent; having

drawn upon himself the enmity of Charles; Duke of Burgundy; found

refuge and protection at the court of Louis XI。 The king was conscious

of the advantages he could gain from a man connected with all the

principal commercial houses of Flanders; Venice; and the Levant; he

naturalized; ennobled; and flattered Maitre Cornelius; all of which

was rarely done by Louis XI。 The monarch pleased the Fleming as much

as the Fleming pleased the monarch。 Wily; distrustful; and miserly;

equally politic; equally learned; superior; both of them; to their

epoch; understanding each other marvellously; they discarded and

resumed with equal facility; the one his conscience; the other his

religion; they loved the same Virgin; one by conviction; the other by

policy; in short; if we may believe the jealous tales of Olivier de

Daim and Tristan; the king went to the house of the Fleming for those

diversions with which King Louis XI。 diverted himself。 History has

taken care to transmit to our knowledge the licentious tastes of a

monarch who was not averse to debauchery。 The old Fleming found; no

doubt; both pleasure and profit in lending himself to the capricious

pleasures of his royal client。



Cornelius had now lived nine years in the city of Tours。 During those

years extraordinary events had happened in his house; which had made

him the object of general execration。 On his first arrival; he had

spent considerable sums in order to put the treasures he brought with

him in safety。 The strange inventions made for him secretly by the

locksmiths of the town; the curious precautions taken in bringing

those locksmiths to his house in a way to compel their silence; were

long the subject of countless tales which enlivened the evening

gatherings of the city。 These singular artifices on the part of the

old man made every one suppose him the possessor of Oriental riches。

Consequently the NARRATORS of that regionthe home of the tale in

Francebuilt rooms full of gold and precious tones in the Fleming's

house; not omitting to attribute all this fabulous wealth to compacts

with Magic。



Maitre Cornelius had brought with him from Ghent two Flemish valets;

an old woman; and a young apprentice; the latter; a youth with a

gentle; pleasing face; served him as secretary; cashier; factotum; and

courier。 During the first year of his settlement in Tours; a robbery

of considerable amount took place in his house; and judicial inquiry

showed that the crime must have been committed by one of its inmates。

The old miser had his two valets and the secretary put in prison。 The

young man was feeble and he died under the sufferings of the

〃question〃 protesting his innocence。 The valets confessed the crime to

escape torture; but when the judge required them to say where the

stolen property could be found; they kept silence; were again put to

the torture; judged; condemned; and hanged。 On their way to the

scaffold they declared themselves innocent; according to the custom

of all persons about to be executed。



The city of Tours talked much of this singular affair; but the

criminals were Flemish; and the interest felt in their unhappy fate

soon evaporated。 In those days wars and seditions furnished endless

excitements; and the drama of each day eclipsed that of the night

before。 More grieved by the loss he had met with than by the death of

his three servants; Maitre Cornelius lived alone in his house with the

old Flemish woman; his sister。 He obtained permission from the king to

use state couriers for his private affairs; sold his mules to a

muleteer of the neighborhood; and lived from that moment in the

deepest solitude; seeing no one but the king; doing his business by

means of Jews; who; shrewd calculators; served him well in order to

gain his all…powerful protection。



Some time after this affair; the king himself procured for his old

〃torconnier〃 a young orphan in whom he took an interest。 Louis XI。

called Maitre Cornelius familiarly by that obsolete term; which; under

the reign of Saint…Louis; meant a usurer; a collector of imposts; a

man who pressed others by violent means。 The epithet; 〃tortionnaire;〃

which remains to this day in our legal phraseology; explains the old

word torconnier; which we often find spelt 〃tortionneur。〃 The poor

young orphan devoted himself carefully to the affairs of the old

Fleming; pleased him much; and was soon high in his good graces。

During a winter's night; certain diamonds deposited with Maitre

Cornelius by the King of England as security for a sum of a hundred

thousand crowns were stolen; and suspicion; of course; fell on the

orphan。 Louis XI。 was all the more severe because he had answered for

the youth's fidelity。 After a very brief and summary examination by

the grand provost; the unfortunate secretary was hanged。 After that no

one dared for a long time to learn the arts of banking and exchange

from Maitre Cornelius。



In course of time; however; two young men of the town; Touraineans;

men of honor; and eager to make their fortunes;took service with the

silversmith。 Robberies coincided with the admission of the two young

men into the house。 The circumstances of these crimes; the manner in

which they were perpetrated; showed plainly that the robbers had

secret communication with its inmates。 Become by this time more than

ever suspicious and vindictive; the old Fleming laid the matter before

Louis XI。; who placed it in the hands of his grand provost。 A trial

was promptly had and promptly ended。 The inhabitants of Tours blamed

Tristan l'Hermite secretly for unseemly haste。 Guilty or not guilty;

the young Touraineans were looked upon as victims; and Cornelius as an

executioner。 The two families thus thrown into mourning were much

respected; their complaints obtained a hearing; and little by little

it came to be believed that all the victims whom the king's

silversmith had sent to the scaffold were innocent。 Some persons

declared that the cruel miser imitated the king; and sought to put

terror and gibbets between himself and his fellow…men; others said

that he had never been robbed at all;that these melancholy

executions were the result of cool calculations; and that their real

object was to relieve him of all fear for his treasure。



The first effect of these rumors was to isolate Maitre Cornelius。 The

Touraineans treated him like a leper; called him the 〃tortionnaire;〃

and named his house Malemaison。 If the Fleming had found strangers to

the town bold enough to enter it; the inhabitants would have warned

them against doing so。 The most favorable opinion of Maitre Cornelius

was that of persons who thought him merely baneful。 Some he inspired

with instinctive terror; others he impressed with the deep respect

that most men feel for limitless power and money; while to a few he

certainly possessed the attraction of mystery。 His way of life; his

countenance; and the favor of the king; justified all the t

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