Baron Trigault's Vengeance
by Emile Gaboriau



A Sequel to "The Count's Millions"
Translated from the French





I


Vengeance! that is the first, the only thought, when a man finds
himself victimized, when his honor and fortune, his present and
future, are wrecked by a vile conspiracy! The torment he endures
under such circumstances can only be alleviated by the prospect of
inflicting them a hundredfold upon his persecutors. And nothing
seems impossible at the first moment, when hatred surges in the
brain, and the foam of anger rises to the lips; no obstacle seems
insurmountable, or, rather, none are perceived. But later, when
the faculties have regained their equilibrium, one can measure the
distance which separates the dream from reality, the project from
execution. And on setting to work, how many discouragements
arise! The fever of revolt passes by, and the victim wavers. He
still breathes bitter vengeance, but he does not act. He
despairs, and asks himself what would be the good of it? And in
this way the success of villainy is once more assured.