There is no tourist worthy of the name who does not know the banks
of the Seine, and has not noticed, in passing, the little feudal
castle of the Malaquis, built upon a rock in the centre of the
river. An arched bridge connects it with the shore. All around
it, the calm waters of the great river play peacefully amongst the
reeds, and the wagtails flutter over the moist crests of the
stones.

The history of the Malaquis castle is stormy like its name, harsh
like its outlines. It has passed through a long series of
combats, sieges, assaults, rapines and massacres. A recital of
the crimes that have been committed there would cause the stoutest
heart to tremble. There are many mysterious legends connected
with the castle, and they tell us of a famous subterranean tunnel
that formerly led to the abbey of Jumieges and to the manor of
Agnes Sorel, mistress of Charles VII.

In that ancient habitation of heroes and brigands, the Baron
Nathan Cahorn now lived; or Baron Satan as he was formerly called
on the Bourse, where he had acquired a fortune with incredible
rapidity. The lords of Malaquis, absolutely ruined, had been
obliged to sell the ancient castle at a great sacrifice. It
contained an admirable collection of furniture, pictures, wood
carvings, and faience. The Baron lived there alone, attended by
three old servants. No one ever enters the place. No one had
ever beheld the three Rubens that he possessed, his two Watteau,
his Jean Goujon pulpit, and the many other treasures that he had
acquired by a vast expenditure of money at public sales.