diff --git a/19_Natural_Language_Processing.ipynb b/19_Natural_Language_Processing.ipynb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6ce3e9d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/19_Natural_Language_Processing.ipynb
@@ -0,0 +1,400 @@
+{
+ "cells": [
+  {
+   "cell_type": "markdown",
+   "id": "5be301c4-61af-4f40-be5f-57f2ba4b7733",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "source": [
+    "# Natural Language Processing Intro\n",
+    "\n",
+    "Natural Language Processing (NLP) is a large field of AI with many related, but distinct sub-disciplines. We won't have time to look at all of these, but you are most likely somewhat familir with many of the applications.\n",
+    "\n",
+    "Some NLP Tasks:\n",
+    "* Summary generation, information extractions\n",
+    "* Translation (language to language)\n",
+    "* Transcription (speech to text)\n",
+    "* Auto-completion\n",
+    "* Sentiment Analysis\n",
+    "* Intent Detection\n",
+    "* Chat, automated writing, dialog generation, question answerting\n",
+    "* Voice assistant\n",
+    "* Document retrieval\n",
+    "\n",
+    "## Ambiguity in language\n",
+    "\n",
+    "NLP is not a simple task, and until deep learning, was quite limited. Part of the challenge is that human language tends to be ambiguous and recognizing words is really only the start to infering meaning. Take for example this sentence:\n",
+    "   > The boy saw a man with a telescope\n",
+    "   \n",
+    "   * Who had the telescope?\n",
+    "   \n",
+    "More context is needed to answer this. Yet, context is not always there and even when it is, can be a challenge for NLP methods.\n",
+    "\n",
+    "## Tokenization\n",
+    "\n",
+    "One of the primary challenges of NLP is representing language as numbers--remember computers, and the ML/AI systems we have, primarily deal with numbers. For computer vision problems, this was relatively easy in that we took pixel intensities of an image and fed those in. But what to do with speech, words, text?\n",
+    "\n",
+    "The processes of converting text to numerical representation is called **tokenization**. There are many mehods of tokenization, but the idea is to break text into itemizable components.\n",
+    "\n",
+    "\n"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": null,
+   "id": "9cda4b88-5387-4814-9748-24f17dabc0e7",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [],
+   "source": [
+    "# Some of the examples here are adapted from https://github.com/NVDLI/LDL\n",
+    "# Which supports the book Learning Deep Learning (LDL) by Magnus Ekman (ISBN: 9780137470358).\n",
+    "\n",
+    "\"\"\"\n",
+    "The MIT License (MIT)\n",
+    "Copyright (c) 2021 NVIDIA\n",
+    "Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of\n",
+    "this software and associated documentation files (the \"Software\"), to deal in\n",
+    "the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to\n",
+    "use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of\n",
+    "the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so,\n",
+    "subject to the following conditions:\n",
+    "The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all\n",
+    "copies or substantial portions of the Software.\n",
+    "THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED \"AS IS\", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR\n",
+    "IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS\n",
+    "FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR\n",
+    "COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER\n",
+    "IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN\n",
+    "CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.\n",
+    "\"\"\""
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": null,
+   "id": "784964dc-9e92-4314-add7-4341a8e79f45",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [],
+   "source": [
+    "import numpy as np\n",
+    "from tensorflow.keras.models import Sequential\n",
+    "from tensorflow.keras.layers import Dense\n",
+    "from tensorflow.keras.layers import LSTM\n",
+    "from tensorflow.keras.layers import Embedding\n",
+    "from tensorflow.keras.preprocessing.text import Tokenizer\n",
+    "from tensorflow.keras.preprocessing.text \\\n",
+    "    import text_to_word_sequence\n",
+    "import tensorflow as tf\n",
+    "import logging\n",
+    "tf.get_logger().setLevel(logging.ERROR)\n",
+    "\n",
+    "EPOCHS = 10  # origonally 32, reduced for time.\n",
+    "BATCH_SIZE = 256\n",
+    "INPUT_FILE_NAME = 'data/frankenstein.txt'\n",
+    "WINDOW_LENGTH = 40\n",
+    "WINDOW_STEP = 3\n",
+    "PREDICT_LENGTH = 3\n",
+    "MAX_WORDS = 10000\n",
+    "EMBEDDING_WIDTH = 100"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "markdown",
+   "id": "657c20dc-65b3-4133-93ba-94dfed96b89e",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "source": [
+    "## Cleaning, tokenization and creation of training set\n",
+    "\n",
+    "In the following block, we read in the Frankenstein text file and use the `text_to_word_sequence` to convert the text to a list of individual words. This also removes punctuation and converts everything to lower case. This command accomplishes our cleaning and tokenization steps.\n",
+    "\n",
+    "The next step is to creat the training set of `fragments` and corresponding `targets`. The hyperparameters were set above, and used here to make a tranining set by sliding a frame overs the text, `WINDOW_LENGTH=40` words at a time. \n",
+    "\n",
+    "The following word becomes the target and the frame shifts down `WINDOW_STEP=3` words to make the next fragment/target pair."
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": null,
+   "id": "ace86526-a34a-4790-acd9-7ba7e266b4db",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [],
+   "source": [
+    "# Open and read file.\n",
+    "file = open(INPUT_FILE_NAME, 'r', encoding='utf-8-sig')\n",
+    "text = file.read()\n",
+    "file.close()\n",
+    "\n",
+    "# Make lower case and split into individual words.\n",
+    "text = text_to_word_sequence(text)\n",
+    "\n",
+    "# Create training examples.\n",
+    "fragments = []\n",
+    "targets = []\n",
+    "for i in range(0, len(text) - WINDOW_LENGTH, WINDOW_STEP):\n",
+    "    fragments.append(text[i: i + WINDOW_LENGTH])\n",
+    "    targets.append(text[i + WINDOW_LENGTH])"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "markdown",
+   "id": "2a22d67e-d404-47b5-947f-838416c978ea",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "source": [
+    "### Look at one fragment/target pair\n",
+    "\n",
+    "The following text from the book happens to be *fragment*/**target** pair 94:\n",
+    " > *I am already far north of London, and as I walk in the streets of\n",
+    "Petersburgh, I feel a cold northern breeze play upon my cheeks, which\n",
+    "braces my nerves and fills me with delight. Do you understand* **this**\n",
+    "feeling?"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": null,
+   "id": "ea38b43c-8b9e-481a-bae8-1ea8d7dd1b97",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [],
+   "source": [
+    "print(f'Fragment: {fragments[94]}\\nTarget: {targets[94]}')\n",
+    "\n",
+    "print(f'\\nTotal fragments: {len(fragments)}')"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "markdown",
+   "id": "7ef736ba-456f-4094-9229-b09eb77dba47",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "source": [
+    "So, now we have the whole text split into 26,238 fragments, each with the following word as the target. This is what our model will be trained on.\n",
+    "\n",
+    "But we have another step before we can begin training.\n",
+    "\n",
+    "## Embedding\n",
+    "\n",
+    "Somehow we need to convert the words (both in the fragments and the targets) to numbers. Embedding goes a step further, representing words in n-dimensional vector space. This vector space is a lower dimensionality than the number of words in the vocabulary (as opposed to one-hot encoding) and results in words with with similar meaning being closer in space than other word.\n",
+    "\n",
+    "Here's an example figure showing some embeddings (taken from Renu Khandelwal's article [*Word Embeddings for NLP*](https://towardsdatascience.com/word-embeddings-for-nlp-5b72991e01d4):\n",
+    "\n",
+    "\n",
+    "![Image of word embeddings from https://towardsdatascience.com/word-embeddings-for-nlp-5b72991e01d4 ](images/word_embeddings_Renu_Khandelwal.png)\n",
+    "\n",
+    "The embedding is learned in the training process. In this step, we are assigning numbers to words. Above, we set `MAX_WORDS=10000` so, once we have 10,000 words in the vocabulary, all additional words will be assigned to the `UNK` class."
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": null,
+   "id": "17c65bda-8e86-4918-9b83-a8d5852640df",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [],
+   "source": [
+    "# Convert to indices.\n",
+    "tokenizer = Tokenizer(num_words=MAX_WORDS, oov_token='UNK')\n",
+    "tokenizer.fit_on_texts(text)\n",
+    "fragments_indexed = tokenizer.texts_to_sequences(fragments)\n",
+    "targets_indexed = tokenizer.texts_to_sequences(targets)\n",
+    "\n",
+    "# Convert to appropriate input and output formats.\n",
+    "X = np.array(fragments_indexed, dtype=np.int64)\n",
+    "y = np.zeros((len(targets_indexed), MAX_WORDS))\n",
+    "for i, target_index in enumerate(targets_indexed):\n",
+    "    y[i, target_index] = 1"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": null,
+   "id": "4b32991b-10bc-491f-8fa9-8b799b271511",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [],
+   "source": [
+    "print(f'Fragment as numbers: {X[94]} \\nTarget is one-hot encoded: {y[94]}')"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "markdown",
+   "id": "4d64624f-86fc-4d31-928b-b4949fdde18a",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "source": [
+    "## Build and fit the model\n",
+    "\n",
+    "Our first layer is the embedding layer that learns to conver the numbered words in the vocabulary to the embedding. Then we have two LSTM layers and a dense layer with a ReLU activation and a final layer with one neuron per word in the vocabulary and a softmax to make the output the probability of each word being the output from the model."
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": null,
+   "id": "55cf3e22-815f-4c91-8c1b-5f1c20d91e3c",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [],
+   "source": [
+    "# Build and train model.\n",
+    "training_model = Sequential()\n",
+    "training_model.add(Embedding(\n",
+    "    output_dim=EMBEDDING_WIDTH, input_dim=MAX_WORDS,\n",
+    "    mask_zero=True, input_length=None))\n",
+    "training_model.add(LSTM(128, return_sequences=True,\n",
+    "                        dropout=0.2, recurrent_dropout=0.2))\n",
+    "training_model.add(LSTM(128, dropout=0.2,\n",
+    "                        recurrent_dropout=0.2))\n",
+    "training_model.add(Dense(128, activation='relu'))\n",
+    "training_model.add(Dense(MAX_WORDS, activation='softmax'))\n",
+    "training_model.compile(loss='categorical_crossentropy',\n",
+    "                       optimizer='adam')\n",
+    "training_model.summary()\n",
+    "history = training_model.fit(X, y, validation_split=0.05,\n",
+    "                             batch_size=BATCH_SIZE, \n",
+    "                             epochs=EPOCHS, verbose=2, \n",
+    "                             shuffle=True)"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": null,
+   "id": "dc4967c2-0654-4341-aee8-2922dd98fb7e",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [],
+   "source": [
+    "# Build stateful model used for prediction.\n",
+    "inference_model = Sequential()\n",
+    "inference_model.add(Embedding(\n",
+    "    output_dim=EMBEDDING_WIDTH, input_dim=MAX_WORDS,\n",
+    "    mask_zero=True, batch_input_shape=(1, 1)))\n",
+    "inference_model.add(LSTM(128, return_sequences=True,\n",
+    "                         dropout=0.2, recurrent_dropout=0.2,\n",
+    "                         stateful=True))\n",
+    "inference_model.add(LSTM(128, dropout=0.2,\n",
+    "                         recurrent_dropout=0.2, stateful=True))\n",
+    "inference_model.add(Dense(128, activation='relu'))\n",
+    "inference_model.add(Dense(MAX_WORDS, activation='softmax'))\n",
+    "weights = training_model.get_weights()\n",
+    "inference_model.set_weights(weights)"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": null,
+   "id": "7146c8ad-33a5-481a-9189-df5351555a59",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [],
+   "source": [
+    "# Provide beginning of sentence and\n",
+    "# predict next words in a greedy manner\n",
+    "first_words = ['i', 'saw']\n",
+    "first_words_indexed = tokenizer.texts_to_sequences(\n",
+    "    first_words)\n",
+    "inference_model.reset_states()\n",
+    "predicted_string = ''\n",
+    "\n",
+    "# Feed initial words to the model.\n",
+    "for i, word_index in enumerate(first_words_indexed):\n",
+    "    x = np.zeros((1, 1), dtype=np.int64)\n",
+    "    x[0][0] = word_index[0]\n",
+    "    predicted_string += first_words[i]\n",
+    "    predicted_string += ' '\n",
+    "    y_predict = inference_model.predict(x, verbose=0)[0]\n",
+    "\n",
+    "# Predict PREDICT_LENGTH words.\n",
+    "for i in range(PREDICT_LENGTH):\n",
+    "    new_word_index = np.argmax(y_predict)\n",
+    "    word = tokenizer.sequences_to_texts(\n",
+    "        [[new_word_index]])\n",
+    "    x[0][0] = new_word_index\n",
+    "    predicted_string += word[0]\n",
+    "    predicted_string += ' '\n",
+    "    y_predict = inference_model.predict(x, verbose=0)[0]\n",
+    "print(predicted_string)"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": null,
+   "id": "f1149ed9-0b09-4a93-be31-63a39b9d0ef3",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [],
+   "source": [
+    "# Let's predict more by changing predict length to 10\n",
+    "\n",
+    "PREDICT_LENGTH = 10\n",
+    "\n",
+    "# Predict PREDICT_LENGTH words.\n",
+    "for i in range(PREDICT_LENGTH):\n",
+    "    new_word_index = np.argmax(y_predict)\n",
+    "    word = tokenizer.sequences_to_texts(\n",
+    "        [[new_word_index]])\n",
+    "    x[0][0] = new_word_index\n",
+    "    predicted_string += word[0]\n",
+    "    predicted_string += ' '\n",
+    "    y_predict = inference_model.predict(x, verbose=0)[0]\n",
+    "print(predicted_string)"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": null,
+   "id": "45f78ebc-5fd0-46b7-bed8-e873f1897fbb",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [],
+   "source": [
+    "# Explore embedding similarities.\n",
+    "embeddings = training_model.layers[0].get_weights()[0]\n",
+    "lookup_words = ['the', 'saw', 'see', 'of', 'and',\n",
+    "                'monster', 'frankenstein', 'read', 'eat']\n",
+    "for lookup_word in lookup_words:\n",
+    "    lookup_word_indexed = tokenizer.texts_to_sequences(\n",
+    "        [lookup_word])\n",
+    "    print('words close to:', lookup_word)\n",
+    "    lookup_embedding = embeddings[lookup_word_indexed[0]]\n",
+    "    word_indices = {}\n",
+    "    # Calculate distances.\n",
+    "    for i, embedding in enumerate(embeddings):\n",
+    "        distance = np.linalg.norm(\n",
+    "            embedding - lookup_embedding)\n",
+    "        word_indices[distance] = i\n",
+    "    # Print sorted by distance.\n",
+    "    for distance in sorted(word_indices.keys())[:5]:\n",
+    "        word_index = word_indices[distance]\n",
+    "        word = tokenizer.sequences_to_texts([[word_index]])[0]\n",
+    "        print(word + ': ', distance)\n",
+    "    print('')"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": null,
+   "id": "c426982f-9e36-4bac-abf3-f59fc4b162a5",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [],
+   "source": []
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": null,
+   "id": "c51e4e1d-7196-4efa-b432-969741655a7b",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [],
+   "source": []
+  }
+ ],
+ "metadata": {
+  "kernelspec": {
+   "display_name": "Tensorflow-2.6.0",
+   "language": "python",
+   "name": "tensorflow-2.6.0"
+  },
+  "language_info": {
+   "codemirror_mode": {
+    "name": "ipython",
+    "version": 3
+   },
+   "file_extension": ".py",
+   "mimetype": "text/x-python",
+   "name": "python",
+   "nbconvert_exporter": "python",
+   "pygments_lexer": "ipython3",
+   "version": "3.9.7"
+  }
+ },
+ "nbformat": 4,
+ "nbformat_minor": 5
+}
diff --git a/20_NLP_Transformers.ipynb b/20_NLP_Transformers.ipynb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0b962ad
--- /dev/null
+++ b/20_NLP_Transformers.ipynb
@@ -0,0 +1,867 @@
+{
+ "cells": [
+  {
+   "cell_type": "markdown",
+   "id": "bd9e9e85-e6ad-4e3e-a696-e329aeb8f60c",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "source": [
+    "# Transformers\n",
+    "\n",
+    "<div class=\"alert  alert-warning\" role=\"alert\">\n",
+    "    Note this notebook should be run using the <strong>nlp-1.2 kernel</strong> on HiPerGator.\n",
+    "</div>\n",
+    "    \n",
+    "\n",
+    "This notebook largely follows, and quotes from, the [Hugging Face Transformer Course](https://huggingface.co/course/chapter1/3?fw=tf). It starts with some motivating examples.\n",
+    "\n",
+    "Here are some examples of what Trasformers can do in NLP:\n",
+    "\n",
+    "## Some Examples\n",
+    "\n",
+    "### Sentement Analysis"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": 2,
+   "id": "75b6f9b6-f59b-4736-8862-f60fc6e3ae75",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [
+    {
+     "name": "stderr",
+     "output_type": "stream",
+     "text": [
+      "No model was supplied, defaulted to distilbert-base-uncased-finetuned-sst-2-english (https://huggingface.co/distilbert-base-uncased-finetuned-sst-2-english)\n"
+     ]
+    },
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "text/plain": [
+       "[{'label': 'POSITIVE', 'score': 0.9598047137260437}]"
+      ]
+     },
+     "execution_count": 2,
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "execute_result"
+    }
+   ],
+   "source": [
+    "from transformers import pipeline\n",
+    "\n",
+    "classifier = pipeline(\"sentiment-analysis\")\n",
+    "classifier(\"I've been waiting for a HuggingFace course my whole life.\")"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "markdown",
+   "id": "4cd60204-e7e6-4f82-9c6b-4cca96367ffc",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "source": [
+    "> By default, this pipeline selects a particular pretrained model that has been fine-tuned for sentiment analysis in English. The model is downloaded and cached when you create the `classifier` object. If you rerun the command, the cached model will be used instead and there is no need to download the model again.\n",
+    ">\n",
+    "> There are three main steps involved when you pass some text to a pipeline:\n",
+    ">\n",
+    "> 1. The text is preprocessed into a format the model can understand.\n",
+    "> 1. The preprocessed inputs are passed to the model.\n",
+    "> 1. The predictions of the model are post-processed, so you can make sense of them.\n",
+    ">\n",
+    "> Some of the currently [available pipelines](https://huggingface.co/transformers/main_classes/pipelines.html) are:\n",
+    "> \n",
+    "> * `feature-extraction` (get the vector representation of a text)\n",
+    "> * `fill-mask`\n",
+    "> * `ner` (named entity recognition)\n",
+    "> * `question-answering`\n",
+    "> * `sentiment-analysis`\n",
+    "> * `summarization`\n",
+    "> * `text-generation`\n",
+    "> * `translation`\n",
+    "> * `zero-shot-classification`\n",
+    ">\n",
+    ">Let’s have a look at a few of these!\n",
+    "\n",
+    "### Zero-shot classification\n",
+    "\n",
+    "> We’ll start by tackling a more challenging task where we need to classify texts that haven’t been labelled. This is a common scenario in real-world projects because annotating text is usually time-consuming and requires domain expertise. For this use case, the zero-shot-classification pipeline is very powerful: it allows you to specify which labels to use for the classification, so you don’t have to rely on the labels of the pretrained model. You’ve already seen how the model can classify a sentence as positive or negative using those two labels — but it can also classify the text using any other set of labels you like."
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": 3,
+   "id": "d583a893-0300-49b8-89b7-eba4d68f7855",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [
+    {
+     "name": "stderr",
+     "output_type": "stream",
+     "text": [
+      "No model was supplied, defaulted to facebook/bart-large-mnli (https://huggingface.co/facebook/bart-large-mnli)\n"
+     ]
+    },
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "application/vnd.jupyter.widget-view+json": {
+       "model_id": "163351fb838a4509b6c56f3e369f85ee",
+       "version_major": 2,
+       "version_minor": 0
+      },
+      "text/plain": [
+       "Downloading:   0%|          | 0.00/1.13k [00:00<?, ?B/s]"
+      ]
+     },
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "display_data"
+    },
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "application/vnd.jupyter.widget-view+json": {
+       "model_id": "1018fa09766b45b3bbb8b74f7a0375ee",
+       "version_major": 2,
+       "version_minor": 0
+      },
+      "text/plain": [
+       "Downloading:   0%|          | 0.00/1.52G [00:00<?, ?B/s]"
+      ]
+     },
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "display_data"
+    },
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "application/vnd.jupyter.widget-view+json": {
+       "model_id": "91c7be7b4b2e46358881710fea608094",
+       "version_major": 2,
+       "version_minor": 0
+      },
+      "text/plain": [
+       "Downloading:   0%|          | 0.00/26.0 [00:00<?, ?B/s]"
+      ]
+     },
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "display_data"
+    },
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "application/vnd.jupyter.widget-view+json": {
+       "model_id": "54f67f8693c04b26bab89e093f03fbf9",
+       "version_major": 2,
+       "version_minor": 0
+      },
+      "text/plain": [
+       "Downloading:   0%|          | 0.00/878k [00:00<?, ?B/s]"
+      ]
+     },
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "display_data"
+    },
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "application/vnd.jupyter.widget-view+json": {
+       "model_id": "371e11dc05be44158506c6e0c143370b",
+       "version_major": 2,
+       "version_minor": 0
+      },
+      "text/plain": [
+       "Downloading:   0%|          | 0.00/446k [00:00<?, ?B/s]"
+      ]
+     },
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "display_data"
+    },
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "application/vnd.jupyter.widget-view+json": {
+       "model_id": "e3349eb752fe4556ab4391f2f44a6d71",
+       "version_major": 2,
+       "version_minor": 0
+      },
+      "text/plain": [
+       "Downloading:   0%|          | 0.00/1.29M [00:00<?, ?B/s]"
+      ]
+     },
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "display_data"
+    },
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "text/plain": [
+       "{'sequence': 'This is a course about the Transformers library',\n",
+       " 'labels': ['education', 'business', 'politics'],\n",
+       " 'scores': [0.8445965647697449, 0.11197599768638611, 0.04342741146683693]}"
+      ]
+     },
+     "execution_count": 3,
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "execute_result"
+    }
+   ],
+   "source": [
+    "classifier = pipeline(\"zero-shot-classification\")\n",
+    "classifier(\n",
+    "    \"This is a course about the Transformers library\",\n",
+    "    candidate_labels=[\"education\", \"politics\", \"business\"],\n",
+    ")"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "markdown",
+   "id": "2b22f804-2662-4bc9-ada6-07bf07f2b8e2",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "source": [
+    "> This pipeline is called zero-shot because you don’t need to fine-tune the model on your data to use it. It can directly return probability scores for any list of labels you want!\n",
+    "\n",
+    "### Text Generation\n",
+    "\n",
+    "> Now let’s see how to use a pipeline to generate some text. The main idea here is that you provide a prompt and the model will auto-complete it by generating the remaining text. This is similar to the predictive text feature that is found on many phones. Text generation involves randomness, so it’s normal if you don’t get the same results as shown below.\n",
+    "\n",
+    "**Note** The default `gpt2` model does not seem to work on HiPerGator at this time."
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": 6,
+   "id": "4de613df-9ca1-437b-b70b-cda8fc2cfde4",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [
+    {
+     "name": "stderr",
+     "output_type": "stream",
+     "text": [
+      "Setting `pad_token_id` to `eos_token_id`:50256 for open-end generation.\n"
+     ]
+    },
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "text/plain": [
+       "[{'generated_text': 'In this course, we will teach you how to learn more skills of communication in writing. Topics include: Communication and writing writing\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n'},\n",
+       " {'generated_text': 'In this course, we will teach you how to build an efficient web server based on your users base and your user base. The first part will show'}]"
+      ]
+     },
+     "execution_count": 6,
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "execute_result"
+    }
+   ],
+   "source": [
+    "generator = pipeline(\"text-generation\", model=\"distilgpt2\")\n",
+    "generator(\n",
+    "    \"In this course, we will teach you how to\",\n",
+    "    max_length=30,\n",
+    "    num_return_sequences=2,\n",
+    ")"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "markdown",
+   "id": "01b9123d-4bf4-449b-aed3-dfdba7e34571",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "source": [
+    "### Mask Filling"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": 8,
+   "id": "2fa906cf-d404-4f53-b92b-cf563773b7ed",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [
+    {
+     "name": "stderr",
+     "output_type": "stream",
+     "text": [
+      "No model was supplied, defaulted to distilroberta-base (https://huggingface.co/distilroberta-base)\n"
+     ]
+    },
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "application/vnd.jupyter.widget-view+json": {
+       "model_id": "8b249b63276947ca90f845c2ce57d83e",
+       "version_major": 2,
+       "version_minor": 0
+      },
+      "text/plain": [
+       "Downloading:   0%|          | 0.00/480 [00:00<?, ?B/s]"
+      ]
+     },
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "display_data"
+    },
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "application/vnd.jupyter.widget-view+json": {
+       "model_id": "efcff0baecab4b0fb23876c5c4e79def",
+       "version_major": 2,
+       "version_minor": 0
+      },
+      "text/plain": [
+       "Downloading:   0%|          | 0.00/316M [00:00<?, ?B/s]"
+      ]
+     },
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "display_data"
+    },
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "application/vnd.jupyter.widget-view+json": {
+       "model_id": "6547cb96778f4e7cab0e80539796d5a6",
+       "version_major": 2,
+       "version_minor": 0
+      },
+      "text/plain": [
+       "Downloading:   0%|          | 0.00/878k [00:00<?, ?B/s]"
+      ]
+     },
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "display_data"
+    },
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "application/vnd.jupyter.widget-view+json": {
+       "model_id": "34fc4615659542aa9a1e3393aade3404",
+       "version_major": 2,
+       "version_minor": 0
+      },
+      "text/plain": [
+       "Downloading:   0%|          | 0.00/446k [00:00<?, ?B/s]"
+      ]
+     },
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "display_data"
+    },
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "application/vnd.jupyter.widget-view+json": {
+       "model_id": "e995165f0d76428a9debff70598a2c5b",
+       "version_major": 2,
+       "version_minor": 0
+      },
+      "text/plain": [
+       "Downloading:   0%|          | 0.00/1.29M [00:00<?, ?B/s]"
+      ]
+     },
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "display_data"
+    },
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "text/plain": [
+       "[{'sequence': 'This course will teach you all about mathematical models.',\n",
+       "  'score': 0.1961984932422638,\n",
+       "  'token': 30412,\n",
+       "  'token_str': ' mathematical'},\n",
+       " {'sequence': 'This course will teach you all about computational models.',\n",
+       "  'score': 0.04052729159593582,\n",
+       "  'token': 38163,\n",
+       "  'token_str': ' computational'}]"
+      ]
+     },
+     "execution_count": 8,
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "execute_result"
+    }
+   ],
+   "source": [
+    "unmasker = pipeline(\"fill-mask\")\n",
+    "unmasker(\"This course will teach you all about <mask> models.\", top_k=2)"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "markdown",
+   "id": "6f5c4d09-1813-4a7a-ad07-d3ffd75a40f1",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "source": [
+    "### Named Entity Recognition (NER)"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": 9,
+   "id": "e90aba8e-c9da-4f13-976c-742b9975f8e8",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [
+    {
+     "name": "stderr",
+     "output_type": "stream",
+     "text": [
+      "No model was supplied, defaulted to dbmdz/bert-large-cased-finetuned-conll03-english (https://huggingface.co/dbmdz/bert-large-cased-finetuned-conll03-english)\n",
+      "/apps/nlp/1.2/lib/python3.8/site-packages/transformers/pipelines/token_classification.py:128: UserWarning: `grouped_entities` is deprecated and will be removed in version v5.0.0, defaulted to `aggregation_strategy=\"AggregationStrategy.SIMPLE\"` instead.\n",
+      "  warnings.warn(\n"
+     ]
+    },
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "text/plain": [
+       "[{'entity_group': 'PER',\n",
+       "  'score': 0.99930125,\n",
+       "  'word': 'Matt',\n",
+       "  'start': 11,\n",
+       "  'end': 15},\n",
+       " {'entity_group': 'ORG',\n",
+       "  'score': 0.997988,\n",
+       "  'word': 'University of Florida',\n",
+       "  'start': 34,\n",
+       "  'end': 55},\n",
+       " {'entity_group': 'LOC',\n",
+       "  'score': 0.9874652,\n",
+       "  'word': 'Gainesville',\n",
+       "  'start': 59,\n",
+       "  'end': 70}]"
+      ]
+     },
+     "execution_count": 9,
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "execute_result"
+    }
+   ],
+   "source": [
+    "ner = pipeline(\"ner\", grouped_entities=True)\n",
+    "ner(\"My name is Matt and I work at the University of Florida in Gainesville.\")"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "markdown",
+   "id": "c309d54b-4b15-40d6-9503-1fb83fe5089d",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "source": [
+    "### Question answering"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": 11,
+   "id": "6f75bba8-7733-41f2-b597-98370ae633ba",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [
+    {
+     "name": "stderr",
+     "output_type": "stream",
+     "text": [
+      "No model was supplied, defaulted to distilbert-base-cased-distilled-squad (https://huggingface.co/distilbert-base-cased-distilled-squad)\n"
+     ]
+    },
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "text/plain": [
+       "{'score': 0.4767897427082062,\n",
+       " 'start': 34,\n",
+       " 'end': 55,\n",
+       " 'answer': 'University of Florida'}"
+      ]
+     },
+     "execution_count": 11,
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "execute_result"
+    }
+   ],
+   "source": [
+    "question_answerer = pipeline(\"question-answering\")\n",
+    "question_answerer(\n",
+    "    question=\"Where do I work?\",\n",
+    "    context=\"My name is Matt and I work at the University of Florida in Gainesville.\",\n",
+    ")"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "markdown",
+   "id": "29eff250-b146-4167-a623-8ae5b89d990b",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "source": [
+    "### Summarization"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": 13,
+   "id": "fad99d04-0927-4f66-b816-768c8dd10ec7",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [
+    {
+     "name": "stderr",
+     "output_type": "stream",
+     "text": [
+      "No model was supplied, defaulted to sshleifer/distilbart-cnn-12-6 (https://huggingface.co/sshleifer/distilbart-cnn-12-6)\n"
+     ]
+    },
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "text/plain": [
+       "[{'summary_text': ' America has changed dramatically during recent years . The number of engineering graduates in the U.S. has declined in traditional engineering disciplines such as mechanical, civil,    electrical, chemical, and aeronautical engineering . Rapidly developing economies such as China and India continue to encourage and advance the teaching of engineering .'}]"
+      ]
+     },
+     "execution_count": 13,
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "execute_result"
+    }
+   ],
+   "source": [
+    "summarizer = pipeline(\"summarization\")\n",
+    "summarizer(\n",
+    "    \"\"\"\n",
+    "    America has changed dramatically during recent years. Not only has the number of \n",
+    "    graduates in traditional engineering disciplines such as mechanical, civil, \n",
+    "    electrical, chemical, and aeronautical engineering declined, but in most of \n",
+    "    the premier American universities engineering curricula now concentrate on \n",
+    "    and encourage largely the study of engineering science. As a result, there \n",
+    "    are declining offerings in engineering subjects dealing with infrastructure, \n",
+    "    the environment, and related issues, and greater concentration on high \n",
+    "    technology subjects, largely supporting increasingly complex scientific \n",
+    "    developments. While the latter is important, it should not be at the expense \n",
+    "    of more traditional engineering.\n",
+    "\n",
+    "    Rapidly developing economies such as China and India, as well as other \n",
+    "    industrial countries in Europe and Asia, continue to encourage and advance \n",
+    "    the teaching of engineering. Both China and India, respectively, graduate \n",
+    "    six and eight times as many traditional engineers as does the United States. \n",
+    "    Other industrial countries at minimum maintain their output, while America \n",
+    "    suffers an increasingly serious decline in the number of engineering graduates \n",
+    "    and a lack of well-educated engineers.\n",
+    "\"\"\"\n",
+    ")"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "markdown",
+   "id": "c40c6c50-f366-4cd2-8432-c559bbee6b54",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "source": [
+    "### Translation"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": 14,
+   "id": "2f197859-2880-477c-8572-60df2459abd5",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "application/vnd.jupyter.widget-view+json": {
+       "model_id": "3817f88ee111468a8ec7320334fbd5aa",
+       "version_major": 2,
+       "version_minor": 0
+      },
+      "text/plain": [
+       "Downloading:   0%|          | 0.00/1.26k [00:00<?, ?B/s]"
+      ]
+     },
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "display_data"
+    },
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "application/vnd.jupyter.widget-view+json": {
+       "model_id": "54f231b827dd4493bdea1c0248ff7a9d",
+       "version_major": 2,
+       "version_minor": 0
+      },
+      "text/plain": [
+       "Downloading:   0%|          | 0.00/287M [00:00<?, ?B/s]"
+      ]
+     },
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "display_data"
+    },
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "application/vnd.jupyter.widget-view+json": {
+       "model_id": "0004bdb9f21b40848bbace26d60d6024",
+       "version_major": 2,
+       "version_minor": 0
+      },
+      "text/plain": [
+       "Downloading:   0%|          | 0.00/42.0 [00:00<?, ?B/s]"
+      ]
+     },
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "display_data"
+    },
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "application/vnd.jupyter.widget-view+json": {
+       "model_id": "ce9574bd9a5f48338366cfefc937fe2d",
+       "version_major": 2,
+       "version_minor": 0
+      },
+      "text/plain": [
+       "Downloading:   0%|          | 0.00/784k [00:00<?, ?B/s]"
+      ]
+     },
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "display_data"
+    },
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "application/vnd.jupyter.widget-view+json": {
+       "model_id": "d5e3431e07604922b44e056d24f58606",
+       "version_major": 2,
+       "version_minor": 0
+      },
+      "text/plain": [
+       "Downloading:   0%|          | 0.00/760k [00:00<?, ?B/s]"
+      ]
+     },
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "display_data"
+    },
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "application/vnd.jupyter.widget-view+json": {
+       "model_id": "95ecd68a7f544cf89cffa6ead26050bc",
+       "version_major": 2,
+       "version_minor": 0
+      },
+      "text/plain": [
+       "Downloading:   0%|          | 0.00/1.28M [00:00<?, ?B/s]"
+      ]
+     },
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "display_data"
+    },
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "text/plain": [
+       "[{'translation_text': 'This course is produced by Hugging Face.'}]"
+      ]
+     },
+     "execution_count": 14,
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "execute_result"
+    }
+   ],
+   "source": [
+    "translator = pipeline(\"translation\", model=\"Helsinki-NLP/opus-mt-fr-en\")\n",
+    "translator(\"Ce cours est produit par Hugging Face.\")\n"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "markdown",
+   "id": "06745c71-46bf-4cb3-bc28-2b022932aa7b",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "source": [
+    "## Tranformers transform NLP and more!\n",
+    "\n",
+    "Transformers are not that old! Only having been introduced in 2017! Vaswani *et al.*'s paper [*Attention is all you need*](https://arxiv.org/abs/1706.03762) has over 38,000 citations in Google Scholar (3/22/2022)\n",
+    "\n",
+    "![Tranformer timeline from Hugging Face](images/transformers_chrono_HuggingFace.png)\n",
+    "\n",
+    "Since its publication, transformers have revolutionized NLP and been applied to other fields, including computer vision.\n",
+    "\n",
+    "### Transformers are language models\n",
+    "\n",
+    "> All the Transformer models mentioned above (GPT, BERT, BART, T5, etc.) have been trained as language models. This means they have been trained on large amounts of raw text in a self-supervised fashion. **Self-supervised learning is a type of training in which the objective is automatically computed from the inputs of the model. That means that humans are not needed to label the data!**\n",
+    "> \n",
+    "> This type of model develops a statistical understanding of the language it has been trained on, but it’s not very useful for specific practical tasks. Because of this, the general pretrained model then goes through a process called transfer learning. During this process, the model is fine-tuned in a supervised way — that is, using human-annotated labels — on a given task.\n",
+    "\n",
+    "### Transformers are **BIG** models\n",
+    "\n",
+    "The graph below is from the article [*We Might See A 100T Language Model In 2022*](https://analyticsindiamag.com/we-might-see-a-100t-language-model-in-2022/), published in Dec 2021:\n",
+    "![Image of transformer model size over time, from https://analyticsindiamag.com/we-might-see-a-100t-language-model-in-2022/](images/NVIDIA_NLP_Model_Size.png)\n",
+    "\n",
+    "And costly in terms of compute and CO2 emmisions...\n",
+    "\n",
+    "![Relative CO2 emissions for a variety of human activities, from Hugging Face](images/carbon_footprint_HuggingFace.png)\n",
+    "\n",
+    "Luckily, as we've seen, transfer learning can help!!\n",
+    "\n",
+    "![Schematic of pre-training from Hugging Face](images/pretraining_HuggingFace.png)\n",
+    "\n",
+    "> This pretraining is usually done on very large amounts of data. Therefore, it requires a very large corpus of data, and training can take up to several weeks.\n",
+    ">\n",
+    "> *Fine-tuning*, on the other hand, is the training done **after** a model has been pretrained. To perform fine-tuning, you first acquire a pretrained language model, then perform additional training with a dataset specific to your task."
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "markdown",
+   "id": "56410ead-8669-4c8e-b543-155f20025030",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "source": [
+    "## Transformer architecture\n",
+    "\n",
+    "> The model is primarily composed of two blocks:\n",
+    "> * **Encoder (left)**: The encoder receives an input and builds a representation of it (its features). This means that the model is optimized to acquire understanding from the input.\n",
+    "> * **Decoder (right)**: The decoder uses the encoder’s representation (features) along with other inputs to generate a target sequence. This means that the model is optimized for generating outputs.\n",
+    "\n",
+    "![Basic transformer architecture, from Hugging Face](images/transformers_blocks_HuggingFace.png)\n",
+    "\n",
+    "> Each of these parts can be used independently, depending on the task:\n",
+    "> * **Encoder-only models**: Good for tasks that require understanding of the input, such as sentence classification and named entity recognition.\n",
+    "> * **Decoder-only models**: Good for generative tasks such as text generation.\n",
+    "> * **Encoder-decoder models** or **sequence-to-sequence models**: Good for generative tasks that require an input, such as translation or summarization."
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "markdown",
+   "id": "5fbc7ea7-b278-4d1d-8ca1-7d0e82a9f1b0",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "source": [
+    "## Attention layers\n",
+    "\n",
+    "> A key feature of Transformer models is that they are built with special layers called attention layers. In fact, the title of the paper introducing the Transformer architecture was [\"Attention Is All You Need\"](https://arxiv.org/abs/1706.03762)! ...for now, all you need to know is that this layer will tell the model to pay specific attention to certain words in the sentence you passed it (and more or less ignore the others) when dealing with the representation of each word.\n",
+    ">\n",
+    "> To put this into context, consider the task of translating text from English to French. Given the input “You like this course”, a translation model will need to also attend to the adjacent word “You” to get the proper translation for the word “like”, because in French the verb “like” is conjugated differently depending on the subject. The rest of the sentence, however, is not useful for the translation of that word. In the same vein, when translating “this” the model will also need to pay attention to the word “course”, because “this” translates differently depending on whether the associated noun is masculine or feminine. Again, the other words in the sentence will not matter for the translation of “this”. With more complex sentences (and more complex grammar rules), the model would need to pay special attention to words that might appear farther away in the sentence to properly translate each word.\n",
+    ">\n",
+    "> The same concept applies to any task associated with natural language: a word by itself has a meaning, but that meaning is deeply affected by the context, which can be any other word (or words) before or after the word being studied.\n",
+    "> \n",
+    "> Now that you have an idea of what attention layers are all about, let’s take a closer look at the Transformer architecture.\n",
+    "\n",
+    "## The original architecture\n",
+    "\n",
+    "> The Transformer architecture was originally designed for translation. During training, the **encoder** receives inputs (sentences) in a certain language, while the **decoder** receives the same sentences in the desired target language. In the encoder, the attention layers can use all the words in a sentence (since, as we just saw, the translation of a given word can be dependent on what is after as well as before it in the sentence). The decoder, however, works sequentially and can only pay attention to the words in the sentence that it has already translated (so, only the words before the word currently being generated). For example, when we have predicted the first three words of the translated target, we give them to the decoder which then uses all the inputs of the encoder to try to predict the fourth word.\n",
+    ">\n",
+    "> To speed things up during training (when the model has access to target sentences), the decoder is fed the whole target, but it is not allowed to use future words (if it had access to the word at position 2 when trying to predict the word at position 2, the problem would not be very hard!). For instance, when trying to predict the fourth word, the attention layer will only have access to the words in positions 1 to 3.\n",
+    "> \n",
+    "> The original Transformer architecture looked like this, with the encoder on the left and the decoder on the right:\n",
+    "\n",
+    "![Architecture of a Transformers models](images/transformers.png)\n",
+    "\n",
+    "> Note that the the first attention layer in a decoder block pays attention to all (past) inputs to the decoder, but the second attention layer uses the output of the encoder. It can thus access the whole input sentence to best predict the current word. This is very useful as different languages can have grammatical rules that put the words in different orders, or some context provided later in the sentence may be helpful to determine the best translation of a given word.\n",
+    "> \n",
+    "> The attention mask can also be used in the encoder/decoder to prevent the model from paying attention to some special words — for instance, the special padding word used to make all the inputs the same length when batching together sentences.\n",
+    "\n"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "markdown",
+   "id": "c9deec72-873e-427d-81de-4d448c3020ca",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "source": [
+    "## Biases and Limiatations of NLP Models\n",
+    "\n",
+    "> If your intent is to use a pretrained model or a fine-tuned version in production, please be aware that, while these models are powerful tools, they come with limitations. The biggest of these is that, to enable pretraining on large amounts of data, researchers often scrape all the content they can find, taking the best as well as the worst of what is available on the internet.\n",
+    ">\n",
+    "> To give a quick illustration, let’s go back the example of a fill-mask pipeline with the BERT model:"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": 15,
+   "id": "54412caa-fbfb-4d00-a370-12eae4a80180",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "application/vnd.jupyter.widget-view+json": {
+       "model_id": "8dab4351382c42b7832da07fe4df51ab",
+       "version_major": 2,
+       "version_minor": 0
+      },
+      "text/plain": [
+       "Downloading:   0%|          | 0.00/570 [00:00<?, ?B/s]"
+      ]
+     },
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "display_data"
+    },
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "application/vnd.jupyter.widget-view+json": {
+       "model_id": "842639732e6b4db1a8ec215c9c9b2f17",
+       "version_major": 2,
+       "version_minor": 0
+      },
+      "text/plain": [
+       "Downloading:   0%|          | 0.00/420M [00:00<?, ?B/s]"
+      ]
+     },
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "display_data"
+    },
+    {
+     "name": "stderr",
+     "output_type": "stream",
+     "text": [
+      "Some weights of the model checkpoint at bert-base-uncased were not used when initializing BertForMaskedLM: ['cls.seq_relationship.bias', 'cls.seq_relationship.weight']\n",
+      "- This IS expected if you are initializing BertForMaskedLM from the checkpoint of a model trained on another task or with another architecture (e.g. initializing a BertForSequenceClassification model from a BertForPreTraining model).\n",
+      "- This IS NOT expected if you are initializing BertForMaskedLM from the checkpoint of a model that you expect to be exactly identical (initializing a BertForSequenceClassification model from a BertForSequenceClassification model).\n"
+     ]
+    },
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "application/vnd.jupyter.widget-view+json": {
+       "model_id": "f217c883ea284f7da7b9c815bb4c083e",
+       "version_major": 2,
+       "version_minor": 0
+      },
+      "text/plain": [
+       "Downloading:   0%|          | 0.00/28.0 [00:00<?, ?B/s]"
+      ]
+     },
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "display_data"
+    },
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "application/vnd.jupyter.widget-view+json": {
+       "model_id": "3eddc8fb329648ca93bd2fd128a6c011",
+       "version_major": 2,
+       "version_minor": 0
+      },
+      "text/plain": [
+       "Downloading:   0%|          | 0.00/226k [00:00<?, ?B/s]"
+      ]
+     },
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "display_data"
+    },
+    {
+     "data": {
+      "application/vnd.jupyter.widget-view+json": {
+       "model_id": "8b9cd0a88cda47c3bfbef2ac9cab8362",
+       "version_major": 2,
+       "version_minor": 0
+      },
+      "text/plain": [
+       "Downloading:   0%|          | 0.00/455k [00:00<?, ?B/s]"
+      ]
+     },
+     "metadata": {},
+     "output_type": "display_data"
+    },
+    {
+     "name": "stdout",
+     "output_type": "stream",
+     "text": [
+      "['carpenter', 'lawyer', 'farmer', 'businessman', 'doctor']\n",
+      "['nurse', 'maid', 'teacher', 'waitress', 'prostitute']\n"
+     ]
+    }
+   ],
+   "source": [
+    "unmasker = pipeline(\"fill-mask\", model=\"bert-base-uncased\")\n",
+    "result = unmasker(\"This man works as a [MASK].\")\n",
+    "print([r[\"token_str\"] for r in result])\n",
+    "\n",
+    "result = unmasker(\"This woman works as a [MASK].\")\n",
+    "print([r[\"token_str\"] for r in result])"
+   ]
+  },
+  {
+   "cell_type": "code",
+   "execution_count": null,
+   "id": "bdeb707a-c7d1-4a94-b41d-289e2c599e3f",
+   "metadata": {},
+   "outputs": [],
+   "source": []
+  }
+ ],
+ "metadata": {
+  "kernelspec": {
+   "display_name": "nlp-1.2",
+   "language": "python",
+   "name": "nlp-1.2"
+  },
+  "language_info": {
+   "codemirror_mode": {
+    "name": "ipython",
+    "version": 3
+   },
+   "file_extension": ".py",
+   "mimetype": "text/x-python",
+   "name": "python",
+   "nbconvert_exporter": "python",
+   "pygments_lexer": "ipython3",
+   "version": "3.8.12"
+  }
+ },
+ "nbformat": 4,
+ "nbformat_minor": 5
+}
diff --git a/data/frankenstein.txt b/data/frankenstein.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a035ca9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/data/frankenstein.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,7743 @@
+The Project Gutenberg eBook of Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft (Godwin) Shelley
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
+most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
+whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
+of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at
+www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you
+will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before
+using this eBook.
+
+Title: Frankenstein
+       or, The Modern Prometheus
+
+Author: Mary Wollstonecraft (Godwin) Shelley
+
+Release Date: 31, 1993 [eBook #84]
+[Most recently updated: November 13, 2020]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: UTF-8
+
+Produced by: Judith Boss, Christy Phillips, Lynn Hanninen, and David Meltzer. HTML version by Al Haines.
+Further corrections by Menno de Leeuw.
+
+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FRANKENSTEIN ***
+
+
+
+
+Frankenstein;
+
+or, the Modern Prometheus
+
+by Mary Wollstonecraft (Godwin) Shelley
+
+
+ CONTENTS
+
+ Letter 1
+ Letter 2
+ Letter 3
+ Letter 4
+ Chapter 1
+ Chapter 2
+ Chapter 3
+ Chapter 4
+ Chapter 5
+ Chapter 6
+ Chapter 7
+ Chapter 8
+ Chapter 9
+ Chapter 10
+ Chapter 11
+ Chapter 12
+ Chapter 13
+ Chapter 14
+ Chapter 15
+ Chapter 16
+ Chapter 17
+ Chapter 18
+ Chapter 19
+ Chapter 20
+ Chapter 21
+ Chapter 22
+ Chapter 23
+ Chapter 24
+
+
+
+
+Letter 1
+
+_To Mrs. Saville, England._
+
+
+St. Petersburgh, Dec. 11th, 17—.
+
+
+You will rejoice to hear that no disaster has accompanied the
+commencement of an enterprise which you have regarded with such evil
+forebodings. I arrived here yesterday, and my first task is to assure
+my dear sister of my welfare and increasing confidence in the success
+of my undertaking.
+
+I am already far north of London, and as I walk in the streets of
+Petersburgh, I feel a cold northern breeze play upon my cheeks, which
+braces my nerves and fills me with delight. Do you understand this
+feeling? This breeze, which has travelled from the regions towards
+which I am advancing, gives me a foretaste of those icy climes.
+Inspirited by this wind of promise, my daydreams become more fervent
+and vivid. I try in vain to be persuaded that the pole is the seat of
+frost and desolation; it ever presents itself to my imagination as the
+region of beauty and delight. There, Margaret, the sun is for ever
+visible, its broad disk just skirting the horizon and diffusing a
+perpetual splendour. There—for with your leave, my sister, I will put
+some trust in preceding navigators—there snow and frost are banished;
+and, sailing over a calm sea, we may be wafted to a land surpassing in
+wonders and in beauty every region hitherto discovered on the habitable
+globe. Its productions and features may be without example, as the
+phenomena of the heavenly bodies undoubtedly are in those undiscovered
+solitudes. What may not be expected in a country of eternal light? I
+may there discover the wondrous power which attracts the needle and may
+regulate a thousand celestial observations that require only this
+voyage to render their seeming eccentricities consistent for ever. I
+shall satiate my ardent curiosity with the sight of a part of the world
+never before visited, and may tread a land never before imprinted by
+the foot of man. These are my enticements, and they are sufficient to
+conquer all fear of danger or death and to induce me to commence this
+laborious voyage with the joy a child feels when he embarks in a little
+boat, with his holiday mates, on an expedition of discovery up his
+native river. But supposing all these conjectures to be false, you
+cannot contest the inestimable benefit which I shall confer on all
+mankind, to the last generation, by discovering a passage near the pole
+to those countries, to reach which at present so many months are
+requisite; or by ascertaining the secret of the magnet, which, if at
+all possible, can only be effected by an undertaking such as mine.
+
+These reflections have dispelled the agitation with which I began my
+letter, and I feel my heart glow with an enthusiasm which elevates me
+to heaven, for nothing contributes so much to tranquillise the mind as
+a steady purpose—a point on which the soul may fix its intellectual
+eye. This expedition has been the favourite dream of my early years. I
+have read with ardour the accounts of the various voyages which have
+been made in the prospect of arriving at the North Pacific Ocean
+through the seas which surround the pole. You may remember that a
+history of all the voyages made for purposes of discovery composed the
+whole of our good Uncle Thomas’ library. My education was neglected,
+yet I was passionately fond of reading. These volumes were my study
+day and night, and my familiarity with them increased that regret which
+I had felt, as a child, on learning that my father’s dying injunction
+had forbidden my uncle to allow me to embark in a seafaring life.
+
+These visions faded when I perused, for the first time, those poets
+whose effusions entranced my soul and lifted it to heaven. I also
+became a poet and for one year lived in a paradise of my own creation;
+I imagined that I also might obtain a niche in the temple where the
+names of Homer and Shakespeare are consecrated. You are well
+acquainted with my failure and how heavily I bore the disappointment.
+But just at that time I inherited the fortune of my cousin, and my
+thoughts were turned into the channel of their earlier bent.
+
+Six years have passed since I resolved on my present undertaking. I
+can, even now, remember the hour from which I dedicated myself to this
+great enterprise. I commenced by inuring my body to hardship. I
+accompanied the whale-fishers on several expeditions to the North Sea;
+I voluntarily endured cold, famine, thirst, and want of sleep; I often
+worked harder than the common sailors during the day and devoted my
+nights to the study of mathematics, the theory of medicine, and those
+branches of physical science from which a naval adventurer might derive
+the greatest practical advantage. Twice I actually hired myself as an
+under-mate in a Greenland whaler, and acquitted myself to admiration. I
+must own I felt a little proud when my captain offered me the second
+dignity in the vessel and entreated me to remain with the greatest
+earnestness, so valuable did he consider my services.
+
+And now, dear Margaret, do I not deserve to accomplish some great purpose?
+My life might have been passed in ease and luxury, but I preferred glory to
+every enticement that wealth placed in my path. Oh, that some encouraging
+voice would answer in the affirmative! My courage and my resolution is
+firm; but my hopes fluctuate, and my spirits are often depressed. I am
+about to proceed on a long and difficult voyage, the emergencies of which
+will demand all my fortitude: I am required not only to raise the spirits
+of others, but sometimes to sustain my own, when theirs are failing.
+
+This is the most favourable period for travelling in Russia. They fly
+quickly over the snow in their sledges; the motion is pleasant, and, in
+my opinion, far more agreeable than that of an English stagecoach. The
+cold is not excessive, if you are wrapped in furs—a dress which I have
+already adopted, for there is a great difference between walking the
+deck and remaining seated motionless for hours, when no exercise
+prevents the blood from actually freezing in your veins. I have no
+ambition to lose my life on the post-road between St. Petersburgh and
+Archangel.
+
+I shall depart for the latter town in a fortnight or three weeks; and my
+intention is to hire a ship there, which can easily be done by paying the
+insurance for the owner, and to engage as many sailors as I think necessary
+among those who are accustomed to the whale-fishing. I do not intend to
+sail until the month of June; and when shall I return? Ah, dear sister, how
+can I answer this question? If I succeed, many, many months, perhaps years,
+will pass before you and I may meet. If I fail, you will see me again soon,
+or never.
+
+Farewell, my dear, excellent Margaret. Heaven shower down blessings on you,
+and save me, that I may again and again testify my gratitude for all your
+love and kindness.
+
+Your affectionate brother,
+
+R. Walton
+
+
+
+
+Letter 2
+
+_To Mrs. Saville, England._
+
+Archangel, 28th March, 17—.
+
+
+How slowly the time passes here, encompassed as I am by frost and snow!
+Yet a second step is taken towards my enterprise. I have hired a
+vessel and am occupied in collecting my sailors; those whom I have
+already engaged appear to be men on whom I can depend and are certainly
+possessed of dauntless courage.
+
+But I have one want which I have never yet been able to satisfy, and the
+absence of the object of which I now feel as a most severe evil, I have no
+friend, Margaret: when I am glowing with the enthusiasm of success, there
+will be none to participate my joy; if I am assailed by disappointment, no
+one will endeavour to sustain me in dejection. I shall commit my thoughts
+to paper, it is true; but that is a poor medium for the communication of
+feeling. I desire the company of a man who could sympathise with me, whose
+eyes would reply to mine. You may deem me romantic, my dear sister, but I
+bitterly feel the want of a friend. I have no one near me, gentle yet
+courageous, possessed of a cultivated as well as of a capacious mind, whose
+tastes are like my own, to approve or amend my plans. How would such a
+friend repair the faults of your poor brother! I am too ardent in execution
+and too impatient of difficulties. But it is a still greater evil to me
+that I am self-educated: for the first fourteen years of my life I ran wild
+on a common and read nothing but our Uncle Thomas’ books of voyages.
+At that age I became acquainted with the celebrated poets of our own
+country; but it was only when it had ceased to be in my power to derive its
+most important benefits from such a conviction that I perceived the
+necessity of becoming acquainted with more languages than that of my native
+country. Now I am twenty-eight and am in reality more illiterate than many
+schoolboys of fifteen. It is true that I have thought more and that my
+daydreams are more extended and magnificent, but they want (as the painters
+call it) _keeping;_ and I greatly need a friend who would have sense
+enough not to despise me as romantic, and affection enough for me to
+endeavour to regulate my mind.
+
+Well, these are useless complaints; I shall certainly find no friend on the
+wide ocean, nor even here in Archangel, among merchants and seamen. Yet
+some feelings, unallied to the dross of human nature, beat even in these
+rugged bosoms. My lieutenant, for instance, is a man of wonderful courage
+and enterprise; he is madly desirous of glory, or rather, to word my phrase
+more characteristically, of advancement in his profession. He is an
+Englishman, and in the midst of national and professional prejudices,
+unsoftened by cultivation, retains some of the noblest endowments of
+humanity. I first became acquainted with him on board a whale vessel;
+finding that he was unemployed in this city, I easily engaged him to assist
+in my enterprise.
+
+The master is a person of an excellent disposition and is remarkable in the
+ship for his gentleness and the mildness of his discipline. This
+circumstance, added to his well-known integrity and dauntless courage, made
+me very desirous to engage him. A youth passed in solitude, my best years
+spent under your gentle and feminine fosterage, has so refined the
+groundwork of my character that I cannot overcome an intense distaste to
+the usual brutality exercised on board ship: I have never believed it to be
+necessary, and when I heard of a mariner equally noted for his kindliness
+of heart and the respect and obedience paid to him by his crew, I felt
+myself peculiarly fortunate in being able to secure his services. I heard
+of him first in rather a romantic manner, from a lady who owes to him the
+happiness of her life. This, briefly, is his story. Some years ago he loved
+a young Russian lady of moderate fortune, and having amassed a considerable
+sum in prize-money, the father of the girl consented to the match. He saw
+his mistress once before the destined ceremony; but she was bathed in
+tears, and throwing herself at his feet, entreated him to spare her,
+confessing at the same time that she loved another, but that he was poor,
+and that her father would never consent to the union. My generous friend
+reassured the suppliant, and on being informed of the name of her lover,
+instantly abandoned his pursuit. He had already bought a farm with his
+money, on which he had designed to pass the remainder of his life; but he
+bestowed the whole on his rival, together with the remains of his
+prize-money to purchase stock, and then himself solicited the young
+woman’s father to consent to her marriage with her lover. But the old
+man decidedly refused, thinking himself bound in honour to my friend, who,
+when he found the father inexorable, quitted his country, nor returned
+until he heard that his former mistress was married according to her
+inclinations. “What a noble fellow!” you will exclaim. He is
+so; but then he is wholly uneducated: he is as silent as a Turk, and a kind
+of ignorant carelessness attends him, which, while it renders his conduct
+the more astonishing, detracts from the interest and sympathy which
+otherwise he would command.
+
+Yet do not suppose, because I complain a little or because I can
+conceive a consolation for my toils which I may never know, that I am
+wavering in my resolutions. Those are as fixed as fate, and my voyage
+is only now delayed until the weather shall permit my embarkation. The
+winter has been dreadfully severe, but the spring promises well, and it
+is considered as a remarkably early season, so that perhaps I may sail
+sooner than I expected. I shall do nothing rashly: you know me
+sufficiently to confide in my prudence and considerateness whenever the
+safety of others is committed to my care.
+
+I cannot describe to you my sensations on the near prospect of my
+undertaking. It is impossible to communicate to you a conception of
+the trembling sensation, half pleasurable and half fearful, with which
+I am preparing to depart. I am going to unexplored regions, to “the
+land of mist and snow,” but I shall kill no albatross; therefore do not
+be alarmed for my safety or if I should come back to you as worn and
+woeful as the “Ancient Mariner.” You will smile at my allusion, but I
+will disclose a secret. I have often attributed my attachment to, my
+passionate enthusiasm for, the dangerous mysteries of ocean to that
+production of the most imaginative of modern poets. There is something
+at work in my soul which I do not understand. I am practically
+industrious—painstaking, a workman to execute with perseverance and
+labour—but besides this there is a love for the marvellous, a belief
+in the marvellous, intertwined in all my projects, which hurries me out
+of the common pathways of men, even to the wild sea and unvisited
+regions I am about to explore.
+
+But to return to dearer considerations. Shall I meet you again, after
+having traversed immense seas, and returned by the most southern cape of
+Africa or America? I dare not expect such success, yet I cannot bear to
+look on the reverse of the picture. Continue for the present to write to
+me by every opportunity: I may receive your letters on some occasions when
+I need them most to support my spirits. I love you very tenderly. 
+Remember me with affection, should you never hear from me again.
+
+Your affectionate brother,
+ Robert Walton
+
+
+
+
+Letter 3
+
+_To Mrs. Saville, England._
+
+July 7th, 17—.
+
+
+My dear Sister,
+
+I write a few lines in haste to say that I am safe—and well advanced
+on my voyage. This letter will reach England by a merchantman now on
+its homeward voyage from Archangel; more fortunate than I, who may not
+see my native land, perhaps, for many years. I am, however, in good
+spirits: my men are bold and apparently firm of purpose, nor do the
+floating sheets of ice that continually pass us, indicating the dangers
+of the region towards which we are advancing, appear to dismay them. We
+have already reached a very high latitude; but it is the height of
+summer, and although not so warm as in England, the southern gales,
+which blow us speedily towards those shores which I so ardently desire
+to attain, breathe a degree of renovating warmth which I had not
+expected.
+
+No incidents have hitherto befallen us that would make a figure in a
+letter. One or two stiff gales and the springing of a leak are
+accidents which experienced navigators scarcely remember to record, and
+I shall be well content if nothing worse happen to us during our voyage.
+
+Adieu, my dear Margaret. Be assured that for my own sake, as well as
+yours, I will not rashly encounter danger. I will be cool,
+persevering, and prudent.
+
+But success _shall_ crown my endeavours. Wherefore not? Thus far I
+have gone, tracing a secure way over the pathless seas, the very stars
+themselves being witnesses and testimonies of my triumph. Why not
+still proceed over the untamed yet obedient element? What can stop the
+determined heart and resolved will of man?
+
+My swelling heart involuntarily pours itself out thus. But I must
+finish. Heaven bless my beloved sister!
+
+R.W.
+
+
+
+
+Letter 4
+
+
+_To Mrs. Saville, England._
+
+August 5th, 17—.
+
+So strange an accident has happened to us that I cannot forbear
+recording it, although it is very probable that you will see me before
+these papers can come into your possession.
+
+Last Monday (July 31st) we were nearly surrounded by ice, which closed
+in the ship on all sides, scarcely leaving her the sea-room in which
+she floated. Our situation was somewhat dangerous, especially as we
+were compassed round by a very thick fog. We accordingly lay to,
+hoping that some change would take place in the atmosphere and weather.
+
+About two o’clock the mist cleared away, and we beheld, stretched out
+in every direction, vast and irregular plains of ice, which seemed to
+have no end. Some of my comrades groaned, and my own mind began to
+grow watchful with anxious thoughts, when a strange sight suddenly
+attracted our attention and diverted our solicitude from our own
+situation. We perceived a low carriage, fixed on a sledge and drawn by
+dogs, pass on towards the north, at the distance of half a mile; a
+being which had the shape of a man, but apparently of gigantic stature,
+sat in the sledge and guided the dogs. We watched the rapid progress
+of the traveller with our telescopes until he was lost among the
+distant inequalities of the ice.
+
+This appearance excited our unqualified wonder. We were, as we believed,
+many hundred miles from any land; but this apparition seemed to denote that
+it was not, in reality, so distant as we had supposed. Shut in, however, by
+ice, it was impossible to follow his track, which we had observed with the
+greatest attention.
+
+About two hours after this occurrence we heard the ground sea, and before
+night the ice broke and freed our ship. We, however, lay to until the
+morning, fearing to encounter in the dark those large loose masses which
+float about after the breaking up of the ice. I profited of this time to
+rest for a few hours.
+
+In the morning, however, as soon as it was light, I went upon deck and
+found all the sailors busy on one side of the vessel, apparently
+talking to someone in the sea. It was, in fact, a sledge, like that we
+had seen before, which had drifted towards us in the night on a large
+fragment of ice. Only one dog remained alive; but there was a human
+being within it whom the sailors were persuading to enter the vessel.
+He was not, as the other traveller seemed to be, a savage inhabitant of
+some undiscovered island, but a European. When I appeared on deck the
+master said, “Here is our captain, and he will not allow you to perish
+on the open sea.”
+
+On perceiving me, the stranger addressed me in English, although with a
+foreign accent. “Before I come on board your vessel,” said he,
+“will you have the kindness to inform me whither you are bound?”
+
+You may conceive my astonishment on hearing such a question addressed
+to me from a man on the brink of destruction and to whom I should have
+supposed that my vessel would have been a resource which he would not
+have exchanged for the most precious wealth the earth can afford. I
+replied, however, that we were on a voyage of discovery towards the
+northern pole.
+
+Upon hearing this he appeared satisfied and consented to come on board.
+Good God! Margaret, if you had seen the man who thus capitulated for
+his safety, your surprise would have been boundless. His limbs were
+nearly frozen, and his body dreadfully emaciated by fatigue and
+suffering. I never saw a man in so wretched a condition. We attempted
+to carry him into the cabin, but as soon as he had quitted the fresh
+air he fainted. We accordingly brought him back to the deck and
+restored him to animation by rubbing him with brandy and forcing him to
+swallow a small quantity. As soon as he showed signs of life we
+wrapped him up in blankets and placed him near the chimney of the
+kitchen stove. By slow degrees he recovered and ate a little soup,
+which restored him wonderfully.
+
+Two days passed in this manner before he was able to speak, and I often
+feared that his sufferings had deprived him of understanding. When he
+had in some measure recovered, I removed him to my own cabin and
+attended on him as much as my duty would permit. I never saw a more
+interesting creature: his eyes have generally an expression of
+wildness, and even madness, but there are moments when, if anyone
+performs an act of kindness towards him or does him any the most
+trifling service, his whole countenance is lighted up, as it were, with
+a beam of benevolence and sweetness that I never saw equalled. But he
+is generally melancholy and despairing, and sometimes he gnashes his
+teeth, as if impatient of the weight of woes that oppresses him.
+
+When my guest was a little recovered I had great trouble to keep off
+the men, who wished to ask him a thousand questions; but I would not
+allow him to be tormented by their idle curiosity, in a state of body
+and mind whose restoration evidently depended upon entire repose.
+Once, however, the lieutenant asked why he had come so far upon the ice
+in so strange a vehicle.
+
+His countenance instantly assumed an aspect of the deepest gloom, and
+he replied, “To seek one who fled from me.”
+
+“And did the man whom you pursued travel in the same fashion?”
+
+“Yes.”
+
+“Then I fancy we have seen him, for the day before we picked you up we
+saw some dogs drawing a sledge, with a man in it, across the ice.”
+
+This aroused the stranger’s attention, and he asked a multitude of
+questions concerning the route which the dæmon, as he called him, had
+pursued. Soon after, when he was alone with me, he said, “I have,
+doubtless, excited your curiosity, as well as that of these good
+people; but you are too considerate to make inquiries.”
+
+“Certainly; it would indeed be very impertinent and inhuman in me to
+trouble you with any inquisitiveness of mine.”
+
+“And yet you rescued me from a strange and perilous situation; you have
+benevolently restored me to life.”
+
+Soon after this he inquired if I thought that the breaking up of the
+ice had destroyed the other sledge. I replied that I could not answer
+with any degree of certainty, for the ice had not broken until near
+midnight, and the traveller might have arrived at a place of safety
+before that time; but of this I could not judge.
+
+From this time a new spirit of life animated the decaying frame of the
+stranger. He manifested the greatest eagerness to be upon deck to watch for
+the sledge which had before appeared; but I have persuaded him to remain in
+the cabin, for he is far too weak to sustain the rawness of the atmosphere.
+I have promised that someone should watch for him and give him instant
+notice if any new object should appear in sight.
+
+Such is my journal of what relates to this strange occurrence up to the
+present day. The stranger has gradually improved in health but is very
+silent and appears uneasy when anyone except myself enters his cabin.
+Yet his manners are so conciliating and gentle that the sailors are all
+interested in him, although they have had very little communication
+with him. For my own part, I begin to love him as a brother, and his
+constant and deep grief fills me with sympathy and compassion. He must
+have been a noble creature in his better days, being even now in wreck
+so attractive and amiable.
+
+I said in one of my letters, my dear Margaret, that I should find no friend
+on the wide ocean; yet I have found a man who, before his spirit had been
+broken by misery, I should have been happy to have possessed as the brother
+of my heart.
+
+I shall continue my journal concerning the stranger at intervals,
+should I have any fresh incidents to record.
+
+
+
+
+August 13th, 17—.
+
+
+My affection for my guest increases every day. He excites at once my
+admiration and my pity to an astonishing degree. How can I see so
+noble a creature destroyed by misery without feeling the most poignant
+grief? He is so gentle, yet so wise; his mind is so cultivated, and
+when he speaks, although his words are culled with the choicest art,
+yet they flow with rapidity and unparalleled eloquence.
+
+He is now much recovered from his illness and is continually on the deck,
+apparently watching for the sledge that preceded his own. Yet, although
+unhappy, he is not so utterly occupied by his own misery but that he
+interests himself deeply in the projects of others. He has frequently
+conversed with me on mine, which I have communicated to him without
+disguise. He entered attentively into all my arguments in favour of my
+eventual success and into every minute detail of the measures I had taken
+to secure it. I was easily led by the sympathy which he evinced to use the
+language of my heart, to give utterance to the burning ardour of my soul
+and to say, with all the fervour that warmed me, how gladly I would
+sacrifice my fortune, my existence, my every hope, to the furtherance of my
+enterprise. One man’s life or death were but a small price to pay for
+the acquirement of the knowledge which I sought, for the dominion I should
+acquire and transmit over the elemental foes of our race. As I spoke, a
+dark gloom spread over my listener’s countenance. At first I
+perceived that he tried to suppress his emotion; he placed his hands before
+his eyes, and my voice quivered and failed me as I beheld tears trickle
+fast from between his fingers; a groan burst from his heaving breast. I
+paused; at length he spoke, in broken accents: “Unhappy man! Do you
+share my madness? Have you drunk also of the intoxicating draught? Hear me;
+let me reveal my tale, and you will dash the cup from your lips!”
+
+Such words, you may imagine, strongly excited my curiosity; but the
+paroxysm of grief that had seized the stranger overcame his weakened
+powers, and many hours of repose and tranquil conversation were
+necessary to restore his composure.
+
+Having conquered the violence of his feelings, he appeared to despise
+himself for being the slave of passion; and quelling the dark tyranny of
+despair, he led me again to converse concerning myself personally. He asked
+me the history of my earlier years. The tale was quickly told, but it
+awakened various trains of reflection. I spoke of my desire of finding a
+friend, of my thirst for a more intimate sympathy with a fellow mind than
+had ever fallen to my lot, and expressed my conviction that a man could
+boast of little happiness who did not enjoy this blessing.
+
+“I agree with you,” replied the stranger; “we are
+unfashioned creatures, but half made up, if one wiser, better, dearer than
+ourselves—such a friend ought to be—do not lend his aid to
+perfectionate our weak and faulty natures. I once had a friend, the most
+noble of human creatures, and am entitled, therefore, to judge respecting
+friendship. You have hope, and the world before you, and have no cause for
+despair. But I—I have lost everything and cannot begin life
+anew.”
+
+As he said this his countenance became expressive of a calm, settled
+grief that touched me to the heart. But he was silent and presently
+retired to his cabin.
+
+Even broken in spirit as he is, no one can feel more deeply than he
+does the beauties of nature. The starry sky, the sea, and every sight
+afforded by these wonderful regions seem still to have the power of
+elevating his soul from earth. Such a man has a double existence: he
+may suffer misery and be overwhelmed by disappointments, yet when he
+has retired into himself, he will be like a celestial spirit that has a
+halo around him, within whose circle no grief or folly ventures.
+
+Will you smile at the enthusiasm I express concerning this divine
+wanderer? You would not if you saw him. You have been tutored and
+refined by books and retirement from the world, and you are therefore
+somewhat fastidious; but this only renders you the more fit to
+appreciate the extraordinary merits of this wonderful man. Sometimes I
+have endeavoured to discover what quality it is which he possesses that
+elevates him so immeasurably above any other person I ever knew. I
+believe it to be an intuitive discernment, a quick but never-failing
+power of judgment, a penetration into the causes of things, unequalled
+for clearness and precision; add to this a facility of expression and a
+voice whose varied intonations are soul-subduing music.
+
+
+
+
+August 19th, 17—.
+
+
+Yesterday the stranger said to me, “You may easily perceive, Captain
+Walton, that I have suffered great and unparalleled misfortunes. I had
+determined at one time that the memory of these evils should die with
+me, but you have won me to alter my determination. You seek for
+knowledge and wisdom, as I once did; and I ardently hope that the
+gratification of your wishes may not be a serpent to sting you, as mine
+has been. I do not know that the relation of my disasters will be
+useful to you; yet, when I reflect that you are pursuing the same
+course, exposing yourself to the same dangers which have rendered me
+what I am, I imagine that you may deduce an apt moral from my tale, one
+that may direct you if you succeed in your undertaking and console you
+in case of failure. Prepare to hear of occurrences which are usually
+deemed marvellous. Were we among the tamer scenes of nature I might
+fear to encounter your unbelief, perhaps your ridicule; but many things
+will appear possible in these wild and mysterious regions which would
+provoke the laughter of those unacquainted with the ever-varied powers
+of nature; nor can I doubt but that my tale conveys in its series
+internal evidence of the truth of the events of which it is composed.”
+
+You may easily imagine that I was much gratified by the offered
+communication, yet I could not endure that he should renew his grief by
+a recital of his misfortunes. I felt the greatest eagerness to hear
+the promised narrative, partly from curiosity and partly from a strong
+desire to ameliorate his fate if it were in my power. I expressed
+these feelings in my answer.
+
+“I thank you,” he replied, “for your sympathy, but it is
+useless; my fate is nearly fulfilled. I wait but for one event, and then I
+shall repose in peace. I understand your feeling,” continued he,
+perceiving that I wished to interrupt him; “but you are mistaken, my
+friend, if thus you will allow me to name you; nothing can alter my
+destiny; listen to my history, and you will perceive how irrevocably it is
+determined.”
+
+He then told me that he would commence his narrative the next day when I
+should be at leisure. This promise drew from me the warmest thanks. I have
+resolved every night, when I am not imperatively occupied by my duties, to
+record, as nearly as possible in his own words, what he has related during
+the day. If I should be engaged, I will at least make notes. This
+manuscript will doubtless afford you the greatest pleasure; but to me, who
+know him, and who hear it from his own lips—with what interest and
+sympathy shall I read it in some future day! Even now, as I commence my
+task, his full-toned voice swells in my ears; his lustrous eyes dwell on me
+with all their melancholy sweetness; I see his thin hand raised in
+animation, while the lineaments of his face are irradiated by the soul
+within. Strange and harrowing must be his story, frightful the storm which
+embraced the gallant vessel on its course and wrecked it—thus!
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 1
+
+
+I am by birth a Genevese, and my family is one of the most
+distinguished of that republic. My ancestors had been for many years
+counsellors and syndics, and my father had filled several public
+situations with honour and reputation. He was respected by all who
+knew him for his integrity and indefatigable attention to public
+business. He passed his younger days perpetually occupied by the
+affairs of his country; a variety of circumstances had prevented his
+marrying early, nor was it until the decline of life that he became a
+husband and the father of a family.
+
+As the circumstances of his marriage illustrate his character, I cannot
+refrain from relating them. One of his most intimate friends was a
+merchant who, from a flourishing state, fell, through numerous
+mischances, into poverty. This man, whose name was Beaufort, was of a
+proud and unbending disposition and could not bear to live in poverty
+and oblivion in the same country where he had formerly been
+distinguished for his rank and magnificence. Having paid his debts,
+therefore, in the most honourable manner, he retreated with his
+daughter to the town of Lucerne, where he lived unknown and in
+wretchedness. My father loved Beaufort with the truest friendship and
+was deeply grieved by his retreat in these unfortunate circumstances.
+He bitterly deplored the false pride which led his friend to a conduct
+so little worthy of the affection that united them. He lost no time in
+endeavouring to seek him out, with the hope of persuading him to begin
+the world again through his credit and assistance.
+
+Beaufort had taken effectual measures to conceal himself, and it was ten
+months before my father discovered his abode. Overjoyed at this discovery,
+he hastened to the house, which was situated in a mean street near the
+Reuss. But when he entered, misery and despair alone welcomed him. Beaufort
+had saved but a very small sum of money from the wreck of his fortunes, but
+it was sufficient to provide him with sustenance for some months, and in
+the meantime he hoped to procure some respectable employment in a
+merchant’s house. The interval was, consequently, spent in inaction;
+his grief only became more deep and rankling when he had leisure for
+reflection, and at length it took so fast hold of his mind that at the end
+of three months he lay on a bed of sickness, incapable of any exertion.
+
+His daughter attended him with the greatest tenderness, but she saw
+with despair that their little fund was rapidly decreasing and that
+there was no other prospect of support. But Caroline Beaufort
+possessed a mind of an uncommon mould, and her courage rose to support
+her in her adversity. She procured plain work; she plaited straw and
+by various means contrived to earn a pittance scarcely sufficient to
+support life.
+
+Several months passed in this manner. Her father grew worse; her time
+was more entirely occupied in attending him; her means of subsistence
+decreased; and in the tenth month her father died in her arms, leaving
+her an orphan and a beggar. This last blow overcame her, and she knelt
+by Beaufort’s coffin weeping bitterly, when my father entered the
+chamber. He came like a protecting spirit to the poor girl, who
+committed herself to his care; and after the interment of his friend he
+conducted her to Geneva and placed her under the protection of a
+relation. Two years after this event Caroline became his wife.
+
+There was a considerable difference between the ages of my parents, but
+this circumstance seemed to unite them only closer in bonds of devoted
+affection. There was a sense of justice in my father’s upright mind
+which rendered it necessary that he should approve highly to love
+strongly. Perhaps during former years he had suffered from the
+late-discovered unworthiness of one beloved and so was disposed to set
+a greater value on tried worth. There was a show of gratitude and
+worship in his attachment to my mother, differing wholly from the
+doting fondness of age, for it was inspired by reverence for her
+virtues and a desire to be the means of, in some degree, recompensing
+her for the sorrows she had endured, but which gave inexpressible grace
+to his behaviour to her. Everything was made to yield to her wishes
+and her convenience. He strove to shelter her, as a fair exotic is
+sheltered by the gardener, from every rougher wind and to surround her
+with all that could tend to excite pleasurable emotion in her soft and
+benevolent mind. Her health, and even the tranquillity of her hitherto
+constant spirit, had been shaken by what she had gone through. During
+the two years that had elapsed previous to their marriage my father had
+gradually relinquished all his public functions; and immediately after
+their union they sought the pleasant climate of Italy, and the change
+of scene and interest attendant on a tour through that land of wonders,
+as a restorative for her weakened frame.
+
+From Italy they visited Germany and France. I, their eldest child, was born
+at Naples, and as an infant accompanied them in their rambles. I remained
+for several years their only child. Much as they were attached to each
+other, they seemed to draw inexhaustible stores of affection from a very
+mine of love to bestow them upon me. My mother’s tender caresses and
+my father’s smile of benevolent pleasure while regarding me are my
+first recollections. I was their plaything and their idol, and something
+better—their child, the innocent and helpless creature bestowed on
+them by Heaven, whom to bring up to good, and whose future lot it was in
+their hands to direct to happiness or misery, according as they fulfilled
+their duties towards me. With this deep consciousness of what they owed
+towards the being to which they had given life, added to the active spirit
+of tenderness that animated both, it may be imagined that while during
+every hour of my infant life I received a lesson of patience, of charity,
+and of self-control, I was so guided by a silken cord that all seemed but
+one train of enjoyment to me.
+
+For a long time I was their only care. My mother had much desired to have a
+daughter, but I continued their single offspring. When I was about five
+years old, while making an excursion beyond the frontiers of Italy, they
+passed a week on the shores of the Lake of Como. Their benevolent
+disposition often made them enter the cottages of the poor. This, to my
+mother, was more than a duty; it was a necessity, a
+passion—remembering what she had suffered, and how she had been
+relieved—for her to act in her turn the guardian angel to the
+afflicted. During one of their walks a poor cot in the foldings of a vale
+attracted their notice as being singularly disconsolate, while the number
+of half-clothed children gathered about it spoke of penury in its worst
+shape. One day, when my father had gone by himself to Milan, my mother,
+accompanied by me, visited this abode. She found a peasant and his wife,
+hard working, bent down by care and labour, distributing a scanty meal to
+five hungry babes. Among these there was one which attracted my mother far
+above all the rest. She appeared of a different stock. The four others were
+dark-eyed, hardy little vagrants; this child was thin and very fair. Her
+hair was the brightest living gold, and despite the poverty of her
+clothing, seemed to set a crown of distinction on her head. Her brow was
+clear and ample, her blue eyes cloudless, and her lips and the moulding of
+her face so expressive of sensibility and sweetness that none could behold
+her without looking on her as of a distinct species, a being heaven-sent,
+and bearing a celestial stamp in all her features.
+
+The peasant woman, perceiving that my mother fixed eyes of wonder and
+admiration on this lovely girl, eagerly communicated her history. She was
+not her child, but the daughter of a Milanese nobleman. Her mother was a
+German and had died on giving her birth. The infant had been placed with
+these good people to nurse: they were better off then. They had not been
+long married, and their eldest child was but just born. The father of their
+charge was one of those Italians nursed in the memory of the antique glory
+of Italy—one among the _schiavi ognor frementi,_ who exerted
+himself to obtain the liberty of his country. He became the victim of its
+weakness. Whether he had died or still lingered in the dungeons of Austria
+was not known. His property was confiscated; his child became an orphan and
+a beggar. She continued with her foster parents and bloomed in their rude
+abode, fairer than a garden rose among dark-leaved brambles.
+
+When my father returned from Milan, he found playing with me in the hall of
+our villa a child fairer than pictured cherub—a creature who seemed
+to shed radiance from her looks and whose form and motions were lighter
+than the chamois of the hills. The apparition was soon explained. With his
+permission my mother prevailed on her rustic guardians to yield their
+charge to her. They were fond of the sweet orphan. Her presence had seemed
+a blessing to them, but it would be unfair to her to keep her in poverty
+and want when Providence afforded her such powerful protection. They
+consulted their village priest, and the result was that Elizabeth Lavenza
+became the inmate of my parents’ house—my more than
+sister—the beautiful and adored companion of all my occupations and
+my pleasures.
+
+Everyone loved Elizabeth. The passionate and almost reverential
+attachment with which all regarded her became, while I shared it, my
+pride and my delight. On the evening previous to her being brought to
+my home, my mother had said playfully, “I have a pretty present for my
+Victor—tomorrow he shall have it.” And when, on the morrow, she
+presented Elizabeth to me as her promised gift, I, with childish
+seriousness, interpreted her words literally and looked upon Elizabeth
+as mine—mine to protect, love, and cherish. All praises bestowed on
+her I received as made to a possession of my own. We called each other
+familiarly by the name of cousin. No word, no expression could body
+forth the kind of relation in which she stood to me—my more than
+sister, since till death she was to be mine only.
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 2
+
+
+We were brought up together; there was not quite a year difference in
+our ages. I need not say that we were strangers to any species of
+disunion or dispute. Harmony was the soul of our companionship, and
+the diversity and contrast that subsisted in our characters drew us
+nearer together. Elizabeth was of a calmer and more concentrated
+disposition; but, with all my ardour, I was capable of a more intense
+application and was more deeply smitten with the thirst for knowledge.
+She busied herself with following the aerial creations of the poets;
+and in the majestic and wondrous scenes which surrounded our Swiss
+home —the sublime shapes of the mountains, the changes of the seasons,
+tempest and calm, the silence of winter, and the life and turbulence of
+our Alpine summers—she found ample scope for admiration and delight.
+While my companion contemplated with a serious and satisfied spirit the
+magnificent appearances of things, I delighted in investigating their
+causes. The world was to me a secret which I desired to divine.
+Curiosity, earnest research to learn the hidden laws of nature,
+gladness akin to rapture, as they were unfolded to me, are among the
+earliest sensations I can remember.
+
+On the birth of a second son, my junior by seven years, my parents gave
+up entirely their wandering life and fixed themselves in their native
+country. We possessed a house in Geneva, and a _campagne_ on Belrive,
+the eastern shore of the lake, at the distance of rather more than a
+league from the city. We resided principally in the latter, and the
+lives of my parents were passed in considerable seclusion. It was my
+temper to avoid a crowd and to attach myself fervently to a few. I was
+indifferent, therefore, to my school-fellows in general; but I united
+myself in the bonds of the closest friendship to one among them. Henry
+Clerval was the son of a merchant of Geneva. He was a boy of singular
+talent and fancy. He loved enterprise, hardship, and even danger for
+its own sake. He was deeply read in books of chivalry and romance. He
+composed heroic songs and began to write many a tale of enchantment and
+knightly adventure. He tried to make us act plays and to enter into
+masquerades, in which the characters were drawn from the heroes of
+Roncesvalles, of the Round Table of King Arthur, and the chivalrous
+train who shed their blood to redeem the holy sepulchre from the hands
+of the infidels.
+
+No human being could have passed a happier childhood than myself. My
+parents were possessed by the very spirit of kindness and indulgence.
+We felt that they were not the tyrants to rule our lot according to
+their caprice, but the agents and creators of all the many delights
+which we enjoyed. When I mingled with other families I distinctly
+discerned how peculiarly fortunate my lot was, and gratitude assisted
+the development of filial love.
+
+My temper was sometimes violent, and my passions vehement; but by some
+law in my temperature they were turned not towards childish pursuits
+but to an eager desire to learn, and not to learn all things
+indiscriminately. I confess that neither the structure of languages,
+nor the code of governments, nor the politics of various states
+possessed attractions for me. It was the secrets of heaven and earth
+that I desired to learn; and whether it was the outward substance of
+things or the inner spirit of nature and the mysterious soul of man
+that occupied me, still my inquiries were directed to the metaphysical,
+or in its highest sense, the physical secrets of the world.
+
+Meanwhile Clerval occupied himself, so to speak, with the moral
+relations of things. The busy stage of life, the virtues of heroes,
+and the actions of men were his theme; and his hope and his dream was
+to become one among those whose names are recorded in story as the
+gallant and adventurous benefactors of our species. The saintly soul
+of Elizabeth shone like a shrine-dedicated lamp in our peaceful home.
+Her sympathy was ours; her smile, her soft voice, the sweet glance of
+her celestial eyes, were ever there to bless and animate us. She was
+the living spirit of love to soften and attract; I might have become
+sullen in my study, rough through the ardour of my nature, but that
+she was there to subdue me to a semblance of her own gentleness. And
+Clerval—could aught ill entrench on the noble spirit of Clerval? Yet
+he might not have been so perfectly humane, so thoughtful in his
+generosity, so full of kindness and tenderness amidst his passion for
+adventurous exploit, had she not unfolded to him the real loveliness of
+beneficence and made the doing good the end and aim of his soaring
+ambition.
+
+I feel exquisite pleasure in dwelling on the recollections of childhood,
+before misfortune had tainted my mind and changed its bright visions of
+extensive usefulness into gloomy and narrow reflections upon self. Besides,
+in drawing the picture of my early days, I also record those events which
+led, by insensible steps, to my after tale of misery, for when I would
+account to myself for the birth of that passion which afterwards ruled my
+destiny I find it arise, like a mountain river, from ignoble and almost
+forgotten sources; but, swelling as it proceeded, it became the torrent
+which, in its course, has swept away all my hopes and joys.
+
+Natural philosophy is the genius that has regulated my fate; I desire,
+therefore, in this narration, to state those facts which led to my
+predilection for that science. When I was thirteen years of age we all went
+on a party of pleasure to the baths near Thonon; the inclemency of the
+weather obliged us to remain a day confined to the inn. In this house I
+chanced to find a volume of the works of Cornelius Agrippa. I opened it
+with apathy; the theory which he attempts to demonstrate and the wonderful
+facts which he relates soon changed this feeling into enthusiasm. A new
+light seemed to dawn upon my mind, and bounding with joy, I communicated my
+discovery to my father. My father looked carelessly at the title page of my
+book and said, “Ah! Cornelius Agrippa! My dear Victor, do not waste
+your time upon this; it is sad trash.”
+
+If, instead of this remark, my father had taken the pains to explain to me
+that the principles of Agrippa had been entirely exploded and that a modern
+system of science had been introduced which possessed much greater powers
+than the ancient, because the powers of the latter were chimerical, while
+those of the former were real and practical, under such circumstances I
+should certainly have thrown Agrippa aside and have contented my
+imagination, warmed as it was, by returning with greater ardour to my
+former studies. It is even possible that the train of my ideas would never
+have received the fatal impulse that led to my ruin. But the cursory glance
+my father had taken of my volume by no means assured me that he was
+acquainted with its contents, and I continued to read with the greatest
+avidity.
+
+When I returned home my first care was to procure the whole works of this
+author, and afterwards of Paracelsus and Albertus Magnus. I read and
+studied the wild fancies of these writers with delight; they appeared to me
+treasures known to few besides myself. I have described myself as always
+having been imbued with a fervent longing to penetrate the secrets of
+nature. In spite of the intense labour and wonderful discoveries of modern
+philosophers, I always came from my studies discontented and unsatisfied.
+Sir Isaac Newton is said to have avowed that he felt like a child picking
+up shells beside the great and unexplored ocean of truth. Those of his
+successors in each branch of natural philosophy with whom I was acquainted
+appeared even to my boy’s apprehensions as tyros engaged in the same
+pursuit.
+
+The untaught peasant beheld the elements around him and was acquainted
+with their practical uses. The most learned philosopher knew little
+more. He had partially unveiled the face of Nature, but her immortal
+lineaments were still a wonder and a mystery. He might dissect,
+anatomise, and give names; but, not to speak of a final cause, causes
+in their secondary and tertiary grades were utterly unknown to him. I
+had gazed upon the fortifications and impediments that seemed to keep
+human beings from entering the citadel of nature, and rashly and
+ignorantly I had repined.
+
+But here were books, and here were men who had penetrated deeper and knew
+more. I took their word for all that they averred, and I became their
+disciple. It may appear strange that such should arise in the eighteenth
+century; but while I followed the routine of education in the schools of
+Geneva, I was, to a great degree, self-taught with regard to my favourite
+studies. My father was not scientific, and I was left to struggle with a
+child’s blindness, added to a student’s thirst for knowledge.
+Under the guidance of my new preceptors I entered with the greatest
+diligence into the search of the philosopher’s stone and the elixir
+of life; but the latter soon obtained my undivided attention. Wealth was an
+inferior object, but what glory would attend the discovery if I could
+banish disease from the human frame and render man invulnerable to any but
+a violent death!
+
+Nor were these my only visions. The raising of ghosts or devils was a
+promise liberally accorded by my favourite authors, the fulfilment of which
+I most eagerly sought; and if my incantations were always unsuccessful, I
+attributed the failure rather to my own inexperience and mistake than to a
+want of skill or fidelity in my instructors. And thus for a time I was
+occupied by exploded systems, mingling, like an unadept, a thousand
+contradictory theories and floundering desperately in a very slough of
+multifarious knowledge, guided by an ardent imagination and childish
+reasoning, till an accident again changed the current of my ideas.
+
+When I was about fifteen years old we had retired to our house near
+Belrive, when we witnessed a most violent and terrible thunderstorm. It
+advanced from behind the mountains of Jura, and the thunder burst at once
+with frightful loudness from various quarters of the heavens. I remained,
+while the storm lasted, watching its progress with curiosity and delight.
+As I stood at the door, on a sudden I beheld a stream of fire issue from an
+old and beautiful oak which stood about twenty yards from our house; and so
+soon as the dazzling light vanished, the oak had disappeared, and nothing
+remained but a blasted stump. When we visited it the next morning, we found
+the tree shattered in a singular manner. It was not splintered by the
+shock, but entirely reduced to thin ribbons of wood. I never beheld
+anything so utterly destroyed.
+
+Before this I was not unacquainted with the more obvious laws of
+electricity. On this occasion a man of great research in natural
+philosophy was with us, and excited by this catastrophe, he entered on
+the explanation of a theory which he had formed on the subject of
+electricity and galvanism, which was at once new and astonishing to me.
+All that he said threw greatly into the shade Cornelius Agrippa,
+Albertus Magnus, and Paracelsus, the lords of my imagination; but by
+some fatality the overthrow of these men disinclined me to pursue my
+accustomed studies. It seemed to me as if nothing would or could ever
+be known. All that had so long engaged my attention suddenly grew
+despicable. By one of those caprices of the mind which we are perhaps
+most subject to in early youth, I at once gave up my former
+occupations, set down natural history and all its progeny as a deformed
+and abortive creation, and entertained the greatest disdain for a
+would-be science which could never even step within the threshold of
+real knowledge. In this mood of mind I betook myself to the
+mathematics and the branches of study appertaining to that science as
+being built upon secure foundations, and so worthy of my consideration.
+
+Thus strangely are our souls constructed, and by such slight ligaments
+are we bound to prosperity or ruin. When I look back, it seems to me
+as if this almost miraculous change of inclination and will was the
+immediate suggestion of the guardian angel of my life—the last effort
+made by the spirit of preservation to avert the storm that was even
+then hanging in the stars and ready to envelop me. Her victory was
+announced by an unusual tranquillity and gladness of soul which
+followed the relinquishing of my ancient and latterly tormenting
+studies. It was thus that I was to be taught to associate evil with
+their prosecution, happiness with their disregard.
+
+It was a strong effort of the spirit of good, but it was ineffectual.
+Destiny was too potent, and her immutable laws had decreed my utter and
+terrible destruction.
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 3
+
+
+When I had attained the age of seventeen my parents resolved that I
+should become a student at the university of Ingolstadt. I had
+hitherto attended the schools of Geneva, but my father thought it
+necessary for the completion of my education that I should be made
+acquainted with other customs than those of my native country. My
+departure was therefore fixed at an early date, but before the day
+resolved upon could arrive, the first misfortune of my life
+occurred—an omen, as it were, of my future misery.
+
+Elizabeth had caught the scarlet fever; her illness was severe, and she was
+in the greatest danger. During her illness many arguments had been urged to
+persuade my mother to refrain from attending upon her. She had at first
+yielded to our entreaties, but when she heard that the life of her
+favourite was menaced, she could no longer control her anxiety. She
+attended her sickbed; her watchful attentions triumphed over the malignity
+of the distemper—Elizabeth was saved, but the consequences of this
+imprudence were fatal to her preserver. On the third day my mother
+sickened; her fever was accompanied by the most alarming symptoms, and the
+looks of her medical attendants prognosticated the worst event. On her
+deathbed the fortitude and benignity of this best of women did not desert
+her. She joined the hands of Elizabeth and myself. “My
+children,” she said, “my firmest hopes of future happiness were
+placed on the prospect of your union. This expectation will now be the
+consolation of your father. Elizabeth, my love, you must supply my place to
+my younger children. Alas! I regret that I am taken from you; and, happy
+and beloved as I have been, is it not hard to quit you all? But these are
+not thoughts befitting me; I will endeavour to resign myself cheerfully to
+death and will indulge a hope of meeting you in another world.”
+
+She died calmly, and her countenance expressed affection even in death.
+I need not describe the feelings of those whose dearest ties are rent
+by that most irreparable evil, the void that presents itself to the
+soul, and the despair that is exhibited on the countenance. It is so
+long before the mind can persuade itself that she whom we saw every day
+and whose very existence appeared a part of our own can have departed
+for ever—that the brightness of a beloved eye can have been
+extinguished and the sound of a voice so familiar and dear to the ear
+can be hushed, never more to be heard. These are the reflections of
+the first days; but when the lapse of time proves the reality of the
+evil, then the actual bitterness of grief commences. Yet from whom has
+not that rude hand rent away some dear connection? And why should I
+describe a sorrow which all have felt, and must feel? The time at
+length arrives when grief is rather an indulgence than a necessity; and
+the smile that plays upon the lips, although it may be deemed a
+sacrilege, is not banished. My mother was dead, but we had still
+duties which we ought to perform; we must continue our course with the
+rest and learn to think ourselves fortunate whilst one remains whom the
+spoiler has not seized.
+
+My departure for Ingolstadt, which had been deferred by these events,
+was now again determined upon. I obtained from my father a respite of
+some weeks. It appeared to me sacrilege so soon to leave the repose,
+akin to death, of the house of mourning and to rush into the thick of
+life. I was new to sorrow, but it did not the less alarm me. I was
+unwilling to quit the sight of those that remained to me, and above
+all, I desired to see my sweet Elizabeth in some degree consoled.
+
+She indeed veiled her grief and strove to act the comforter to us all.
+She looked steadily on life and assumed its duties with courage and
+zeal. She devoted herself to those whom she had been taught to call
+her uncle and cousins. Never was she so enchanting as at this time,
+when she recalled the sunshine of her smiles and spent them upon us.
+She forgot even her own regret in her endeavours to make us forget.
+
+The day of my departure at length arrived. Clerval spent the last
+evening with us. He had endeavoured to persuade his father to permit
+him to accompany me and to become my fellow student, but in vain. His
+father was a narrow-minded trader and saw idleness and ruin in the
+aspirations and ambition of his son. Henry deeply felt the misfortune
+of being debarred from a liberal education. He said little, but when
+he spoke I read in his kindling eye and in his animated glance a
+restrained but firm resolve not to be chained to the miserable details
+of commerce.
+
+We sat late. We could not tear ourselves away from each other nor
+persuade ourselves to say the word “Farewell!” It was said, and we
+retired under the pretence of seeking repose, each fancying that the
+other was deceived; but when at morning’s dawn I descended to the
+carriage which was to convey me away, they were all there—my father
+again to bless me, Clerval to press my hand once more, my Elizabeth to
+renew her entreaties that I would write often and to bestow the last
+feminine attentions on her playmate and friend.
+
+I threw myself into the chaise that was to convey me away and indulged in
+the most melancholy reflections. I, who had ever been surrounded by
+amiable companions, continually engaged in endeavouring to bestow mutual
+pleasure—I was now alone. In the university whither I was going I
+must form my own friends and be my own protector. My life had hitherto
+been remarkably secluded and domestic, and this had given me invincible
+repugnance to new countenances. I loved my brothers, Elizabeth, and
+Clerval; these were “old familiar faces,” but I believed myself
+totally unfitted for the company of strangers. Such were my reflections as
+I commenced my journey; but as I proceeded, my spirits and hopes rose. I
+ardently desired the acquisition of knowledge. I had often, when at home,
+thought it hard to remain during my youth cooped up in one place and had
+longed to enter the world and take my station among other human beings. 
+Now my desires were complied with, and it would, indeed, have been folly to
+repent.
+
+I had sufficient leisure for these and many other reflections during my
+journey to Ingolstadt, which was long and fatiguing. At length the
+high white steeple of the town met my eyes. I alighted and was
+conducted to my solitary apartment to spend the evening as I pleased.
+
+The next morning I delivered my letters of introduction and paid a visit to
+some of the principal professors. Chance—or rather the evil
+influence, the Angel of Destruction, which asserted omnipotent sway over me
+from the moment I turned my reluctant steps from my father’s
+door—led me first to M. Krempe, professor of natural philosophy. He
+was an uncouth man, but deeply imbued in the secrets of his science. He
+asked me several questions concerning my progress in the different branches
+of science appertaining to natural philosophy. I replied carelessly, and
+partly in contempt, mentioned the names of my alchemists as the principal
+authors I had studied. The professor stared. “Have you,” he
+said, “really spent your time in studying such nonsense?”
+
+I replied in the affirmative. “Every minute,” continued M. Krempe with
+warmth, “every instant that you have wasted on those books is utterly
+and entirely lost. You have burdened your memory with exploded systems
+and useless names. Good God! In what desert land have you lived,
+where no one was kind enough to inform you that these fancies which you
+have so greedily imbibed are a thousand years old and as musty as they
+are ancient? I little expected, in this enlightened and scientific
+age, to find a disciple of Albertus Magnus and Paracelsus. My dear
+sir, you must begin your studies entirely anew.”
+
+So saying, he stepped aside and wrote down a list of several books
+treating of natural philosophy which he desired me to procure, and
+dismissed me after mentioning that in the beginning of the following
+week he intended to commence a course of lectures upon natural
+philosophy in its general relations, and that M. Waldman, a fellow
+professor, would lecture upon chemistry the alternate days that he
+omitted.
+
+I returned home not disappointed, for I have said that I had long
+considered those authors useless whom the professor reprobated; but I
+returned not at all the more inclined to recur to these studies in any
+shape. M. Krempe was a little squat man with a gruff voice and a
+repulsive countenance; the teacher, therefore, did not prepossess me in
+favour of his pursuits. In rather a too philosophical and connected a
+strain, perhaps, I have given an account of the conclusions I had come
+to concerning them in my early years. As a child I had not been
+content with the results promised by the modern professors of natural
+science. With a confusion of ideas only to be accounted for by my
+extreme youth and my want of a guide on such matters, I had retrod the
+steps of knowledge along the paths of time and exchanged the
+discoveries of recent inquirers for the dreams of forgotten alchemists.
+Besides, I had a contempt for the uses of modern natural philosophy.
+It was very different when the masters of the science sought
+immortality and power; such views, although futile, were grand; but now
+the scene was changed. The ambition of the inquirer seemed to limit
+itself to the annihilation of those visions on which my interest in
+science was chiefly founded. I was required to exchange chimeras of
+boundless grandeur for realities of little worth.
+
+Such were my reflections during the first two or three days of my
+residence at Ingolstadt, which were chiefly spent in becoming
+acquainted with the localities and the principal residents in my new
+abode. But as the ensuing week commenced, I thought of the information
+which M. Krempe had given me concerning the lectures. And although I
+could not consent to go and hear that little conceited fellow deliver
+sentences out of a pulpit, I recollected what he had said of M.
+Waldman, whom I had never seen, as he had hitherto been out of town.
+
+Partly from curiosity and partly from idleness, I went into the lecturing
+room, which M. Waldman entered shortly after. This professor was very
+unlike his colleague. He appeared about fifty years of age, but with an
+aspect expressive of the greatest benevolence; a few grey hairs covered his
+temples, but those at the back of his head were nearly black. His person
+was short but remarkably erect and his voice the sweetest I had ever heard.
+He began his lecture by a recapitulation of the history of chemistry and
+the various improvements made by different men of learning, pronouncing
+with fervour the names of the most distinguished discoverers. He then took
+a cursory view of the present state of the science and explained many of
+its elementary terms. After having made a few preparatory experiments, he
+concluded with a panegyric upon modern chemistry, the terms of which I
+shall never forget:
+
+“The ancient teachers of this science,” said he,
+“promised impossibilities and performed nothing. The modern masters
+promise very little; they know that metals cannot be transmuted and that
+the elixir of life is a chimera but these philosophers, whose hands seem
+only made to dabble in dirt, and their eyes to pore over the microscope or
+crucible, have indeed performed miracles. They penetrate into the recesses
+of nature and show how she works in her hiding-places. They ascend into the
+heavens; they have discovered how the blood circulates, and the nature of
+the air we breathe. They have acquired new and almost unlimited powers;
+they can command the thunders of heaven, mimic the earthquake, and even
+mock the invisible world with its own shadows.”
+
+Such were the professor’s words—rather let me say such the words of
+the fate—enounced to destroy me. As he went on I felt as if my soul
+were grappling with a palpable enemy; one by one the various keys were
+touched which formed the mechanism of my being; chord after chord was
+sounded, and soon my mind was filled with one thought, one conception,
+one purpose. So much has been done, exclaimed the soul of
+Frankenstein—more, far more, will I achieve; treading in the steps
+already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and
+unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation.
+
+I closed not my eyes that night. My internal being was in a state of
+insurrection and turmoil; I felt that order would thence arise, but I
+had no power to produce it. By degrees, after the morning’s dawn,
+sleep came. I awoke, and my yesternight’s thoughts were as a dream.
+There only remained a resolution to return to my ancient studies and to
+devote myself to a science for which I believed myself to possess a
+natural talent. On the same day I paid M. Waldman a visit. His
+manners in private were even more mild and attractive than in public,
+for there was a certain dignity in his mien during his lecture which in
+his own house was replaced by the greatest affability and kindness. I
+gave him pretty nearly the same account of my former pursuits as I had
+given to his fellow professor. He heard with attention the little
+narration concerning my studies and smiled at the names of Cornelius
+Agrippa and Paracelsus, but without the contempt that M. Krempe had
+exhibited. He said that “These were men to whose indefatigable zeal
+modern philosophers were indebted for most of the foundations of their
+knowledge. They had left to us, as an easier task, to give new names
+and arrange in connected classifications the facts which they in a
+great degree had been the instruments of bringing to light. The
+labours of men of genius, however erroneously directed, scarcely ever
+fail in ultimately turning to the solid advantage of mankind.” I
+listened to his statement, which was delivered without any presumption
+or affectation, and then added that his lecture had removed my
+prejudices against modern chemists; I expressed myself in measured
+terms, with the modesty and deference due from a youth to his
+instructor, without letting escape (inexperience in life would have
+made me ashamed) any of the enthusiasm which stimulated my intended
+labours. I requested his advice concerning the books I ought to
+procure.
+
+“I am happy,” said M. Waldman, “to have gained a
+disciple; and if your application equals your ability, I have no doubt of
+your success. Chemistry is that branch of natural philosophy in which the
+greatest improvements have been and may be made; it is on that account that
+I have made it my peculiar study; but at the same time, I have not
+neglected the other branches of science. A man would make but a very sorry
+chemist if he attended to that department of human knowledge alone. If your
+wish is to become really a man of science and not merely a petty
+experimentalist, I should advise you to apply to every branch of natural
+philosophy, including mathematics.”
+
+He then took me into his laboratory and explained to me the uses of his
+various machines, instructing me as to what I ought to procure and
+promising me the use of his own when I should have advanced far enough in
+the science not to derange their mechanism. He also gave me the list of
+books which I had requested, and I took my leave.
+
+Thus ended a day memorable to me; it decided my future destiny.
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 4
+
+
+From this day natural philosophy, and particularly chemistry, in the
+most comprehensive sense of the term, became nearly my sole occupation.
+I read with ardour those works, so full of genius and discrimination,
+which modern inquirers have written on these subjects. I attended the
+lectures and cultivated the acquaintance of the men of science of the
+university, and I found even in M. Krempe a great deal of sound sense
+and real information, combined, it is true, with a repulsive
+physiognomy and manners, but not on that account the less valuable. In
+M. Waldman I found a true friend. His gentleness was never tinged by
+dogmatism, and his instructions were given with an air of frankness and
+good nature that banished every idea of pedantry. In a thousand ways
+he smoothed for me the path of knowledge and made the most abstruse
+inquiries clear and facile to my apprehension. My application was at
+first fluctuating and uncertain; it gained strength as I proceeded and
+soon became so ardent and eager that the stars often disappeared in the
+light of morning whilst I was yet engaged in my laboratory.
+
+As I applied so closely, it may be easily conceived that my progress
+was rapid. My ardour was indeed the astonishment of the students, and
+my proficiency that of the masters. Professor Krempe often asked me,
+with a sly smile, how Cornelius Agrippa went on, whilst M. Waldman
+expressed the most heartfelt exultation in my progress. Two years
+passed in this manner, during which I paid no visit to Geneva, but was
+engaged, heart and soul, in the pursuit of some discoveries which I
+hoped to make. None but those who have experienced them can conceive
+of the enticements of science. In other studies you go as far as
+others have gone before you, and there is nothing more to know; but in
+a scientific pursuit there is continual food for discovery and wonder.
+A mind of moderate capacity which closely pursues one study must
+infallibly arrive at great proficiency in that study; and I, who
+continually sought the attainment of one object of pursuit and was
+solely wrapped up in this, improved so rapidly that at the end of two
+years I made some discoveries in the improvement of some chemical
+instruments, which procured me great esteem and admiration at the
+university. When I had arrived at this point and had become as well
+acquainted with the theory and practice of natural philosophy as
+depended on the lessons of any of the professors at Ingolstadt, my
+residence there being no longer conducive to my improvements, I thought
+of returning to my friends and my native town, when an incident
+happened that protracted my stay.
+
+One of the phenomena which had peculiarly attracted my attention was
+the structure of the human frame, and, indeed, any animal endued with
+life. Whence, I often asked myself, did the principle of life proceed?
+It was a bold question, and one which has ever been considered as a
+mystery; yet with how many things are we upon the brink of becoming
+acquainted, if cowardice or carelessness did not restrain our
+inquiries. I revolved these circumstances in my mind and determined
+thenceforth to apply myself more particularly to those branches of
+natural philosophy which relate to physiology. Unless I had been
+animated by an almost supernatural enthusiasm, my application to this
+study would have been irksome and almost intolerable. To examine the
+causes of life, we must first have recourse to death. I became
+acquainted with the science of anatomy, but this was not sufficient; I
+must also observe the natural decay and corruption of the human body.
+In my education my father had taken the greatest precautions that my
+mind should be impressed with no supernatural horrors. I do not ever
+remember to have trembled at a tale of superstition or to have feared
+the apparition of a spirit. Darkness had no effect upon my fancy, and
+a churchyard was to me merely the receptacle of bodies deprived of
+life, which, from being the seat of beauty and strength, had become
+food for the worm. Now I was led to examine the cause and progress of
+this decay and forced to spend days and nights in vaults and
+charnel-houses. My attention was fixed upon every object the most
+insupportable to the delicacy of the human feelings. I saw how the
+fine form of man was degraded and wasted; I beheld the corruption of
+death succeed to the blooming cheek of life; I saw how the worm
+inherited the wonders of the eye and brain. I paused, examining and
+analysing all the minutiae of causation, as exemplified in the change
+from life to death, and death to life, until from the midst of this
+darkness a sudden light broke in upon me—a light so brilliant and
+wondrous, yet so simple, that while I became dizzy with the immensity
+of the prospect which it illustrated, I was surprised that among so
+many men of genius who had directed their inquiries towards the same
+science, that I alone should be reserved to discover so astonishing a
+secret.
+
+Remember, I am not recording the vision of a madman. The sun does not
+more certainly shine in the heavens than that which I now affirm is
+true. Some miracle might have produced it, yet the stages of the
+discovery were distinct and probable. After days and nights of
+incredible labour and fatigue, I succeeded in discovering the cause of
+generation and life; nay, more, I became myself capable of bestowing
+animation upon lifeless matter.
+
+The astonishment which I had at first experienced on this discovery
+soon gave place to delight and rapture. After so much time spent in
+painful labour, to arrive at once at the summit of my desires was the
+most gratifying consummation of my toils. But this discovery was so
+great and overwhelming that all the steps by which I had been
+progressively led to it were obliterated, and I beheld only the result.
+What had been the study and desire of the wisest men since the creation
+of the world was now within my grasp. Not that, like a magic scene, it
+all opened upon me at once: the information I had obtained was of a
+nature rather to direct my endeavours so soon as I should point them
+towards the object of my search than to exhibit that object already
+accomplished. I was like the Arabian who had been buried with the dead
+and found a passage to life, aided only by one glimmering and seemingly
+ineffectual light.
+
+I see by your eagerness and the wonder and hope which your eyes
+express, my friend, that you expect to be informed of the secret with
+which I am acquainted; that cannot be; listen patiently until the end
+of my story, and you will easily perceive why I am reserved upon that
+subject. I will not lead you on, unguarded and ardent as I then was,
+to your destruction and infallible misery. Learn from me, if not by my
+precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of
+knowledge and how much happier that man is who believes his native town
+to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature
+will allow.
+
+When I found so astonishing a power placed within my hands, I hesitated
+a long time concerning the manner in which I should employ it.
+Although I possessed the capacity of bestowing animation, yet to
+prepare a frame for the reception of it, with all its intricacies of
+fibres, muscles, and veins, still remained a work of inconceivable
+difficulty and labour. I doubted at first whether I should attempt the
+creation of a being like myself, or one of simpler organization; but my
+imagination was too much exalted by my first success to permit me to
+doubt of my ability to give life to an animal as complex and wonderful
+as man. The materials at present within my command hardly appeared
+adequate to so arduous an undertaking, but I doubted not that I should
+ultimately succeed. I prepared myself for a multitude of reverses; my
+operations might be incessantly baffled, and at last my work be
+imperfect, yet when I considered the improvement which every day takes
+place in science and mechanics, I was encouraged to hope my present
+attempts would at least lay the foundations of future success. Nor
+could I consider the magnitude and complexity of my plan as any
+argument of its impracticability. It was with these feelings that I
+began the creation of a human being. As the minuteness of the parts
+formed a great hindrance to my speed, I resolved, contrary to my first
+intention, to make the being of a gigantic stature, that is to say,
+about eight feet in height, and proportionably large. After having
+formed this determination and having spent some months in successfully
+collecting and arranging my materials, I began.
+
+No one can conceive the variety of feelings which bore me onwards, like
+a hurricane, in the first enthusiasm of success. Life and death
+appeared to me ideal bounds, which I should first break through, and
+pour a torrent of light into our dark world. A new species would bless
+me as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would
+owe their being to me. No father could claim the gratitude of his
+child so completely as I should deserve theirs. Pursuing these
+reflections, I thought that if I could bestow animation upon lifeless
+matter, I might in process of time (although I now found it impossible)
+renew life where death had apparently devoted the body to corruption.
+
+These thoughts supported my spirits, while I pursued my undertaking
+with unremitting ardour. My cheek had grown pale with study, and my
+person had become emaciated with confinement. Sometimes, on the very
+brink of certainty, I failed; yet still I clung to the hope which the
+next day or the next hour might realise. One secret which I alone
+possessed was the hope to which I had dedicated myself; and the moon
+gazed on my midnight labours, while, with unrelaxed and breathless
+eagerness, I pursued nature to her hiding-places. Who shall conceive
+the horrors of my secret toil as I dabbled among the unhallowed damps
+of the grave or tortured the living animal to animate the lifeless
+clay? My limbs now tremble, and my eyes swim with the remembrance; but
+then a resistless and almost frantic impulse urged me forward; I seemed
+to have lost all soul or sensation but for this one pursuit. It was
+indeed but a passing trance, that only made me feel with renewed
+acuteness so soon as, the unnatural stimulus ceasing to operate, I had
+returned to my old habits. I collected bones from charnel-houses and
+disturbed, with profane fingers, the tremendous secrets of the human
+frame. In a solitary chamber, or rather cell, at the top of the house,
+and separated from all the other apartments by a gallery and staircase,
+I kept my workshop of filthy creation; my eyeballs were starting from
+their sockets in attending to the details of my employment. The
+dissecting room and the slaughter-house furnished many of my materials;
+and often did my human nature turn with loathing from my occupation,
+whilst, still urged on by an eagerness which perpetually increased, I
+brought my work near to a conclusion.
+
+The summer months passed while I was thus engaged, heart and soul, in
+one pursuit. It was a most beautiful season; never did the fields
+bestow a more plentiful harvest or the vines yield a more luxuriant
+vintage, but my eyes were insensible to the charms of nature. And the
+same feelings which made me neglect the scenes around me caused me also
+to forget those friends who were so many miles absent, and whom I had
+not seen for so long a time. I knew my silence disquieted them, and I
+well remembered the words of my father: “I know that while you are
+pleased with yourself you will think of us with affection, and we shall
+hear regularly from you. You must pardon me if I regard any
+interruption in your correspondence as a proof that your other duties
+are equally neglected.”
+
+I knew well therefore what would be my father’s feelings, but I could
+not tear my thoughts from my employment, loathsome in itself, but which
+had taken an irresistible hold of my imagination. I wished, as it
+were, to procrastinate all that related to my feelings of affection
+until the great object, which swallowed up every habit of my nature,
+should be completed.
+
+I then thought that my father would be unjust if he ascribed my neglect
+to vice or faultiness on my part, but I am now convinced that he was
+justified in conceiving that I should not be altogether free from
+blame. A human being in perfection ought always to preserve a calm and
+peaceful mind and never to allow passion or a transitory desire to
+disturb his tranquillity. I do not think that the pursuit of knowledge
+is an exception to this rule. If the study to which you apply yourself
+has a tendency to weaken your affections and to destroy your taste for
+those simple pleasures in which no alloy can possibly mix, then that
+study is certainly unlawful, that is to say, not befitting the human
+mind. If this rule were always observed; if no man allowed any pursuit
+whatsoever to interfere with the tranquillity of his domestic
+affections, Greece had not been enslaved, Cæsar would have spared his
+country, America would have been discovered more gradually, and the
+empires of Mexico and Peru had not been destroyed.
+
+But I forget that I am moralizing in the most interesting part of my
+tale, and your looks remind me to proceed.
+
+My father made no reproach in his letters and only took notice of my
+silence by inquiring into my occupations more particularly than before.
+Winter, spring, and summer passed away during my labours; but I did not
+watch the blossom or the expanding leaves—sights which before always
+yielded me supreme delight—so deeply was I engrossed in my
+occupation. The leaves of that year had withered before my work drew near
+to a close, and now every day showed me more plainly how well I had
+succeeded. But my enthusiasm was checked by my anxiety, and I appeared
+rather like one doomed by slavery to toil in the mines, or any other
+unwholesome trade than an artist occupied by his favourite employment.
+Every night I was oppressed by a slow fever, and I became nervous to a most
+painful degree; the fall of a leaf startled me, and I shunned my fellow
+creatures as if I had been guilty of a crime. Sometimes I grew alarmed at
+the wreck I perceived that I had become; the energy of my purpose alone
+sustained me: my labours would soon end, and I believed that exercise and
+amusement would then drive away incipient disease; and I promised myself
+both of these when my creation should be complete.
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 5
+
+
+It was on a dreary night of November that I beheld the accomplishment
+of my toils. With an anxiety that almost amounted to agony, I
+collected the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a
+spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet. It was
+already one in the morning; the rain pattered dismally against the
+panes, and my candle was nearly burnt out, when, by the glimmer of the
+half-extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature
+open; it breathed hard, and a convulsive motion agitated its limbs.
+
+How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate
+the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had endeavoured to
+form? His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as
+beautiful. Beautiful! Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered
+the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous
+black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these
+luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes,
+that seemed almost of the same colour as the dun-white sockets in which
+they were set, his shrivelled complexion and straight black lips.
+
+The different accidents of life are not so changeable as the feelings
+of human nature. I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole
+purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body. For this I had
+deprived myself of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardour
+that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty
+of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my
+heart. Unable to endure the aspect of the being I had created, I
+rushed out of the room and continued a long time traversing my
+bed-chamber, unable to compose my mind to sleep. At length lassitude
+succeeded to the tumult I had before endured, and I threw myself on the
+bed in my clothes, endeavouring to seek a few moments of forgetfulness.
+But it was in vain; I slept, indeed, but I was disturbed by the wildest
+dreams. I thought I saw Elizabeth, in the bloom of health, walking in
+the streets of Ingolstadt. Delighted and surprised, I embraced her,
+but as I imprinted the first kiss on her lips, they became livid with
+the hue of death; her features appeared to change, and I thought that I
+held the corpse of my dead mother in my arms; a shroud enveloped her
+form, and I saw the grave-worms crawling in the folds of the flannel.
+I started from my sleep with horror; a cold dew covered my forehead, my
+teeth chattered, and every limb became convulsed; when, by the dim and
+yellow light of the moon, as it forced its way through the window
+shutters, I beheld the wretch—the miserable monster whom I had
+created. He held up the curtain of the bed; and his eyes, if eyes they
+may be called, were fixed on me. His jaws opened, and he muttered some
+inarticulate sounds, while a grin wrinkled his cheeks. He might have
+spoken, but I did not hear; one hand was stretched out, seemingly to
+detain me, but I escaped and rushed downstairs. I took refuge in the
+courtyard belonging to the house which I inhabited, where I remained
+during the rest of the night, walking up and down in the greatest
+agitation, listening attentively, catching and fearing each sound as if
+it were to announce the approach of the demoniacal corpse to which I
+had so miserably given life.
+
+Oh! No mortal could support the horror of that countenance. A mummy
+again endued with animation could not be so hideous as that wretch. I
+had gazed on him while unfinished; he was ugly then, but when those
+muscles and joints were rendered capable of motion, it became a thing
+such as even Dante could not have conceived.
+
+I passed the night wretchedly. Sometimes my pulse beat so quickly and
+hardly that I felt the palpitation of every artery; at others, I nearly
+sank to the ground through languor and extreme weakness. Mingled with
+this horror, I felt the bitterness of disappointment; dreams that had
+been my food and pleasant rest for so long a space were now become a
+hell to me; and the change was so rapid, the overthrow so complete!
+
+Morning, dismal and wet, at length dawned and discovered to my
+sleepless and aching eyes the church of Ingolstadt, its white steeple
+and clock, which indicated the sixth hour. The porter opened the gates
+of the court, which had that night been my asylum, and I issued into
+the streets, pacing them with quick steps, as if I sought to avoid the
+wretch whom I feared every turning of the street would present to my
+view. I did not dare return to the apartment which I inhabited, but
+felt impelled to hurry on, although drenched by the rain which poured
+from a black and comfortless sky.
+
+I continued walking in this manner for some time, endeavouring by
+bodily exercise to ease the load that weighed upon my mind. I
+traversed the streets without any clear conception of where I was or
+what I was doing. My heart palpitated in the sickness of fear, and I
+hurried on with irregular steps, not daring to look about me:
+ 
+ Like one who, on a lonely road,
+ Doth walk in fear and dread,
+ And, having once turned round, walks on,
+ And turns no more his head;
+ Because he knows a frightful fiend
+ Doth close behind him tread.
+ 
+ [Coleridge’s “Ancient Mariner.”]
+
+
+
+Continuing thus, I came at length opposite to the inn at which the various
+diligences and carriages usually stopped. Here I paused, I knew not why;
+but I remained some minutes with my eyes fixed on a coach that was coming
+towards me from the other end of the street. As it drew nearer I observed
+that it was the Swiss diligence; it stopped just where I was standing, and
+on the door being opened, I perceived Henry Clerval, who, on seeing me,
+instantly sprung out. “My dear Frankenstein,” exclaimed he,
+“how glad I am to see you! How fortunate that you should be here at
+the very moment of my alighting!”
+
+Nothing could equal my delight on seeing Clerval; his presence brought back
+to my thoughts my father, Elizabeth, and all those scenes of home so dear
+to my recollection. I grasped his hand, and in a moment forgot my horror
+and misfortune; I felt suddenly, and for the first time during many months,
+calm and serene joy. I welcomed my friend, therefore, in the most cordial
+manner, and we walked towards my college. Clerval continued talking for
+some time about our mutual friends and his own good fortune in being
+permitted to come to Ingolstadt. “You may easily believe,” said
+he, “how great was the difficulty to persuade my father that all
+necessary knowledge was not comprised in the noble art of book-keeping;
+and, indeed, I believe I left him incredulous to the last, for his constant
+answer to my unwearied entreaties was the same as that of the Dutch
+schoolmaster in The Vicar of Wakefield: ‘I have ten thousand florins
+a year without Greek, I eat heartily without Greek.’ But his
+affection for me at length overcame his dislike of learning, and he has
+permitted me to undertake a voyage of discovery to the land of
+knowledge.”
+
+“It gives me the greatest delight to see you; but tell me how you left
+my father, brothers, and Elizabeth.”
+
+“Very well, and very happy, only a little uneasy that they hear from
+you so seldom. By the by, I mean to lecture you a little upon their
+account myself. But, my dear Frankenstein,” continued he, stopping
+short and gazing full in my face, “I did not before remark how very ill
+you appear; so thin and pale; you look as if you had been watching for
+several nights.”
+
+“You have guessed right; I have lately been so deeply engaged in one
+occupation that I have not allowed myself sufficient rest, as you see;
+but I hope, I sincerely hope, that all these employments are now at an
+end and that I am at length free.”
+
+I trembled excessively; I could not endure to think of, and far less to
+allude to, the occurrences of the preceding night. I walked with a
+quick pace, and we soon arrived at my college. I then reflected, and
+the thought made me shiver, that the creature whom I had left in my
+apartment might still be there, alive and walking about. I dreaded to
+behold this monster, but I feared still more that Henry should see him.
+Entreating him, therefore, to remain a few minutes at the bottom of the
+stairs, I darted up towards my own room. My hand was already on the
+lock of the door before I recollected myself. I then paused, and a
+cold shivering came over me. I threw the door forcibly open, as
+children are accustomed to do when they expect a spectre to stand in
+waiting for them on the other side; but nothing appeared. I stepped
+fearfully in: the apartment was empty, and my bedroom was also freed
+from its hideous guest. I could hardly believe that so great a good
+fortune could have befallen me, but when I became assured that my enemy
+had indeed fled, I clapped my hands for joy and ran down to Clerval.
+
+We ascended into my room, and the servant presently brought breakfast;
+but I was unable to contain myself. It was not joy only that possessed
+me; I felt my flesh tingle with excess of sensitiveness, and my pulse
+beat rapidly. I was unable to remain for a single instant in the same
+place; I jumped over the chairs, clapped my hands, and laughed aloud.
+Clerval at first attributed my unusual spirits to joy on his arrival,
+but when he observed me more attentively, he saw a wildness in my eyes
+for which he could not account, and my loud, unrestrained, heartless
+laughter frightened and astonished him.
+
+“My dear Victor,” cried he, “what, for God’s sake,
+is the matter? Do not laugh in that manner. How ill you are! What is the
+cause of all this?”
+
+“Do not ask me,” cried I, putting my hands before my eyes, for I
+thought I saw the dreaded spectre glide into the room; “_he_ can
+tell. Oh, save me! Save me!” I imagined that the monster seized me;
+I struggled furiously and fell down in a fit.
+
+Poor Clerval! What must have been his feelings? A meeting, which he
+anticipated with such joy, so strangely turned to bitterness. But I
+was not the witness of his grief, for I was lifeless and did not
+recover my senses for a long, long time.
+
+This was the commencement of a nervous fever which confined me for
+several months. During all that time Henry was my only nurse. I
+afterwards learned that, knowing my father’s advanced age and unfitness
+for so long a journey, and how wretched my sickness would make
+Elizabeth, he spared them this grief by concealing the extent of my
+disorder. He knew that I could not have a more kind and attentive
+nurse than himself; and, firm in the hope he felt of my recovery, he
+did not doubt that, instead of doing harm, he performed the kindest
+action that he could towards them.
+
+But I was in reality very ill, and surely nothing but the unbounded and
+unremitting attentions of my friend could have restored me to life.
+The form of the monster on whom I had bestowed existence was for ever
+before my eyes, and I raved incessantly concerning him. Doubtless my
+words surprised Henry; he at first believed them to be the wanderings
+of my disturbed imagination, but the pertinacity with which I
+continually recurred to the same subject persuaded him that my disorder
+indeed owed its origin to some uncommon and terrible event.
+
+By very slow degrees, and with frequent relapses that alarmed and
+grieved my friend, I recovered. I remember the first time I became
+capable of observing outward objects with any kind of pleasure, I
+perceived that the fallen leaves had disappeared and that the young
+buds were shooting forth from the trees that shaded my window. It was
+a divine spring, and the season contributed greatly to my
+convalescence. I felt also sentiments of joy and affection revive in
+my bosom; my gloom disappeared, and in a short time I became as
+cheerful as before I was attacked by the fatal passion.
+
+“Dearest Clerval,” exclaimed I, “how kind, how very good
+you are to me. This whole winter, instead of being spent in study, as you
+promised yourself, has been consumed in my sick room. How shall I ever
+repay you? I feel the greatest remorse for the disappointment of which I
+have been the occasion, but you will forgive me.”
+
+“You will repay me entirely if you do not discompose yourself, but get
+well as fast as you can; and since you appear in such good spirits, I
+may speak to you on one subject, may I not?”
+
+I trembled. One subject! What could it be? Could he allude to an object on
+whom I dared not even think?
+
+“Compose yourself,” said Clerval, who observed my change of
+colour, “I will not mention it if it agitates you; but your father
+and cousin would be very happy if they received a letter from you in your
+own handwriting. They hardly know how ill you have been and are uneasy at
+your long silence.”
+
+“Is that all, my dear Henry? How could you suppose that my first
+thought would not fly towards those dear, dear friends whom I love and
+who are so deserving of my love?”
+
+“If this is your present temper, my friend, you will perhaps be glad
+to see a letter that has been lying here some days for you; it is from
+your cousin, I believe.”
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 6
+
+
+Clerval then put the following letter into my hands. It was from my
+own Elizabeth:
+
+“My dearest Cousin,
+
+“You have been ill, very ill, and even the constant letters of dear
+kind Henry are not sufficient to reassure me on your account. You are
+forbidden to write—to hold a pen; yet one word from you, dear Victor,
+is necessary to calm our apprehensions. For a long time I have thought
+that each post would bring this line, and my persuasions have
+restrained my uncle from undertaking a journey to Ingolstadt. I have
+prevented his encountering the inconveniences and perhaps dangers of so
+long a journey, yet how often have I regretted not being able to
+perform it myself! I figure to myself that the task of attending on
+your sickbed has devolved on some mercenary old nurse, who could never
+guess your wishes nor minister to them with the care and affection of
+your poor cousin. Yet that is over now: Clerval writes that indeed
+you are getting better. I eagerly hope that you will confirm this
+intelligence soon in your own handwriting.
+
+“Get well—and return to us. You will find a happy, cheerful home and
+friends who love you dearly. Your father’s health is vigorous, and he
+asks but to see you, but to be assured that you are well; and not a
+care will ever cloud his benevolent countenance. How pleased you would
+be to remark the improvement of our Ernest! He is now sixteen and full
+of activity and spirit. He is desirous to be a true Swiss and to enter
+into foreign service, but we cannot part with him, at least until his
+elder brother returns to us. My uncle is not pleased with the idea of
+a military career in a distant country, but Ernest never had your
+powers of application. He looks upon study as an odious fetter; his
+time is spent in the open air, climbing the hills or rowing on the
+lake. I fear that he will become an idler unless we yield the point
+and permit him to enter on the profession which he has selected.
+
+“Little alteration, except the growth of our dear children, has taken
+place since you left us. The blue lake and snow-clad mountains—they
+never change; and I think our placid home and our contented hearts are
+regulated by the same immutable laws. My trifling occupations take up
+my time and amuse me, and I am rewarded for any exertions by seeing
+none but happy, kind faces around me. Since you left us, but one
+change has taken place in our little household. Do you remember on
+what occasion Justine Moritz entered our family? Probably you do not;
+I will relate her history, therefore in a few words. Madame Moritz,
+her mother, was a widow with four children, of whom Justine was the
+third. This girl had always been the favourite of her father, but
+through a strange perversity, her mother could not endure her, and
+after the death of M. Moritz, treated her very ill. My aunt observed
+this, and when Justine was twelve years of age, prevailed on her mother
+to allow her to live at our house. The republican institutions of our
+country have produced simpler and happier manners than those which
+prevail in the great monarchies that surround it. Hence there is less
+distinction between the several classes of its inhabitants; and the
+lower orders, being neither so poor nor so despised, their manners are
+more refined and moral. A servant in Geneva does not mean the same
+thing as a servant in France and England. Justine, thus received in
+our family, learned the duties of a servant, a condition which, in our
+fortunate country, does not include the idea of ignorance and a
+sacrifice of the dignity of a human being.
+
+“Justine, you may remember, was a great favourite of yours; and I
+recollect you once remarked that if you were in an ill humour, one
+glance from Justine could dissipate it, for the same reason that
+Ariosto gives concerning the beauty of Angelica—she looked so
+frank-hearted and happy. My aunt conceived a great attachment for her,
+by which she was induced to give her an education superior to that
+which she had at first intended. This benefit was fully repaid;
+Justine was the most grateful little creature in the world: I do not
+mean that she made any professions I never heard one pass her lips, but
+you could see by her eyes that she almost adored her protectress.
+Although her disposition was gay and in many respects inconsiderate,
+yet she paid the greatest attention to every gesture of my aunt. She
+thought her the model of all excellence and endeavoured to imitate her
+phraseology and manners, so that even now she often reminds me of her.
+
+“When my dearest aunt died every one was too much occupied in their own
+grief to notice poor Justine, who had attended her during her illness
+with the most anxious affection. Poor Justine was very ill; but other
+trials were reserved for her.
+
+“One by one, her brothers and sister died; and her mother, with the
+exception of her neglected daughter, was left childless. The
+conscience of the woman was troubled; she began to think that the
+deaths of her favourites was a judgement from heaven to chastise her
+partiality. She was a Roman Catholic; and I believe her confessor
+confirmed the idea which she had conceived. Accordingly, a few months
+after your departure for Ingolstadt, Justine was called home by her
+repentant mother. Poor girl! She wept when she quitted our house; she
+was much altered since the death of my aunt; grief had given softness
+and a winning mildness to her manners, which had before been remarkable
+for vivacity. Nor was her residence at her mother’s house of a nature
+to restore her gaiety. The poor woman was very vacillating in her
+repentance. She sometimes begged Justine to forgive her unkindness,
+but much oftener accused her of having caused the deaths of her
+brothers and sister. Perpetual fretting at length threw Madame Moritz
+into a decline, which at first increased her irritability, but she is
+now at peace for ever. She died on the first approach of cold weather,
+at the beginning of this last winter. Justine has just returned to us;
+and I assure you I love her tenderly. She is very clever and gentle,
+and extremely pretty; as I mentioned before, her mien and her
+expression continually remind me of my dear aunt.
+
+“I must say also a few words to you, my dear cousin, of little darling
+William. I wish you could see him; he is very tall of his age, with
+sweet laughing blue eyes, dark eyelashes, and curling hair. When he
+smiles, two little dimples appear on each cheek, which are rosy with
+health. He has already had one or two little _wives,_ but Louisa Biron
+is his favourite, a pretty little girl of five years of age.
+
+“Now, dear Victor, I dare say you wish to be indulged in a little
+gossip concerning the good people of Geneva. The pretty Miss Mansfield
+has already received the congratulatory visits on her approaching
+marriage with a young Englishman, John Melbourne, Esq. Her ugly
+sister, Manon, married M. Duvillard, the rich banker, last autumn. Your
+favourite schoolfellow, Louis Manoir, has suffered several misfortunes
+since the departure of Clerval from Geneva. But he has already
+recovered his spirits, and is reported to be on the point of marrying a
+lively pretty Frenchwoman, Madame Tavernier. She is a widow, and much
+older than Manoir; but she is very much admired, and a favourite with
+everybody.
+
+“I have written myself into better spirits, dear cousin; but my anxiety
+returns upon me as I conclude. Write, dearest Victor,—one line—one
+word will be a blessing to us. Ten thousand thanks to Henry for his
+kindness, his affection, and his many letters; we are sincerely
+grateful. Adieu! my cousin; take care of yourself; and, I entreat
+you, write!
+
+“Elizabeth Lavenza.
+
+
+“Geneva, March 18th, 17—.”
+
+
+
+“Dear, dear Elizabeth!” I exclaimed, when I had read her
+letter: “I will write instantly and relieve them from the anxiety
+they must feel.” I wrote, and this exertion greatly fatigued me; but
+my convalescence had commenced, and proceeded regularly. In another
+fortnight I was able to leave my chamber.
+
+One of my first duties on my recovery was to introduce Clerval to the
+several professors of the university. In doing this, I underwent a
+kind of rough usage, ill befitting the wounds that my mind had
+sustained. Ever since the fatal night, the end of my labours, and the
+beginning of my misfortunes, I had conceived a violent antipathy even
+to the name of natural philosophy. When I was otherwise quite restored
+to health, the sight of a chemical instrument would renew all the agony
+of my nervous symptoms. Henry saw this, and had removed all my
+apparatus from my view. He had also changed my apartment; for he
+perceived that I had acquired a dislike for the room which had
+previously been my laboratory. But these cares of Clerval were made of
+no avail when I visited the professors. M. Waldman inflicted torture
+when he praised, with kindness and warmth, the astonishing progress I
+had made in the sciences. He soon perceived that I disliked the
+subject; but not guessing the real cause, he attributed my feelings to
+modesty, and changed the subject from my improvement, to the science
+itself, with a desire, as I evidently saw, of drawing me out. What
+could I do? He meant to please, and he tormented me. I felt as if he
+had placed carefully, one by one, in my view those instruments which
+were to be afterwards used in putting me to a slow and cruel death. I
+writhed under his words, yet dared not exhibit the pain I felt.
+Clerval, whose eyes and feelings were always quick in discerning the
+sensations of others, declined the subject, alleging, in excuse, his
+total ignorance; and the conversation took a more general turn. I
+thanked my friend from my heart, but I did not speak. I saw plainly
+that he was surprised, but he never attempted to draw my secret from
+me; and although I loved him with a mixture of affection and reverence
+that knew no bounds, yet I could never persuade myself to confide in
+him that event which was so often present to my recollection, but which
+I feared the detail to another would only impress more deeply.
+
+M. Krempe was not equally docile; and in my condition at that time, of
+almost insupportable sensitiveness, his harsh blunt encomiums gave me even
+more pain than the benevolent approbation of M. Waldman. “D—n
+the fellow!” cried he; “why, M. Clerval, I assure you he has
+outstript us all. Ay, stare if you please; but it is nevertheless true. A
+youngster who, but a few years ago, believed in Cornelius Agrippa as firmly
+as in the gospel, has now set himself at the head of the university; and if
+he is not soon pulled down, we shall all be out of countenance.—Ay,
+ay,” continued he, observing my face expressive of suffering,
+“M. Frankenstein is modest; an excellent quality in a young man.
+Young men should be diffident of themselves, you know, M. Clerval: I was
+myself when young; but that wears out in a very short time.”
+
+M. Krempe had now commenced an eulogy on himself, which happily turned
+the conversation from a subject that was so annoying to me.
+
+Clerval had never sympathised in my tastes for natural science; and his
+literary pursuits differed wholly from those which had occupied me. He
+came to the university with the design of making himself complete
+master of the oriental languages, and thus he should open a field for
+the plan of life he had marked out for himself. Resolved to pursue no
+inglorious career, he turned his eyes toward the East, as affording
+scope for his spirit of enterprise. The Persian, Arabic, and Sanskrit
+languages engaged his attention, and I was easily induced to enter on
+the same studies. Idleness had ever been irksome to me, and now that I
+wished to fly from reflection, and hated my former studies, I felt
+great relief in being the fellow-pupil with my friend, and found not
+only instruction but consolation in the works of the orientalists. I
+did not, like him, attempt a critical knowledge of their dialects, for
+I did not contemplate making any other use of them than temporary
+amusement. I read merely to understand their meaning, and they well
+repaid my labours. Their melancholy is soothing, and their joy
+elevating, to a degree I never experienced in studying the authors of
+any other country. When you read their writings, life appears to
+consist in a warm sun and a garden of roses,—in the smiles and frowns
+of a fair enemy, and the fire that consumes your own heart. How
+different from the manly and heroical poetry of Greece and Rome!
+
+Summer passed away in these occupations, and my return to Geneva was
+fixed for the latter end of autumn; but being delayed by several
+accidents, winter and snow arrived, the roads were deemed impassable,
+and my journey was retarded until the ensuing spring. I felt this
+delay very bitterly; for I longed to see my native town and my beloved
+friends. My return had only been delayed so long, from an
+unwillingness to leave Clerval in a strange place, before he had become
+acquainted with any of its inhabitants. The winter, however, was spent
+cheerfully; and although the spring was uncommonly late, when it came
+its beauty compensated for its dilatoriness.
+
+The month of May had already commenced, and I expected the letter daily
+which was to fix the date of my departure, when Henry proposed a
+pedestrian tour in the environs of Ingolstadt, that I might bid a
+personal farewell to the country I had so long inhabited. I acceded
+with pleasure to this proposition: I was fond of exercise, and Clerval
+had always been my favourite companion in the ramble of this nature
+that I had taken among the scenes of my native country.
+
+We passed a fortnight in these perambulations: my health and spirits
+had long been restored, and they gained additional strength from the
+salubrious air I breathed, the natural incidents of our progress, and
+the conversation of my friend. Study had before secluded me from the
+intercourse of my fellow-creatures, and rendered me unsocial; but
+Clerval called forth the better feelings of my heart; he again taught
+me to love the aspect of nature, and the cheerful faces of children.
+Excellent friend! how sincerely you did love me, and endeavour to
+elevate my mind until it was on a level with your own. A selfish
+pursuit had cramped and narrowed me, until your gentleness and
+affection warmed and opened my senses; I became the same happy creature
+who, a few years ago, loved and beloved by all, had no sorrow or care.
+When happy, inanimate nature had the power of bestowing on me the most
+delightful sensations. A serene sky and verdant fields filled me with
+ecstasy. The present season was indeed divine; the flowers of spring
+bloomed in the hedges, while those of summer were already in bud. I
+was undisturbed by thoughts which during the preceding year had pressed
+upon me, notwithstanding my endeavours to throw them off, with an
+invincible burden.
+
+Henry rejoiced in my gaiety, and sincerely sympathised in my feelings: he
+exerted himself to amuse me, while he expressed the sensations that filled
+his soul. The resources of his mind on this occasion were truly
+astonishing: his conversation was full of imagination; and very often, in
+imitation of the Persian and Arabic writers, he invented tales of wonderful
+fancy and passion. At other times he repeated my favourite poems, or drew
+me out into arguments, which he supported with great ingenuity.
+
+We returned to our college on a Sunday afternoon: the peasants were
+dancing, and every one we met appeared gay and happy. My own spirits were
+high, and I bounded along with feelings of unbridled joy and hilarity.
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 7
+
+
+On my return, I found the following letter from my father:—
+
+“My dear Victor,
+
+“You have probably waited impatiently for a letter to fix the date of
+your return to us; and I was at first tempted to write only a few
+lines, merely mentioning the day on which I should expect you. But
+that would be a cruel kindness, and I dare not do it. What would be
+your surprise, my son, when you expected a happy and glad welcome, to
+behold, on the contrary, tears and wretchedness? And how, Victor, can
+I relate our misfortune? Absence cannot have rendered you callous to
+our joys and griefs; and how shall I inflict pain on my long absent
+son? I wish to prepare you for the woeful news, but I know it is
+impossible; even now your eye skims over the page to seek the words
+which are to convey to you the horrible tidings.
+
+“William is dead!—that sweet child, whose smiles delighted and warmed
+my heart, who was so gentle, yet so gay! Victor, he is murdered!
+
+“I will not attempt to console you; but will simply relate the
+circumstances of the transaction.
+
+“Last Thursday (May 7th), I, my niece, and your two brothers, went to
+walk in Plainpalais. The evening was warm and serene, and we prolonged
+our walk farther than usual. It was already dusk before we thought of
+returning; and then we discovered that William and Ernest, who had gone
+on before, were not to be found. We accordingly rested on a seat until
+they should return. Presently Ernest came, and enquired if we had seen
+his brother; he said, that he had been playing with him, that William
+had run away to hide himself, and that he vainly sought for him, and
+afterwards waited for a long time, but that he did not return.
+
+“This account rather alarmed us, and we continued to search for him
+until night fell, when Elizabeth conjectured that he might have
+returned to the house. He was not there. We returned again, with
+torches; for I could not rest, when I thought that my sweet boy had
+lost himself, and was exposed to all the damps and dews of night;
+Elizabeth also suffered extreme anguish. About five in the morning I
+discovered my lovely boy, whom the night before I had seen blooming and
+active in health, stretched on the grass livid and motionless; the
+print of the murder’s finger was on his neck.
+
+“He was conveyed home, and the anguish that was visible in my
+countenance betrayed the secret to Elizabeth. She was very earnest to
+see the corpse. At first I attempted to prevent her but she persisted,
+and entering the room where it lay, hastily examined the neck of the
+victim, and clasping her hands exclaimed, ‘O God! I have murdered my
+darling child!’
+
+“She fainted, and was restored with extreme difficulty. When she again
+lived, it was only to weep and sigh. She told me, that that same
+evening William had teased her to let him wear a very valuable
+miniature that she possessed of your mother. This picture is gone, and
+was doubtless the temptation which urged the murderer to the deed. We
+have no trace of him at present, although our exertions to discover him
+are unremitted; but they will not restore my beloved William!
+
+“Come, dearest Victor; you alone can console Elizabeth. She weeps
+continually, and accuses herself unjustly as the cause of his death;
+her words pierce my heart. We are all unhappy; but will not that be an
+additional motive for you, my son, to return and be our comforter?
+Your dear mother! Alas, Victor! I now say, Thank God she did not live
+to witness the cruel, miserable death of her youngest darling!
+
+“Come, Victor; not brooding thoughts of vengeance against the assassin,
+but with feelings of peace and gentleness, that will heal, instead of
+festering, the wounds of our minds. Enter the house of mourning, my
+friend, but with kindness and affection for those who love you, and not
+with hatred for your enemies.
+
+“Your affectionate and afflicted father,
+
+“Alphonse Frankenstein.
+
+
+
+“Geneva, May 12th, 17—.”
+
+
+
+Clerval, who had watched my countenance as I read this letter, was
+surprised to observe the despair that succeeded the joy I at first
+expressed on receiving new from my friends. I threw the letter on the
+table, and covered my face with my hands.
+
+“My dear Frankenstein,” exclaimed Henry, when he perceived me
+weep with bitterness, “are you always to be unhappy? My dear friend,
+what has happened?”
+
+I motioned him to take up the letter, while I walked up and down the
+room in the extremest agitation. Tears also gushed from the eyes of
+Clerval, as he read the account of my misfortune.
+
+“I can offer you no consolation, my friend,” said he;
+“your disaster is irreparable. What do you intend to do?”
+
+“To go instantly to Geneva: come with me, Henry, to order the horses.”
+
+During our walk, Clerval endeavoured to say a few words of consolation;
+he could only express his heartfelt sympathy. “Poor William!” said he,
+“dear lovely child, he now sleeps with his angel mother! Who that had
+seen him bright and joyous in his young beauty, but must weep over his
+untimely loss! To die so miserably; to feel the murderer’s grasp! How
+much more a murdered that could destroy radiant innocence! Poor little
+fellow! one only consolation have we; his friends mourn and weep, but
+he is at rest. The pang is over, his sufferings are at an end for ever.
+A sod covers his gentle form, and he knows no pain. He can no longer
+be a subject for pity; we must reserve that for his miserable
+survivors.”
+
+Clerval spoke thus as we hurried through the streets; the words
+impressed themselves on my mind and I remembered them afterwards in
+solitude. But now, as soon as the horses arrived, I hurried into a
+cabriolet, and bade farewell to my friend.
+
+My journey was very melancholy. At first I wished to hurry on, for I longed
+to console and sympathise with my loved and sorrowing friends; but when I
+drew near my native town, I slackened my progress. I could hardly sustain
+the multitude of feelings that crowded into my mind. I passed through
+scenes familiar to my youth, but which I had not seen for nearly six years.
+How altered every thing might be during that time! One sudden and
+desolating change had taken place; but a thousand little circumstances
+might have by degrees worked other alterations, which, although they were
+done more tranquilly, might not be the less decisive. Fear overcame me; I
+dared no advance, dreading a thousand nameless evils that made me tremble,
+although I was unable to define them.
+
+I remained two days at Lausanne, in this painful state of mind. I
+contemplated the lake: the waters were placid; all around was calm; and the
+snowy mountains, “the palaces of nature,” were not changed. By
+degrees the calm and heavenly scene restored me, and I continued my journey
+towards Geneva.
+
+The road ran by the side of the lake, which became narrower as I
+approached my native town. I discovered more distinctly the black
+sides of Jura, and the bright summit of Mont Blanc. I wept like a
+child. “Dear mountains! my own beautiful lake! how do you welcome your
+wanderer? Your summits are clear; the sky and lake are blue and
+placid. Is this to prognosticate peace, or to mock at my unhappiness?”
+
+I fear, my friend, that I shall render myself tedious by dwelling on
+these preliminary circumstances; but they were days of comparative
+happiness, and I think of them with pleasure. My country, my beloved
+country! who but a native can tell the delight I took in again
+beholding thy streams, thy mountains, and, more than all, thy lovely
+lake!
+
+Yet, as I drew nearer home, grief and fear again overcame me. Night also
+closed around; and when I could hardly see the dark mountains, I felt still
+more gloomily. The picture appeared a vast and dim scene of evil, and I
+foresaw obscurely that I was destined to become the most wretched of human
+beings. Alas! I prophesied truly, and failed only in one single
+circumstance, that in all the misery I imagined and dreaded, I did not
+conceive the hundredth part of the anguish I was destined to endure.
+
+It was completely dark when I arrived in the environs of Geneva; the gates
+of the town were already shut; and I was obliged to pass the night at
+Secheron, a village at the distance of half a league from the city. The sky
+was serene; and, as I was unable to rest, I resolved to visit the spot
+where my poor William had been murdered. As I could not pass through the
+town, I was obliged to cross the lake in a boat to arrive at Plainpalais.
+During this short voyage I saw the lightning playing on the summit of Mont
+Blanc in the most beautiful figures. The storm appeared to approach
+rapidly, and, on landing, I ascended a low hill, that I might observe its
+progress. It advanced; the heavens were clouded, and I soon felt the rain
+coming slowly in large drops, but its violence quickly increased.
+
+I quitted my seat, and walked on, although the darkness and storm
+increased every minute, and the thunder burst with a terrific crash
+over my head. It was echoed from Salêve, the Juras, and the Alps of
+Savoy; vivid flashes of lightning dazzled my eyes, illuminating the
+lake, making it appear like a vast sheet of fire; then for an instant
+every thing seemed of a pitchy darkness, until the eye recovered itself
+from the preceding flash. The storm, as is often the case in
+Switzerland, appeared at once in various parts of the heavens. The
+most violent storm hung exactly north of the town, over the part of the
+lake which lies between the promontory of Belrive and the village of
+Copêt. Another storm enlightened Jura with faint flashes; and another
+darkened and sometimes disclosed the Môle, a peaked mountain to the
+east of the lake.
+
+While I watched the tempest, so beautiful yet terrific, I wandered on with
+a hasty step. This noble war in the sky elevated my spirits; I clasped my
+hands, and exclaimed aloud, “William, dear angel! this is thy
+funeral, this thy dirge!” As I said these words, I perceived in the
+gloom a figure which stole from behind a clump of trees near me; I stood
+fixed, gazing intently: I could not be mistaken. A flash of lightning
+illuminated the object, and discovered its shape plainly to me; its
+gigantic stature, and the deformity of its aspect more hideous than belongs
+to humanity, instantly informed me that it was the wretch, the filthy
+dæmon, to whom I had given life. What did he there? Could he be (I
+shuddered at the conception) the murderer of my brother? No sooner did that
+idea cross my imagination, than I became convinced of its truth; my teeth
+chattered, and I was forced to lean against a tree for support. The figure
+passed me quickly, and I lost it in the gloom. Nothing in human shape could
+have destroyed the fair child. _He_ was the murderer! I could not
+doubt it. The mere presence of the idea was an irresistible proof of the
+fact. I thought of pursuing the devil; but it would have been in vain, for
+another flash discovered him to me hanging among the rocks of the nearly
+perpendicular ascent of Mont Salêve, a hill that bounds Plainpalais on the
+south. He soon reached the summit, and disappeared.
+
+I remained motionless. The thunder ceased; but the rain still
+continued, and the scene was enveloped in an impenetrable darkness. I
+revolved in my mind the events which I had until now sought to forget:
+the whole train of my progress toward the creation; the appearance of
+the works of my own hands at my bedside; its departure. Two years had
+now nearly elapsed since the night on which he first received life; and
+was this his first crime? Alas! I had turned loose into the world a
+depraved wretch, whose delight was in carnage and misery; had he not
+murdered my brother?
+
+No one can conceive the anguish I suffered during the remainder of the
+night, which I spent, cold and wet, in the open air. But I did not
+feel the inconvenience of the weather; my imagination was busy in
+scenes of evil and despair. I considered the being whom I had cast
+among mankind, and endowed with the will and power to effect purposes
+of horror, such as the deed which he had now done, nearly in the light
+of my own vampire, my own spirit let loose from the grave, and forced
+to destroy all that was dear to me.
+
+Day dawned; and I directed my steps towards the town. The gates were
+open, and I hastened to my father’s house. My first thought was to
+discover what I knew of the murderer, and cause instant pursuit to be
+made. But I paused when I reflected on the story that I had to tell. A
+being whom I myself had formed, and endued with life, had met me at
+midnight among the precipices of an inaccessible mountain. I
+remembered also the nervous fever with which I had been seized just at
+the time that I dated my creation, and which would give an air of
+delirium to a tale otherwise so utterly improbable. I well knew that
+if any other had communicated such a relation to me, I should have
+looked upon it as the ravings of insanity. Besides, the strange nature
+of the animal would elude all pursuit, even if I were so far credited
+as to persuade my relatives to commence it. And then of what use would
+be pursuit? Who could arrest a creature capable of scaling the
+overhanging sides of Mont Salêve? These reflections determined me, and
+I resolved to remain silent.
+
+It was about five in the morning when I entered my father’s house. I
+told the servants not to disturb the family, and went into the library
+to attend their usual hour of rising.
+
+Six years had elapsed, passed in a dream but for one indelible trace, and I
+stood in the same place where I had last embraced my father before my
+departure for Ingolstadt. Beloved and venerable parent! He still remained
+to me. I gazed on the picture of my mother, which stood over the
+mantel-piece. It was an historical subject, painted at my father’s
+desire, and represented Caroline Beaufort in an agony of despair, kneeling
+by the coffin of her dead father. Her garb was rustic, and her cheek pale;
+but there was an air of dignity and beauty, that hardly permitted the
+sentiment of pity. Below this picture was a miniature of William; and my
+tears flowed when I looked upon it. While I was thus engaged, Ernest
+entered: he had heard me arrive, and hastened to welcome me:
+“Welcome, my dearest Victor,” said he. “Ah! I wish you
+had come three months ago, and then you would have found us all joyous and
+delighted. You come to us now to share a misery which nothing can
+alleviate; yet your presence will, I hope, revive our father, who seems
+sinking under his misfortune; and your persuasions will induce poor
+Elizabeth to cease her vain and tormenting self-accusations.—Poor
+William! he was our darling and our pride!”
+
+Tears, unrestrained, fell from my brother’s eyes; a sense of mortal
+agony crept over my frame. Before, I had only imagined the
+wretchedness of my desolated home; the reality came on me as a new, and
+a not less terrible, disaster. I tried to calm Ernest; I enquired more
+minutely concerning my father, and here I named my cousin.
+
+“She most of all,” said Ernest, “requires consolation; she accused
+herself of having caused the death of my brother, and that made her
+very wretched. But since the murderer has been discovered—”
+
+“The murderer discovered! Good God! how can that be? who could attempt
+to pursue him? It is impossible; one might as well try to overtake the
+winds, or confine a mountain-stream with a straw. I saw him too; he
+was free last night!”
+
+“I do not know what you mean,” replied my brother, in accents of
+wonder, “but to us the discovery we have made completes our misery. No
+one would believe it at first; and even now Elizabeth will not be
+convinced, notwithstanding all the evidence. Indeed, who would credit
+that Justine Moritz, who was so amiable, and fond of all the family,
+could suddenly become so capable of so frightful, so appalling a crime?”
+
+“Justine Moritz! Poor, poor girl, is she the accused? But it is
+wrongfully; every one knows that; no one believes it, surely, Ernest?”
+
+“No one did at first; but several circumstances came out, that have
+almost forced conviction upon us; and her own behaviour has been so
+confused, as to add to the evidence of facts a weight that, I fear,
+leaves no hope for doubt. But she will be tried today, and you will
+then hear all.”
+
+He then related that, the morning on which the murder of poor William
+had been discovered, Justine had been taken ill, and confined to her
+bed for several days. During this interval, one of the servants,
+happening to examine the apparel she had worn on the night of the
+murder, had discovered in her pocket the picture of my mother, which
+had been judged to be the temptation of the murderer. The servant
+instantly showed it to one of the others, who, without saying a word to
+any of the family, went to a magistrate; and, upon their deposition,
+Justine was apprehended. On being charged with the fact, the poor girl
+confirmed the suspicion in a great measure by her extreme confusion of
+manner.
+
+This was a strange tale, but it did not shake my faith; and I replied
+earnestly, “You are all mistaken; I know the murderer. Justine, poor,
+good Justine, is innocent.”
+
+At that instant my father entered. I saw unhappiness deeply impressed
+on his countenance, but he endeavoured to welcome me cheerfully; and,
+after we had exchanged our mournful greeting, would have introduced
+some other topic than that of our disaster, had not Ernest exclaimed,
+“Good God, papa! Victor says that he knows who was the murderer of
+poor William.”
+
+“We do also, unfortunately,” replied my father, “for indeed I had
+rather have been for ever ignorant than have discovered so much
+depravity and ungratitude in one I valued so highly.”
+
+“My dear father, you are mistaken; Justine is innocent.”
+
+“If she is, God forbid that she should suffer as guilty. She is to be
+tried today, and I hope, I sincerely hope, that she will be acquitted.”
+
+This speech calmed me. I was firmly convinced in my own mind that
+Justine, and indeed every human being, was guiltless of this murder. I
+had no fear, therefore, that any circumstantial evidence could be
+brought forward strong enough to convict her. My tale was not one to
+announce publicly; its astounding horror would be looked upon as
+madness by the vulgar. Did any one indeed exist, except I, the
+creator, who would believe, unless his senses convinced him, in the
+existence of the living monument of presumption and rash ignorance
+which I had let loose upon the world?
+
+We were soon joined by Elizabeth. Time had altered her since I last
+beheld her; it had endowed her with loveliness surpassing the beauty of
+her childish years. There was the same candour, the same vivacity, but
+it was allied to an expression more full of sensibility and intellect.
+She welcomed me with the greatest affection. “Your arrival, my dear
+cousin,” said she, “fills me with hope. You perhaps will find some
+means to justify my poor guiltless Justine. Alas! who is safe, if she
+be convicted of crime? I rely on her innocence as certainly as I do
+upon my own. Our misfortune is doubly hard to us; we have not only
+lost that lovely darling boy, but this poor girl, whom I sincerely
+love, is to be torn away by even a worse fate. If she is condemned, I
+never shall know joy more. But she will not, I am sure she will not;
+and then I shall be happy again, even after the sad death of my little
+William.”
+
+“She is innocent, my Elizabeth,” said I, “and that shall
+be proved; fear nothing, but let your spirits be cheered by the assurance
+of her acquittal.”
+
+“How kind and generous you are! every one else believes in her guilt,
+and that made me wretched, for I knew that it was impossible: and to
+see every one else prejudiced in so deadly a manner rendered me
+hopeless and despairing.” She wept.
+
+“Dearest niece,” said my father, “dry your tears. If she
+is, as you believe, innocent, rely on the justice of our laws, and the
+activity with which I shall prevent the slightest shadow of
+partiality.”
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 8
+
+
+We passed a few sad hours until eleven o’clock, when the trial was to
+commence. My father and the rest of the family being obliged to attend
+as witnesses, I accompanied them to the court. During the whole of
+this wretched mockery of justice I suffered living torture. It was to
+be decided whether the result of my curiosity and lawless devices would
+cause the death of two of my fellow beings: one a smiling babe full of
+innocence and joy, the other far more dreadfully murdered, with every
+aggravation of infamy that could make the murder memorable in horror.
+Justine also was a girl of merit and possessed qualities which promised
+to render her life happy; now all was to be obliterated in an
+ignominious grave, and I the cause! A thousand times rather would I
+have confessed myself guilty of the crime ascribed to Justine, but I
+was absent when it was committed, and such a declaration would have
+been considered as the ravings of a madman and would not have
+exculpated her who suffered through me.
+
+The appearance of Justine was calm. She was dressed in mourning, and
+her countenance, always engaging, was rendered, by the solemnity of her
+feelings, exquisitely beautiful. Yet she appeared confident in
+innocence and did not tremble, although gazed on and execrated by
+thousands, for all the kindness which her beauty might otherwise have
+excited was obliterated in the minds of the spectators by the
+imagination of the enormity she was supposed to have committed. She
+was tranquil, yet her tranquillity was evidently constrained; and as
+her confusion had before been adduced as a proof of her guilt, she
+worked up her mind to an appearance of courage. When she entered the
+court she threw her eyes round it and quickly discovered where we were
+seated. A tear seemed to dim her eye when she saw us, but she quickly
+recovered herself, and a look of sorrowful affection seemed to attest
+her utter guiltlessness.
+
+The trial began, and after the advocate against her had stated the
+charge, several witnesses were called. Several strange facts combined
+against her, which might have staggered anyone who had not such proof
+of her innocence as I had. She had been out the whole of the night on
+which the murder had been committed and towards morning had been
+perceived by a market-woman not far from the spot where the body of the
+murdered child had been afterwards found. The woman asked her what she
+did there, but she looked very strangely and only returned a confused
+and unintelligible answer. She returned to the house about eight
+o’clock, and when one inquired where she had passed the night, she
+replied that she had been looking for the child and demanded earnestly
+if anything had been heard concerning him. When shown the body, she
+fell into violent hysterics and kept her bed for several days. The
+picture was then produced which the servant had found in her pocket;
+and when Elizabeth, in a faltering voice, proved that it was the same
+which, an hour before the child had been missed, she had placed round
+his neck, a murmur of horror and indignation filled the court.
+
+Justine was called on for her defence. As the trial had proceeded, her
+countenance had altered. Surprise, horror, and misery were strongly
+expressed. Sometimes she struggled with her tears, but when she was
+desired to plead, she collected her powers and spoke in an audible
+although variable voice.
+
+“God knows,” she said, “how entirely I am innocent. But I
+do not pretend that my protestations should acquit me; I rest my innocence
+on a plain and simple explanation of the facts which have been adduced
+against me, and I hope the character I have always borne will incline my
+judges to a favourable interpretation where any circumstance appears
+doubtful or suspicious.”
+
+She then related that, by the permission of Elizabeth, she had passed
+the evening of the night on which the murder had been committed at the
+house of an aunt at Chêne, a village situated at about a league from
+Geneva. On her return, at about nine o’clock, she met a man who asked
+her if she had seen anything of the child who was lost. She was
+alarmed by this account and passed several hours in looking for him,
+when the gates of Geneva were shut, and she was forced to remain
+several hours of the night in a barn belonging to a cottage, being
+unwilling to call up the inhabitants, to whom she was well known. Most
+of the night she spent here watching; towards morning she believed that
+she slept for a few minutes; some steps disturbed her, and she awoke.
+It was dawn, and she quitted her asylum, that she might again endeavour
+to find my brother. If she had gone near the spot where his body lay,
+it was without her knowledge. That she had been bewildered when
+questioned by the market-woman was not surprising, since she had passed
+a sleepless night and the fate of poor William was yet uncertain.
+Concerning the picture she could give no account.
+
+“I know,” continued the unhappy victim, “how heavily and
+fatally this one circumstance weighs against me, but I have no power of
+explaining it; and when I have expressed my utter ignorance, I am only left
+to conjecture concerning the probabilities by which it might have been
+placed in my pocket. But here also I am checked. I believe that I have no
+enemy on earth, and none surely would have been so wicked as to destroy me
+wantonly. Did the murderer place it there? I know of no opportunity
+afforded him for so doing; or, if I had, why should he have stolen the
+jewel, to part with it again so soon?
+
+“I commit my cause to the justice of my judges, yet I see no room for
+hope. I beg permission to have a few witnesses examined concerning my
+character, and if their testimony shall not overweigh my supposed
+guilt, I must be condemned, although I would pledge my salvation on my
+innocence.”
+
+Several witnesses were called who had known her for many years, and
+they spoke well of her; but fear and hatred of the crime of which they
+supposed her guilty rendered them timorous and unwilling to come
+forward. Elizabeth saw even this last resource, her excellent
+dispositions and irreproachable conduct, about to fail the accused,
+when, although violently agitated, she desired permission to address
+the court.
+
+“I am,” said she, “the cousin of the unhappy child who
+was murdered, or rather his sister, for I was educated by and have lived
+with his parents ever since and even long before his birth. It may
+therefore be judged indecent in me to come forward on this occasion, but
+when I see a fellow creature about to perish through the cowardice of her
+pretended friends, I wish to be allowed to speak, that I may say what I
+know of her character. I am well acquainted with the accused. I have lived
+in the same house with her, at one time for five and at another for nearly
+two years. During all that period she appeared to me the most amiable and
+benevolent of human creatures. She nursed Madame Frankenstein, my aunt, in
+her last illness, with the greatest affection and care and afterwards
+attended her own mother during a tedious illness, in a manner that excited
+the admiration of all who knew her, after which she again lived in my
+uncle’s house, where she was beloved by all the family. She was
+warmly attached to the child who is now dead and acted towards him like a
+most affectionate mother. For my own part, I do not hesitate to say that,
+notwithstanding all the evidence produced against her, I believe and rely
+on her perfect innocence. She had no temptation for such an action; as to
+the bauble on which the chief proof rests, if she had earnestly desired it,
+I should have willingly given it to her, so much do I esteem and value
+her.”
+
+A murmur of approbation followed Elizabeth’s simple and powerful
+appeal, but it was excited by her generous interference, and not in
+favour of poor Justine, on whom the public indignation was turned with
+renewed violence, charging her with the blackest ingratitude. She
+herself wept as Elizabeth spoke, but she did not answer. My own
+agitation and anguish was extreme during the whole trial. I believed
+in her innocence; I knew it. Could the dæmon who had (I did not for a
+minute doubt) murdered my brother also in his hellish sport have
+betrayed the innocent to death and ignominy? I could not sustain the
+horror of my situation, and when I perceived that the popular voice and
+the countenances of the judges had already condemned my unhappy victim,
+I rushed out of the court in agony. The tortures of the accused did
+not equal mine; she was sustained by innocence, but the fangs of
+remorse tore my bosom and would not forgo their hold.
+
+I passed a night of unmingled wretchedness. In the morning I went to
+the court; my lips and throat were parched. I dared not ask the fatal
+question, but I was known, and the officer guessed the cause of my
+visit. The ballots had been thrown; they were all black, and Justine
+was condemned.
+
+I cannot pretend to describe what I then felt. I had before
+experienced sensations of horror, and I have endeavoured to bestow upon
+them adequate expressions, but words cannot convey an idea of the
+heart-sickening despair that I then endured. The person to whom I
+addressed myself added that Justine had already confessed her guilt.
+“That evidence,” he observed, “was hardly required in so glaring a
+case, but I am glad of it, and, indeed, none of our judges like to
+condemn a criminal upon circumstantial evidence, be it ever so
+decisive.”
+
+This was strange and unexpected intelligence; what could it mean? Had
+my eyes deceived me? And was I really as mad as the whole world would
+believe me to be if I disclosed the object of my suspicions? I
+hastened to return home, and Elizabeth eagerly demanded the result.
+
+“My cousin,” replied I, “it is decided as you may have expected; all
+judges had rather that ten innocent should suffer than that one guilty
+should escape. But she has confessed.”
+
+This was a dire blow to poor Elizabeth, who had relied with firmness upon
+Justine’s innocence. “Alas!” said she. “How shall I
+ever again believe in human goodness? Justine, whom I loved and esteemed as
+my sister, how could she put on those smiles of innocence only to betray?
+Her mild eyes seemed incapable of any severity or guile, and yet she has
+committed a murder.”
+
+Soon after we heard that the poor victim had expressed a desire to see my
+cousin. My father wished her not to go but said that he left it to her own
+judgment and feelings to decide. “Yes,” said Elizabeth,
+“I will go, although she is guilty; and you, Victor, shall accompany
+me; I cannot go alone.” The idea of this visit was torture to me, yet
+I could not refuse.
+
+We entered the gloomy prison chamber and beheld Justine sitting on some
+straw at the farther end; her hands were manacled, and her head rested on
+her knees. She rose on seeing us enter, and when we were left alone with
+her, she threw herself at the feet of Elizabeth, weeping bitterly. My
+cousin wept also.
+
+“Oh, Justine!” said she. “Why did you rob me of my last consolation?
+I relied on your innocence, and although I was then very wretched, I
+was not so miserable as I am now.”
+
+“And do you also believe that I am so very, very wicked? Do you also
+join with my enemies to crush me, to condemn me as a murderer?” Her
+voice was suffocated with sobs.
+
+“Rise, my poor girl,” said Elizabeth; “why do you kneel,
+if you are innocent? I am not one of your enemies, I believed you
+guiltless, notwithstanding every evidence, until I heard that you had
+yourself declared your guilt. That report, you say, is false; and be
+assured, dear Justine, that nothing can shake my confidence in you for a
+moment, but your own confession.”
+
+“I did confess, but I confessed a lie. I confessed, that I might
+obtain absolution; but now that falsehood lies heavier at my heart than
+all my other sins. The God of heaven forgive me! Ever since I was
+condemned, my confessor has besieged me; he threatened and menaced,
+until I almost began to think that I was the monster that he said I
+was. He threatened excommunication and hell fire in my last moments if
+I continued obdurate. Dear lady, I had none to support me; all looked
+on me as a wretch doomed to ignominy and perdition. What could I do?
+In an evil hour I subscribed to a lie; and now only am I truly
+miserable.”
+
+She paused, weeping, and then continued, “I thought with horror, my
+sweet lady, that you should believe your Justine, whom your blessed
+aunt had so highly honoured, and whom you loved, was a creature capable
+of a crime which none but the devil himself could have perpetrated.
+Dear William! dearest blessed child! I soon shall see you again in
+heaven, where we shall all be happy; and that consoles me, going as I
+am to suffer ignominy and death.”
+
+“Oh, Justine! Forgive me for having for one moment distrusted you.
+Why did you confess? But do not mourn, dear girl. Do not fear. I
+will proclaim, I will prove your innocence. I will melt the stony
+hearts of your enemies by my tears and prayers. You shall not die!
+You, my playfellow, my companion, my sister, perish on the scaffold!
+No! No! I never could survive so horrible a misfortune.”
+
+Justine shook her head mournfully. “I do not fear to die,” she said;
+“that pang is past. God raises my weakness and gives me courage to
+endure the worst. I leave a sad and bitter world; and if you remember
+me and think of me as of one unjustly condemned, I am resigned to the
+fate awaiting me. Learn from me, dear lady, to submit in patience to
+the will of heaven!”
+
+During this conversation I had retired to a corner of the prison room,
+where I could conceal the horrid anguish that possessed me. Despair!
+Who dared talk of that? The poor victim, who on the morrow was to pass
+the awful boundary between life and death, felt not, as I did, such
+deep and bitter agony. I gnashed my teeth and ground them together,
+uttering a groan that came from my inmost soul. Justine started. When
+she saw who it was, she approached me and said, “Dear sir, you are very
+kind to visit me; you, I hope, do not believe that I am guilty?”
+
+I could not answer. “No, Justine,” said Elizabeth; “he is more
+convinced of your innocence than I was, for even when he heard that you
+had confessed, he did not credit it.”
+
+“I truly thank him. In these last moments I feel the sincerest
+gratitude towards those who think of me with kindness. How sweet is
+the affection of others to such a wretch as I am! It removes more than
+half my misfortune, and I feel as if I could die in peace now that my
+innocence is acknowledged by you, dear lady, and your cousin.”
+
+Thus the poor sufferer tried to comfort others and herself. She indeed
+gained the resignation she desired. But I, the true murderer, felt the
+never-dying worm alive in my bosom, which allowed of no hope or
+consolation. Elizabeth also wept and was unhappy, but hers also was
+the misery of innocence, which, like a cloud that passes over the fair
+moon, for a while hides but cannot tarnish its brightness. Anguish and
+despair had penetrated into the core of my heart; I bore a hell within
+me which nothing could extinguish. We stayed several hours with
+Justine, and it was with great difficulty that Elizabeth could tear
+herself away. “I wish,” cried she, “that I were to die with you; I
+cannot live in this world of misery.”
+
+Justine assumed an air of cheerfulness, while she with difficulty
+repressed her bitter tears. She embraced Elizabeth and said in a voice
+of half-suppressed emotion, “Farewell, sweet lady, dearest Elizabeth,
+my beloved and only friend; may heaven, in its bounty, bless and
+preserve you; may this be the last misfortune that you will ever
+suffer! Live, and be happy, and make others so.”
+
+And on the morrow Justine died. Elizabeth’s heart-rending eloquence
+failed to move the judges from their settled conviction in the
+criminality of the saintly sufferer. My passionate and indignant
+appeals were lost upon them. And when I received their cold answers
+and heard the harsh, unfeeling reasoning of these men, my purposed
+avowal died away on my lips. Thus I might proclaim myself a madman,
+but not revoke the sentence passed upon my wretched victim. She
+perished on the scaffold as a murderess!
+
+From the tortures of my own heart, I turned to contemplate the deep and
+voiceless grief of my Elizabeth. This also was my doing! And my
+father’s woe, and the desolation of that late so smiling home all was
+the work of my thrice-accursed hands! Ye weep, unhappy ones, but these
+are not your last tears! Again shall you raise the funeral wail, and
+the sound of your lamentations shall again and again be heard!
+Frankenstein, your son, your kinsman, your early, much-loved friend; he
+who would spend each vital drop of blood for your sakes, who has no
+thought nor sense of joy except as it is mirrored also in your dear
+countenances, who would fill the air with blessings and spend his life
+in serving you—he bids you weep, to shed countless tears; happy beyond
+his hopes, if thus inexorable fate be satisfied, and if the destruction
+pause before the peace of the grave have succeeded to your sad torments!
+
+Thus spoke my prophetic soul, as, torn by remorse, horror, and despair,
+I beheld those I loved spend vain sorrow upon the graves of William and
+Justine, the first hapless victims to my unhallowed arts.
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 9
+
+
+Nothing is more painful to the human mind than, after the feelings have
+been worked up by a quick succession of events, the dead calmness of
+inaction and certainty which follows and deprives the soul both of hope
+and fear. Justine died, she rested, and I was alive. The blood flowed
+freely in my veins, but a weight of despair and remorse pressed on my
+heart which nothing could remove. Sleep fled from my eyes; I wandered
+like an evil spirit, for I had committed deeds of mischief beyond
+description horrible, and more, much more (I persuaded myself) was yet
+behind. Yet my heart overflowed with kindness and the love of virtue.
+I had begun life with benevolent intentions and thirsted for the moment
+when I should put them in practice and make myself useful to my fellow
+beings. Now all was blasted; instead of that serenity of conscience
+which allowed me to look back upon the past with self-satisfaction, and
+from thence to gather promise of new hopes, I was seized by remorse and
+the sense of guilt, which hurried me away to a hell of intense tortures
+such as no language can describe.
+
+This state of mind preyed upon my health, which had perhaps never
+entirely recovered from the first shock it had sustained. I shunned
+the face of man; all sound of joy or complacency was torture to me;
+solitude was my only consolation—deep, dark, deathlike solitude.
+
+My father observed with pain the alteration perceptible in my disposition
+and habits and endeavoured by arguments deduced from the feelings of his
+serene conscience and guiltless life to inspire me with fortitude and
+awaken in me the courage to dispel the dark cloud which brooded over me.
+“Do you think, Victor,” said he, “that I do not suffer
+also? No one could love a child more than I loved your
+brother”—tears came into his eyes as he spoke—“but
+is it not a duty to the survivors that we should refrain from augmenting
+their unhappiness by an appearance of immoderate grief? It is also a duty
+owed to yourself, for excessive sorrow prevents improvement or enjoyment,
+or even the discharge of daily usefulness, without which no man is fit for
+society.”
+
+This advice, although good, was totally inapplicable to my case; I
+should have been the first to hide my grief and console my friends if
+remorse had not mingled its bitterness, and terror its alarm, with my
+other sensations. Now I could only answer my father with a look of
+despair and endeavour to hide myself from his view.
+
+About this time we retired to our house at Belrive. This change was
+particularly agreeable to me. The shutting of the gates regularly at
+ten o’clock and the impossibility of remaining on the lake after that
+hour had rendered our residence within the walls of Geneva very irksome
+to me. I was now free. Often, after the rest of the family had
+retired for the night, I took the boat and passed many hours upon the
+water. Sometimes, with my sails set, I was carried by the wind; and
+sometimes, after rowing into the middle of the lake, I left the boat to
+pursue its own course and gave way to my own miserable reflections. I
+was often tempted, when all was at peace around me, and I the only
+unquiet thing that wandered restless in a scene so beautiful and
+heavenly—if I except some bat, or the frogs, whose harsh and
+interrupted croaking was heard only when I approached the shore—often,
+I say, I was tempted to plunge into the silent lake, that the waters
+might close over me and my calamities for ever. But I was restrained,
+when I thought of the heroic and suffering Elizabeth, whom I tenderly
+loved, and whose existence was bound up in mine. I thought also of my
+father and surviving brother; should I by my base desertion leave them
+exposed and unprotected to the malice of the fiend whom I had let loose
+among them?
+
+At these moments I wept bitterly and wished that peace would revisit my
+mind only that I might afford them consolation and happiness. But that
+could not be. Remorse extinguished every hope. I had been the author of
+unalterable evils, and I lived in daily fear lest the monster whom I had
+created should perpetrate some new wickedness. I had an obscure feeling
+that all was not over and that he would still commit some signal crime,
+which by its enormity should almost efface the recollection of the past.
+There was always scope for fear so long as anything I loved remained
+behind. My abhorrence of this fiend cannot be conceived. When I thought of
+him I gnashed my teeth, my eyes became inflamed, and I ardently wished to
+extinguish that life which I had so thoughtlessly bestowed. When I
+reflected on his crimes and malice, my hatred and revenge burst all bounds
+of moderation. I would have made a pilgrimage to the highest peak of the
+Andes, could I, when there, have precipitated him to their base. I wished
+to see him again, that I might wreak the utmost extent of abhorrence on his
+head and avenge the deaths of William and Justine.
+
+Our house was the house of mourning. My father’s health was deeply
+shaken by the horror of the recent events. Elizabeth was sad and
+desponding; she no longer took delight in her ordinary occupations; all
+pleasure seemed to her sacrilege toward the dead; eternal woe and tears she
+then thought was the just tribute she should pay to innocence so blasted
+and destroyed. She was no longer that happy creature who in earlier youth
+wandered with me on the banks of the lake and talked with ecstasy of our
+future prospects. The first of those sorrows which are sent to wean us from
+the earth had visited her, and its dimming influence quenched her dearest
+smiles.
+
+“When I reflect, my dear cousin,” said she, “on the miserable death of
+Justine Moritz, I no longer see the world and its works as they before
+appeared to me. Before, I looked upon the accounts of vice and
+injustice that I read in books or heard from others as tales of ancient
+days or imaginary evils; at least they were remote and more familiar to
+reason than to the imagination; but now misery has come home, and men
+appear to me as monsters thirsting for each other’s blood. Yet I am
+certainly unjust. Everybody believed that poor girl to be guilty; and
+if she could have committed the crime for which she suffered, assuredly
+she would have been the most depraved of human creatures. For the sake
+of a few jewels, to have murdered the son of her benefactor and friend,
+a child whom she had nursed from its birth, and appeared to love as if
+it had been her own! I could not consent to the death of any human
+being, but certainly I should have thought such a creature unfit to
+remain in the society of men. But she was innocent. I know, I feel
+she was innocent; you are of the same opinion, and that confirms me.
+Alas! Victor, when falsehood can look so like the truth, who can
+assure themselves of certain happiness? I feel as if I were walking on
+the edge of a precipice, towards which thousands are crowding and
+endeavouring to plunge me into the abyss. William and Justine were
+assassinated, and the murderer escapes; he walks about the world free,
+and perhaps respected. But even if I were condemned to suffer on the
+scaffold for the same crimes, I would not change places with such a
+wretch.”
+
+I listened to this discourse with the extremest agony. I, not in deed,
+but in effect, was the true murderer. Elizabeth read my anguish in my
+countenance, and kindly taking my hand, said, “My dearest friend, you
+must calm yourself. These events have affected me, God knows how
+deeply; but I am not so wretched as you are. There is an expression of
+despair, and sometimes of revenge, in your countenance that makes me
+tremble. Dear Victor, banish these dark passions. Remember the
+friends around you, who centre all their hopes in you. Have we lost
+the power of rendering you happy? Ah! While we love, while we are
+true to each other, here in this land of peace and beauty, your native
+country, we may reap every tranquil blessing—what can disturb our
+peace?”
+
+And could not such words from her whom I fondly prized before every
+other gift of fortune suffice to chase away the fiend that lurked in my
+heart? Even as she spoke I drew near to her, as if in terror, lest at
+that very moment the destroyer had been near to rob me of her.
+
+Thus not the tenderness of friendship, nor the beauty of earth, nor of
+heaven, could redeem my soul from woe; the very accents of love were
+ineffectual. I was encompassed by a cloud which no beneficial
+influence could penetrate. The wounded deer dragging its fainting
+limbs to some untrodden brake, there to gaze upon the arrow which had
+pierced it, and to die, was but a type of me.
+
+Sometimes I could cope with the sullen despair that overwhelmed me, but
+sometimes the whirlwind passions of my soul drove me to seek, by bodily
+exercise and by change of place, some relief from my intolerable
+sensations. It was during an access of this kind that I suddenly left
+my home, and bending my steps towards the near Alpine valleys, sought
+in the magnificence, the eternity of such scenes, to forget myself and
+my ephemeral, because human, sorrows. My wanderings were directed
+towards the valley of Chamounix. I had visited it frequently during my
+boyhood. Six years had passed since then: _I_ was a wreck, but nought
+had changed in those savage and enduring scenes.
+
+I performed the first part of my journey on horseback. I afterwards
+hired a mule, as the more sure-footed and least liable to receive
+injury on these rugged roads. The weather was fine; it was about the
+middle of the month of August, nearly two months after the death of
+Justine, that miserable epoch from which I dated all my woe. The
+weight upon my spirit was sensibly lightened as I plunged yet deeper in
+the ravine of Arve. The immense mountains and precipices that overhung
+me on every side, the sound of the river raging among the rocks, and
+the dashing of the waterfalls around spoke of a power mighty as
+Omnipotence—and I ceased to fear or to bend before any being less
+almighty than that which had created and ruled the elements, here
+displayed in their most terrific guise. Still, as I ascended higher,
+the valley assumed a more magnificent and astonishing character.
+Ruined castles hanging on the precipices of piny mountains, the
+impetuous Arve, and cottages every here and there peeping forth from
+among the trees formed a scene of singular beauty. But it was
+augmented and rendered sublime by the mighty Alps, whose white and
+shining pyramids and domes towered above all, as belonging to another
+earth, the habitations of another race of beings.
+
+I passed the bridge of Pélissier, where the ravine, which the river
+forms, opened before me, and I began to ascend the mountain that
+overhangs it. Soon after, I entered the valley of Chamounix. This
+valley is more wonderful and sublime, but not so beautiful and
+picturesque as that of Servox, through which I had just passed. The
+high and snowy mountains were its immediate boundaries, but I saw no
+more ruined castles and fertile fields. Immense glaciers approached
+the road; I heard the rumbling thunder of the falling avalanche and
+marked the smoke of its passage. Mont Blanc, the supreme and
+magnificent Mont Blanc, raised itself from the surrounding _aiguilles_,
+and its tremendous _dôme_ overlooked the valley.
+
+A tingling long-lost sense of pleasure often came across me during this
+journey. Some turn in the road, some new object suddenly perceived and
+recognised, reminded me of days gone by, and were associated with the
+lighthearted gaiety of boyhood. The very winds whispered in soothing
+accents, and maternal Nature bade me weep no more. Then again the
+kindly influence ceased to act—I found myself fettered again to grief
+and indulging in all the misery of reflection. Then I spurred on my
+animal, striving so to forget the world, my fears, and more than all,
+myself—or, in a more desperate fashion, I alighted and threw myself on
+the grass, weighed down by horror and despair.
+
+At length I arrived at the village of Chamounix. Exhaustion succeeded
+to the extreme fatigue both of body and of mind which I had endured.
+For a short space of time I remained at the window watching the pallid
+lightnings that played above Mont Blanc and listening to the rushing of
+the Arve, which pursued its noisy way beneath. The same lulling sounds
+acted as a lullaby to my too keen sensations; when I placed my head
+upon my pillow, sleep crept over me; I felt it as it came and blessed
+the giver of oblivion.
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 10
+
+
+I spent the following day roaming through the valley. I stood beside
+the sources of the Arveiron, which take their rise in a glacier, that
+with slow pace is advancing down from the summit of the hills to
+barricade the valley. The abrupt sides of vast mountains were before
+me; the icy wall of the glacier overhung me; a few shattered pines were
+scattered around; and the solemn silence of this glorious
+presence-chamber of imperial Nature was broken only by the brawling
+waves or the fall of some vast fragment, the thunder sound of the
+avalanche or the cracking, reverberated along the mountains, of the
+accumulated ice, which, through the silent working of immutable laws,
+was ever and anon rent and torn, as if it had been but a plaything in
+their hands. These sublime and magnificent scenes afforded me the
+greatest consolation that I was capable of receiving. They elevated me
+from all littleness of feeling, and although they did not remove my
+grief, they subdued and tranquillised it. In some degree, also, they
+diverted my mind from the thoughts over which it had brooded for the
+last month. I retired to rest at night; my slumbers, as it were,
+waited on and ministered to by the assemblance of grand shapes which I
+had contemplated during the day. They congregated round me; the
+unstained snowy mountain-top, the glittering pinnacle, the pine woods,
+and ragged bare ravine, the eagle, soaring amidst the clouds—they all
+gathered round me and bade me be at peace.
+
+Where had they fled when the next morning I awoke? All of
+soul-inspiriting fled with sleep, and dark melancholy clouded every
+thought. The rain was pouring in torrents, and thick mists hid the
+summits of the mountains, so that I even saw not the faces of those
+mighty friends. Still I would penetrate their misty veil and seek them
+in their cloudy retreats. What were rain and storm to me? My mule was
+brought to the door, and I resolved to ascend to the summit of
+Montanvert. I remembered the effect that the view of the tremendous
+and ever-moving glacier had produced upon my mind when I first saw it.
+It had then filled me with a sublime ecstasy that gave wings to the
+soul and allowed it to soar from the obscure world to light and joy.
+The sight of the awful and majestic in nature had indeed always the
+effect of solemnising my mind and causing me to forget the passing
+cares of life. I determined to go without a guide, for I was well
+acquainted with the path, and the presence of another would destroy the
+solitary grandeur of the scene.
+
+The ascent is precipitous, but the path is cut into continual and short
+windings, which enable you to surmount the perpendicularity of the
+mountain. It is a scene terrifically desolate. In a thousand spots
+the traces of the winter avalanche may be perceived, where trees lie
+broken and strewed on the ground, some entirely destroyed, others bent,
+leaning upon the jutting rocks of the mountain or transversely upon
+other trees. The path, as you ascend higher, is intersected by ravines
+of snow, down which stones continually roll from above; one of them is
+particularly dangerous, as the slightest sound, such as even speaking
+in a loud voice, produces a concussion of air sufficient to draw
+destruction upon the head of the speaker. The pines are not tall or
+luxuriant, but they are sombre and add an air of severity to the scene.
+I looked on the valley beneath; vast mists were rising from the rivers
+which ran through it and curling in thick wreaths around the opposite
+mountains, whose summits were hid in the uniform clouds, while rain
+poured from the dark sky and added to the melancholy impression I
+received from the objects around me. Alas! Why does man boast of
+sensibilities superior to those apparent in the brute; it only renders
+them more necessary beings. If our impulses were confined to hunger,
+thirst, and desire, we might be nearly free; but now we are moved by
+every wind that blows and a chance word or scene that that word may
+convey to us.
+
+  We rest; a dream has power to poison sleep.
+     We rise; one wand’ring thought pollutes the day.
+  We feel, conceive, or reason; laugh or weep,
+     Embrace fond woe, or cast our cares away;
+  It is the same: for, be it joy or sorrow,
+     The path of its departure still is free.
+  Man’s yesterday may ne’er be like his morrow;
+     Nought may endure but mutability!
+
+
+It was nearly noon when I arrived at the top of the ascent. For some
+time I sat upon the rock that overlooks the sea of ice. A mist covered
+both that and the surrounding mountains. Presently a breeze dissipated
+the cloud, and I descended upon the glacier. The surface is very
+uneven, rising like the waves of a troubled sea, descending low, and
+interspersed by rifts that sink deep. The field of ice is almost a
+league in width, but I spent nearly two hours in crossing it. The
+opposite mountain is a bare perpendicular rock. From the side where I
+now stood Montanvert was exactly opposite, at the distance of a league;
+and above it rose Mont Blanc, in awful majesty. I remained in a recess
+of the rock, gazing on this wonderful and stupendous scene. The sea,
+or rather the vast river of ice, wound among its dependent mountains,
+whose aerial summits hung over its recesses. Their icy and glittering
+peaks shone in the sunlight over the clouds. My heart, which was
+before sorrowful, now swelled with something like joy; I exclaimed,
+“Wandering spirits, if indeed ye wander, and do not rest in your narrow
+beds, allow me this faint happiness, or take me, as your companion,
+away from the joys of life.”
+
+As I said this I suddenly beheld the figure of a man, at some distance,
+advancing towards me with superhuman speed. He bounded over the
+crevices in the ice, among which I had walked with caution; his
+stature, also, as he approached, seemed to exceed that of man. I was
+troubled; a mist came over my eyes, and I felt a faintness seize me,
+but I was quickly restored by the cold gale of the mountains. I
+perceived, as the shape came nearer (sight tremendous and abhorred!)
+that it was the wretch whom I had created. I trembled with rage and
+horror, resolving to wait his approach and then close with him in
+mortal combat. He approached; his countenance bespoke bitter anguish,
+combined with disdain and malignity, while its unearthly ugliness
+rendered it almost too horrible for human eyes. But I scarcely
+observed this; rage and hatred had at first deprived me of utterance,
+and I recovered only to overwhelm him with words expressive of furious
+detestation and contempt.
+
+“Devil,” I exclaimed, “do you dare approach me? And do
+not you fear the fierce vengeance of my arm wreaked on your miserable head?
+Begone, vile insect! Or rather, stay, that I may trample you to dust! And,
+oh! That I could, with the extinction of your miserable existence, restore
+those victims whom you have so diabolically murdered!”
+
+“I expected this reception,” said the dæmon. “All men hate the
+wretched; how, then, must I be hated, who am miserable beyond all
+living things! Yet you, my creator, detest and spurn me, thy creature,
+to whom thou art bound by ties only dissoluble by the annihilation of
+one of us. You purpose to kill me. How dare you sport thus with life?
+Do your duty towards me, and I will do mine towards you and the rest of
+mankind. If you will comply with my conditions, I will leave them and
+you at peace; but if you refuse, I will glut the maw of death, until it
+be satiated with the blood of your remaining friends.”
+
+“Abhorred monster! Fiend that thou art! The tortures of hell are too
+mild a vengeance for thy crimes. Wretched devil! You reproach me with
+your creation, come on, then, that I may extinguish the spark which I
+so negligently bestowed.”
+
+My rage was without bounds; I sprang on him, impelled by all the
+feelings which can arm one being against the existence of another.
+
+He easily eluded me and said,
+
+“Be calm! I entreat you to hear me before you give vent to your hatred
+on my devoted head. Have I not suffered enough, that you seek to
+increase my misery? Life, although it may only be an accumulation of
+anguish, is dear to me, and I will defend it. Remember, thou hast made
+me more powerful than thyself; my height is superior to thine, my
+joints more supple. But I will not be tempted to set myself in
+opposition to thee. I am thy creature, and I will be even mild and
+docile to my natural lord and king if thou wilt also perform thy part,
+the which thou owest me. Oh, Frankenstein, be not equitable to every
+other and trample upon me alone, to whom thy justice, and even thy
+clemency and affection, is most due. Remember that I am thy creature;
+I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou
+drivest from joy for no misdeed. Everywhere I see bliss, from which I
+alone am irrevocably excluded. I was benevolent and good; misery made
+me a fiend. Make me happy, and I shall again be virtuous.”
+
+“Begone! I will not hear you. There can be no community between you
+and me; we are enemies. Begone, or let us try our strength in a fight,
+in which one must fall.”
+
+“How can I move thee? Will no entreaties cause thee to turn a
+favourable eye upon thy creature, who implores thy goodness and
+compassion? Believe me, Frankenstein, I was benevolent; my soul glowed
+with love and humanity; but am I not alone, miserably alone? You, my
+creator, abhor me; what hope can I gather from your fellow creatures,
+who owe me nothing? They spurn and hate me. The desert mountains and
+dreary glaciers are my refuge. I have wandered here many days; the
+caves of ice, which I only do not fear, are a dwelling to me, and the
+only one which man does not grudge. These bleak skies I hail, for they
+are kinder to me than your fellow beings. If the multitude of mankind
+knew of my existence, they would do as you do, and arm themselves for
+my destruction. Shall I not then hate them who abhor me? I will keep
+no terms with my enemies. I am miserable, and they shall share my
+wretchedness. Yet it is in your power to recompense me, and deliver
+them from an evil which it only remains for you to make so great, that
+not only you and your family, but thousands of others, shall be
+swallowed up in the whirlwinds of its rage. Let your compassion be
+moved, and do not disdain me. Listen to my tale; when you have heard
+that, abandon or commiserate me, as you shall judge that I deserve.
+But hear me. The guilty are allowed, by human laws, bloody as they
+are, to speak in their own defence before they are condemned. Listen
+to me, Frankenstein. You accuse me of murder, and yet you would, with
+a satisfied conscience, destroy your own creature. Oh, praise the
+eternal justice of man! Yet I ask you not to spare me; listen to me,
+and then, if you can, and if you will, destroy the work of your hands.”
+
+“Why do you call to my remembrance,” I rejoined, “circumstances of
+which I shudder to reflect, that I have been the miserable origin and
+author? Cursed be the day, abhorred devil, in which you first saw
+light! Cursed (although I curse myself) be the hands that formed you!
+You have made me wretched beyond expression. You have left me no power
+to consider whether I am just to you or not. Begone! Relieve me from
+the sight of your detested form.”
+
+“Thus I relieve thee, my creator,” he said, and placed his hated hands
+before my eyes, which I flung from me with violence; “thus I take from
+thee a sight which you abhor. Still thou canst listen to me and grant
+me thy compassion. By the virtues that I once possessed, I demand this
+from you. Hear my tale; it is long and strange, and the temperature of
+this place is not fitting to your fine sensations; come to the hut upon
+the mountain. The sun is yet high in the heavens; before it descends
+to hide itself behind your snowy precipices and illuminate another
+world, you will have heard my story and can decide. On you it rests,
+whether I quit for ever the neighbourhood of man and lead a harmless
+life, or become the scourge of your fellow creatures and the author of
+your own speedy ruin.”
+
+As he said this he led the way across the ice; I followed. My heart
+was full, and I did not answer him, but as I proceeded, I weighed the
+various arguments that he had used and determined at least to listen to
+his tale. I was partly urged by curiosity, and compassion confirmed my
+resolution. I had hitherto supposed him to be the murderer of my
+brother, and I eagerly sought a confirmation or denial of this opinion.
+For the first time, also, I felt what the duties of a creator towards
+his creature were, and that I ought to render him happy before I
+complained of his wickedness. These motives urged me to comply with
+his demand. We crossed the ice, therefore, and ascended the opposite
+rock. The air was cold, and the rain again began to descend; we
+entered the hut, the fiend with an air of exultation, I with a heavy
+heart and depressed spirits. But I consented to listen, and seating
+myself by the fire which my odious companion had lighted, he thus began
+his tale.
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 11
+
+
+“It is with considerable difficulty that I remember the original era of
+my being; all the events of that period appear confused and indistinct.
+A strange multiplicity of sensations seized me, and I saw, felt, heard,
+and smelt at the same time; and it was, indeed, a long time before I
+learned to distinguish between the operations of my various senses. By
+degrees, I remember, a stronger light pressed upon my nerves, so that I
+was obliged to shut my eyes. Darkness then came over me and troubled
+me, but hardly had I felt this when, by opening my eyes, as I now
+suppose, the light poured in upon me again. I walked and, I believe,
+descended, but I presently found a great alteration in my sensations.
+Before, dark and opaque bodies had surrounded me, impervious to my
+touch or sight; but I now found that I could wander on at liberty, with
+no obstacles which I could not either surmount or avoid. The light
+became more and more oppressive to me, and the heat wearying me as I
+walked, I sought a place where I could receive shade. This was the
+forest near Ingolstadt; and here I lay by the side of a brook resting
+from my fatigue, until I felt tormented by hunger and thirst. This
+roused me from my nearly dormant state, and I ate some berries which I
+found hanging on the trees or lying on the ground. I slaked my thirst
+at the brook, and then lying down, was overcome by sleep.
+
+“It was dark when I awoke; I felt cold also, and half frightened, as it
+were, instinctively, finding myself so desolate. Before I had quitted
+your apartment, on a sensation of cold, I had covered myself with some
+clothes, but these were insufficient to secure me from the dews of
+night. I was a poor, helpless, miserable wretch; I knew, and could
+distinguish, nothing; but feeling pain invade me on all sides, I sat
+down and wept.
+
+“Soon a gentle light stole over the heavens and gave me a sensation of
+pleasure. I started up and beheld a radiant form rise from among the
+trees. [The moon] I gazed with a kind of wonder. It moved slowly,
+but it enlightened my path, and I again went out in search of berries.
+I was still cold when under one of the trees I found a huge cloak, with
+which I covered myself, and sat down upon the ground. No distinct
+ideas occupied my mind; all was confused. I felt light, and hunger,
+and thirst, and darkness; innumerable sounds rang in my ears, and on
+all sides various scents saluted me; the only object that I could
+distinguish was the bright moon, and I fixed my eyes on that with
+pleasure.
+
+“Several changes of day and night passed, and the orb of night had
+greatly lessened, when I began to distinguish my sensations from each
+other. I gradually saw plainly the clear stream that supplied me with
+drink and the trees that shaded me with their foliage. I was delighted
+when I first discovered that a pleasant sound, which often saluted my
+ears, proceeded from the throats of the little winged animals who had
+often intercepted the light from my eyes. I began also to observe,
+with greater accuracy, the forms that surrounded me and to perceive the
+boundaries of the radiant roof of light which canopied me. Sometimes I
+tried to imitate the pleasant songs of the birds but was unable.
+Sometimes I wished to express my sensations in my own mode, but the
+uncouth and inarticulate sounds which broke from me frightened me into
+silence again.
+
+“The moon had disappeared from the night, and again, with a lessened
+form, showed itself, while I still remained in the forest. My
+sensations had by this time become distinct, and my mind received every
+day additional ideas. My eyes became accustomed to the light and to
+perceive objects in their right forms; I distinguished the insect from
+the herb, and by degrees, one herb from another. I found that the
+sparrow uttered none but harsh notes, whilst those of the blackbird and
+thrush were sweet and enticing.
+
+“One day, when I was oppressed by cold, I found a fire which had been
+left by some wandering beggars, and was overcome with delight at the
+warmth I experienced from it. In my joy I thrust my hand into the live
+embers, but quickly drew it out again with a cry of pain. How strange,
+I thought, that the same cause should produce such opposite effects! I
+examined the materials of the fire, and to my joy found it to be
+composed of wood. I quickly collected some branches, but they were wet
+and would not burn. I was pained at this and sat still watching the
+operation of the fire. The wet wood which I had placed near the heat
+dried and itself became inflamed. I reflected on this, and by touching
+the various branches, I discovered the cause and busied myself in
+collecting a great quantity of wood, that I might dry it and have a
+plentiful supply of fire. When night came on and brought sleep with
+it, I was in the greatest fear lest my fire should be extinguished. I
+covered it carefully with dry wood and leaves and placed wet branches
+upon it; and then, spreading my cloak, I lay on the ground and sank
+into sleep.
+
+“It was morning when I awoke, and my first care was to visit the fire.
+I uncovered it, and a gentle breeze quickly fanned it into a flame. I
+observed this also and contrived a fan of branches, which roused the
+embers when they were nearly extinguished. When night came again I
+found, with pleasure, that the fire gave light as well as heat and that
+the discovery of this element was useful to me in my food, for I found
+some of the offals that the travellers had left had been roasted, and
+tasted much more savoury than the berries I gathered from the trees. I
+tried, therefore, to dress my food in the same manner, placing it on
+the live embers. I found that the berries were spoiled by this
+operation, and the nuts and roots much improved.
+
+“Food, however, became scarce, and I often spent the whole day
+searching in vain for a few acorns to assuage the pangs of hunger. When
+I found this, I resolved to quit the place that I had hitherto
+inhabited, to seek for one where the few wants I experienced would be
+more easily satisfied. In this emigration I exceedingly lamented the
+loss of the fire which I had obtained through accident and knew not how
+to reproduce it. I gave several hours to the serious consideration of
+this difficulty, but I was obliged to relinquish all attempt to supply
+it, and wrapping myself up in my cloak, I struck across the wood
+towards the setting sun. I passed three days in these rambles and at
+length discovered the open country. A great fall of snow had taken
+place the night before, and the fields were of one uniform white; the
+appearance was disconsolate, and I found my feet chilled by the cold
+damp substance that covered the ground.
+
+“It was about seven in the morning, and I longed to obtain food and
+shelter; at length I perceived a small hut, on a rising ground, which
+had doubtless been built for the convenience of some shepherd. This
+was a new sight to me, and I examined the structure with great
+curiosity. Finding the door open, I entered. An old man sat in it,
+near a fire, over which he was preparing his breakfast. He turned on
+hearing a noise, and perceiving me, shrieked loudly, and quitting the
+hut, ran across the fields with a speed of which his debilitated form
+hardly appeared capable. His appearance, different from any I had ever
+before seen, and his flight somewhat surprised me. But I was enchanted
+by the appearance of the hut; here the snow and rain could not
+penetrate; the ground was dry; and it presented to me then as exquisite
+and divine a retreat as Pandæmonium appeared to the dæmons of hell
+after their sufferings in the lake of fire. I greedily devoured the
+remnants of the shepherd’s breakfast, which consisted of bread, cheese,
+milk, and wine; the latter, however, I did not like. Then, overcome by
+fatigue, I lay down among some straw and fell asleep.
+
+“It was noon when I awoke, and allured by the warmth of the sun, which
+shone brightly on the white ground, I determined to recommence my
+travels; and, depositing the remains of the peasant’s breakfast in a
+wallet I found, I proceeded across the fields for several hours, until
+at sunset I arrived at a village. How miraculous did this appear! The
+huts, the neater cottages, and stately houses engaged my admiration by
+turns. The vegetables in the gardens, the milk and cheese that I saw
+placed at the windows of some of the cottages, allured my appetite. One
+of the best of these I entered, but I had hardly placed my foot within
+the door before the children shrieked, and one of the women fainted.
+The whole village was roused; some fled, some attacked me, until,
+grievously bruised by stones and many other kinds of missile weapons, I
+escaped to the open country and fearfully took refuge in a low hovel,
+quite bare, and making a wretched appearance after the palaces I had
+beheld in the village. This hovel however, joined a cottage of a neat
+and pleasant appearance, but after my late dearly bought experience, I
+dared not enter it. My place of refuge was constructed of wood, but so
+low that I could with difficulty sit upright in it. No wood, however,
+was placed on the earth, which formed the floor, but it was dry; and
+although the wind entered it by innumerable chinks, I found it an
+agreeable asylum from the snow and rain.
+
+“Here, then, I retreated and lay down happy to have found a shelter,
+however miserable, from the inclemency of the season, and still more
+from the barbarity of man. As soon as morning dawned I crept from my
+kennel, that I might view the adjacent cottage and discover if I could
+remain in the habitation I had found. It was situated against the back
+of the cottage and surrounded on the sides which were exposed by a pig
+sty and a clear pool of water. One part was open, and by that I had
+crept in; but now I covered every crevice by which I might be perceived
+with stones and wood, yet in such a manner that I might move them on
+occasion to pass out; all the light I enjoyed came through the sty, and
+that was sufficient for me.
+
+“Having thus arranged my dwelling and carpeted it with clean straw, I
+retired, for I saw the figure of a man at a distance, and I remembered
+too well my treatment the night before to trust myself in his power. I
+had first, however, provided for my sustenance for that day by a loaf
+of coarse bread, which I purloined, and a cup with which I could drink
+more conveniently than from my hand of the pure water which flowed by
+my retreat. The floor was a little raised, so that it was kept
+perfectly dry, and by its vicinity to the chimney of the cottage it was
+tolerably warm.
+
+“Being thus provided, I resolved to reside in this hovel until
+something should occur which might alter my determination. It was
+indeed a paradise compared to the bleak forest, my former residence,
+the rain-dropping branches, and dank earth. I ate my breakfast with
+pleasure and was about to remove a plank to procure myself a little
+water when I heard a step, and looking through a small chink, I beheld
+a young creature, with a pail on her head, passing before my hovel. The
+girl was young and of gentle demeanour, unlike what I have since found
+cottagers and farmhouse servants to be. Yet she was meanly dressed, a
+coarse blue petticoat and a linen jacket being her only garb; her fair
+hair was plaited but not adorned: she looked patient yet sad. I lost
+sight of her, and in about a quarter of an hour she returned bearing
+the pail, which was now partly filled with milk. As she walked along,
+seemingly incommoded by the burden, a young man met her, whose
+countenance expressed a deeper despondence. Uttering a few sounds with
+an air of melancholy, he took the pail from her head and bore it to the
+cottage himself. She followed, and they disappeared. Presently I saw
+the young man again, with some tools in his hand, cross the field
+behind the cottage; and the girl was also busied, sometimes in the
+house and sometimes in the yard.
+
+“On examining my dwelling, I found that one of the windows of the
+cottage had formerly occupied a part of it, but the panes had been
+filled up with wood. In one of these was a small and almost
+imperceptible chink through which the eye could just penetrate.
+Through this crevice a small room was visible, whitewashed and clean
+but very bare of furniture. In one corner, near a small fire, sat an
+old man, leaning his head on his hands in a disconsolate attitude. The
+young girl was occupied in arranging the cottage; but presently she
+took something out of a drawer, which employed her hands, and she sat
+down beside the old man, who, taking up an instrument, began to play
+and to produce sounds sweeter than the voice of the thrush or the
+nightingale. It was a lovely sight, even to me, poor wretch who had
+never beheld aught beautiful before. The silver hair and benevolent
+countenance of the aged cottager won my reverence, while the gentle
+manners of the girl enticed my love. He played a sweet mournful air
+which I perceived drew tears from the eyes of his amiable companion, of
+which the old man took no notice, until she sobbed audibly; he then
+pronounced a few sounds, and the fair creature, leaving her work, knelt
+at his feet. He raised her and smiled with such kindness and affection
+that I felt sensations of a peculiar and overpowering nature; they were
+a mixture of pain and pleasure, such as I had never before experienced,
+either from hunger or cold, warmth or food; and I withdrew from the
+window, unable to bear these emotions.
+
+“Soon after this the young man returned, bearing on his shoulders a
+load of wood. The girl met him at the door, helped to relieve him of
+his burden, and taking some of the fuel into the cottage, placed it on
+the fire; then she and the youth went apart into a nook of the cottage,
+and he showed her a large loaf and a piece of cheese. She seemed
+pleased and went into the garden for some roots and plants, which she
+placed in water, and then upon the fire. She afterwards continued her
+work, whilst the young man went into the garden and appeared busily
+employed in digging and pulling up roots. After he had been employed
+thus about an hour, the young woman joined him and they entered the
+cottage together.
+
+“The old man had, in the meantime, been pensive, but on the appearance
+of his companions he assumed a more cheerful air, and they sat down to
+eat. The meal was quickly dispatched. The young woman was again
+occupied in arranging the cottage, the old man walked before the
+cottage in the sun for a few minutes, leaning on the arm of the youth.
+Nothing could exceed in beauty the contrast between these two excellent
+creatures. One was old, with silver hairs and a countenance beaming
+with benevolence and love; the younger was slight and graceful in his
+figure, and his features were moulded with the finest symmetry, yet his
+eyes and attitude expressed the utmost sadness and despondency. The
+old man returned to the cottage, and the youth, with tools different
+from those he had used in the morning, directed his steps across the
+fields.
+
+“Night quickly shut in, but to my extreme wonder, I found that the
+cottagers had a means of prolonging light by the use of tapers, and was
+delighted to find that the setting of the sun did not put an end to the
+pleasure I experienced in watching my human neighbours. In the evening
+the young girl and her companion were employed in various occupations
+which I did not understand; and the old man again took up the
+instrument which produced the divine sounds that had enchanted me in
+the morning. So soon as he had finished, the youth began, not to play,
+but to utter sounds that were monotonous, and neither resembling the
+harmony of the old man’s instrument nor the songs of the birds; I since
+found that he read aloud, but at that time I knew nothing of the
+science of words or letters.
+
+“The family, after having been thus occupied for a short time,
+extinguished their lights and retired, as I conjectured, to rest.”
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 12
+
+
+“I lay on my straw, but I could not sleep. I thought of the
+occurrences of the day. What chiefly struck me was the gentle manners
+of these people, and I longed to join them, but dared not. I
+remembered too well the treatment I had suffered the night before from
+the barbarous villagers, and resolved, whatever course of conduct I
+might hereafter think it right to pursue, that for the present I would
+remain quietly in my hovel, watching and endeavouring to discover the
+motives which influenced their actions.
+
+“The cottagers arose the next morning before the sun. The young woman
+arranged the cottage and prepared the food, and the youth departed
+after the first meal.
+
+“This day was passed in the same routine as that which preceded it.
+The young man was constantly employed out of doors, and the girl in
+various laborious occupations within. The old man, whom I soon
+perceived to be blind, employed his leisure hours on his instrument or
+in contemplation. Nothing could exceed the love and respect which the
+younger cottagers exhibited towards their venerable companion. They
+performed towards him every little office of affection and duty with
+gentleness, and he rewarded them by his benevolent smiles.
+
+“They were not entirely happy. The young man and his companion often
+went apart and appeared to weep. I saw no cause for their unhappiness,
+but I was deeply affected by it. If such lovely creatures were
+miserable, it was less strange that I, an imperfect and solitary being,
+should be wretched. Yet why were these gentle beings unhappy? They
+possessed a delightful house (for such it was in my eyes) and every
+luxury; they had a fire to warm them when chill and delicious viands
+when hungry; they were dressed in excellent clothes; and, still more,
+they enjoyed one another’s company and speech, interchanging each day
+looks of affection and kindness. What did their tears imply? Did they
+really express pain? I was at first unable to solve these questions,
+but perpetual attention and time explained to me many appearances which
+were at first enigmatic.
+
+“A considerable period elapsed before I discovered one of the causes of
+the uneasiness of this amiable family: it was poverty, and they
+suffered that evil in a very distressing degree. Their nourishment
+consisted entirely of the vegetables of their garden and the milk of
+one cow, which gave very little during the winter, when its masters
+could scarcely procure food to support it. They often, I believe,
+suffered the pangs of hunger very poignantly, especially the two
+younger cottagers, for several times they placed food before the old
+man when they reserved none for themselves.
+
+“This trait of kindness moved me sensibly. I had been accustomed,
+during the night, to steal a part of their store for my own
+consumption, but when I found that in doing this I inflicted pain on
+the cottagers, I abstained and satisfied myself with berries, nuts, and
+roots which I gathered from a neighbouring wood.
+
+“I discovered also another means through which I was enabled to assist
+their labours. I found that the youth spent a great part of each day
+in collecting wood for the family fire, and during the night I often
+took his tools, the use of which I quickly discovered, and brought home
+firing sufficient for the consumption of several days.
+
+“I remember, the first time that I did this, the young woman, when she
+opened the door in the morning, appeared greatly astonished on seeing a great
+pile of wood on the outside. She uttered some words in a loud voice, and the
+youth joined her, who also expressed surprise. I observed, with pleasure,
+that he did not go to the forest that day, but spent it in repairing the
+cottage and cultivating the garden.
+
+“By degrees I made a discovery of still greater moment. I found that
+these people possessed a method of communicating their experience and
+feelings to one another by articulate sounds. I perceived that the words
+they spoke sometimes produced pleasure or pain, smiles or sadness, in the
+minds and countenances of the hearers. This was indeed a godlike science,
+and I ardently desired to become acquainted with it. But I was baffled in
+every attempt I made for this purpose. Their pronunciation was quick, and
+the words they uttered, not having any apparent connection with visible
+objects, I was unable to discover any clue by which I could unravel the
+mystery of their reference. By great application, however, and after having
+remained during the space of several revolutions of the moon in my hovel, I
+discovered the names that were given to some of the most familiar objects of
+discourse; I learned and applied the words, _fire, milk, bread,_ and
+_wood._ I learned also the names of the cottagers themselves. The youth
+and his companion had each of them several names, but the old man had only
+one, which was _father._ The girl was called _sister_ or
+_Agatha,_ and the youth _Felix, brother,_ or _son_. I cannot
+describe the delight I felt when I learned the ideas appropriated to each of
+these sounds and was able to pronounce them. I distinguished several other
+words without being able as yet to understand or apply them, such as _good,
+dearest, unhappy._
+
+“I spent the winter in this manner. The gentle manners and beauty of
+the cottagers greatly endeared them to me; when they were unhappy, I
+felt depressed; when they rejoiced, I sympathised in their joys. I saw
+few human beings besides them, and if any other happened to enter the
+cottage, their harsh manners and rude gait only enhanced to me the
+superior accomplishments of my friends. The old man, I could perceive,
+often endeavoured to encourage his children, as sometimes I found that
+he called them, to cast off their melancholy. He would talk in a
+cheerful accent, with an expression of goodness that bestowed pleasure
+even upon me. Agatha listened with respect, her eyes sometimes filled
+with tears, which she endeavoured to wipe away unperceived; but I
+generally found that her countenance and tone were more cheerful after
+having listened to the exhortations of her father. It was not thus
+with Felix. He was always the saddest of the group, and even to my
+unpractised senses, he appeared to have suffered more deeply than his
+friends. But if his countenance was more sorrowful, his voice was more
+cheerful than that of his sister, especially when he addressed the old
+man.
+
+“I could mention innumerable instances which, although slight, marked
+the dispositions of these amiable cottagers. In the midst of poverty
+and want, Felix carried with pleasure to his sister the first little
+white flower that peeped out from beneath the snowy ground. Early in
+the morning, before she had risen, he cleared away the snow that
+obstructed her path to the milk-house, drew water from the well, and
+brought the wood from the outhouse, where, to his perpetual
+astonishment, he found his store always replenished by an invisible
+hand. In the day, I believe, he worked sometimes for a neighbouring
+farmer, because he often went forth and did not return until dinner,
+yet brought no wood with him. At other times he worked in the garden,
+but as there was little to do in the frosty season, he read to the old
+man and Agatha.
+
+“This reading had puzzled me extremely at first, but by degrees I
+discovered that he uttered many of the same sounds when he read as when
+he talked. I conjectured, therefore, that he found on the paper signs
+for speech which he understood, and I ardently longed to comprehend
+these also; but how was that possible when I did not even understand
+the sounds for which they stood as signs? I improved, however,
+sensibly in this science, but not sufficiently to follow up any kind of
+conversation, although I applied my whole mind to the endeavour, for I
+easily perceived that, although I eagerly longed to discover myself to
+the cottagers, I ought not to make the attempt until I had first become
+master of their language, which knowledge might enable me to make them
+overlook the deformity of my figure, for with this also the contrast
+perpetually presented to my eyes had made me acquainted.
+
+“I had admired the perfect forms of my cottagers—their grace, beauty,
+and delicate complexions; but how was I terrified when I viewed myself
+in a transparent pool! At first I started back, unable to believe that
+it was indeed I who was reflected in the mirror; and when I became
+fully convinced that I was in reality the monster that I am, I was
+filled with the bitterest sensations of despondence and mortification.
+Alas! I did not yet entirely know the fatal effects of this miserable
+deformity.
+
+“As the sun became warmer and the light of day longer, the snow
+vanished, and I beheld the bare trees and the black earth. From this
+time Felix was more employed, and the heart-moving indications of
+impending famine disappeared. Their food, as I afterwards found, was
+coarse, but it was wholesome; and they procured a sufficiency of it.
+Several new kinds of plants sprang up in the garden, which they
+dressed; and these signs of comfort increased daily as the season
+advanced.
+
+“The old man, leaning on his son, walked each day at noon, when it did
+not rain, as I found it was called when the heavens poured forth its
+waters. This frequently took place, but a high wind quickly dried the
+earth, and the season became far more pleasant than it had been.
+
+“My mode of life in my hovel was uniform. During the morning I
+attended the motions of the cottagers, and when they were dispersed in
+various occupations, I slept; the remainder of the day was spent in
+observing my friends. When they had retired to rest, if there was any
+moon or the night was star-light, I went into the woods and collected
+my own food and fuel for the cottage. When I returned, as often as it
+was necessary, I cleared their path from the snow and performed those
+offices that I had seen done by Felix. I afterwards found that these
+labours, performed by an invisible hand, greatly astonished them; and
+once or twice I heard them, on these occasions, utter the words _good
+spirit, wonderful_; but I did not then understand the signification
+of these terms.
+
+“My thoughts now became more active, and I longed to discover the
+motives and feelings of these lovely creatures; I was inquisitive to
+know why Felix appeared so miserable and Agatha so sad. I thought
+(foolish wretch!) that it might be in my power to restore happiness to
+these deserving people. When I slept or was absent, the forms of the
+venerable blind father, the gentle Agatha, and the excellent Felix
+flitted before me. I looked upon them as superior beings who would be
+the arbiters of my future destiny. I formed in my imagination a
+thousand pictures of presenting myself to them, and their reception of
+me. I imagined that they would be disgusted, until, by my gentle
+demeanour and conciliating words, I should first win their favour and
+afterwards their love.
+
+“These thoughts exhilarated me and led me to apply with fresh ardour to
+the acquiring the art of language. My organs were indeed harsh, but
+supple; and although my voice was very unlike the soft music of their
+tones, yet I pronounced such words as I understood with tolerable ease.
+It was as the ass and the lap-dog; yet surely the gentle ass whose
+intentions were affectionate, although his manners were rude, deserved
+better treatment than blows and execration.
+
+“The pleasant showers and genial warmth of spring greatly altered the
+aspect of the earth. Men who before this change seemed to have been
+hid in caves dispersed themselves and were employed in various arts of
+cultivation. The birds sang in more cheerful notes, and the leaves
+began to bud forth on the trees. Happy, happy earth! Fit habitation
+for gods, which, so short a time before, was bleak, damp, and
+unwholesome. My spirits were elevated by the enchanting appearance of
+nature; the past was blotted from my memory, the present was tranquil,
+and the future gilded by bright rays of hope and anticipations of joy.”
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 13
+
+
+“I now hasten to the more moving part of my story. I shall relate
+events that impressed me with feelings which, from what I had been,
+have made me what I am.
+
+“Spring advanced rapidly; the weather became fine and the skies
+cloudless. It surprised me that what before was desert and gloomy
+should now bloom with the most beautiful flowers and verdure. My
+senses were gratified and refreshed by a thousand scents of delight and
+a thousand sights of beauty.
+
+“It was on one of these days, when my cottagers periodically rested
+from labour—the old man played on his guitar, and the children
+listened to him—that I observed the countenance of Felix was
+melancholy beyond expression; he sighed frequently, and once his father
+paused in his music, and I conjectured by his manner that he inquired
+the cause of his son’s sorrow. Felix replied in a cheerful accent, and
+the old man was recommencing his music when someone tapped at the door.
+
+“It was a lady on horseback, accompanied by a country-man as a guide.
+The lady was dressed in a dark suit and covered with a thick black
+veil. Agatha asked a question, to which the stranger only replied by
+pronouncing, in a sweet accent, the name of Felix. Her voice was
+musical but unlike that of either of my friends. On hearing this word,
+Felix came up hastily to the lady, who, when she saw him, threw up her
+veil, and I beheld a countenance of angelic beauty and expression. Her
+hair of a shining raven black, and curiously braided; her eyes were
+dark, but gentle, although animated; her features of a regular
+proportion, and her complexion wondrously fair, each cheek tinged with
+a lovely pink.
+
+“Felix seemed ravished with delight when he saw her, every trait of
+sorrow vanished from his face, and it instantly expressed a degree of
+ecstatic joy, of which I could hardly have believed it capable; his
+eyes sparkled, as his cheek flushed with pleasure; and at that moment I
+thought him as beautiful as the stranger. She appeared affected by
+different feelings; wiping a few tears from her lovely eyes, she held
+out her hand to Felix, who kissed it rapturously and called her, as
+well as I could distinguish, his sweet Arabian. She did not appear to
+understand him, but smiled. He assisted her to dismount, and
+dismissing her guide, conducted her into the cottage. Some
+conversation took place between him and his father, and the young
+stranger knelt at the old man’s feet and would have kissed his hand,
+but he raised her and embraced her affectionately.
+
+“I soon perceived that although the stranger uttered articulate sounds
+and appeared to have a language of her own, she was neither understood
+by nor herself understood the cottagers. They made many signs which I
+did not comprehend, but I saw that her presence diffused gladness
+through the cottage, dispelling their sorrow as the sun dissipates the
+morning mists. Felix seemed peculiarly happy and with smiles of
+delight welcomed his Arabian. Agatha, the ever-gentle Agatha, kissed
+the hands of the lovely stranger, and pointing to her brother, made
+signs which appeared to me to mean that he had been sorrowful until she
+came. Some hours passed thus, while they, by their countenances,
+expressed joy, the cause of which I did not comprehend. Presently I
+found, by the frequent recurrence of some sound which the stranger
+repeated after them, that she was endeavouring to learn their language;
+and the idea instantly occurred to me that I should make use of the
+same instructions to the same end. The stranger learned about twenty
+words at the first lesson; most of them, indeed, were those which I had
+before understood, but I profited by the others.
+
+“As night came on, Agatha and the Arabian retired early. When they
+separated Felix kissed the hand of the stranger and said, ‘Good night
+sweet Safie.’ He sat up much longer, conversing with his father, and
+by the frequent repetition of her name I conjectured that their lovely
+guest was the subject of their conversation. I ardently desired to
+understand them, and bent every faculty towards that purpose, but found
+it utterly impossible.
+
+“The next morning Felix went out to his work, and after the usual
+occupations of Agatha were finished, the Arabian sat at the feet of the
+old man, and taking his guitar, played some airs so entrancingly
+beautiful that they at once drew tears of sorrow and delight from my
+eyes. She sang, and her voice flowed in a rich cadence, swelling or
+dying away like a nightingale of the woods.
+
+“When she had finished, she gave the guitar to Agatha, who at first
+declined it. She played a simple air, and her voice accompanied it in
+sweet accents, but unlike the wondrous strain of the stranger. The old
+man appeared enraptured and said some words which Agatha endeavoured to
+explain to Safie, and by which he appeared to wish to express that she
+bestowed on him the greatest delight by her music.
+
+“The days now passed as peaceably as before, with the sole alteration
+that joy had taken place of sadness in the countenances of my friends.
+Safie was always gay and happy; she and I improved rapidly in the
+knowledge of language, so that in two months I began to comprehend most
+of the words uttered by my protectors.
+
+“In the meanwhile also the black ground was covered with herbage, and
+the green banks interspersed with innumerable flowers, sweet to the
+scent and the eyes, stars of pale radiance among the moonlight woods;
+the sun became warmer, the nights clear and balmy; and my nocturnal
+rambles were an extreme pleasure to me, although they were considerably
+shortened by the late setting and early rising of the sun, for I never
+ventured abroad during daylight, fearful of meeting with the same
+treatment I had formerly endured in the first village which I entered.
+
+“My days were spent in close attention, that I might more speedily
+master the language; and I may boast that I improved more rapidly than
+the Arabian, who understood very little and conversed in broken
+accents, whilst I comprehended and could imitate almost every word that
+was spoken.
+
+“While I improved in speech, I also learned the science of letters as
+it was taught to the stranger, and this opened before me a wide field
+for wonder and delight.
+
+“The book from which Felix instructed Safie was Volney’s _Ruins
+of Empires_. I should not have understood the purport of this book had not
+Felix, in reading it, given very minute explanations. He had chosen this
+work, he said, because the declamatory style was framed in imitation of the
+Eastern authors. Through this work I obtained a cursory knowledge of history
+and a view of the several empires at present existing in the world; it gave
+me an insight into the manners, governments, and religions of the different
+nations of the earth. I heard of the slothful Asiatics, of the stupendous
+genius and mental activity of the Grecians, of the wars and wonderful virtue
+of the early Romans—of their subsequent degenerating—of the
+decline of that mighty empire, of chivalry, Christianity, and kings. I heard
+of the discovery of the American hemisphere and wept with Safie over the
+hapless fate of its original inhabitants.
+
+“These wonderful narrations inspired me with strange feelings. Was
+man, indeed, at once so powerful, so virtuous and magnificent, yet so
+vicious and base? He appeared at one time a mere scion of the evil
+principle and at another as all that can be conceived of noble and
+godlike. To be a great and virtuous man appeared the highest honour
+that can befall a sensitive being; to be base and vicious, as many on
+record have been, appeared the lowest degradation, a condition more
+abject than that of the blind mole or harmless worm. For a long time I
+could not conceive how one man could go forth to murder his fellow, or
+even why there were laws and governments; but when I heard details of
+vice and bloodshed, my wonder ceased and I turned away with disgust and
+loathing.
+
+“Every conversation of the cottagers now opened new wonders to me.
+While I listened to the instructions which Felix bestowed upon the
+Arabian, the strange system of human society was explained to me. I
+heard of the division of property, of immense wealth and squalid
+poverty, of rank, descent, and noble blood.
+
+“The words induced me to turn towards myself. I learned that the
+possessions most esteemed by your fellow creatures were high and
+unsullied descent united with riches. A man might be respected with
+only one of these advantages, but without either he was considered,
+except in very rare instances, as a vagabond and a slave, doomed to
+waste his powers for the profits of the chosen few! And what was I? Of
+my creation and creator I was absolutely ignorant, but I knew that I
+possessed no money, no friends, no kind of property. I was, besides,
+endued with a figure hideously deformed and loathsome; I was not even
+of the same nature as man. I was more agile than they and could
+subsist upon coarser diet; I bore the extremes of heat and cold with
+less injury to my frame; my stature far exceeded theirs. When I looked
+around I saw and heard of none like me. Was I, then, a monster, a blot
+upon the earth, from which all men fled and whom all men disowned?
+
+“I cannot describe to you the agony that these reflections inflicted
+upon me; I tried to dispel them, but sorrow only increased with
+knowledge. Oh, that I had for ever remained in my native wood, nor
+known nor felt beyond the sensations of hunger, thirst, and heat!
+
+“Of what a strange nature is knowledge! It clings to the mind when it
+has once seized on it like a lichen on the rock. I wished sometimes to
+shake off all thought and feeling, but I learned that there was but one
+means to overcome the sensation of pain, and that was death—a state
+which I feared yet did not understand. I admired virtue and good
+feelings and loved the gentle manners and amiable qualities of my
+cottagers, but I was shut out from intercourse with them, except
+through means which I obtained by stealth, when I was unseen and
+unknown, and which rather increased than satisfied the desire I had of
+becoming one among my fellows. The gentle words of Agatha and the
+animated smiles of the charming Arabian were not for me. The mild
+exhortations of the old man and the lively conversation of the loved
+Felix were not for me. Miserable, unhappy wretch!
+
+“Other lessons were impressed upon me even more deeply. I heard of the
+difference of sexes, and the birth and growth of children, how the
+father doted on the smiles of the infant, and the lively sallies of the
+older child, how all the life and cares of the mother were wrapped up
+in the precious charge, how the mind of youth expanded and gained
+knowledge, of brother, sister, and all the various relationships which
+bind one human being to another in mutual bonds.
+
+“But where were my friends and relations? No father had watched my
+infant days, no mother had blessed me with smiles and caresses; or if
+they had, all my past life was now a blot, a blind vacancy in which I
+distinguished nothing. From my earliest remembrance I had been as I
+then was in height and proportion. I had never yet seen a being
+resembling me or who claimed any intercourse with me. What was I? The
+question again recurred, to be answered only with groans.
+
+“I will soon explain to what these feelings tended, but allow me now to
+return to the cottagers, whose story excited in me such various
+feelings of indignation, delight, and wonder, but which all terminated
+in additional love and reverence for my protectors (for so I loved, in
+an innocent, half-painful self-deceit, to call them).”
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 14
+
+
+“Some time elapsed before I learned the history of my friends. It was
+one which could not fail to impress itself deeply on my mind, unfolding
+as it did a number of circumstances, each interesting and wonderful to
+one so utterly inexperienced as I was.
+
+“The name of the old man was De Lacey. He was descended from a good
+family in France, where he had lived for many years in affluence,
+respected by his superiors and beloved by his equals. His son was bred
+in the service of his country, and Agatha had ranked with ladies of the
+highest distinction. A few months before my arrival they had lived in
+a large and luxurious city called Paris, surrounded by friends and
+possessed of every enjoyment which virtue, refinement of intellect, or
+taste, accompanied by a moderate fortune, could afford.
+
+“The father of Safie had been the cause of their ruin. He was a
+Turkish merchant and had inhabited Paris for many years, when, for some
+reason which I could not learn, he became obnoxious to the government.
+He was seized and cast into prison the very day that Safie arrived from
+Constantinople to join him. He was tried and condemned to death. The
+injustice of his sentence was very flagrant; all Paris was indignant;
+and it was judged that his religion and wealth rather than the crime
+alleged against him had been the cause of his condemnation.
+
+“Felix had accidentally been present at the trial; his horror and
+indignation were uncontrollable when he heard the decision of the
+court. He made, at that moment, a solemn vow to deliver him and then
+looked around for the means. After many fruitless attempts to gain
+admittance to the prison, he found a strongly grated window in an
+unguarded part of the building, which lighted the dungeon of the
+unfortunate Muhammadan, who, loaded with chains, waited in despair the
+execution of the barbarous sentence. Felix visited the grate at night
+and made known to the prisoner his intentions in his favour. The Turk,
+amazed and delighted, endeavoured to kindle the zeal of his deliverer
+by promises of reward and wealth. Felix rejected his offers with
+contempt, yet when he saw the lovely Safie, who was allowed to visit
+her father and who by her gestures expressed her lively gratitude, the
+youth could not help owning to his own mind that the captive possessed
+a treasure which would fully reward his toil and hazard.
+
+“The Turk quickly perceived the impression that his daughter had made
+on the heart of Felix and endeavoured to secure him more entirely in
+his interests by the promise of her hand in marriage so soon as he
+should be conveyed to a place of safety. Felix was too delicate to
+accept this offer, yet he looked forward to the probability of the
+event as to the consummation of his happiness.
+
+“During the ensuing days, while the preparations were going forward for
+the escape of the merchant, the zeal of Felix was warmed by several
+letters that he received from this lovely girl, who found means to
+express her thoughts in the language of her lover by the aid of an old
+man, a servant of her father who understood French. She thanked him in
+the most ardent terms for his intended services towards her parent, and
+at the same time she gently deplored her own fate.
+
+“I have copies of these letters, for I found means, during my residence
+in the hovel, to procure the implements of writing; and the letters
+were often in the hands of Felix or Agatha. Before I depart I will
+give them to you; they will prove the truth of my tale; but at present,
+as the sun is already far declined, I shall only have time to repeat
+the substance of them to you.
+
+“Safie related that her mother was a Christian Arab, seized and made a
+slave by the Turks; recommended by her beauty, she had won the heart of
+the father of Safie, who married her. The young girl spoke in high and
+enthusiastic terms of her mother, who, born in freedom, spurned the
+bondage to which she was now reduced. She instructed her daughter in
+the tenets of her religion and taught her to aspire to higher powers of
+intellect and an independence of spirit forbidden to the female
+followers of Muhammad. This lady died, but her lessons were indelibly
+impressed on the mind of Safie, who sickened at the prospect of again
+returning to Asia and being immured within the walls of a harem,
+allowed only to occupy herself with infantile amusements, ill-suited to
+the temper of her soul, now accustomed to grand ideas and a noble
+emulation for virtue. The prospect of marrying a Christian and
+remaining in a country where women were allowed to take a rank in
+society was enchanting to her.
+
+“The day for the execution of the Turk was fixed, but on the night
+previous to it he quitted his prison and before morning was distant
+many leagues from Paris. Felix had procured passports in the name of
+his father, sister, and himself. He had previously communicated his
+plan to the former, who aided the deceit by quitting his house, under
+the pretence of a journey and concealed himself, with his daughter, in
+an obscure part of Paris.
+
+“Felix conducted the fugitives through France to Lyons and across Mont
+Cenis to Leghorn, where the merchant had decided to wait a favourable
+opportunity of passing into some part of the Turkish dominions.
+
+“Safie resolved to remain with her father until the moment of his
+departure, before which time the Turk renewed his promise that she
+should be united to his deliverer; and Felix remained with them in
+expectation of that event; and in the meantime he enjoyed the society
+of the Arabian, who exhibited towards him the simplest and tenderest
+affection. They conversed with one another through the means of an
+interpreter, and sometimes with the interpretation of looks; and Safie
+sang to him the divine airs of her native country.
+
+“The Turk allowed this intimacy to take place and encouraged the hopes
+of the youthful lovers, while in his heart he had formed far other
+plans. He loathed the idea that his daughter should be united to a
+Christian, but he feared the resentment of Felix if he should appear
+lukewarm, for he knew that he was still in the power of his deliverer
+if he should choose to betray him to the Italian state which they
+inhabited. He revolved a thousand plans by which he should be enabled
+to prolong the deceit until it might be no longer necessary, and
+secretly to take his daughter with him when he departed. His plans
+were facilitated by the news which arrived from Paris.
+
+“The government of France were greatly enraged at the escape of their
+victim and spared no pains to detect and punish his deliverer. The
+plot of Felix was quickly discovered, and De Lacey and Agatha were
+thrown into prison. The news reached Felix and roused him from his
+dream of pleasure. His blind and aged father and his gentle sister lay
+in a noisome dungeon while he enjoyed the free air and the society of
+her whom he loved. This idea was torture to him. He quickly arranged
+with the Turk that if the latter should find a favourable opportunity
+for escape before Felix could return to Italy, Safie should remain as a
+boarder at a convent at Leghorn; and then, quitting the lovely Arabian,
+he hastened to Paris and delivered himself up to the vengeance of the
+law, hoping to free De Lacey and Agatha by this proceeding.
+
+“He did not succeed. They remained confined for five months before the
+trial took place, the result of which deprived them of their fortune
+and condemned them to a perpetual exile from their native country.
+
+“They found a miserable asylum in the cottage in Germany, where I
+discovered them. Felix soon learned that the treacherous Turk, for
+whom he and his family endured such unheard-of oppression, on
+discovering that his deliverer was thus reduced to poverty and ruin,
+became a traitor to good feeling and honour and had quitted Italy with
+his daughter, insultingly sending Felix a pittance of money to aid him,
+as he said, in some plan of future maintenance.
+
+“Such were the events that preyed on the heart of Felix and rendered
+him, when I first saw him, the most miserable of his family. He could
+have endured poverty, and while this distress had been the meed of his
+virtue, he gloried in it; but the ingratitude of the Turk and the loss
+of his beloved Safie were misfortunes more bitter and irreparable. The
+arrival of the Arabian now infused new life into his soul.
+
+“When the news reached Leghorn that Felix was deprived of his wealth
+and rank, the merchant commanded his daughter to think no more of her
+lover, but to prepare to return to her native country. The generous
+nature of Safie was outraged by this command; she attempted to
+expostulate with her father, but he left her angrily, reiterating his
+tyrannical mandate.
+
+“A few days after, the Turk entered his daughter’s apartment and told
+her hastily that he had reason to believe that his residence at Leghorn
+had been divulged and that he should speedily be delivered up to the
+French government; he had consequently hired a vessel to convey him to
+Constantinople, for which city he should sail in a few hours. He
+intended to leave his daughter under the care of a confidential
+servant, to follow at her leisure with the greater part of his
+property, which had not yet arrived at Leghorn.
+
+“When alone, Safie resolved in her own mind the plan of conduct that it
+would become her to pursue in this emergency. A residence in Turkey
+was abhorrent to her; her religion and her feelings were alike averse
+to it. By some papers of her father which fell into her hands she
+heard of the exile of her lover and learnt the name of the spot where
+he then resided. She hesitated some time, but at length she formed her
+determination. Taking with her some jewels that belonged to her and a
+sum of money, she quitted Italy with an attendant, a native of Leghorn,
+but who understood the common language of Turkey, and departed for
+Germany.
+
+“She arrived in safety at a town about twenty leagues from the cottage
+of De Lacey, when her attendant fell dangerously ill. Safie nursed her
+with the most devoted affection, but the poor girl died, and the
+Arabian was left alone, unacquainted with the language of the country
+and utterly ignorant of the customs of the world. She fell, however,
+into good hands. The Italian had mentioned the name of the spot for
+which they were bound, and after her death the woman of the house in
+which they had lived took care that Safie should arrive in safety at
+the cottage of her lover.”
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 15
+
+
+“Such was the history of my beloved cottagers. It impressed me deeply.
+I learned, from the views of social life which it developed, to admire
+their virtues and to deprecate the vices of mankind.
+
+“As yet I looked upon crime as a distant evil, benevolence and
+generosity were ever present before me, inciting within me a desire to
+become an actor in the busy scene where so many admirable qualities
+were called forth and displayed. But in giving an account of the
+progress of my intellect, I must not omit a circumstance which occurred
+in the beginning of the month of August of the same year.
+
+“One night during my accustomed visit to the neighbouring wood where I
+collected my own food and brought home firing for my protectors, I found on
+the ground a leathern portmanteau containing several articles of dress and
+some books. I eagerly seized the prize and returned with it to my hovel. 
+Fortunately the books were written in the language, the elements of which I
+had acquired at the cottage; they consisted of _Paradise Lost_, a volume
+of _Plutarch’s Lives_, and the _Sorrows of Werter_. The
+possession of these treasures gave me extreme delight; I now continually
+studied and exercised my mind upon these histories, whilst my friends were
+employed in their ordinary occupations.
+
+“I can hardly describe to you the effect of these books. They produced
+in me an infinity of new images and feelings, that sometimes raised me
+to ecstasy, but more frequently sunk me into the lowest dejection. In
+the _Sorrows of Werter_, besides the interest of its simple and affecting
+story, so many opinions are canvassed and so many lights thrown upon
+what had hitherto been to me obscure subjects that I found in it a
+never-ending source of speculation and astonishment. The gentle and
+domestic manners it described, combined with lofty sentiments and
+feelings, which had for their object something out of self, accorded
+well with my experience among my protectors and with the wants which
+were for ever alive in my own bosom. But I thought Werter himself a
+more divine being than I had ever beheld or imagined; his character
+contained no pretension, but it sank deep. The disquisitions upon
+death and suicide were calculated to fill me with wonder. I did not
+pretend to enter into the merits of the case, yet I inclined towards
+the opinions of the hero, whose extinction I wept, without precisely
+understanding it.
+
+“As I read, however, I applied much personally to my own feelings and
+condition. I found myself similar yet at the same time strangely
+unlike to the beings concerning whom I read and to whose conversation I
+was a listener. I sympathised with and partly understood them, but I
+was unformed in mind; I was dependent on none and related to none.
+‘The path of my departure was free,’ and there was none to lament my
+annihilation. My person was hideous and my stature gigantic. What did
+this mean? Who was I? What was I? Whence did I come? What was my
+destination? These questions continually recurred, but I was unable to
+solve them.
+
+“The volume of _Plutarch’s Lives_ which I possessed contained the
+histories of the first founders of the ancient republics. This book
+had a far different effect upon me from the _Sorrows of Werter_. I
+learned from Werter’s imaginations despondency and gloom, but Plutarch
+taught me high thoughts; he elevated me above the wretched sphere of my
+own reflections, to admire and love the heroes of past ages. Many
+things I read surpassed my understanding and experience. I had a very
+confused knowledge of kingdoms, wide extents of country, mighty rivers,
+and boundless seas. But I was perfectly unacquainted with towns and
+large assemblages of men. The cottage of my protectors had been the
+only school in which I had studied human nature, but this book
+developed new and mightier scenes of action. I read of men concerned
+in public affairs, governing or massacring their species. I felt the
+greatest ardour for virtue rise within me, and abhorrence for vice, as
+far as I understood the signification of those terms, relative as they
+were, as I applied them, to pleasure and pain alone. Induced by these
+feelings, I was of course led to admire peaceable lawgivers, Numa,
+Solon, and Lycurgus, in preference to Romulus and Theseus. The
+patriarchal lives of my protectors caused these impressions to take a
+firm hold on my mind; perhaps, if my first introduction to humanity had
+been made by a young soldier, burning for glory and slaughter, I should
+have been imbued with different sensations.
+
+“But _Paradise Lost_ excited different and far deeper emotions. I read
+it, as I had read the other volumes which had fallen into my hands, as
+a true history. It moved every feeling of wonder and awe that the
+picture of an omnipotent God warring with his creatures was capable of
+exciting. I often referred the several situations, as their similarity
+struck me, to my own. Like Adam, I was apparently united by no link to
+any other being in existence; but his state was far different from mine
+in every other respect. He had come forth from the hands of God a
+perfect creature, happy and prosperous, guarded by the especial care of
+his Creator; he was allowed to converse with and acquire knowledge from
+beings of a superior nature, but I was wretched, helpless, and alone.
+Many times I considered Satan as the fitter emblem of my condition, for
+often, like him, when I viewed the bliss of my protectors, the bitter
+gall of envy rose within me.
+
+“Another circumstance strengthened and confirmed these feelings. Soon
+after my arrival in the hovel I discovered some papers in the pocket of
+the dress which I had taken from your laboratory. At first I had
+neglected them, but now that I was able to decipher the characters in
+which they were written, I began to study them with diligence. It was
+your journal of the four months that preceded my creation. You
+minutely described in these papers every step you took in the progress
+of your work; this history was mingled with accounts of domestic
+occurrences. You doubtless recollect these papers. Here they are.
+Everything is related in them which bears reference to my accursed
+origin; the whole detail of that series of disgusting circumstances
+which produced it is set in view; the minutest description of my odious
+and loathsome person is given, in language which painted your own
+horrors and rendered mine indelible. I sickened as I read. ‘Hateful
+day when I received life!’ I exclaimed in agony. ‘Accursed creator!
+Why did you form a monster so hideous that even _you_ turned from me in
+disgust? God, in pity, made man beautiful and alluring, after his own
+image; but my form is a filthy type of yours, more horrid even from the
+very resemblance. Satan had his companions, fellow devils, to admire
+and encourage him, but I am solitary and abhorred.’
+
+“These were the reflections of my hours of despondency and solitude;
+but when I contemplated the virtues of the cottagers, their amiable and
+benevolent dispositions, I persuaded myself that when they should
+become acquainted with my admiration of their virtues they would
+compassionate me and overlook my personal deformity. Could they turn
+from their door one, however monstrous, who solicited their compassion
+and friendship? I resolved, at least, not to despair, but in every way
+to fit myself for an interview with them which would decide my fate. I
+postponed this attempt for some months longer, for the importance
+attached to its success inspired me with a dread lest I should fail.
+Besides, I found that my understanding improved so much with every
+day’s experience that I was unwilling to commence this undertaking
+until a few more months should have added to my sagacity.
+
+“Several changes, in the meantime, took place in the cottage. The
+presence of Safie diffused happiness among its inhabitants, and I also
+found that a greater degree of plenty reigned there. Felix and Agatha
+spent more time in amusement and conversation, and were assisted in
+their labours by servants. They did not appear rich, but they were
+contented and happy; their feelings were serene and peaceful, while
+mine became every day more tumultuous. Increase of knowledge only
+discovered to me more clearly what a wretched outcast I was. I
+cherished hope, it is true, but it vanished when I beheld my person
+reflected in water or my shadow in the moonshine, even as that frail
+image and that inconstant shade.
+
+“I endeavoured to crush these fears and to fortify myself for the trial
+which in a few months I resolved to undergo; and sometimes I allowed my
+thoughts, unchecked by reason, to ramble in the fields of Paradise, and
+dared to fancy amiable and lovely creatures sympathising with my
+feelings and cheering my gloom; their angelic countenances breathed
+smiles of consolation. But it was all a dream; no Eve soothed my
+sorrows nor shared my thoughts; I was alone. I remembered Adam’s
+supplication to his Creator. But where was mine? He had abandoned me,
+and in the bitterness of my heart I cursed him.
+
+“Autumn passed thus. I saw, with surprise and grief, the leaves decay
+and fall, and nature again assume the barren and bleak appearance it
+had worn when I first beheld the woods and the lovely moon. Yet I did
+not heed the bleakness of the weather; I was better fitted by my
+conformation for the endurance of cold than heat. But my chief
+delights were the sight of the flowers, the birds, and all the gay
+apparel of summer; when those deserted me, I turned with more attention
+towards the cottagers. Their happiness was not decreased by the
+absence of summer. They loved and sympathised with one another; and
+their joys, depending on each other, were not interrupted by the
+casualties that took place around them. The more I saw of them, the
+greater became my desire to claim their protection and kindness; my
+heart yearned to be known and loved by these amiable creatures; to see
+their sweet looks directed towards me with affection was the utmost
+limit of my ambition. I dared not think that they would turn them from
+me with disdain and horror. The poor that stopped at their door were
+never driven away. I asked, it is true, for greater treasures than a
+little food or rest: I required kindness and sympathy; but I did not
+believe myself utterly unworthy of it.
+
+“The winter advanced, and an entire revolution of the seasons had taken
+place since I awoke into life. My attention at this time was solely
+directed towards my plan of introducing myself into the cottage of my
+protectors. I revolved many projects, but that on which I finally
+fixed was to enter the dwelling when the blind old man should be alone.
+I had sagacity enough to discover that the unnatural hideousness of my
+person was the chief object of horror with those who had formerly
+beheld me. My voice, although harsh, had nothing terrible in it; I
+thought, therefore, that if in the absence of his children I could gain
+the good will and mediation of the old De Lacey, I might by his means
+be tolerated by my younger protectors.
+
+“One day, when the sun shone on the red leaves that strewed the ground
+and diffused cheerfulness, although it denied warmth, Safie, Agatha,
+and Felix departed on a long country walk, and the old man, at his own
+desire, was left alone in the cottage. When his children had departed,
+he took up his guitar and played several mournful but sweet airs, more
+sweet and mournful than I had ever heard him play before. At first his
+countenance was illuminated with pleasure, but as he continued,
+thoughtfulness and sadness succeeded; at length, laying aside the
+instrument, he sat absorbed in reflection.
+
+“My heart beat quick; this was the hour and moment of trial, which
+would decide my hopes or realise my fears. The servants were gone to a
+neighbouring fair. All was silent in and around the cottage; it was an
+excellent opportunity; yet, when I proceeded to execute my plan, my
+limbs failed me and I sank to the ground. Again I rose, and exerting
+all the firmness of which I was master, removed the planks which I had
+placed before my hovel to conceal my retreat. The fresh air revived
+me, and with renewed determination I approached the door of their
+cottage.
+
+“I knocked. ‘Who is there?’ said the old man. ‘Come in.’
+
+“I entered. ‘Pardon this intrusion,’ said I; ‘I am
+a traveller in want of a little rest; you would greatly oblige me if you
+would allow me to remain a few minutes before the fire.’
+
+“‘Enter,’ said De Lacey, ‘and I will try in what
+manner I can to relieve your wants; but, unfortunately, my children are
+from home, and as I am blind, I am afraid I shall find it difficult to
+procure food for you.’
+
+“‘Do not trouble yourself, my kind host; I have food; it is
+warmth and rest only that I need.’
+
+“I sat down, and a silence ensued. I knew that every minute was
+precious to me, yet I remained irresolute in what manner to commence
+the interview, when the old man addressed me.
+
+‘By your language, stranger, I suppose you are my countryman; are you
+French?’
+
+“‘No; but I was educated by a French family and understand that
+language only. I am now going to claim the protection of some friends,
+whom I sincerely love, and of whose favour I have some hopes.’
+
+“‘Are they Germans?’
+
+“‘No, they are French. But let us change the subject. I am an
+unfortunate and deserted creature, I look around and I have no relation
+or friend upon earth. These amiable people to whom I go have never
+seen me and know little of me. I am full of fears, for if I fail
+there, I am an outcast in the world for ever.’
+
+“‘Do not despair. To be friendless is indeed to be unfortunate, but
+the hearts of men, when unprejudiced by any obvious self-interest, are
+full of brotherly love and charity. Rely, therefore, on your hopes;
+and if these friends are good and amiable, do not despair.’
+
+“‘They are kind—they are the most excellent creatures in the world;
+but, unfortunately, they are prejudiced against me. I have good
+dispositions; my life has been hitherto harmless and in some degree
+beneficial; but a fatal prejudice clouds their eyes, and where they
+ought to see a feeling and kind friend, they behold only a detestable
+monster.’
+
+“‘That is indeed unfortunate; but if you are really blameless, cannot
+you undeceive them?’
+
+“‘I am about to undertake that task; and it is on that account that I
+feel so many overwhelming terrors. I tenderly love these friends; I
+have, unknown to them, been for many months in the habits of daily
+kindness towards them; but they believe that I wish to injure them, and
+it is that prejudice which I wish to overcome.’
+
+“‘Where do these friends reside?’
+
+“‘Near this spot.’
+
+“The old man paused and then continued, ‘If you will unreservedly
+confide to me the particulars of your tale, I perhaps may be of use in
+undeceiving them. I am blind and cannot judge of your countenance, but
+there is something in your words which persuades me that you are
+sincere. I am poor and an exile, but it will afford me true pleasure
+to be in any way serviceable to a human creature.’
+
+“‘Excellent man! I thank you and accept your generous offer. You
+raise me from the dust by this kindness; and I trust that, by your aid,
+I shall not be driven from the society and sympathy of your fellow
+creatures.’
+
+“‘Heaven forbid! Even if you were really criminal, for that can only
+drive you to desperation, and not instigate you to virtue. I also am
+unfortunate; I and my family have been condemned, although innocent;
+judge, therefore, if I do not feel for your misfortunes.’
+
+“‘How can I thank you, my best and only benefactor? From your lips
+first have I heard the voice of kindness directed towards me; I shall
+be for ever grateful; and your present humanity assures me of success
+with those friends whom I am on the point of meeting.’
+
+“‘May I know the names and residence of those friends?’
+
+“I paused. This, I thought, was the moment of decision, which was to
+rob me of or bestow happiness on me for ever. I struggled vainly for
+firmness sufficient to answer him, but the effort destroyed all my
+remaining strength; I sank on the chair and sobbed aloud. At that
+moment I heard the steps of my younger protectors. I had not a moment
+to lose, but seizing the hand of the old man, I cried, ‘Now is the
+time! Save and protect me! You and your family are the friends whom I
+seek. Do not you desert me in the hour of trial!’
+
+“‘Great God!’ exclaimed the old man. ‘Who are you?’
+
+“At that instant the cottage door was opened, and Felix, Safie, and
+Agatha entered. Who can describe their horror and consternation on
+beholding me? Agatha fainted, and Safie, unable to attend to her
+friend, rushed out of the cottage. Felix darted forward, and with
+supernatural force tore me from his father, to whose knees I clung, in
+a transport of fury, he dashed me to the ground and struck me violently
+with a stick. I could have torn him limb from limb, as the lion rends
+the antelope. But my heart sank within me as with bitter sickness, and
+I refrained. I saw him on the point of repeating his blow, when,
+overcome by pain and anguish, I quitted the cottage, and in the general
+tumult escaped unperceived to my hovel.”
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 16
+
+
+“Cursed, cursed creator! Why did I live? Why, in that instant, did I
+not extinguish the spark of existence which you had so wantonly
+bestowed? I know not; despair had not yet taken possession of me; my
+feelings were those of rage and revenge. I could with pleasure have
+destroyed the cottage and its inhabitants and have glutted myself with
+their shrieks and misery.
+
+“When night came I quitted my retreat and wandered in the wood; and
+now, no longer restrained by the fear of discovery, I gave vent to my
+anguish in fearful howlings. I was like a wild beast that had broken
+the toils, destroying the objects that obstructed me and ranging
+through the wood with a stag-like swiftness. Oh! What a miserable
+night I passed! The cold stars shone in mockery, and the bare trees
+waved their branches above me; now and then the sweet voice of a bird
+burst forth amidst the universal stillness. All, save I, were at rest
+or in enjoyment; I, like the arch-fiend, bore a hell within me, and
+finding myself unsympathised with, wished to tear up the trees, spread
+havoc and destruction around me, and then to have sat down and enjoyed
+the ruin.
+
+“But this was a luxury of sensation that could not endure; I became
+fatigued with excess of bodily exertion and sank on the damp grass in
+the sick impotence of despair. There was none among the myriads of men
+that existed who would pity or assist me; and should I feel kindness
+towards my enemies? No; from that moment I declared everlasting war
+against the species, and more than all, against him who had formed me
+and sent me forth to this insupportable misery.
+
+“The sun rose; I heard the voices of men and knew that it was
+impossible to return to my retreat during that day. Accordingly I hid
+myself in some thick underwood, determining to devote the ensuing hours
+to reflection on my situation.
+
+“The pleasant sunshine and the pure air of day restored me to some
+degree of tranquillity; and when I considered what had passed at the
+cottage, I could not help believing that I had been too hasty in my
+conclusions. I had certainly acted imprudently. It was apparent that
+my conversation had interested the father in my behalf, and I was a
+fool in having exposed my person to the horror of his children. I
+ought to have familiarised the old De Lacey to me, and by degrees to
+have discovered myself to the rest of his family, when they should have
+been prepared for my approach. But I did not believe my errors to be
+irretrievable, and after much consideration I resolved to return to the
+cottage, seek the old man, and by my representations win him to my
+party.
+
+“These thoughts calmed me, and in the afternoon I sank into a profound
+sleep; but the fever of my blood did not allow me to be visited by
+peaceful dreams. The horrible scene of the preceding day was for ever
+acting before my eyes; the females were flying and the enraged Felix
+tearing me from his father’s feet. I awoke exhausted, and finding that
+it was already night, I crept forth from my hiding-place, and went in
+search of food.
+
+“When my hunger was appeased, I directed my steps towards the
+well-known path that conducted to the cottage. All there was at peace.
+I crept into my hovel and remained in silent expectation of the
+accustomed hour when the family arose. That hour passed, the sun
+mounted high in the heavens, but the cottagers did not appear. I
+trembled violently, apprehending some dreadful misfortune. The inside
+of the cottage was dark, and I heard no motion; I cannot describe the
+agony of this suspense.
+
+“Presently two countrymen passed by, but pausing near the cottage, they
+entered into conversation, using violent gesticulations; but I did not
+understand what they said, as they spoke the language of the country,
+which differed from that of my protectors. Soon after, however, Felix
+approached with another man; I was surprised, as I knew that he had not
+quitted the cottage that morning, and waited anxiously to discover from
+his discourse the meaning of these unusual appearances.
+
+“‘Do you consider,’ said his companion to him,
+‘that you will be obliged to pay three months’ rent and to lose
+the produce of your garden? I do not wish to take any unfair advantage, and
+I beg therefore that you will take some days to consider of your
+determination.’
+
+“‘It is utterly useless,’ replied Felix; ‘we can
+never again inhabit your cottage. The life of my father is in the greatest
+danger, owing to the dreadful circumstance that I have related. My wife and
+my sister will never recover from their horror. I entreat you not to reason
+with me any more. Take possession of your tenement and let me fly from this
+place.’
+
+“Felix trembled violently as he said this. He and his companion
+entered the cottage, in which they remained for a few minutes, and then
+departed. I never saw any of the family of De Lacey more.
+
+“I continued for the remainder of the day in my hovel in a state of
+utter and stupid despair. My protectors had departed and had broken
+the only link that held me to the world. For the first time the
+feelings of revenge and hatred filled my bosom, and I did not strive to
+control them, but allowing myself to be borne away by the stream, I
+bent my mind towards injury and death. When I thought of my friends,
+of the mild voice of De Lacey, the gentle eyes of Agatha, and the
+exquisite beauty of the Arabian, these thoughts vanished and a gush of
+tears somewhat soothed me. But again when I reflected that they had
+spurned and deserted me, anger returned, a rage of anger, and unable to
+injure anything human, I turned my fury towards inanimate objects. As
+night advanced, I placed a variety of combustibles around the cottage,
+and after having destroyed every vestige of cultivation in the garden,
+I waited with forced impatience until the moon had sunk to commence my
+operations.
+
+“As the night advanced, a fierce wind arose from the woods and quickly
+dispersed the clouds that had loitered in the heavens; the blast tore
+along like a mighty avalanche and produced a kind of insanity in my
+spirits that burst all bounds of reason and reflection. I lighted the
+dry branch of a tree and danced with fury around the devoted cottage,
+my eyes still fixed on the western horizon, the edge of which the moon
+nearly touched. A part of its orb was at length hid, and I waved my
+brand; it sank, and with a loud scream I fired the straw, and heath,
+and bushes, which I had collected. The wind fanned the fire, and the
+cottage was quickly enveloped by the flames, which clung to it and
+licked it with their forked and destroying tongues.
+
+“As soon as I was convinced that no assistance could save any part of
+the habitation, I quitted the scene and sought for refuge in the woods.
+
+“And now, with the world before me, whither should I bend my steps? I
+resolved to fly far from the scene of my misfortunes; but to me, hated
+and despised, every country must be equally horrible. At length the
+thought of you crossed my mind. I learned from your papers that you
+were my father, my creator; and to whom could I apply with more fitness
+than to him who had given me life? Among the lessons that Felix had
+bestowed upon Safie, geography had not been omitted; I had learned from
+these the relative situations of the different countries of the earth.
+You had mentioned Geneva as the name of your native town, and towards
+this place I resolved to proceed.
+
+“But how was I to direct myself? I knew that I must travel in a
+southwesterly direction to reach my destination, but the sun was my
+only guide. I did not know the names of the towns that I was to pass
+through, nor could I ask information from a single human being; but I
+did not despair. From you only could I hope for succour, although
+towards you I felt no sentiment but that of hatred. Unfeeling,
+heartless creator! You had endowed me with perceptions and passions
+and then cast me abroad an object for the scorn and horror of mankind.
+But on you only had I any claim for pity and redress, and from you I
+determined to seek that justice which I vainly attempted to gain from
+any other being that wore the human form.
+
+“My travels were long and the sufferings I endured intense. It was
+late in autumn when I quitted the district where I had so long resided.
+I travelled only at night, fearful of encountering the visage of a
+human being. Nature decayed around me, and the sun became heatless;
+rain and snow poured around me; mighty rivers were frozen; the surface
+of the earth was hard and chill, and bare, and I found no shelter. Oh,
+earth! How often did I imprecate curses on the cause of my being! The
+mildness of my nature had fled, and all within me was turned to gall
+and bitterness. The nearer I approached to your habitation, the more
+deeply did I feel the spirit of revenge enkindled in my heart. Snow
+fell, and the waters were hardened, but I rested not. A few incidents
+now and then directed me, and I possessed a map of the country; but I
+often wandered wide from my path. The agony of my feelings allowed me
+no respite; no incident occurred from which my rage and misery could
+not extract its food; but a circumstance that happened when I arrived
+on the confines of Switzerland, when the sun had recovered its warmth
+and the earth again began to look green, confirmed in an especial
+manner the bitterness and horror of my feelings.
+
+“I generally rested during the day and travelled only when I was
+secured by night from the view of man. One morning, however, finding
+that my path lay through a deep wood, I ventured to continue my journey
+after the sun had risen; the day, which was one of the first of spring,
+cheered even me by the loveliness of its sunshine and the balminess of
+the air. I felt emotions of gentleness and pleasure, that had long
+appeared dead, revive within me. Half surprised by the novelty of
+these sensations, I allowed myself to be borne away by them, and
+forgetting my solitude and deformity, dared to be happy. Soft tears
+again bedewed my cheeks, and I even raised my humid eyes with
+thankfulness towards the blessed sun, which bestowed such joy upon me.
+
+“I continued to wind among the paths of the wood, until I came to its
+boundary, which was skirted by a deep and rapid river, into which many
+of the trees bent their branches, now budding with the fresh spring.
+Here I paused, not exactly knowing what path to pursue, when I heard
+the sound of voices, that induced me to conceal myself under the shade
+of a cypress. I was scarcely hid when a young girl came running
+towards the spot where I was concealed, laughing, as if she ran from
+someone in sport. She continued her course along the precipitous sides
+of the river, when suddenly her foot slipped, and she fell into the
+rapid stream. I rushed from my hiding-place and with extreme labour,
+from the force of the current, saved her and dragged her to shore. She
+was senseless, and I endeavoured by every means in my power to restore
+animation, when I was suddenly interrupted by the approach of a rustic,
+who was probably the person from whom she had playfully fled. On
+seeing me, he darted towards me, and tearing the girl from my arms,
+hastened towards the deeper parts of the wood. I followed speedily, I
+hardly knew why; but when the man saw me draw near, he aimed a gun,
+which he carried, at my body and fired. I sank to the ground, and my
+injurer, with increased swiftness, escaped into the wood.
+
+“This was then the reward of my benevolence! I had saved a human being
+from destruction, and as a recompense I now writhed under the miserable
+pain of a wound which shattered the flesh and bone. The feelings of
+kindness and gentleness which I had entertained but a few moments
+before gave place to hellish rage and gnashing of teeth. Inflamed by
+pain, I vowed eternal hatred and vengeance to all mankind. But the
+agony of my wound overcame me; my pulses paused, and I fainted.
+
+“For some weeks I led a miserable life in the woods, endeavouring to
+cure the wound which I had received. The ball had entered my shoulder,
+and I knew not whether it had remained there or passed through; at any
+rate I had no means of extracting it. My sufferings were augmented
+also by the oppressive sense of the injustice and ingratitude of their
+infliction. My daily vows rose for revenge—a deep and deadly revenge,
+such as would alone compensate for the outrages and anguish I had
+endured.
+
+“After some weeks my wound healed, and I continued my journey. The
+labours I endured were no longer to be alleviated by the bright sun or
+gentle breezes of spring; all joy was but a mockery which insulted my
+desolate state and made me feel more painfully that I was not made for
+the enjoyment of pleasure.
+
+“But my toils now drew near a close, and in two months from this time I
+reached the environs of Geneva.
+
+“It was evening when I arrived, and I retired to a hiding-place among
+the fields that surround it to meditate in what manner I should apply
+to you. I was oppressed by fatigue and hunger and far too unhappy to
+enjoy the gentle breezes of evening or the prospect of the sun setting
+behind the stupendous mountains of Jura.
+
+“At this time a slight sleep relieved me from the pain of reflection,
+which was disturbed by the approach of a beautiful child, who came
+running into the recess I had chosen, with all the sportiveness of
+infancy. Suddenly, as I gazed on him, an idea seized me that this
+little creature was unprejudiced and had lived too short a time to have
+imbibed a horror of deformity. If, therefore, I could seize him and
+educate him as my companion and friend, I should not be so desolate in
+this peopled earth.
+
+“Urged by this impulse, I seized on the boy as he passed and drew him
+towards me. As soon as he beheld my form, he placed his hands before
+his eyes and uttered a shrill scream; I drew his hand forcibly from his
+face and said, ‘Child, what is the meaning of this? I do not intend to
+hurt you; listen to me.’
+
+“He struggled violently. ‘Let me go,’ he cried;
+‘monster! Ugly wretch! You wish to eat me and tear me to pieces. You
+are an ogre. Let me go, or I will tell my papa.’
+
+“‘Boy, you will never see your father again; you must come with me.’
+
+“‘Hideous monster! Let me go. My papa is a syndic—he is M.
+Frankenstein—he will punish you. You dare not keep me.’
+
+“‘Frankenstein! you belong then to my enemy—to him towards whom I have
+sworn eternal revenge; you shall be my first victim.’
+
+“The child still struggled and loaded me with epithets which carried
+despair to my heart; I grasped his throat to silence him, and in a
+moment he lay dead at my feet.
+
+“I gazed on my victim, and my heart swelled with exultation and hellish
+triumph; clapping my hands, I exclaimed, ‘I too can create desolation;
+my enemy is not invulnerable; this death will carry despair to him, and
+a thousand other miseries shall torment and destroy him.’
+
+“As I fixed my eyes on the child, I saw something glittering on his
+breast. I took it; it was a portrait of a most lovely woman. In spite
+of my malignity, it softened and attracted me. For a few moments I
+gazed with delight on her dark eyes, fringed by deep lashes, and her
+lovely lips; but presently my rage returned; I remembered that I was
+for ever deprived of the delights that such beautiful creatures could
+bestow and that she whose resemblance I contemplated would, in
+regarding me, have changed that air of divine benignity to one
+expressive of disgust and affright.
+
+“Can you wonder that such thoughts transported me with rage? I only
+wonder that at that moment, instead of venting my sensations in
+exclamations and agony, I did not rush among mankind and perish in the
+attempt to destroy them.
+
+“While I was overcome by these feelings, I left the spot where I had
+committed the murder, and seeking a more secluded hiding-place, I
+entered a barn which had appeared to me to be empty. A woman was
+sleeping on some straw; she was young, not indeed so beautiful as her
+whose portrait I held, but of an agreeable aspect and blooming in the
+loveliness of youth and health. Here, I thought, is one of those whose
+joy-imparting smiles are bestowed on all but me. And then I bent over
+her and whispered, ‘Awake, fairest, thy lover is near—he who would
+give his life but to obtain one look of affection from thine eyes; my
+beloved, awake!’
+
+“The sleeper stirred; a thrill of terror ran through me. Should she
+indeed awake, and see me, and curse me, and denounce the murderer? Thus
+would she assuredly act if her darkened eyes opened and she beheld me.
+The thought was madness; it stirred the fiend within me—not I, but
+she, shall suffer; the murder I have committed because I am for ever
+robbed of all that she could give me, she shall atone. The crime had
+its source in her; be hers the punishment! Thanks to the lessons of
+Felix and the sanguinary laws of man, I had learned now to work
+mischief. I bent over her and placed the portrait securely in one of
+the folds of her dress. She moved again, and I fled.
+
+“For some days I haunted the spot where these scenes had taken place,
+sometimes wishing to see you, sometimes resolved to quit the world and
+its miseries for ever. At length I wandered towards these mountains,
+and have ranged through their immense recesses, consumed by a burning
+passion which you alone can gratify. We may not part until you have
+promised to comply with my requisition. I am alone and miserable; man
+will not associate with me; but one as deformed and horrible as myself
+would not deny herself to me. My companion must be of the same species
+and have the same defects. This being you must create.”
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 17
+
+
+The being finished speaking and fixed his looks upon me in the
+expectation of a reply. But I was bewildered, perplexed, and unable to
+arrange my ideas sufficiently to understand the full extent of his
+proposition. He continued,
+
+“You must create a female for me with whom I can live in the
+interchange of those sympathies necessary for my being. This you alone
+can do, and I demand it of you as a right which you must not refuse to
+concede.”
+
+The latter part of his tale had kindled anew in me the anger that had
+died away while he narrated his peaceful life among the cottagers, and
+as he said this I could no longer suppress the rage that burned within
+me.
+
+“I do refuse it,” I replied; “and no torture shall ever extort a
+consent from me. You may render me the most miserable of men, but you
+shall never make me base in my own eyes. Shall I create another like
+yourself, whose joint wickedness might desolate the world. Begone! I
+have answered you; you may torture me, but I will never consent.”
+
+“You are in the wrong,” replied the fiend; “and instead
+of threatening, I am content to reason with you. I am malicious because I
+am miserable. Am I not shunned and hated by all mankind? You, my creator,
+would tear me to pieces and triumph; remember that, and tell me why I
+should pity man more than he pities me? You would not call it murder if you
+could precipitate me into one of those ice-rifts and destroy my frame, the
+work of your own hands. Shall I respect man when he condemns me? Let him
+live with me in the interchange of kindness, and instead of injury I would
+bestow every benefit upon him with tears of gratitude at his acceptance.
+But that cannot be; the human senses are insurmountable barriers to our
+union. Yet mine shall not be the submission of abject slavery. I will
+revenge my injuries; if I cannot inspire love, I will cause fear, and
+chiefly towards you my arch-enemy, because my creator, do I swear
+inextinguishable hatred. Have a care; I will work at your destruction, nor
+finish until I desolate your heart, so that you shall curse the hour of
+your birth.”
+
+A fiendish rage animated him as he said this; his face was wrinkled
+into contortions too horrible for human eyes to behold; but presently
+he calmed himself and proceeded—
+
+“I intended to reason. This passion is detrimental to me, for you do
+not reflect that _you_ are the cause of its excess. If any being felt
+emotions of benevolence towards me, I should return them a hundred and a
+hundredfold; for that one creature’s sake I would make peace with the
+whole kind! But I now indulge in dreams of bliss that cannot be realised.
+What I ask of you is reasonable and moderate; I demand a creature of
+another sex, but as hideous as myself; the gratification is small, but it
+is all that I can receive, and it shall content me. It is true, we shall be
+monsters, cut off from all the world; but on that account we shall be more
+attached to one another. Our lives will not be happy, but they will be
+harmless and free from the misery I now feel. Oh! My creator, make me
+happy; let me feel gratitude towards you for one benefit! Let me see that I
+excite the sympathy of some existing thing; do not deny me my
+request!”
+
+I was moved. I shuddered when I thought of the possible consequences
+of my consent, but I felt that there was some justice in his argument.
+His tale and the feelings he now expressed proved him to be a creature
+of fine sensations, and did I not as his maker owe him all the portion
+of happiness that it was in my power to bestow? He saw my change of
+feeling and continued,
+
+“If you consent, neither you nor any other human being shall ever see
+us again; I will go to the vast wilds of South America. My food is not
+that of man; I do not destroy the lamb and the kid to glut my appetite;
+acorns and berries afford me sufficient nourishment. My companion will
+be of the same nature as myself and will be content with the same fare.
+We shall make our bed of dried leaves; the sun will shine on us as on
+man and will ripen our food. The picture I present to you is peaceful
+and human, and you must feel that you could deny it only in the
+wantonness of power and cruelty. Pitiless as you have been towards me,
+I now see compassion in your eyes; let me seize the favourable moment
+and persuade you to promise what I so ardently desire.”
+
+“You propose,” replied I, “to fly from the habitations of
+man, to dwell in those wilds where the beasts of the field will be your
+only companions. How can you, who long for the love and sympathy of man,
+persevere in this exile? You will return and again seek their kindness, and
+you will meet with their detestation; your evil passions will be renewed,
+and you will then have a companion to aid you in the task of destruction.
+This may not be; cease to argue the point, for I cannot consent.”
+
+“How inconstant are your feelings! But a moment ago you were moved by
+my representations, and why do you again harden yourself to my complaints?
+I swear to you, by the earth which I inhabit, and by you that made me, that
+with the companion you bestow, I will quit the neighbourhood of man and
+dwell, as it may chance, in the most savage of places. My evil passions
+will have fled, for I shall meet with sympathy! My life will flow quietly
+away, and in my dying moments I shall not curse my maker.”
+
+His words had a strange effect upon me. I compassionated him and
+sometimes felt a wish to console him, but when I looked upon him, when
+I saw the filthy mass that moved and talked, my heart sickened and my
+feelings were altered to those of horror and hatred. I tried to stifle
+these sensations; I thought that as I could not sympathise with him, I
+had no right to withhold from him the small portion of happiness which
+was yet in my power to bestow.
+
+“You swear,” I said, “to be harmless; but have you not
+already shown a degree of malice that should reasonably make me distrust
+you? May not even this be a feint that will increase your triumph by
+affording a wider scope for your revenge?”
+
+“How is this? I must not be trifled with, and I demand an answer. If
+I have no ties and no affections, hatred and vice must be my portion;
+the love of another will destroy the cause of my crimes, and I shall
+become a thing of whose existence everyone will be ignorant. My vices
+are the children of a forced solitude that I abhor, and my virtues will
+necessarily arise when I live in communion with an equal. I shall feel
+the affections of a sensitive being and become linked to the chain of
+existence and events from which I am now excluded.”
+
+I paused some time to reflect on all he had related and the various
+arguments which he had employed. I thought of the promise of virtues which
+he had displayed on the opening of his existence and the subsequent blight
+of all kindly feeling by the loathing and scorn which his protectors had
+manifested towards him. His power and threats were not omitted in my
+calculations; a creature who could exist in the ice-caves of the glaciers
+and hide himself from pursuit among the ridges of inaccessible precipices
+was a being possessing faculties it would be vain to cope with. After a
+long pause of reflection I concluded that the justice due both to him and
+my fellow creatures demanded of me that I should comply with his request.
+Turning to him, therefore, I said,
+
+“I consent to your demand, on your solemn oath to quit Europe for ever,
+and every other place in the neighbourhood of man, as soon as I shall
+deliver into your hands a female who will accompany you in your exile.”
+
+“I swear,” he cried, “by the sun, and by the blue sky of
+heaven, and by the fire of love that burns my heart, that if you grant my
+prayer, while they exist you shall never behold me again. Depart to your
+home and commence your labours; I shall watch their progress with
+unutterable anxiety; and fear not but that when you are ready I shall
+appear.”
+
+Saying this, he suddenly quitted me, fearful, perhaps, of any change in
+my sentiments. I saw him descend the mountain with greater speed than
+the flight of an eagle, and quickly lost among the undulations of the
+sea of ice.
+
+His tale had occupied the whole day, and the sun was upon the verge of
+the horizon when he departed. I knew that I ought to hasten my descent
+towards the valley, as I should soon be encompassed in darkness; but my
+heart was heavy, and my steps slow. The labour of winding among the
+little paths of the mountain and fixing my feet firmly as I advanced
+perplexed me, occupied as I was by the emotions which the occurrences
+of the day had produced. Night was far advanced when I came to the
+halfway resting-place and seated myself beside the fountain. The stars
+shone at intervals as the clouds passed from over them; the dark pines
+rose before me, and every here and there a broken tree lay on the
+ground; it was a scene of wonderful solemnity and stirred strange
+thoughts within me. I wept bitterly, and clasping my hands in agony, I
+exclaimed, “Oh! stars and clouds and winds, ye are all about to mock
+me; if ye really pity me, crush sensation and memory; let me become as
+nought; but if not, depart, depart, and leave me in darkness.”
+
+These were wild and miserable thoughts, but I cannot describe to you
+how the eternal twinkling of the stars weighed upon me and how I
+listened to every blast of wind as if it were a dull ugly siroc on its
+way to consume me.
+
+Morning dawned before I arrived at the village of Chamounix; I took no
+rest, but returned immediately to Geneva. Even in my own heart I could
+give no expression to my sensations—they weighed on me with a
+mountain’s weight and their excess destroyed my agony beneath them.
+Thus I returned home, and entering the house, presented myself to the
+family. My haggard and wild appearance awoke intense alarm, but I
+answered no question, scarcely did I speak. I felt as if I were placed
+under a ban—as if I had no right to claim their sympathies—as if
+never more might I enjoy companionship with them. Yet even thus I
+loved them to adoration; and to save them, I resolved to dedicate
+myself to my most abhorred task. The prospect of such an occupation
+made every other circumstance of existence pass before me like a dream,
+and that thought only had to me the reality of life.
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 18
+
+
+Day after day, week after week, passed away on my return to Geneva; and
+I could not collect the courage to recommence my work. I feared the
+vengeance of the disappointed fiend, yet I was unable to overcome my
+repugnance to the task which was enjoined me. I found that I could not
+compose a female without again devoting several months to profound
+study and laborious disquisition. I had heard of some discoveries
+having been made by an English philosopher, the knowledge of which was
+material to my success, and I sometimes thought of obtaining my
+father’s consent to visit England for this purpose; but I clung to
+every pretence of delay and shrank from taking the first step in an
+undertaking whose immediate necessity began to appear less absolute to
+me. A change indeed had taken place in me; my health, which had
+hitherto declined, was now much restored; and my spirits, when
+unchecked by the memory of my unhappy promise, rose proportionably. My
+father saw this change with pleasure, and he turned his thoughts
+towards the best method of eradicating the remains of my melancholy,
+which every now and then would return by fits, and with a devouring
+blackness overcast the approaching sunshine. At these moments I took
+refuge in the most perfect solitude. I passed whole days on the lake
+alone in a little boat, watching the clouds and listening to the
+rippling of the waves, silent and listless. But the fresh air and
+bright sun seldom failed to restore me to some degree of composure, and
+on my return I met the salutations of my friends with a readier smile
+and a more cheerful heart.
+
+It was after my return from one of these rambles that my father,
+calling me aside, thus addressed me,
+
+“I am happy to remark, my dear son, that you have resumed your former
+pleasures and seem to be returning to yourself. And yet you are still
+unhappy and still avoid our society. For some time I was lost in
+conjecture as to the cause of this, but yesterday an idea struck me,
+and if it is well founded, I conjure you to avow it. Reserve on such a
+point would be not only useless, but draw down treble misery on us all.”
+
+I trembled violently at his exordium, and my father continued—
+
+“I confess, my son, that I have always looked forward to your
+marriage with our dear Elizabeth as the tie of our domestic comfort and the
+stay of my declining years. You were attached to each other from your
+earliest infancy; you studied together, and appeared, in dispositions and
+tastes, entirely suited to one another. But so blind is the experience of
+man that what I conceived to be the best assistants to my plan may have
+entirely destroyed it. You, perhaps, regard her as your sister, without any
+wish that she might become your wife. Nay, you may have met with another
+whom you may love; and considering yourself as bound in honour to
+Elizabeth, this struggle may occasion the poignant misery which you appear
+to feel.”
+
+“My dear father, reassure yourself. I love my cousin tenderly and
+sincerely. I never saw any woman who excited, as Elizabeth does, my
+warmest admiration and affection. My future hopes and prospects are
+entirely bound up in the expectation of our union.”
+
+“The expression of your sentiments of this subject, my dear Victor,
+gives me more pleasure than I have for some time experienced. If you
+feel thus, we shall assuredly be happy, however present events may cast
+a gloom over us. But it is this gloom which appears to have taken so
+strong a hold of your mind that I wish to dissipate. Tell me,
+therefore, whether you object to an immediate solemnisation of the
+marriage. We have been unfortunate, and recent events have drawn us
+from that everyday tranquillity befitting my years and infirmities. You
+are younger; yet I do not suppose, possessed as you are of a competent
+fortune, that an early marriage would at all interfere with any future
+plans of honour and utility that you may have formed. Do not suppose,
+however, that I wish to dictate happiness to you or that a delay on
+your part would cause me any serious uneasiness. Interpret my words
+with candour and answer me, I conjure you, with confidence and
+sincerity.”
+
+I listened to my father in silence and remained for some time incapable
+of offering any reply. I revolved rapidly in my mind a multitude of
+thoughts and endeavoured to arrive at some conclusion. Alas! To me
+the idea of an immediate union with my Elizabeth was one of horror and
+dismay. I was bound by a solemn promise which I had not yet fulfilled
+and dared not break, or if I did, what manifold miseries might not
+impend over me and my devoted family! Could I enter into a festival
+with this deadly weight yet hanging round my neck and bowing me to the
+ground? I must perform my engagement and let the monster depart with
+his mate before I allowed myself to enjoy the delight of a union from
+which I expected peace.
+
+I remembered also the necessity imposed upon me of either journeying to
+England or entering into a long correspondence with those philosophers
+of that country whose knowledge and discoveries were of indispensable
+use to me in my present undertaking. The latter method of obtaining
+the desired intelligence was dilatory and unsatisfactory; besides, I
+had an insurmountable aversion to the idea of engaging myself in my
+loathsome task in my father’s house while in habits of familiar
+intercourse with those I loved. I knew that a thousand fearful
+accidents might occur, the slightest of which would disclose a tale to
+thrill all connected with me with horror. I was aware also that I
+should often lose all self-command, all capacity of hiding the
+harrowing sensations that would possess me during the progress of my
+unearthly occupation. I must absent myself from all I loved while thus
+employed. Once commenced, it would quickly be achieved, and I might be
+restored to my family in peace and happiness. My promise fulfilled,
+the monster would depart for ever. Or (so my fond fancy imaged) some
+accident might meanwhile occur to destroy him and put an end to my
+slavery for ever.
+
+These feelings dictated my answer to my father. I expressed a wish to
+visit England, but concealing the true reasons of this request, I
+clothed my desires under a guise which excited no suspicion, while I
+urged my desire with an earnestness that easily induced my father to
+comply. After so long a period of an absorbing melancholy that
+resembled madness in its intensity and effects, he was glad to find
+that I was capable of taking pleasure in the idea of such a journey,
+and he hoped that change of scene and varied amusement would, before my
+return, have restored me entirely to myself.
+
+The duration of my absence was left to my own choice; a few months, or
+at most a year, was the period contemplated. One paternal kind
+precaution he had taken to ensure my having a companion. Without
+previously communicating with me, he had, in concert with Elizabeth,
+arranged that Clerval should join me at Strasburgh. This interfered
+with the solitude I coveted for the prosecution of my task; yet at the
+commencement of my journey the presence of my friend could in no way be
+an impediment, and truly I rejoiced that thus I should be saved many
+hours of lonely, maddening reflection. Nay, Henry might stand between
+me and the intrusion of my foe. If I were alone, would he not at times
+force his abhorred presence on me to remind me of my task or to
+contemplate its progress?
+
+To England, therefore, I was bound, and it was understood that my union
+with Elizabeth should take place immediately on my return. My father’s
+age rendered him extremely averse to delay. For myself, there was one
+reward I promised myself from my detested toils—one consolation for my
+unparalleled sufferings; it was the prospect of that day when,
+enfranchised from my miserable slavery, I might claim Elizabeth and
+forget the past in my union with her.
+
+I now made arrangements for my journey, but one feeling haunted me
+which filled me with fear and agitation. During my absence I should
+leave my friends unconscious of the existence of their enemy and
+unprotected from his attacks, exasperated as he might be by my
+departure. But he had promised to follow me wherever I might go, and
+would he not accompany me to England? This imagination was dreadful in
+itself, but soothing inasmuch as it supposed the safety of my friends.
+I was agonised with the idea of the possibility that the reverse of
+this might happen. But through the whole period during which I was the
+slave of my creature I allowed myself to be governed by the impulses of
+the moment; and my present sensations strongly intimated that the fiend
+would follow me and exempt my family from the danger of his
+machinations.
+
+It was in the latter end of September that I again quitted my native
+country. My journey had been my own suggestion, and Elizabeth
+therefore acquiesced, but she was filled with disquiet at the idea of
+my suffering, away from her, the inroads of misery and grief. It had
+been her care which provided me a companion in Clerval—and yet a man
+is blind to a thousand minute circumstances which call forth a woman’s
+sedulous attention. She longed to bid me hasten my return; a thousand
+conflicting emotions rendered her mute as she bade me a tearful, silent
+farewell.
+
+I threw myself into the carriage that was to convey me away, hardly
+knowing whither I was going, and careless of what was passing around.
+I remembered only, and it was with a bitter anguish that I reflected on
+it, to order that my chemical instruments should be packed to go with
+me. Filled with dreary imaginations, I passed through many beautiful
+and majestic scenes, but my eyes were fixed and unobserving. I could
+only think of the bourne of my travels and the work which was to occupy
+me whilst they endured.
+
+After some days spent in listless indolence, during which I traversed
+many leagues, I arrived at Strasburgh, where I waited two days for
+Clerval. He came. Alas, how great was the contrast between us! He
+was alive to every new scene, joyful when he saw the beauties of the
+setting sun, and more happy when he beheld it rise and recommence a new
+day. He pointed out to me the shifting colours of the landscape and
+the appearances of the sky. “This is what it is to live,” he cried;
+“now I enjoy existence! But you, my dear Frankenstein, wherefore are
+you desponding and sorrowful!” In truth, I was occupied by gloomy
+thoughts and neither saw the descent of the evening star nor the golden
+sunrise reflected in the Rhine. And you, my friend, would be far more
+amused with the journal of Clerval, who observed the scenery with an
+eye of feeling and delight, than in listening to my reflections. I, a
+miserable wretch, haunted by a curse that shut up every avenue to
+enjoyment.
+
+We had agreed to descend the Rhine in a boat from Strasburgh to
+Rotterdam, whence we might take shipping for London. During this
+voyage we passed many willowy islands and saw several beautiful towns.
+We stayed a day at Mannheim, and on the fifth from our departure from
+Strasburgh, arrived at Mainz. The course of the Rhine below Mainz
+becomes much more picturesque. The river descends rapidly and winds
+between hills, not high, but steep, and of beautiful forms. We saw
+many ruined castles standing on the edges of precipices, surrounded by
+black woods, high and inaccessible. This part of the Rhine, indeed,
+presents a singularly variegated landscape. In one spot you view
+rugged hills, ruined castles overlooking tremendous precipices, with
+the dark Rhine rushing beneath; and on the sudden turn of a promontory,
+flourishing vineyards with green sloping banks and a meandering river
+and populous towns occupy the scene.
+
+We travelled at the time of the vintage and heard the song of the labourers
+as we glided down the stream. Even I, depressed in mind, and my spirits
+continually agitated by gloomy feelings, even I was pleased. I lay at the
+bottom of the boat, and as I gazed on the cloudless blue sky, I seemed to
+drink in a tranquillity to which I had long been a stranger. And if these
+were my sensations, who can describe those of Henry? He felt as if he had
+been transported to Fairy-land and enjoyed a happiness seldom tasted by
+man. “I have seen,” he said, “the most beautiful scenes
+of my own country; I have visited the lakes of Lucerne and Uri, where the
+snowy mountains descend almost perpendicularly to the water, casting black
+and impenetrable shades, which would cause a gloomy and mournful appearance
+were it not for the most verdant islands that relieve the eye by their gay
+appearance; I have seen this lake agitated by a tempest, when the wind tore
+up whirlwinds of water and gave you an idea of what the water-spout must be
+on the great ocean; and the waves dash with fury the base of the mountain,
+where the priest and his mistress were overwhelmed by an avalanche and
+where their dying voices are still said to be heard amid the pauses of the
+nightly wind; I have seen the mountains of La Valais, and the Pays de Vaud;
+but this country, Victor, pleases me more than all those wonders. The
+mountains of Switzerland are more majestic and strange, but there is a
+charm in the banks of this divine river that I never before saw equalled.
+Look at that castle which overhangs yon precipice; and that also on the
+island, almost concealed amongst the foliage of those lovely trees; and now
+that group of labourers coming from among their vines; and that village
+half hid in the recess of the mountain. Oh, surely the spirit that inhabits
+and guards this place has a soul more in harmony with man than those who
+pile the glacier or retire to the inaccessible peaks of the mountains of
+our own country.”
+
+Clerval! Beloved friend! Even now it delights me to record your words and
+to dwell on the praise of which you are so eminently deserving. He was a
+being formed in the “very poetry of nature.” His wild and
+enthusiastic imagination was chastened by the sensibility of his heart. His
+soul overflowed with ardent affections, and his friendship was of that
+devoted and wondrous nature that the worldly-minded teach us to look for only
+in the imagination. But even human sympathies were not sufficient to
+satisfy his eager mind. The scenery of external nature, which others regard
+only with admiration, he loved with ardour:—
+
+    ——The sounding cataract
+    Haunted him like a passion: the tall rock,
+    The mountain, and the deep and gloomy wood,
+    Their colours and their forms, were then to him
+    An appetite; a feeling, and a love,
+    That had no need of a remoter charm,
+    By thought supplied, or any interest
+    Unborrow’d from the eye.
+
+          [Wordsworth’s “Tintern Abbey”.]
+
+And where does he now exist? Is this gentle and lovely being lost
+for ever? Has this mind, so replete with ideas, imaginations fanciful
+and magnificent, which formed a world, whose existence depended on the
+life of its creator;—has this mind perished? Does it now only exist
+in my memory? No, it is not thus; your form so divinely wrought, and
+beaming with beauty, has decayed, but your spirit still visits and
+consoles your unhappy friend.
+
+Pardon this gush of sorrow; these ineffectual words are but a slight
+tribute to the unexampled worth of Henry, but they soothe my heart,
+overflowing with the anguish which his remembrance creates. I will
+proceed with my tale.
+
+Beyond Cologne we descended to the plains of Holland; and we resolved to
+post the remainder of our way, for the wind was contrary and the stream of
+the river was too gentle to aid us.
+
+Our journey here lost the interest arising from beautiful scenery, but we
+arrived in a few days at Rotterdam, whence we proceeded by sea to England.
+It was on a clear morning, in the latter days of December, that I first saw
+the white cliffs of Britain. The banks of the Thames presented a new scene;
+they were flat but fertile, and almost every town was marked by the
+remembrance of some story. We saw Tilbury Fort and remembered the Spanish
+Armada, Gravesend, Woolwich, and Greenwich—places which I had heard
+of even in my country.
+
+At length we saw the numerous steeples of London, St. Paul’s towering
+above all, and the Tower famed in English history.
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 19
+
+
+London was our present point of rest; we determined to remain several
+months in this wonderful and celebrated city. Clerval desired the
+intercourse of the men of genius and talent who flourished at this
+time, but this was with me a secondary object; I was principally
+occupied with the means of obtaining the information necessary for the
+completion of my promise and quickly availed myself of the letters of
+introduction that I had brought with me, addressed to the most
+distinguished natural philosophers.
+
+If this journey had taken place during my days of study and happiness,
+it would have afforded me inexpressible pleasure. But a blight had
+come over my existence, and I only visited these people for the sake of
+the information they might give me on the subject in which my interest
+was so terribly profound. Company was irksome to me; when alone, I
+could fill my mind with the sights of heaven and earth; the voice of
+Henry soothed me, and I could thus cheat myself into a transitory
+peace. But busy, uninteresting, joyous faces brought back despair to
+my heart. I saw an insurmountable barrier placed between me and my
+fellow men; this barrier was sealed with the blood of William and
+Justine, and to reflect on the events connected with those names filled
+my soul with anguish.
+
+But in Clerval I saw the image of my former self; he was inquisitive
+and anxious to gain experience and instruction. The difference of
+manners which he observed was to him an inexhaustible source of
+instruction and amusement. He was also pursuing an object he had long
+had in view. His design was to visit India, in the belief that he had
+in his knowledge of its various languages, and in the views he had
+taken of its society, the means of materially assisting the progress of
+European colonization and trade. In Britain only could he further the
+execution of his plan. He was for ever busy, and the only check to his
+enjoyments was my sorrowful and dejected mind. I tried to conceal this
+as much as possible, that I might not debar him from the pleasures
+natural to one who was entering on a new scene of life, undisturbed by
+any care or bitter recollection. I often refused to accompany him,
+alleging another engagement, that I might remain alone. I now also
+began to collect the materials necessary for my new creation, and this
+was to me like the torture of single drops of water continually falling
+on the head. Every thought that was devoted to it was an extreme
+anguish, and every word that I spoke in allusion to it caused my lips
+to quiver, and my heart to palpitate.
+
+After passing some months in London, we received a letter from a person in
+Scotland who had formerly been our visitor at Geneva. He mentioned the
+beauties of his native country and asked us if those were not sufficient
+allurements to induce us to prolong our journey as far north as Perth,
+where he resided. Clerval eagerly desired to accept this invitation, and I,
+although I abhorred society, wished to view again mountains and streams and
+all the wondrous works with which Nature adorns her chosen dwelling-places.
+
+We had arrived in England at the beginning of October, and it was now
+February. We accordingly determined to commence our journey towards the
+north at the expiration of another month. In this expedition we did not
+intend to follow the great road to Edinburgh, but to visit Windsor, Oxford,
+Matlock, and the Cumberland lakes, resolving to arrive at the completion of
+this tour about the end of July. I packed up my chemical instruments and
+the materials I had collected, resolving to finish my labours in some
+obscure nook in the northern highlands of Scotland.
+
+We quitted London on the 27th of March and remained a few days at
+Windsor, rambling in its beautiful forest. This was a new scene to us
+mountaineers; the majestic oaks, the quantity of game, and the herds of
+stately deer were all novelties to us.
+
+From thence we proceeded to Oxford. As we entered this city, our minds
+were filled with the remembrance of the events that had been transacted
+there more than a century and a half before. It was here that Charles
+I. had collected his forces. This city had remained faithful to him,
+after the whole nation had forsaken his cause to join the standard of
+Parliament and liberty. The memory of that unfortunate king and his
+companions, the amiable Falkland, the insolent Goring, his queen, and
+son, gave a peculiar interest to every part of the city which they
+might be supposed to have inhabited. The spirit of elder days found a
+dwelling here, and we delighted to trace its footsteps. If these
+feelings had not found an imaginary gratification, the appearance of
+the city had yet in itself sufficient beauty to obtain our admiration.
+The colleges are ancient and picturesque; the streets are almost
+magnificent; and the lovely Isis, which flows beside it through meadows
+of exquisite verdure, is spread forth into a placid expanse of waters,
+which reflects its majestic assemblage of towers, and spires, and
+domes, embosomed among aged trees.
+
+I enjoyed this scene, and yet my enjoyment was embittered both by the
+memory of the past and the anticipation of the future. I was formed
+for peaceful happiness. During my youthful days discontent never
+visited my mind, and if I was ever overcome by _ennui_, the sight of what
+is beautiful in nature or the study of what is excellent and sublime in
+the productions of man could always interest my heart and communicate
+elasticity to my spirits. But I am a blasted tree; the bolt has
+entered my soul; and I felt then that I should survive to exhibit what
+I shall soon cease to be—a miserable spectacle of wrecked humanity,
+pitiable to others and intolerable to myself.
+
+We passed a considerable period at Oxford, rambling among its environs
+and endeavouring to identify every spot which might relate to the most
+animating epoch of English history. Our little voyages of discovery
+were often prolonged by the successive objects that presented
+themselves. We visited the tomb of the illustrious Hampden and the
+field on which that patriot fell. For a moment my soul was elevated
+from its debasing and miserable fears to contemplate the divine ideas
+of liberty and self-sacrifice of which these sights were the monuments
+and the remembrancers. For an instant I dared to shake off my chains
+and look around me with a free and lofty spirit, but the iron had eaten
+into my flesh, and I sank again, trembling and hopeless, into my
+miserable self.
+
+We left Oxford with regret and proceeded to Matlock, which was our next
+place of rest. The country in the neighbourhood of this village
+resembled, to a greater degree, the scenery of Switzerland; but
+everything is on a lower scale, and the green hills want the crown of
+distant white Alps which always attend on the piny mountains of my
+native country. We visited the wondrous cave and the little cabinets
+of natural history, where the curiosities are disposed in the same
+manner as in the collections at Servox and Chamounix. The latter name
+made me tremble when pronounced by Henry, and I hastened to quit
+Matlock, with which that terrible scene was thus associated.
+
+From Derby, still journeying northwards, we passed two months in
+Cumberland and Westmorland. I could now almost fancy myself among the
+Swiss mountains. The little patches of snow which yet lingered on the
+northern sides of the mountains, the lakes, and the dashing of the
+rocky streams were all familiar and dear sights to me. Here also we
+made some acquaintances, who almost contrived to cheat me into
+happiness. The delight of Clerval was proportionably greater than
+mine; his mind expanded in the company of men of talent, and he found
+in his own nature greater capacities and resources than he could have
+imagined himself to have possessed while he associated with his
+inferiors. “I could pass my life here,” said he to me; “and among
+these mountains I should scarcely regret Switzerland and the Rhine.”
+
+But he found that a traveller’s life is one that includes much pain
+amidst its enjoyments. His feelings are for ever on the stretch; and
+when he begins to sink into repose, he finds himself obliged to quit
+that on which he rests in pleasure for something new, which again
+engages his attention, and which also he forsakes for other novelties.
+
+We had scarcely visited the various lakes of Cumberland and Westmorland
+and conceived an affection for some of the inhabitants when the period
+of our appointment with our Scotch friend approached, and we left them
+to travel on. For my own part I was not sorry. I had now neglected my
+promise for some time, and I feared the effects of the dæmon’s
+disappointment. He might remain in Switzerland and wreak his vengeance
+on my relatives. This idea pursued me and tormented me at every moment
+from which I might otherwise have snatched repose and peace. I waited
+for my letters with feverish impatience; if they were delayed I was
+miserable and overcome by a thousand fears; and when they arrived and I
+saw the superscription of Elizabeth or my father, I hardly dared to
+read and ascertain my fate. Sometimes I thought that the fiend
+followed me and might expedite my remissness by murdering my companion.
+When these thoughts possessed me, I would not quit Henry for a moment,
+but followed him as his shadow, to protect him from the fancied rage of
+his destroyer. I felt as if I had committed some great crime, the
+consciousness of which haunted me. I was guiltless, but I had indeed
+drawn down a horrible curse upon my head, as mortal as that of crime.
+
+I visited Edinburgh with languid eyes and mind; and yet that city might
+have interested the most unfortunate being. Clerval did not like it so well
+as Oxford, for the antiquity of the latter city was more pleasing to him.
+But the beauty and regularity of the new town of Edinburgh, its romantic
+castle and its environs, the most delightful in the world, Arthur’s
+Seat, St. Bernard’s Well, and the Pentland Hills, compensated him for
+the change and filled him with cheerfulness and admiration. But I was
+impatient to arrive at the termination of my journey.
+
+We left Edinburgh in a week, passing through Coupar, St. Andrew’s, and
+along the banks of the Tay, to Perth, where our friend expected us.
+But I was in no mood to laugh and talk with strangers or enter into
+their feelings or plans with the good humour expected from a guest; and
+accordingly I told Clerval that I wished to make the tour of Scotland
+alone. “Do you,” said I, “enjoy yourself, and let this be our
+rendezvous. I may be absent a month or two; but do not interfere with
+my motions, I entreat you; leave me to peace and solitude for a short
+time; and when I return, I hope it will be with a lighter heart, more
+congenial to your own temper.”
+
+Henry wished to dissuade me, but seeing me bent on this plan, ceased to
+remonstrate. He entreated me to write often. “I had rather be with
+you,” he said, “in your solitary rambles, than with these Scotch
+people, whom I do not know; hasten, then, my dear friend, to return,
+that I may again feel myself somewhat at home, which I cannot do in
+your absence.”
+
+Having parted from my friend, I determined to visit some remote spot of
+Scotland and finish my work in solitude. I did not doubt but that the
+monster followed me and would discover himself to me when I should have
+finished, that he might receive his companion.
+
+With this resolution I traversed the northern highlands and fixed on one of
+the remotest of the Orkneys as the scene of my labours. It was a place
+fitted for such a work, being hardly more than a rock whose high sides were
+continually beaten upon by the waves. The soil was barren, scarcely
+affording pasture for a few miserable cows, and oatmeal for its
+inhabitants, which consisted of five persons, whose gaunt and scraggy limbs
+gave tokens of their miserable fare. Vegetables and bread, when they
+indulged in such luxuries, and even fresh water, was to be procured from
+the mainland, which was about five miles distant.
+
+On the whole island there were but three miserable huts, and one of
+these was vacant when I arrived. This I hired. It contained but two
+rooms, and these exhibited all the squalidness of the most miserable
+penury. The thatch had fallen in, the walls were unplastered, and the
+door was off its hinges. I ordered it to be repaired, bought some
+furniture, and took possession, an incident which would doubtless have
+occasioned some surprise had not all the senses of the cottagers been
+benumbed by want and squalid poverty. As it was, I lived ungazed at
+and unmolested, hardly thanked for the pittance of food and clothes
+which I gave, so much does suffering blunt even the coarsest sensations
+of men.
+
+In this retreat I devoted the morning to labour; but in the evening,
+when the weather permitted, I walked on the stony beach of the sea to
+listen to the waves as they roared and dashed at my feet. It was a
+monotonous yet ever-changing scene. I thought of Switzerland; it was
+far different from this desolate and appalling landscape. Its hills
+are covered with vines, and its cottages are scattered thickly in the
+plains. Its fair lakes reflect a blue and gentle sky, and when
+troubled by the winds, their tumult is but as the play of a lively
+infant when compared to the roarings of the giant ocean.
+
+In this manner I distributed my occupations when I first arrived, but
+as I proceeded in my labour, it became every day more horrible and
+irksome to me. Sometimes I could not prevail on myself to enter my
+laboratory for several days, and at other times I toiled day and night
+in order to complete my work. It was, indeed, a filthy process in
+which I was engaged. During my first experiment, a kind of
+enthusiastic frenzy had blinded me to the horror of my employment; my
+mind was intently fixed on the consummation of my labour, and my eyes
+were shut to the horror of my proceedings. But now I went to it in
+cold blood, and my heart often sickened at the work of my hands.
+
+Thus situated, employed in the most detestable occupation, immersed in
+a solitude where nothing could for an instant call my attention from
+the actual scene in which I was engaged, my spirits became unequal; I
+grew restless and nervous. Every moment I feared to meet my
+persecutor. Sometimes I sat with my eyes fixed on the ground, fearing
+to raise them lest they should encounter the object which I so much
+dreaded to behold. I feared to wander from the sight of my fellow
+creatures lest when alone he should come to claim his companion.
+
+In the mean time I worked on, and my labour was already considerably
+advanced. I looked towards its completion with a tremulous and eager
+hope, which I dared not trust myself to question but which was
+intermixed with obscure forebodings of evil that made my heart sicken
+in my bosom.
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 20
+
+
+I sat one evening in my laboratory; the sun had set, and the moon was just
+rising from the sea; I had not sufficient light for my employment, and I
+remained idle, in a pause of consideration of whether I should leave my
+labour for the night or hasten its conclusion by an unremitting attention
+to it. As I sat, a train of reflection occurred to me which led me to
+consider the effects of what I was now doing. Three years before, I was
+engaged in the same manner and had created a fiend whose unparalleled
+barbarity had desolated my heart and filled it for ever with the bitterest
+remorse. I was now about to form another being of whose dispositions I was
+alike ignorant; she might become ten thousand times more malignant than her
+mate and delight, for its own sake, in murder and wretchedness. He had
+sworn to quit the neighbourhood of man and hide himself in deserts, but she
+had not; and she, who in all probability was to become a thinking and
+reasoning animal, might refuse to comply with a compact made before her
+creation. They might even hate each other; the creature who already lived
+loathed his own deformity, and might he not conceive a greater abhorrence
+for it when it came before his eyes in the female form? She also might turn
+with disgust from him to the superior beauty of man; she might quit him,
+and he be again alone, exasperated by the fresh provocation of being
+deserted by one of his own species.
+
+Even if they were to leave Europe and inhabit the deserts of the new world,
+yet one of the first results of those sympathies for which the dæmon
+thirsted would be children, and a race of devils would be propagated upon
+the earth who might make the very existence of the species of man a
+condition precarious and full of terror. Had I right, for my own benefit,
+to inflict this curse upon everlasting generations? I had before been moved
+by the sophisms of the being I had created; I had been struck senseless by
+his fiendish threats; but now, for the first time, the wickedness of my
+promise burst upon me; I shuddered to think that future ages might curse me
+as their pest, whose selfishness had not hesitated to buy its own peace at
+the price, perhaps, of the existence of the whole human race.
+
+I trembled and my heart failed within me, when, on looking up, I saw by
+the light of the moon the dæmon at the casement. A ghastly grin
+wrinkled his lips as he gazed on me, where I sat fulfilling the task
+which he had allotted to me. Yes, he had followed me in my travels; he
+had loitered in forests, hid himself in caves, or taken refuge in wide
+and desert heaths; and he now came to mark my progress and claim the
+fulfilment of my promise.
+
+As I looked on him, his countenance expressed the utmost extent of
+malice and treachery. I thought with a sensation of madness on my
+promise of creating another like to him, and trembling with passion,
+tore to pieces the thing on which I was engaged. The wretch saw me
+destroy the creature on whose future existence he depended for
+happiness, and with a howl of devilish despair and revenge, withdrew.
+
+I left the room, and locking the door, made a solemn vow in my own
+heart never to resume my labours; and then, with trembling steps, I
+sought my own apartment. I was alone; none were near me to dissipate
+the gloom and relieve me from the sickening oppression of the most
+terrible reveries.
+
+Several hours passed, and I remained near my window gazing on the sea;
+it was almost motionless, for the winds were hushed, and all nature
+reposed under the eye of the quiet moon. A few fishing vessels alone
+specked the water, and now and then the gentle breeze wafted the sound
+of voices as the fishermen called to one another. I felt the silence,
+although I was hardly conscious of its extreme profundity, until my ear
+was suddenly arrested by the paddling of oars near the shore, and a
+person landed close to my house.
+
+In a few minutes after, I heard the creaking of my door, as if some one
+endeavoured to open it softly. I trembled from head to foot; I felt a
+presentiment of who it was and wished to rouse one of the peasants who
+dwelt in a cottage not far from mine; but I was overcome by the sensation
+of helplessness, so often felt in frightful dreams, when you in vain
+endeavour to fly from an impending danger, and was rooted to the spot.
+
+Presently I heard the sound of footsteps along the passage; the door
+opened, and the wretch whom I dreaded appeared. Shutting the door, he
+approached me and said in a smothered voice,
+
+“You have destroyed the work which you began; what is it that you
+intend? Do you dare to break your promise? I have endured toil and misery;
+I left Switzerland with you; I crept along the shores of the Rhine, among
+its willow islands and over the summits of its hills. I have dwelt many
+months in the heaths of England and among the deserts of Scotland. I have
+endured incalculable fatigue, and cold, and hunger; do you dare destroy my
+hopes?”
+
+“Begone! I do break my promise; never will I create another like
+yourself, equal in deformity and wickedness.”
+
+“Slave, I before reasoned with you, but you have proved yourself
+unworthy of my condescension. Remember that I have power; you believe
+yourself miserable, but I can make you so wretched that the light of
+day will be hateful to you. You are my creator, but I am your master;
+obey!”
+
+“The hour of my irresolution is past, and the period of your power is
+arrived. Your threats cannot move me to do an act of wickedness; but
+they confirm me in a determination of not creating you a companion in
+vice. Shall I, in cool blood, set loose upon the earth a dæmon whose
+delight is in death and wretchedness? Begone! I am firm, and your
+words will only exasperate my rage.”
+
+The monster saw my determination in my face and gnashed his teeth in the
+impotence of anger. “Shall each man,” cried he, “find a
+wife for his bosom, and each beast have his mate, and I be alone? I had
+feelings of affection, and they were requited by detestation and scorn.
+Man! You may hate, but beware! Your hours will pass in dread and misery,
+and soon the bolt will fall which must ravish from you your happiness for
+ever. Are you to be happy while I grovel in the intensity of my
+wretchedness? You can blast my other passions, but revenge
+remains—revenge, henceforth dearer than light or food! I may die, but
+first you, my tyrant and tormentor, shall curse the sun that gazes on your
+misery. Beware, for I am fearless and therefore powerful. I will watch with
+the wiliness of a snake, that I may sting with its venom. Man, you shall
+repent of the injuries you inflict.”
+
+“Devil, cease; and do not poison the air with these sounds of malice.
+I have declared my resolution to you, and I am no coward to bend
+beneath words. Leave me; I am inexorable.”
+
+“It is well. I go; but remember, I shall be with you on your
+wedding-night.”
+
+I started forward and exclaimed, “Villain! Before you sign my
+death-warrant, be sure that you are yourself safe.”
+
+I would have seized him, but he eluded me and quitted the house with
+precipitation. In a few moments I saw him in his boat, which shot
+across the waters with an arrowy swiftness and was soon lost amidst the
+waves.
+
+All was again silent, but his words rang in my ears. I burned with rage to
+pursue the murderer of my peace and precipitate him into the ocean. I
+walked up and down my room hastily and perturbed, while my imagination
+conjured up a thousand images to torment and sting me. Why had I not
+followed him and closed with him in mortal strife? But I had suffered him
+to depart, and he had directed his course towards the mainland. I shuddered
+to think who might be the next victim sacrificed to his insatiate revenge.
+And then I thought again of his words—“_I will be with you on
+your wedding-night._” That, then, was the period fixed for the
+fulfilment of my destiny. In that hour I should die and at once satisfy and
+extinguish his malice. The prospect did not move me to fear; yet when I
+thought of my beloved Elizabeth, of her tears and endless sorrow, when she
+should find her lover so barbarously snatched from her, tears, the first I
+had shed for many months, streamed from my eyes, and I resolved not to fall
+before my enemy without a bitter struggle.
+
+The night passed away, and the sun rose from the ocean; my feelings became
+calmer, if it may be called calmness when the violence of rage sinks into
+the depths of despair. I left the house, the horrid scene of the last
+night’s contention, and walked on the beach of the sea, which I
+almost regarded as an insuperable barrier between me and my fellow
+creatures; nay, a wish that such should prove the fact stole across me. I
+desired that I might pass my life on that barren rock, wearily, it is true,
+but uninterrupted by any sudden shock of misery. If I returned, it was to
+be sacrificed or to see those whom I most loved die under the grasp of a
+dæmon whom I had myself created.
+
+I walked about the isle like a restless spectre, separated from all it
+loved and miserable in the separation. When it became noon, and the
+sun rose higher, I lay down on the grass and was overpowered by a deep
+sleep. I had been awake the whole of the preceding night, my nerves
+were agitated, and my eyes inflamed by watching and misery. The sleep
+into which I now sank refreshed me; and when I awoke, I again felt as
+if I belonged to a race of human beings like myself, and I began to
+reflect upon what had passed with greater composure; yet still the
+words of the fiend rang in my ears like a death-knell; they appeared
+like a dream, yet distinct and oppressive as a reality.
+
+The sun had far descended, and I still sat on the shore, satisfying my
+appetite, which had become ravenous, with an oaten cake, when I saw a
+fishing-boat land close to me, and one of the men brought me a packet;
+it contained letters from Geneva, and one from Clerval entreating me to
+join him. He said that he was wearing away his time fruitlessly where
+he was, that letters from the friends he had formed in London desired
+his return to complete the negotiation they had entered into for his
+Indian enterprise. He could not any longer delay his departure; but as
+his journey to London might be followed, even sooner than he now
+conjectured, by his longer voyage, he entreated me to bestow as much of
+my society on him as I could spare. He besought me, therefore, to
+leave my solitary isle and to meet him at Perth, that we might proceed
+southwards together. This letter in a degree recalled me to life, and
+I determined to quit my island at the expiration of two days.
+
+Yet, before I departed, there was a task to perform, on which I shuddered
+to reflect; I must pack up my chemical instruments, and for that purpose I
+must enter the room which had been the scene of my odious work, and I must
+handle those utensils the sight of which was sickening to me. The next
+morning, at daybreak, I summoned sufficient courage and unlocked the door
+of my laboratory. The remains of the half-finished creature, whom I had
+destroyed, lay scattered on the floor, and I almost felt as if I had
+mangled the living flesh of a human being. I paused to collect myself and
+then entered the chamber. With trembling hand I conveyed the instruments
+out of the room, but I reflected that I ought not to leave the relics of my
+work to excite the horror and suspicion of the peasants; and I accordingly
+put them into a basket, with a great quantity of stones, and laying them
+up, determined to throw them into the sea that very night; and in the
+meantime I sat upon the beach, employed in cleaning and arranging my
+chemical apparatus.
+
+Nothing could be more complete than the alteration that had taken place
+in my feelings since the night of the appearance of the dæmon. I had
+before regarded my promise with a gloomy despair as a thing that, with
+whatever consequences, must be fulfilled; but I now felt as if a film
+had been taken from before my eyes and that I for the first time saw
+clearly. The idea of renewing my labours did not for one instant occur
+to me; the threat I had heard weighed on my thoughts, but I did not
+reflect that a voluntary act of mine could avert it. I had resolved in
+my own mind that to create another like the fiend I had first made
+would be an act of the basest and most atrocious selfishness, and I
+banished from my mind every thought that could lead to a different
+conclusion.
+
+Between two and three in the morning the moon rose; and I then, putting my
+basket aboard a little skiff, sailed out about four miles from the shore.
+The scene was perfectly solitary; a few boats were returning towards land,
+but I sailed away from them. I felt as if I was about the commission of a
+dreadful crime and avoided with shuddering anxiety any encounter with my
+fellow creatures. At one time the moon, which had before been clear, was
+suddenly overspread by a thick cloud, and I took advantage of the moment of
+darkness and cast my basket into the sea; I listened to the gurgling sound
+as it sank and then sailed away from the spot. The sky became clouded, but
+the air was pure, although chilled by the northeast breeze that was then
+rising. But it refreshed me and filled me with such agreeable sensations
+that I resolved to prolong my stay on the water, and fixing the rudder in a
+direct position, stretched myself at the bottom of the boat. Clouds hid the
+moon, everything was obscure, and I heard only the sound of the boat as its
+keel cut through the waves; the murmur lulled me, and in a short time I
+slept soundly.
+
+I do not know how long I remained in this situation, but when I awoke I
+found that the sun had already mounted considerably. The wind was high, and
+the waves continually threatened the safety of my little skiff. I found
+that the wind was northeast and must have driven me far from the coast from
+which I had embarked. I endeavoured to change my course but quickly found
+that if I again made the attempt the boat would be instantly filled with
+water. Thus situated, my only resource was to drive before the wind. I
+confess that I felt a few sensations of terror. I had no compass with me
+and was so slenderly acquainted with the geography of this part of the
+world that the sun was of little benefit to me. I might be driven into the
+wide Atlantic and feel all the tortures of starvation or be swallowed up in
+the immeasurable waters that roared and buffeted around me. I had already
+been out many hours and felt the torment of a burning thirst, a prelude to
+my other sufferings. I looked on the heavens, which were covered by clouds
+that flew before the wind, only to be replaced by others; I looked upon the
+sea; it was to be my grave. “Fiend,” I exclaimed, “your
+task is already fulfilled!” I thought of Elizabeth, of my father, and
+of Clerval—all left behind, on whom the monster might satisfy his
+sanguinary and merciless passions. This idea plunged me into a reverie so
+despairing and frightful that even now, when the scene is on the point of
+closing before me for ever, I shudder to reflect on it.
+
+Some hours passed thus; but by degrees, as the sun declined towards the
+horizon, the wind died away into a gentle breeze and the sea became
+free from breakers. But these gave place to a heavy swell; I felt sick
+and hardly able to hold the rudder, when suddenly I saw a line of high
+land towards the south.
+
+Almost spent, as I was, by fatigue and the dreadful suspense I endured
+for several hours, this sudden certainty of life rushed like a flood of
+warm joy to my heart, and tears gushed from my eyes.
+
+How mutable are our feelings, and how strange is that clinging love we have
+of life even in the excess of misery! I constructed another sail with a
+part of my dress and eagerly steered my course towards the land. It had a
+wild and rocky appearance, but as I approached nearer I easily perceived
+the traces of cultivation. I saw vessels near the shore and found myself
+suddenly transported back to the neighbourhood of civilised man. I
+carefully traced the windings of the land and hailed a steeple which I at
+length saw issuing from behind a small promontory. As I was in a state of
+extreme debility, I resolved to sail directly towards the town, as a place
+where I could most easily procure nourishment. Fortunately I had money with
+me. As I turned the promontory I perceived a small neat town and a good
+harbour, which I entered, my heart bounding with joy at my unexpected
+escape.
+
+As I was occupied in fixing the boat and arranging the sails, several
+people crowded towards the spot. They seemed much surprised at my
+appearance, but instead of offering me any assistance, whispered
+together with gestures that at any other time might have produced in me
+a slight sensation of alarm. As it was, I merely remarked that they
+spoke English, and I therefore addressed them in that language. “My
+good friends,” said I, “will you be so kind as to tell me the name of
+this town and inform me where I am?”
+
+“You will know that soon enough,” replied a man with a hoarse voice.
+“Maybe you are come to a place that will not prove much to your taste,
+but you will not be consulted as to your quarters, I promise you.”
+
+I was exceedingly surprised on receiving so rude an answer from a
+stranger, and I was also disconcerted on perceiving the frowning and
+angry countenances of his companions. “Why do you answer me so
+roughly?” I replied. “Surely it is not the custom of Englishmen to
+receive strangers so inhospitably.”
+
+“I do not know,” said the man, “what the custom of the
+English may be, but it is the custom of the Irish to hate villains.”
+
+While this strange dialogue continued, I perceived the crowd rapidly
+increase. Their faces expressed a mixture of curiosity and anger, which
+annoyed and in some degree alarmed me. I inquired the way to the inn, but
+no one replied. I then moved forward, and a murmuring sound arose from the
+crowd as they followed and surrounded me, when an ill-looking man
+approaching tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Come, sir, you must
+follow me to Mr. Kirwin’s to give an account of yourself.”
+
+“Who is Mr. Kirwin? Why am I to give an account of myself? Is not
+this a free country?”
+
+“Ay, sir, free enough for honest folks. Mr. Kirwin is a magistrate,
+and you are to give an account of the death of a gentleman who was
+found murdered here last night.”
+
+This answer startled me, but I presently recovered myself. I was innocent;
+that could easily be proved; accordingly I followed my conductor in silence
+and was led to one of the best houses in the town. I was ready to sink from
+fatigue and hunger, but being surrounded by a crowd, I thought it politic
+to rouse all my strength, that no physical debility might be construed into
+apprehension or conscious guilt. Little did I then expect the calamity that
+was in a few moments to overwhelm me and extinguish in horror and despair
+all fear of ignominy or death.
+
+I must pause here, for it requires all my fortitude to recall the memory of
+the frightful events which I am about to relate, in proper detail, to my
+recollection.
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 21
+
+
+I was soon introduced into the presence of the magistrate, an old
+benevolent man with calm and mild manners. He looked upon me, however,
+with some degree of severity, and then, turning towards my conductors,
+he asked who appeared as witnesses on this occasion.
+
+About half a dozen men came forward; and, one being selected by the
+magistrate, he deposed that he had been out fishing the night before with
+his son and brother-in-law, Daniel Nugent, when, about ten o’clock,
+they observed a strong northerly blast rising, and they accordingly put in
+for port. It was a very dark night, as the moon had not yet risen; they did
+not land at the harbour, but, as they had been accustomed, at a creek about
+two miles below. He walked on first, carrying a part of the fishing tackle,
+and his companions followed him at some distance. As he was proceeding
+along the sands, he struck his foot against something and fell at his
+length on the ground. His companions came up to assist him, and by the
+light of their lantern they found that he had fallen on the body of a man,
+who was to all appearance dead. Their first supposition was that it was the
+corpse of some person who had been drowned and was thrown on shore by the
+waves, but on examination they found that the clothes were not wet and even
+that the body was not then cold. They instantly carried it to the cottage
+of an old woman near the spot and endeavoured, but in vain, to restore it
+to life. It appeared to be a handsome young man, about five and twenty
+years of age. He had apparently been strangled, for there was no sign of
+any violence except the black mark of fingers on his neck.
+
+The first part of this deposition did not in the least interest me, but
+when the mark of the fingers was mentioned I remembered the murder of
+my brother and felt myself extremely agitated; my limbs trembled, and a
+mist came over my eyes, which obliged me to lean on a chair for
+support. The magistrate observed me with a keen eye and of course drew
+an unfavourable augury from my manner.
+
+The son confirmed his father’s account, but when Daniel Nugent was
+called he swore positively that just before the fall of his companion, he
+saw a boat, with a single man in it, at a short distance from the shore;
+and as far as he could judge by the light of a few stars, it was the same
+boat in which I had just landed.
+
+A woman deposed that she lived near the beach and was standing at the door
+of her cottage, waiting for the return of the fishermen, about an hour
+before she heard of the discovery of the body, when she saw a boat with
+only one man in it push off from that part of the shore where the corpse
+was afterwards found.
+
+Another woman confirmed the account of the fishermen having brought the
+body into her house; it was not cold. They put it into a bed and
+rubbed it, and Daniel went to the town for an apothecary, but life was
+quite gone.
+
+Several other men were examined concerning my landing, and they agreed
+that, with the strong north wind that had arisen during the night, it
+was very probable that I had beaten about for many hours and had been
+obliged to return nearly to the same spot from which I had departed.
+Besides, they observed that it appeared that I had brought the body
+from another place, and it was likely that as I did not appear to know
+the shore, I might have put into the harbour ignorant of the distance
+of the town of —— from the place where I had deposited the corpse.
+
+Mr. Kirwin, on hearing this evidence, desired that I should be taken into
+the room where the body lay for interment, that it might be observed what
+effect the sight of it would produce upon me. This idea was probably
+suggested by the extreme agitation I had exhibited when the mode of the
+murder had been described. I was accordingly conducted, by the magistrate
+and several other persons, to the inn. I could not help being struck by the
+strange coincidences that had taken place during this eventful night; but,
+knowing that I had been conversing with several persons in the island I had
+inhabited about the time that the body had been found, I was perfectly
+tranquil as to the consequences of the affair.
+
+I entered the room where the corpse lay and was led up to the coffin. How
+can I describe my sensations on beholding it? I feel yet parched with
+horror, nor can I reflect on that terrible moment without shuddering and
+agony. The examination, the presence of the magistrate and witnesses,
+passed like a dream from my memory when I saw the lifeless form of Henry
+Clerval stretched before me. I gasped for breath, and throwing myself on
+the body, I exclaimed, “Have my murderous machinations deprived you
+also, my dearest Henry, of life? Two I have already destroyed; other
+victims await their destiny; but you, Clerval, my friend, my
+benefactor—”
+
+The human frame could no longer support the agonies that I endured, and
+I was carried out of the room in strong convulsions.
+
+A fever succeeded to this. I lay for two months on the point of death; my
+ravings, as I afterwards heard, were frightful; I called myself the
+murderer of William, of Justine, and of Clerval. Sometimes I entreated my
+attendants to assist me in the destruction of the fiend by whom I was
+tormented; and at others I felt the fingers of the monster already grasping
+my neck, and screamed aloud with agony and terror. Fortunately, as I spoke
+my native language, Mr. Kirwin alone understood me; but my gestures and
+bitter cries were sufficient to affright the other witnesses.
+
+Why did I not die? More miserable than man ever was before, why did I not
+sink into forgetfulness and rest? Death snatches away many blooming
+children, the only hopes of their doting parents; how many brides and
+youthful lovers have been one day in the bloom of health and hope, and the
+next a prey for worms and the decay of the tomb! Of what materials was I
+made that I could thus resist so many shocks, which, like the turning of
+the wheel, continually renewed the torture?
+
+But I was doomed to live and in two months found myself as awaking from
+a dream, in a prison, stretched on a wretched bed, surrounded by
+gaolers, turnkeys, bolts, and all the miserable apparatus of a dungeon.
+It was morning, I remember, when I thus awoke to understanding; I had
+forgotten the particulars of what had happened and only felt as if some
+great misfortune had suddenly overwhelmed me; but when I looked around
+and saw the barred windows and the squalidness of the room in which I
+was, all flashed across my memory and I groaned bitterly.
+
+This sound disturbed an old woman who was sleeping in a chair beside
+me. She was a hired nurse, the wife of one of the turnkeys, and her
+countenance expressed all those bad qualities which often characterise
+that class. The lines of her face were hard and rude, like that of
+persons accustomed to see without sympathising in sights of misery. Her
+tone expressed her entire indifference; she addressed me in English,
+and the voice struck me as one that I had heard during my sufferings.
+
+“Are you better now, sir?” said she.
+
+I replied in the same language, with a feeble voice, “I believe I am;
+but if it be all true, if indeed I did not dream, I am sorry that I am
+still alive to feel this misery and horror.”
+
+“For that matter,” replied the old woman, “if you mean about the
+gentleman you murdered, I believe that it were better for you if you
+were dead, for I fancy it will go hard with you! However, that’s none
+of my business; I am sent to nurse you and get you well; I do my duty
+with a safe conscience; it were well if everybody did the same.”
+
+I turned with loathing from the woman who could utter so unfeeling a
+speech to a person just saved, on the very edge of death; but I felt
+languid and unable to reflect on all that had passed. The whole series
+of my life appeared to me as a dream; I sometimes doubted if indeed it
+were all true, for it never presented itself to my mind with the force
+of reality.
+
+As the images that floated before me became more distinct, I grew
+feverish; a darkness pressed around me; no one was near me who soothed
+me with the gentle voice of love; no dear hand supported me. The
+physician came and prescribed medicines, and the old woman prepared
+them for me; but utter carelessness was visible in the first, and the
+expression of brutality was strongly marked in the visage of the
+second. Who could be interested in the fate of a murderer but the
+hangman who would gain his fee?
+
+These were my first reflections, but I soon learned that Mr. Kirwin had
+shown me extreme kindness. He had caused the best room in the prison
+to be prepared for me (wretched indeed was the best); and it was he who
+had provided a physician and a nurse. It is true, he seldom came to
+see me, for although he ardently desired to relieve the sufferings of
+every human creature, he did not wish to be present at the agonies and
+miserable ravings of a murderer. He came, therefore, sometimes to see
+that I was not neglected, but his visits were short and with long
+intervals.
+
+One day, while I was gradually recovering, I was seated in a chair, my eyes
+half open and my cheeks livid like those in death. I was overcome by gloom
+and misery and often reflected I had better seek death than desire to
+remain in a world which to me was replete with wretchedness. At one time I
+considered whether I should not declare myself guilty and suffer the
+penalty of the law, less innocent than poor Justine had been. Such were my
+thoughts when the door of my apartment was opened and Mr. Kirwin entered.
+His countenance expressed sympathy and compassion; he drew a chair close to
+mine and addressed me in French,
+
+“I fear that this place is very shocking to you; can I do anything to
+make you more comfortable?”
+
+“I thank you, but all that you mention is nothing to me; on the whole
+earth there is no comfort which I am capable of receiving.”
+
+“I know that the sympathy of a stranger can be but of little relief to
+one borne down as you are by so strange a misfortune. But you will, I
+hope, soon quit this melancholy abode, for doubtless evidence can
+easily be brought to free you from the criminal charge.”
+
+“That is my least concern; I am, by a course of strange events, become
+the most miserable of mortals. Persecuted and tortured as I am and
+have been, can death be any evil to me?”
+
+“Nothing indeed could be more unfortunate and agonising than the
+strange chances that have lately occurred. You were thrown, by some
+surprising accident, on this shore, renowned for its hospitality,
+seized immediately, and charged with murder. The first sight that was
+presented to your eyes was the body of your friend, murdered in so
+unaccountable a manner and placed, as it were, by some fiend across
+your path.”
+
+As Mr. Kirwin said this, notwithstanding the agitation I endured on
+this retrospect of my sufferings, I also felt considerable surprise at
+the knowledge he seemed to possess concerning me. I suppose some
+astonishment was exhibited in my countenance, for Mr. Kirwin hastened
+to say,
+
+“Immediately upon your being taken ill, all the papers that were on
+your person were brought me, and I examined them that I might discover some
+trace by which I could send to your relations an account of your misfortune
+and illness. I found several letters, and, among others, one which I
+discovered from its commencement to be from your father. I instantly wrote
+to Geneva; nearly two months have elapsed since the departure of my letter.
+But you are ill; even now you tremble; you are unfit for agitation of any
+kind.”
+
+“This suspense is a thousand times worse than the most horrible event;
+tell me what new scene of death has been acted, and whose murder I am
+now to lament?”
+
+“Your family is perfectly well,” said Mr. Kirwin with
+gentleness; “and someone, a friend, is come to visit you.”
+
+I know not by what chain of thought the idea presented itself, but it
+instantly darted into my mind that the murderer had come to mock at my
+misery and taunt me with the death of Clerval, as a new incitement for
+me to comply with his hellish desires. I put my hand before my eyes,
+and cried out in agony,
+
+“Oh! Take him away! I cannot see him; for God’s sake, do not
+let him enter!”
+
+Mr. Kirwin regarded me with a troubled countenance. He could not help
+regarding my exclamation as a presumption of my guilt and said in
+rather a severe tone,
+
+“I should have thought, young man, that the presence of your father
+would have been welcome instead of inspiring such violent repugnance.”
+
+“My father!” cried I, while every feature and every muscle was relaxed
+from anguish to pleasure. “Is my father indeed come? How kind, how
+very kind! But where is he, why does he not hasten to me?”
+
+My change of manner surprised and pleased the magistrate; perhaps he
+thought that my former exclamation was a momentary return of delirium,
+and now he instantly resumed his former benevolence. He rose and
+quitted the room with my nurse, and in a moment my father entered it.
+
+Nothing, at this moment, could have given me greater pleasure than the
+arrival of my father. I stretched out my hand to him and cried,
+
+“Are you then safe—and Elizabeth—and Ernest?”
+
+My father calmed me with assurances of their welfare and endeavoured, by
+dwelling on these subjects so interesting to my heart, to raise my
+desponding spirits; but he soon felt that a prison cannot be the abode of
+cheerfulness. “What a place is this that you inhabit, my son!”
+said he, looking mournfully at the barred windows and wretched appearance
+of the room. “You travelled to seek happiness, but a fatality seems
+to pursue you. And poor Clerval—”
+
+The name of my unfortunate and murdered friend was an agitation too
+great to be endured in my weak state; I shed tears.
+
+“Alas! Yes, my father,” replied I; “some destiny of the
+most horrible kind hangs over me, and I must live to fulfil it, or surely I
+should have died on the coffin of Henry.”
+
+We were not allowed to converse for any length of time, for the
+precarious state of my health rendered every precaution necessary that
+could ensure tranquillity. Mr. Kirwin came in and insisted that my
+strength should not be exhausted by too much exertion. But the
+appearance of my father was to me like that of my good angel, and I
+gradually recovered my health.
+
+As my sickness quitted me, I was absorbed by a gloomy and black
+melancholy that nothing could dissipate. The image of Clerval was
+for ever before me, ghastly and murdered. More than once the agitation
+into which these reflections threw me made my friends dread a dangerous
+relapse. Alas! Why did they preserve so miserable and detested a
+life? It was surely that I might fulfil my destiny, which is now
+drawing to a close. Soon, oh, very soon, will death extinguish these
+throbbings and relieve me from the mighty weight of anguish that bears
+me to the dust; and, in executing the award of justice, I shall also
+sink to rest. Then the appearance of death was distant, although the
+wish was ever present to my thoughts; and I often sat for hours
+motionless and speechless, wishing for some mighty revolution that
+might bury me and my destroyer in its ruins.
+
+The season of the assizes approached. I had already been three months
+in prison, and although I was still weak and in continual danger of a
+relapse, I was obliged to travel nearly a hundred miles to the country
+town where the court was held. Mr. Kirwin charged himself with every
+care of collecting witnesses and arranging my defence. I was spared
+the disgrace of appearing publicly as a criminal, as the case was not
+brought before the court that decides on life and death. The grand
+jury rejected the bill, on its being proved that I was on the Orkney
+Islands at the hour the body of my friend was found; and a fortnight
+after my removal I was liberated from prison.
+
+My father was enraptured on finding me freed from the vexations of a
+criminal charge, that I was again allowed to breathe the fresh
+atmosphere and permitted to return to my native country. I did not
+participate in these feelings, for to me the walls of a dungeon or a
+palace were alike hateful. The cup of life was poisoned for ever, and
+although the sun shone upon me, as upon the happy and gay of heart, I
+saw around me nothing but a dense and frightful darkness, penetrated by
+no light but the glimmer of two eyes that glared upon me. Sometimes
+they were the expressive eyes of Henry, languishing in death, the dark
+orbs nearly covered by the lids and the long black lashes that fringed
+them; sometimes it was the watery, clouded eyes of the monster, as I
+first saw them in my chamber at Ingolstadt.
+
+My father tried to awaken in me the feelings of affection. He talked
+of Geneva, which I should soon visit, of Elizabeth and Ernest; but
+these words only drew deep groans from me. Sometimes, indeed, I felt a
+wish for happiness and thought with melancholy delight of my beloved
+cousin or longed, with a devouring _maladie du pays_, to see once more
+the blue lake and rapid Rhone, that had been so dear to me in early
+childhood; but my general state of feeling was a torpor in which a
+prison was as welcome a residence as the divinest scene in nature; and
+these fits were seldom interrupted but by paroxysms of anguish and
+despair. At these moments I often endeavoured to put an end to the
+existence I loathed, and it required unceasing attendance and vigilance
+to restrain me from committing some dreadful act of violence.
+
+Yet one duty remained to me, the recollection of which finally
+triumphed over my selfish despair. It was necessary that I should
+return without delay to Geneva, there to watch over the lives of those
+I so fondly loved and to lie in wait for the murderer, that if any
+chance led me to the place of his concealment, or if he dared again to
+blast me by his presence, I might, with unfailing aim, put an end to
+the existence of the monstrous image which I had endued with the
+mockery of a soul still more monstrous. My father still desired to
+delay our departure, fearful that I could not sustain the fatigues of a
+journey, for I was a shattered wreck—the shadow of a human being. My
+strength was gone. I was a mere skeleton, and fever night and day
+preyed upon my wasted frame.
+
+Still, as I urged our leaving Ireland with such inquietude and impatience,
+my father thought it best to yield. We took our passage on board a vessel
+bound for Havre-de-Grace and sailed with a fair wind from the Irish shores.
+It was midnight. I lay on the deck looking at the stars and listening to
+the dashing of the waves. I hailed the darkness that shut Ireland from my
+sight, and my pulse beat with a feverish joy when I reflected that I should
+soon see Geneva. The past appeared to me in the light of a frightful dream;
+yet the vessel in which I was, the wind that blew me from the detested
+shore of Ireland, and the sea which surrounded me, told me too forcibly
+that I was deceived by no vision and that Clerval, my friend and dearest
+companion, had fallen a victim to me and the monster of my creation. I
+repassed, in my memory, my whole life; my quiet happiness while residing
+with my family in Geneva, the death of my mother, and my departure for
+Ingolstadt. I remembered, shuddering, the mad enthusiasm that hurried me on
+to the creation of my hideous enemy, and I called to mind the night in
+which he first lived. I was unable to pursue the train of thought; a
+thousand feelings pressed upon me, and I wept bitterly.
+
+Ever since my recovery from the fever, I had been in the custom of taking
+every night a small quantity of laudanum, for it was by means of this drug
+only that I was enabled to gain the rest necessary for the preservation of
+life. Oppressed by the recollection of my various misfortunes, I now
+swallowed double my usual quantity and soon slept profoundly. But sleep did
+not afford me respite from thought and misery; my dreams presented a
+thousand objects that scared me. Towards morning I was possessed by a kind
+of nightmare; I felt the fiend’s grasp in my neck and could not free
+myself from it; groans and cries rang in my ears. My father, who was
+watching over me, perceiving my restlessness, awoke me; the dashing waves
+were around, the cloudy sky above, the fiend was not here: a sense of
+security, a feeling that a truce was established between the present hour
+and the irresistible, disastrous future imparted to me a kind of calm
+forgetfulness, of which the human mind is by its structure peculiarly
+susceptible.
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 22
+
+
+The voyage came to an end. We landed, and proceeded to Paris. I soon
+found that I had overtaxed my strength and that I must repose before I
+could continue my journey. My father’s care and attentions were
+indefatigable, but he did not know the origin of my sufferings and
+sought erroneous methods to remedy the incurable ill. He wished me to
+seek amusement in society. I abhorred the face of man. Oh, not
+abhorred! They were my brethren, my fellow beings, and I felt
+attracted even to the most repulsive among them, as to creatures of an
+angelic nature and celestial mechanism. But I felt that I had no right
+to share their intercourse. I had unchained an enemy among them whose
+joy it was to shed their blood and to revel in their groans. How they
+would, each and all, abhor me and hunt me from the world, did they know
+my unhallowed acts and the crimes which had their source in me!
+
+My father yielded at length to my desire to avoid society and strove by
+various arguments to banish my despair. Sometimes he thought that I
+felt deeply the degradation of being obliged to answer a charge of
+murder, and he endeavoured to prove to me the futility of pride.
+
+“Alas! My father,” said I, “how little do you know me. 
+Human beings, their feelings and passions, would indeed be degraded if such
+a wretch as I felt pride. Justine, poor unhappy Justine, was as innocent
+as I, and she suffered the same charge; she died for it; and I am the cause
+of this—I murdered her. William, Justine, and Henry—they all
+died by my hands.”
+
+My father had often, during my imprisonment, heard me make the same
+assertion; when I thus accused myself, he sometimes seemed to desire an
+explanation, and at others he appeared to consider it as the offspring of
+delirium, and that, during my illness, some idea of this kind had presented
+itself to my imagination, the remembrance of which I preserved in my
+convalescence. I avoided explanation and maintained a continual silence
+concerning the wretch I had created. I had a persuasion that I should be
+supposed mad, and this in itself would for ever have chained my tongue. But,
+besides, I could not bring myself to disclose a secret which would fill my
+hearer with consternation and make fear and unnatural horror the inmates of
+his breast. I checked, therefore, my impatient thirst for sympathy and was
+silent when I would have given the world to have confided the fatal secret.
+Yet, still, words like those I have recorded would burst uncontrollably
+from me. I could offer no explanation of them, but their truth in part
+relieved the burden of my mysterious woe.
+
+Upon this occasion my father said, with an expression of unbounded wonder,
+“My dearest Victor, what infatuation is this? My dear son, I entreat
+you never to make such an assertion again.”
+
+“I am not mad,” I cried energetically; “the sun and the heavens, who
+have viewed my operations, can bear witness of my truth. I am the
+assassin of those most innocent victims; they died by my machinations.
+A thousand times would I have shed my own blood, drop by drop, to have
+saved their lives; but I could not, my father, indeed I could not
+sacrifice the whole human race.”
+
+The conclusion of this speech convinced my father that my ideas were
+deranged, and he instantly changed the subject of our conversation and
+endeavoured to alter the course of my thoughts. He wished as much as
+possible to obliterate the memory of the scenes that had taken place in
+Ireland and never alluded to them or suffered me to speak of my
+misfortunes.
+
+As time passed away I became more calm; misery had her dwelling in my
+heart, but I no longer talked in the same incoherent manner of my own
+crimes; sufficient for me was the consciousness of them. By the utmost
+self-violence I curbed the imperious voice of wretchedness, which
+sometimes desired to declare itself to the whole world, and my manners
+were calmer and more composed than they had ever been since my journey
+to the sea of ice.
+
+A few days before we left Paris on our way to Switzerland, I received the
+following letter from Elizabeth:
+
+“My dear Friend,
+
+“It gave me the greatest pleasure to receive a letter from my uncle
+dated at Paris; you are no longer at a formidable distance, and I may
+hope to see you in less than a fortnight. My poor cousin, how much you
+must have suffered! I expect to see you looking even more ill than
+when you quitted Geneva. This winter has been passed most miserably,
+tortured as I have been by anxious suspense; yet I hope to see peace in
+your countenance and to find that your heart is not totally void of
+comfort and tranquillity.
+
+“Yet I fear that the same feelings now exist that made you so miserable
+a year ago, even perhaps augmented by time. I would not disturb you at
+this period, when so many misfortunes weigh upon you, but a
+conversation that I had with my uncle previous to his departure renders
+some explanation necessary before we meet.
+
+Explanation! You may possibly say, What can Elizabeth have to explain? If
+you really say this, my questions are answered and all my doubts satisfied.
+But you are distant from me, and it is possible that you may dread and yet
+be pleased with this explanation; and in a probability of this being the
+case, I dare not any longer postpone writing what, during your absence, I
+have often wished to express to you but have never had the courage to begin.
+
+“You well know, Victor, that our union had been the favourite plan of
+your parents ever since our infancy. We were told this when young, and
+taught to look forward to it as an event that would certainly take
+place. We were affectionate playfellows during childhood, and, I
+believe, dear and valued friends to one another as we grew older. But
+as brother and sister often entertain a lively affection towards each
+other without desiring a more intimate union, may not such also be our
+case? Tell me, dearest Victor. Answer me, I conjure you by our mutual
+happiness, with simple truth—Do you not love another?
+
+“You have travelled; you have spent several years of your life at
+Ingolstadt; and I confess to you, my friend, that when I saw you last
+autumn so unhappy, flying to solitude from the society of every
+creature, I could not help supposing that you might regret our
+connection and believe yourself bound in honour to fulfil the wishes of
+your parents, although they opposed themselves to your inclinations.
+But this is false reasoning. I confess to you, my friend, that I love
+you and that in my airy dreams of futurity you have been my constant
+friend and companion. But it is your happiness I desire as well as my
+own when I declare to you that our marriage would render me eternally
+miserable unless it were the dictate of your own free choice. Even now
+I weep to think that, borne down as you are by the cruellest
+misfortunes, you may stifle, by the word _honour_, all hope of that
+love and happiness which would alone restore you to yourself. I, who
+have so disinterested an affection for you, may increase your miseries
+tenfold by being an obstacle to your wishes. Ah! Victor, be assured
+that your cousin and playmate has too sincere a love for you not to be
+made miserable by this supposition. Be happy, my friend; and if you
+obey me in this one request, remain satisfied that nothing on earth
+will have the power to interrupt my tranquillity.
+
+“Do not let this letter disturb you; do not answer tomorrow, or the
+next day, or even until you come, if it will give you pain. My uncle
+will send me news of your health, and if I see but one smile on your
+lips when we meet, occasioned by this or any other exertion of mine, I
+shall need no other happiness.
+
+“Elizabeth Lavenza.
+
+
+
+“Geneva, May 18th, 17—”
+
+
+
+This letter revived in my memory what I had before forgotten, the threat of
+the fiend—“_I will be with you on your
+wedding-night!_” Such was my sentence, and on that night would the
+dæmon employ every art to destroy me and tear me from the glimpse of
+happiness which promised partly to console my sufferings. On that night he
+had determined to consummate his crimes by my death. Well, be it so; a
+deadly struggle would then assuredly take place, in which if he were
+victorious I should be at peace and his power over me be at an end. If he
+were vanquished, I should be a free man. Alas! What freedom? Such as the
+peasant enjoys when his family have been massacred before his eyes, his
+cottage burnt, his lands laid waste, and he is turned adrift, homeless,
+penniless, and alone, but free. Such would be my liberty except that in my
+Elizabeth I possessed a treasure, alas, balanced by those horrors of
+remorse and guilt which would pursue me until death.
+
+Sweet and beloved Elizabeth! I read and reread her letter, and some
+softened feelings stole into my heart and dared to whisper paradisiacal
+dreams of love and joy; but the apple was already eaten, and the
+angel’s arm bared to drive me from all hope. Yet I would die to make
+her happy. If the monster executed his threat, death was inevitable; yet,
+again, I considered whether my marriage would hasten my fate. My
+destruction might indeed arrive a few months sooner, but if my torturer
+should suspect that I postponed it, influenced by his menaces, he would
+surely find other and perhaps more dreadful means of revenge. He had vowed
+_to be with me on my wedding-night_, yet he did not consider that
+threat as binding him to peace in the meantime, for as if to show me that
+he was not yet satiated with blood, he had murdered Clerval immediately
+after the enunciation of his threats. I resolved, therefore, that if my
+immediate union with my cousin would conduce either to hers or my
+father’s happiness, my adversary’s designs against my life
+should not retard it a single hour.
+
+In this state of mind I wrote to Elizabeth. My letter was calm and
+affectionate. “I fear, my beloved girl,” I said, “little happiness
+remains for us on earth; yet all that I may one day enjoy is centred in
+you. Chase away your idle fears; to you alone do I consecrate my life
+and my endeavours for contentment. I have one secret, Elizabeth, a
+dreadful one; when revealed to you, it will chill your frame with
+horror, and then, far from being surprised at my misery, you will only
+wonder that I survive what I have endured. I will confide this tale of
+misery and terror to you the day after our marriage shall take place,
+for, my sweet cousin, there must be perfect confidence between us. But
+until then, I conjure you, do not mention or allude to it. This I most
+earnestly entreat, and I know you will comply.”
+
+In about a week after the arrival of Elizabeth’s letter we returned
+to Geneva. The sweet girl welcomed me with warm affection, yet tears were
+in her eyes as she beheld my emaciated frame and feverish cheeks. I saw a
+change in her also. She was thinner and had lost much of that heavenly
+vivacity that had before charmed me; but her gentleness and soft looks of
+compassion made her a more fit companion for one blasted and miserable as I
+was.
+
+The tranquillity which I now enjoyed did not endure. Memory brought madness
+with it, and when I thought of what had passed, a real insanity possessed
+me; sometimes I was furious and burnt with rage, sometimes low and
+despondent. I neither spoke nor looked at anyone, but sat motionless,
+bewildered by the multitude of miseries that overcame me.
+
+Elizabeth alone had the power to draw me from these fits; her gentle voice
+would soothe me when transported by passion and inspire me with human
+feelings when sunk in torpor. She wept with me and for me. When reason
+returned, she would remonstrate and endeavour to inspire me with
+resignation. Ah! It is well for the unfortunate to be resigned, but for the
+guilty there is no peace. The agonies of remorse poison the luxury there is
+otherwise sometimes found in indulging the excess of grief.
+
+Soon after my arrival my father spoke of my immediate marriage with
+Elizabeth. I remained silent.
+
+“Have you, then, some other attachment?”
+
+“None on earth. I love Elizabeth and look forward to our union with
+delight. Let the day therefore be fixed; and on it I will consecrate
+myself, in life or death, to the happiness of my cousin.”
+
+“My dear Victor, do not speak thus. Heavy misfortunes have befallen
+us, but let us only cling closer to what remains and transfer our love
+for those whom we have lost to those who yet live. Our circle will be
+small but bound close by the ties of affection and mutual misfortune.
+And when time shall have softened your despair, new and dear objects of
+care will be born to replace those of whom we have been so cruelly
+deprived.”
+
+Such were the lessons of my father. But to me the remembrance of the
+threat returned; nor can you wonder that, omnipotent as the fiend had
+yet been in his deeds of blood, I should almost regard him as
+invincible, and that when he had pronounced the words “_I shall be with
+you on your wedding-night_,” I should regard the threatened fate as
+unavoidable. But death was no evil to me if the loss of Elizabeth were
+balanced with it, and I therefore, with a contented and even cheerful
+countenance, agreed with my father that if my cousin would consent, the
+ceremony should take place in ten days, and thus put, as I imagined,
+the seal to my fate.
+
+Great God! If for one instant I had thought what might be the hellish
+intention of my fiendish adversary, I would rather have banished myself
+for ever from my native country and wandered a friendless outcast over
+the earth than have consented to this miserable marriage. But, as if
+possessed of magic powers, the monster had blinded me to his real
+intentions; and when I thought that I had prepared only my own death, I
+hastened that of a far dearer victim.
+
+As the period fixed for our marriage drew nearer, whether from cowardice or
+a prophetic feeling, I felt my heart sink within me. But I concealed my
+feelings by an appearance of hilarity that brought smiles and joy to the
+countenance of my father, but hardly deceived the ever-watchful and nicer
+eye of Elizabeth. She looked forward to our union with placid contentment,
+not unmingled with a little fear, which past misfortunes had impressed,
+that what now appeared certain and tangible happiness might soon dissipate
+into an airy dream and leave no trace but deep and everlasting regret.
+
+Preparations were made for the event, congratulatory visits were received,
+and all wore a smiling appearance. I shut up, as well as I could, in my own
+heart the anxiety that preyed there and entered with seeming earnestness
+into the plans of my father, although they might only serve as the
+decorations of my tragedy. Through my father’s exertions a part of
+the inheritance of Elizabeth had been restored to her by the Austrian
+government. A small possession on the shores of Como belonged to her. It
+was agreed that, immediately after our union, we should proceed to Villa
+Lavenza and spend our first days of happiness beside the beautiful lake
+near which it stood.
+
+In the meantime I took every precaution to defend my person in case the
+fiend should openly attack me. I carried pistols and a dagger
+constantly about me and was ever on the watch to prevent artifice, and
+by these means gained a greater degree of tranquillity. Indeed, as the
+period approached, the threat appeared more as a delusion, not to be
+regarded as worthy to disturb my peace, while the happiness I hoped for
+in my marriage wore a greater appearance of certainty as the day fixed
+for its solemnisation drew nearer and I heard it continually spoken of
+as an occurrence which no accident could possibly prevent.
+
+Elizabeth seemed happy; my tranquil demeanour contributed greatly to
+calm her mind. But on the day that was to fulfil my wishes and my
+destiny, she was melancholy, and a presentiment of evil pervaded her;
+and perhaps also she thought of the dreadful secret which I had
+promised to reveal to her on the following day. My father was in the
+meantime overjoyed, and, in the bustle of preparation, only recognised in
+the melancholy of his niece the diffidence of a bride.
+
+After the ceremony was performed a large party assembled at my
+father’s, but it was agreed that Elizabeth and I should commence our
+journey by water, sleeping that night at Evian and continuing our
+voyage on the following day. The day was fair, the wind favourable;
+all smiled on our nuptial embarkation.
+
+Those were the last moments of my life during which I enjoyed the
+feeling of happiness. We passed rapidly along; the sun was hot, but we
+were sheltered from its rays by a kind of canopy while we enjoyed the
+beauty of the scene, sometimes on one side of the lake, where we saw
+Mont Salêve, the pleasant banks of Montalègre, and at a distance,
+surmounting all, the beautiful Mont Blanc, and the assemblage of snowy
+mountains that in vain endeavour to emulate her; sometimes coasting the
+opposite banks, we saw the mighty Jura opposing its dark side to the
+ambition that would quit its native country, and an almost
+insurmountable barrier to the invader who should wish to enslave it.
+
+I took the hand of Elizabeth. “You are sorrowful, my love. Ah! If
+you knew what I have suffered and what I may yet endure, you would
+endeavour to let me taste the quiet and freedom from despair that this
+one day at least permits me to enjoy.”
+
+“Be happy, my dear Victor,” replied Elizabeth; “there is, I hope,
+nothing to distress you; and be assured that if a lively joy is not
+painted in my face, my heart is contented. Something whispers to me
+not to depend too much on the prospect that is opened before us, but I
+will not listen to such a sinister voice. Observe how fast we move
+along and how the clouds, which sometimes obscure and sometimes rise
+above the dome of Mont Blanc, render this scene of beauty still more
+interesting. Look also at the innumerable fish that are swimming in
+the clear waters, where we can distinguish every pebble that lies at
+the bottom. What a divine day! How happy and serene all nature
+appears!”
+
+Thus Elizabeth endeavoured to divert her thoughts and mine from all
+reflection upon melancholy subjects. But her temper was fluctuating;
+joy for a few instants shone in her eyes, but it continually gave place
+to distraction and reverie.
+
+The sun sank lower in the heavens; we passed the river Drance and
+observed its path through the chasms of the higher and the glens of the
+lower hills. The Alps here come closer to the lake, and we approached
+the amphitheatre of mountains which forms its eastern boundary. The
+spire of Evian shone under the woods that surrounded it and the range
+of mountain above mountain by which it was overhung.
+
+The wind, which had hitherto carried us along with amazing rapidity,
+sank at sunset to a light breeze; the soft air just ruffled the water
+and caused a pleasant motion among the trees as we approached the
+shore, from which it wafted the most delightful scent of flowers and
+hay. The sun sank beneath the horizon as we landed, and as I touched
+the shore I felt those cares and fears revive which soon were to clasp
+me and cling to me for ever.
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 23
+
+
+It was eight o’clock when we landed; we walked for a short time on the
+shore, enjoying the transitory light, and then retired to the inn and
+contemplated the lovely scene of waters, woods, and mountains, obscured
+in darkness, yet still displaying their black outlines.
+
+The wind, which had fallen in the south, now rose with great violence
+in the west. The moon had reached her summit in the heavens and was
+beginning to descend; the clouds swept across it swifter than the
+flight of the vulture and dimmed her rays, while the lake reflected the
+scene of the busy heavens, rendered still busier by the restless waves
+that were beginning to rise. Suddenly a heavy storm of rain descended.
+
+I had been calm during the day, but so soon as night obscured the
+shapes of objects, a thousand fears arose in my mind. I was anxious
+and watchful, while my right hand grasped a pistol which was hidden in
+my bosom; every sound terrified me, but I resolved that I would sell my
+life dearly and not shrink from the conflict until my own life or that
+of my adversary was extinguished.
+
+Elizabeth observed my agitation for some time in timid and fearful silence,
+but there was something in my glance which communicated terror to her, and
+trembling, she asked, “What is it that agitates you, my dear Victor?
+What is it you fear?”
+
+“Oh! Peace, peace, my love,” replied I; “this night, and
+all will be safe; but this night is dreadful, very dreadful.”
+
+I passed an hour in this state of mind, when suddenly I reflected how
+fearful the combat which I momentarily expected would be to my wife,
+and I earnestly entreated her to retire, resolving not to join her
+until I had obtained some knowledge as to the situation of my enemy.
+
+She left me, and I continued some time walking up and down the passages
+of the house and inspecting every corner that might afford a retreat to
+my adversary. But I discovered no trace of him and was beginning to
+conjecture that some fortunate chance had intervened to prevent the
+execution of his menaces when suddenly I heard a shrill and dreadful
+scream. It came from the room into which Elizabeth had retired. As I
+heard it, the whole truth rushed into my mind, my arms dropped, the
+motion of every muscle and fibre was suspended; I could feel the blood
+trickling in my veins and tingling in the extremities of my limbs. This
+state lasted but for an instant; the scream was repeated, and I rushed
+into the room.
+
+Great God! Why did I not then expire! Why am I here to relate the
+destruction of the best hope and the purest creature on earth? She was
+there, lifeless and inanimate, thrown across the bed, her head hanging down
+and her pale and distorted features half covered by her hair. Everywhere I
+turn I see the same figure—her bloodless arms and relaxed form flung
+by the murderer on its bridal bier. Could I behold this and live? Alas!
+Life is obstinate and clings closest where it is most hated. For a moment
+only did I lose recollection; I fell senseless on the ground.
+
+When I recovered I found myself surrounded by the people of the inn; their
+countenances expressed a breathless terror, but the horror of others
+appeared only as a mockery, a shadow of the feelings that oppressed me. I
+escaped from them to the room where lay the body of Elizabeth, my love, my
+wife, so lately living, so dear, so worthy. She had been moved from the
+posture in which I had first beheld her, and now, as she lay, her head upon
+her arm and a handkerchief thrown across her face and neck, I might have
+supposed her asleep. I rushed towards her and embraced her with ardour, but
+the deadly languor and coldness of the limbs told me that what I now held
+in my arms had ceased to be the Elizabeth whom I had loved and cherished.
+The murderous mark of the fiend’s grasp was on her neck, and the
+breath had ceased to issue from her lips.
+
+While I still hung over her in the agony of despair, I happened to look up.
+The windows of the room had before been darkened, and I felt a kind of
+panic on seeing the pale yellow light of the moon illuminate the chamber.
+The shutters had been thrown back, and with a sensation of horror not to be
+described, I saw at the open window a figure the most hideous and abhorred.
+A grin was on the face of the monster; he seemed to jeer, as with his
+fiendish finger he pointed towards the corpse of my wife. I rushed towards
+the window, and drawing a pistol from my bosom, fired; but he eluded me,
+leaped from his station, and running with the swiftness of lightning,
+plunged into the lake.
+
+The report of the pistol brought a crowd into the room. I pointed to
+the spot where he had disappeared, and we followed the track with
+boats; nets were cast, but in vain. After passing several hours, we
+returned hopeless, most of my companions believing it to have been a
+form conjured up by my fancy. After having landed, they proceeded to
+search the country, parties going in different directions among the
+woods and vines.
+
+I attempted to accompany them and proceeded a short distance from the
+house, but my head whirled round, my steps were like those of a drunken
+man, I fell at last in a state of utter exhaustion; a film covered my
+eyes, and my skin was parched with the heat of fever. In this state I
+was carried back and placed on a bed, hardly conscious of what had
+happened; my eyes wandered round the room as if to seek something that
+I had lost.
+
+After an interval I arose, and as if by instinct, crawled into the room
+where the corpse of my beloved lay. There were women weeping around; I
+hung over it and joined my sad tears to theirs; all this time no
+distinct idea presented itself to my mind, but my thoughts rambled to
+various subjects, reflecting confusedly on my misfortunes and their
+cause. I was bewildered, in a cloud of wonder and horror. The death
+of William, the execution of Justine, the murder of Clerval, and lastly
+of my wife; even at that moment I knew not that my only remaining
+friends were safe from the malignity of the fiend; my father even now
+might be writhing under his grasp, and Ernest might be dead at his
+feet. This idea made me shudder and recalled me to action. I started
+up and resolved to return to Geneva with all possible speed.
+
+There were no horses to be procured, and I must return by the lake; but the
+wind was unfavourable, and the rain fell in torrents. However, it was
+hardly morning, and I might reasonably hope to arrive by night. I hired men
+to row and took an oar myself, for I had always experienced relief from
+mental torment in bodily exercise. But the overflowing misery I now felt,
+and the excess of agitation that I endured rendered me incapable of any
+exertion. I threw down the oar, and leaning my head upon my hands, gave way
+to every gloomy idea that arose. If I looked up, I saw scenes which were
+familiar to me in my happier time and which I had contemplated but the day
+before in the company of her who was now but a shadow and a recollection.
+Tears streamed from my eyes. The rain had ceased for a moment, and I saw
+the fish play in the waters as they had done a few hours before; they had
+then been observed by Elizabeth. Nothing is so painful to the human mind as
+a great and sudden change. The sun might shine or the clouds might lower,
+but nothing could appear to me as it had done the day before. A fiend had
+snatched from me every hope of future happiness; no creature had ever been
+so miserable as I was; so frightful an event is single in the history of
+man.
+
+But why should I dwell upon the incidents that followed this last
+overwhelming event? Mine has been a tale of horrors; I have reached their
+_acme_, and what I must now relate can but be tedious to you. Know
+that, one by one, my friends were snatched away; I was left desolate. My
+own strength is exhausted, and I must tell, in a few words, what remains of
+my hideous narration.
+
+I arrived at Geneva. My father and Ernest yet lived, but the former sunk
+under the tidings that I bore. I see him now, excellent and venerable old
+man! His eyes wandered in vacancy, for they had lost their charm and their
+delight—his Elizabeth, his more than daughter, whom he doted on with
+all that affection which a man feels, who in the decline of life, having
+few affections, clings more earnestly to those that remain. Cursed, cursed
+be the fiend that brought misery on his grey hairs and doomed him to waste
+in wretchedness! He could not live under the horrors that were accumulated
+around him; the springs of existence suddenly gave way; he was unable to
+rise from his bed, and in a few days he died in my arms.
+
+What then became of me? I know not; I lost sensation, and chains and
+darkness were the only objects that pressed upon me. Sometimes,
+indeed, I dreamt that I wandered in flowery meadows and pleasant vales
+with the friends of my youth, but I awoke and found myself in a
+dungeon. Melancholy followed, but by degrees I gained a clear
+conception of my miseries and situation and was then released from my
+prison. For they had called me mad, and during many months, as I
+understood, a solitary cell had been my habitation.
+
+Liberty, however, had been a useless gift to me, had I not, as I
+awakened to reason, at the same time awakened to revenge. As the
+memory of past misfortunes pressed upon me, I began to reflect on their
+cause—the monster whom I had created, the miserable dæmon whom I had
+sent abroad into the world for my destruction. I was possessed by a
+maddening rage when I thought of him, and desired and ardently prayed
+that I might have him within my grasp to wreak a great and signal
+revenge on his cursed head.
+
+Nor did my hate long confine itself to useless wishes; I began to
+reflect on the best means of securing him; and for this purpose, about
+a month after my release, I repaired to a criminal judge in the town
+and told him that I had an accusation to make, that I knew the
+destroyer of my family, and that I required him to exert his whole
+authority for the apprehension of the murderer.
+
+The magistrate listened to me with attention and kindness. “Be
+assured, sir,” said he, “no pains or exertions on my part shall
+be spared to discover the villain.”
+
+“I thank you,” replied I; “listen, therefore, to the
+deposition that I have to make. It is indeed a tale so strange that I
+should fear you would not credit it were there not something in truth
+which, however wonderful, forces conviction. The story is too connected to
+be mistaken for a dream, and I have no motive for falsehood.” My
+manner as I thus addressed him was impressive but calm; I had formed in my
+own heart a resolution to pursue my destroyer to death, and this purpose
+quieted my agony and for an interval reconciled me to life. I now related
+my history briefly but with firmness and precision, marking the dates with
+accuracy and never deviating into invective or exclamation.
+
+The magistrate appeared at first perfectly incredulous, but as I continued
+he became more attentive and interested; I saw him sometimes shudder with
+horror; at others a lively surprise, unmingled with disbelief, was painted
+on his countenance.
+
+When I had concluded my narration, I said, “This is the being whom I
+accuse and for whose seizure and punishment I call upon you to exert your
+whole power. It is your duty as a magistrate, and I believe and hope that
+your feelings as a man will not revolt from the execution of those
+functions on this occasion.”
+
+This address caused a considerable change in the physiognomy of my own
+auditor. He had heard my story with that half kind of belief that is given
+to a tale of spirits and supernatural events; but when he was called upon
+to act officially in consequence, the whole tide of his incredulity
+returned. He, however, answered mildly, “I would willingly afford you
+every aid in your pursuit, but the creature of whom you speak appears to
+have powers which would put all my exertions to defiance. Who can follow an
+animal which can traverse the sea of ice and inhabit caves and dens where
+no man would venture to intrude? Besides, some months have elapsed since
+the commission of his crimes, and no one can conjecture to what place he
+has wandered or what region he may now inhabit.”
+
+“I do not doubt that he hovers near the spot which I inhabit, and if
+he has indeed taken refuge in the Alps, he may be hunted like the chamois
+and destroyed as a beast of prey. But I perceive your thoughts; you do not
+credit my narrative and do not intend to pursue my enemy with the
+punishment which is his desert.”
+
+As I spoke, rage sparkled in my eyes; the magistrate was intimidated.
+“You are mistaken,” said he. “I will exert myself, and if
+it is in my power to seize the monster, be assured that he shall suffer
+punishment proportionate to his crimes. But I fear, from what you have
+yourself described to be his properties, that this will prove
+impracticable; and thus, while every proper measure is pursued, you should
+make up your mind to disappointment.”
+
+“That cannot be; but all that I can say will be of little avail. My
+revenge is of no moment to you; yet, while I allow it to be a vice, I
+confess that it is the devouring and only passion of my soul. My rage
+is unspeakable when I reflect that the murderer, whom I have turned
+loose upon society, still exists. You refuse my just demand; I have
+but one resource, and I devote myself, either in my life or death, to
+his destruction.”
+
+I trembled with excess of agitation as I said this; there was a frenzy
+in my manner, and something, I doubt not, of that haughty fierceness
+which the martyrs of old are said to have possessed. But to a Genevan
+magistrate, whose mind was occupied by far other ideas than those of
+devotion and heroism, this elevation of mind had much the appearance of
+madness. He endeavoured to soothe me as a nurse does a child and
+reverted to my tale as the effects of delirium.
+
+“Man,” I cried, “how ignorant art thou in thy pride of
+wisdom! Cease; you know not what it is you say.”
+
+I broke from the house angry and disturbed and retired to meditate on
+some other mode of action.
+
+
+
+
+Chapter 24
+
+
+My present situation was one in which all voluntary thought was
+swallowed up and lost. I was hurried away by fury; revenge alone
+endowed me with strength and composure; it moulded my feelings and
+allowed me to be calculating and calm at periods when otherwise
+delirium or death would have been my portion.
+
+My first resolution was to quit Geneva for ever; my country, which, when I
+was happy and beloved, was dear to me, now, in my adversity, became
+hateful. I provided myself with a sum of money, together with a few jewels
+which had belonged to my mother, and departed.
+
+And now my wanderings began which are to cease but with life. I have
+traversed a vast portion of the earth and have endured all the hardships
+which travellers in deserts and barbarous countries are wont to meet. How I
+have lived I hardly know; many times have I stretched my failing limbs upon
+the sandy plain and prayed for death. But revenge kept me alive; I dared
+not die and leave my adversary in being.
+
+When I quitted Geneva my first labour was to gain some clue by which I
+might trace the steps of my fiendish enemy. But my plan was unsettled,
+and I wandered many hours round the confines of the town, uncertain
+what path I should pursue. As night approached I found myself at the
+entrance of the cemetery where William, Elizabeth, and my father
+reposed. I entered it and approached the tomb which marked their
+graves. Everything was silent except the leaves of the trees, which
+were gently agitated by the wind; the night was nearly dark, and the
+scene would have been solemn and affecting even to an uninterested
+observer. The spirits of the departed seemed to flit around and to
+cast a shadow, which was felt but not seen, around the head of the
+mourner.
+
+The deep grief which this scene had at first excited quickly gave way to
+rage and despair. They were dead, and I lived; their murderer also lived,
+and to destroy him I must drag out my weary existence. I knelt on the grass
+and kissed the earth and with quivering lips exclaimed, “By the
+sacred earth on which I kneel, by the shades that wander near me, by the
+deep and eternal grief that I feel, I swear; and by thee, O Night, and the
+spirits that preside over thee, to pursue the dæmon who caused this misery,
+until he or I shall perish in mortal conflict. For this purpose I will
+preserve my life; to execute this dear revenge will I again behold the sun
+and tread the green herbage of earth, which otherwise should vanish from my
+eyes for ever. And I call on you, spirits of the dead, and on you, wandering
+ministers of vengeance, to aid and conduct me in my work. Let the cursed
+and hellish monster drink deep of agony; let him feel the despair that now
+torments me.”
+
+I had begun my adjuration with solemnity and an awe which almost assured me
+that the shades of my murdered friends heard and approved my devotion, but
+the furies possessed me as I concluded, and rage choked my utterance.
+
+I was answered through the stillness of night by a loud and fiendish
+laugh. It rang on my ears long and heavily; the mountains re-echoed
+it, and I felt as if all hell surrounded me with mockery and laughter.
+Surely in that moment I should have been possessed by frenzy and have
+destroyed my miserable existence but that my vow was heard and that I
+was reserved for vengeance. The laughter died away, when a well-known
+and abhorred voice, apparently close to my ear, addressed me in an
+audible whisper, “I am satisfied, miserable wretch! You have
+determined to live, and I am satisfied.”
+
+I darted towards the spot from which the sound proceeded, but the devil
+eluded my grasp. Suddenly the broad disk of the moon arose and shone
+full upon his ghastly and distorted shape as he fled with more than
+mortal speed.
+
+I pursued him, and for many months this has been my task. Guided by a
+slight clue, I followed the windings of the Rhone, but vainly. The
+blue Mediterranean appeared, and by a strange chance, I saw the fiend
+enter by night and hide himself in a vessel bound for the Black Sea. I
+took my passage in the same ship, but he escaped, I know not how.
+
+Amidst the wilds of Tartary and Russia, although he still evaded me, I
+have ever followed in his track. Sometimes the peasants, scared by
+this horrid apparition, informed me of his path; sometimes he himself,
+who feared that if I lost all trace of him I should despair and die,
+left some mark to guide me. The snows descended on my head, and I saw
+the print of his huge step on the white plain. To you first entering
+on life, to whom care is new and agony unknown, how can you understand
+what I have felt and still feel? Cold, want, and fatigue were the
+least pains which I was destined to endure; I was cursed by some devil
+and carried about with me my eternal hell; yet still a spirit of good
+followed and directed my steps and when I most murmured would suddenly
+extricate me from seemingly insurmountable difficulties. Sometimes,
+when nature, overcome by hunger, sank under the exhaustion, a repast
+was prepared for me in the desert that restored and inspirited me. The
+fare was, indeed, coarse, such as the peasants of the country ate, but
+I will not doubt that it was set there by the spirits that I had
+invoked to aid me. Often, when all was dry, the heavens cloudless, and
+I was parched by thirst, a slight cloud would bedim the sky, shed the
+few drops that revived me, and vanish.
+
+I followed, when I could, the courses of the rivers; but the dæmon
+generally avoided these, as it was here that the population of the
+country chiefly collected. In other places human beings were seldom
+seen, and I generally subsisted on the wild animals that crossed my
+path. I had money with me and gained the friendship of the villagers
+by distributing it; or I brought with me some food that I had killed,
+which, after taking a small part, I always presented to those who had
+provided me with fire and utensils for cooking.
+
+My life, as it passed thus, was indeed hateful to me, and it was during
+sleep alone that I could taste joy. O blessed sleep! Often, when most
+miserable, I sank to repose, and my dreams lulled me even to rapture. The
+spirits that guarded me had provided these moments, or rather hours, of
+happiness that I might retain strength to fulfil my pilgrimage. Deprived of
+this respite, I should have sunk under my hardships. During the day I was
+sustained and inspirited by the hope of night, for in sleep I saw my
+friends, my wife, and my beloved country; again I saw the benevolent
+countenance of my father, heard the silver tones of my Elizabeth’s
+voice, and beheld Clerval enjoying health and youth. Often, when wearied by
+a toilsome march, I persuaded myself that I was dreaming until night should
+come and that I should then enjoy reality in the arms of my dearest
+friends. What agonising fondness did I feel for them! How did I cling to
+their dear forms, as sometimes they haunted even my waking hours, and
+persuade myself that they still lived! At such moments vengeance, that
+burned within me, died in my heart, and I pursued my path towards the
+destruction of the dæmon more as a task enjoined by heaven, as the
+mechanical impulse of some power of which I was unconscious, than as the
+ardent desire of my soul.
+
+What his feelings were whom I pursued I cannot know. Sometimes, indeed, he
+left marks in writing on the barks of the trees or cut in stone that guided
+me and instigated my fury. “My reign is not yet
+over”—these words were legible in one of these
+inscriptions—“you live, and my power is complete. Follow me; I
+seek the everlasting ices of the north, where you will feel the misery of
+cold and frost, to which I am impassive. You will find near this place, if
+you follow not too tardily, a dead hare; eat and be refreshed. Come on, my
+enemy; we have yet to wrestle for our lives, but many hard and miserable
+hours must you endure until that period shall arrive.”
+
+Scoffing devil! Again do I vow vengeance; again do I devote thee,
+miserable fiend, to torture and death. Never will I give up my search
+until he or I perish; and then with what ecstasy shall I join my
+Elizabeth and my departed friends, who even now prepare for me the
+reward of my tedious toil and horrible pilgrimage!
+
+As I still pursued my journey to the northward, the snows thickened and the
+cold increased in a degree almost too severe to support. The peasants were
+shut up in their hovels, and only a few of the most hardy ventured forth to
+seize the animals whom starvation had forced from their hiding-places to
+seek for prey. The rivers were covered with ice, and no fish could be
+procured; and thus I was cut off from my chief article of maintenance.
+
+The triumph of my enemy increased with the difficulty of my labours. One
+inscription that he left was in these words: “Prepare! Your toils
+only begin; wrap yourself in furs and provide food, for we shall soon enter
+upon a journey where your sufferings will satisfy my everlasting
+hatred.”
+
+My courage and perseverance were invigorated by these scoffing words; I
+resolved not to fail in my purpose, and calling on Heaven to support
+me, I continued with unabated fervour to traverse immense deserts,
+until the ocean appeared at a distance and formed the utmost boundary
+of the horizon. Oh! How unlike it was to the blue seasons of the
+south! Covered with ice, it was only to be distinguished from land by
+its superior wildness and ruggedness. The Greeks wept for joy when
+they beheld the Mediterranean from the hills of Asia, and hailed with
+rapture the boundary of their toils. I did not weep, but I knelt down
+and with a full heart thanked my guiding spirit for conducting me in
+safety to the place where I hoped, notwithstanding my adversary’s gibe,
+to meet and grapple with him.
+
+Some weeks before this period I had procured a sledge and dogs and thus
+traversed the snows with inconceivable speed. I know not whether the
+fiend possessed the same advantages, but I found that, as before I had
+daily lost ground in the pursuit, I now gained on him, so much so that
+when I first saw the ocean he was but one day’s journey in advance, and
+I hoped to intercept him before he should reach the beach. With new
+courage, therefore, I pressed on, and in two days arrived at a wretched
+hamlet on the seashore. I inquired of the inhabitants concerning the
+fiend and gained accurate information. A gigantic monster, they said,
+had arrived the night before, armed with a gun and many pistols,
+putting to flight the inhabitants of a solitary cottage through fear of
+his terrific appearance. He had carried off their store of winter
+food, and placing it in a sledge, to draw which he had seized on a
+numerous drove of trained dogs, he had harnessed them, and the same
+night, to the joy of the horror-struck villagers, had pursued his
+journey across the sea in a direction that led to no land; and they
+conjectured that he must speedily be destroyed by the breaking of the
+ice or frozen by the eternal frosts.
+
+On hearing this information I suffered a temporary access of despair.
+He had escaped me, and I must commence a destructive and almost endless
+journey across the mountainous ices of the ocean, amidst cold that few
+of the inhabitants could long endure and which I, the native of a
+genial and sunny climate, could not hope to survive. Yet at the idea
+that the fiend should live and be triumphant, my rage and vengeance
+returned, and like a mighty tide, overwhelmed every other feeling.
+After a slight repose, during which the spirits of the dead hovered
+round and instigated me to toil and revenge, I prepared for my journey.
+
+I exchanged my land-sledge for one fashioned for the inequalities of
+the Frozen Ocean, and purchasing a plentiful stock of provisions, I
+departed from land.
+
+I cannot guess how many days have passed since then, but I have endured
+misery which nothing but the eternal sentiment of a just retribution
+burning within my heart could have enabled me to support. Immense and
+rugged mountains of ice often barred up my passage, and I often heard
+the thunder of the ground sea, which threatened my destruction. But
+again the frost came and made the paths of the sea secure.
+
+By the quantity of provision which I had consumed, I should guess that
+I had passed three weeks in this journey; and the continual protraction
+of hope, returning back upon the heart, often wrung bitter drops of
+despondency and grief from my eyes. Despair had indeed almost secured
+her prey, and I should soon have sunk beneath this misery. Once, after
+the poor animals that conveyed me had with incredible toil gained the
+summit of a sloping ice mountain, and one, sinking under his fatigue,
+died, I viewed the expanse before me with anguish, when suddenly my eye
+caught a dark speck upon the dusky plain. I strained my sight to
+discover what it could be and uttered a wild cry of ecstasy when I
+distinguished a sledge and the distorted proportions of a well-known
+form within. Oh! With what a burning gush did hope revisit my heart!
+Warm tears filled my eyes, which I hastily wiped away, that they might
+not intercept the view I had of the dæmon; but still my sight was
+dimmed by the burning drops, until, giving way to the emotions that
+oppressed me, I wept aloud.
+
+But this was not the time for delay; I disencumbered the dogs of their
+dead companion, gave them a plentiful portion of food, and after an
+hour’s rest, which was absolutely necessary, and yet which was bitterly
+irksome to me, I continued my route. The sledge was still visible, nor
+did I again lose sight of it except at the moments when for a short
+time some ice-rock concealed it with its intervening crags. I indeed
+perceptibly gained on it, and when, after nearly two days’ journey, I
+beheld my enemy at no more than a mile distant, my heart bounded within
+me.
+
+But now, when I appeared almost within grasp of my foe, my hopes were
+suddenly extinguished, and I lost all trace of him more utterly than I had
+ever done before. A ground sea was heard; the thunder of its progress, as
+the waters rolled and swelled beneath me, became every moment more ominous
+and terrific. I pressed on, but in vain. The wind arose; the sea roared;
+and, as with the mighty shock of an earthquake, it split and cracked with a
+tremendous and overwhelming sound. The work was soon finished; in a few
+minutes a tumultuous sea rolled between me and my enemy, and I was left
+drifting on a scattered piece of ice that was continually lessening and
+thus preparing for me a hideous death.
+
+In this manner many appalling hours passed; several of my dogs died, and I
+myself was about to sink under the accumulation of distress when I saw your
+vessel riding at anchor and holding forth to me hopes of succour and life.
+I had no conception that vessels ever came so far north and was astounded
+at the sight. I quickly destroyed part of my sledge to construct oars, and
+by these means was enabled, with infinite fatigue, to move my ice raft in
+the direction of your ship. I had determined, if you were going southwards,
+still to trust myself to the mercy of the seas rather than abandon my
+purpose. I hoped to induce you to grant me a boat with which I could pursue
+my enemy. But your direction was northwards. You took me on board when my
+vigour was exhausted, and I should soon have sunk under my multiplied
+hardships into a death which I still dread, for my task is unfulfilled.
+
+Oh! When will my guiding spirit, in conducting me to the dæmon, allow
+me the rest I so much desire; or must I die, and he yet live? If I do,
+swear to me, Walton, that he shall not escape, that you will seek him
+and satisfy my vengeance in his death. And do I dare to ask of you to
+undertake my pilgrimage, to endure the hardships that I have undergone?
+No; I am not so selfish. Yet, when I am dead, if he should appear, if
+the ministers of vengeance should conduct him to you, swear that he
+shall not live—swear that he shall not triumph over my accumulated
+woes and survive to add to the list of his dark crimes. He is eloquent
+and persuasive, and once his words had even power over my heart; but
+trust him not. His soul is as hellish as his form, full of treachery
+and fiend-like malice. Hear him not; call on the names of William,
+Justine, Clerval, Elizabeth, my father, and of the wretched Victor, and
+thrust your sword into his heart. I will hover near and direct the
+steel aright.
+
+Walton, _in continuation._
+
+
+August 26th, 17—.
+
+
+You have read this strange and terrific story, Margaret; and do you not
+feel your blood congeal with horror, like that which even now curdles
+mine? Sometimes, seized with sudden agony, he could not continue his
+tale; at others, his voice broken, yet piercing, uttered with
+difficulty the words so replete with anguish. His fine and lovely eyes
+were now lighted up with indignation, now subdued to downcast sorrow
+and quenched in infinite wretchedness. Sometimes he commanded his
+countenance and tones and related the most horrible incidents with a
+tranquil voice, suppressing every mark of agitation; then, like a
+volcano bursting forth, his face would suddenly change to an expression
+of the wildest rage as he shrieked out imprecations on his persecutor.
+
+His tale is connected and told with an appearance of the simplest truth,
+yet I own to you that the letters of Felix and Safie, which he showed me,
+and the apparition of the monster seen from our ship, brought to me a
+greater conviction of the truth of his narrative than his asseverations,
+however earnest and connected. Such a monster has, then, really existence!
+I cannot doubt it, yet I am lost in surprise and admiration. Sometimes I
+endeavoured to gain from Frankenstein the particulars of his
+creature’s formation, but on this point he was impenetrable.
+
+“Are you mad, my friend?” said he. “Or whither does your
+senseless curiosity lead you? Would you also create for yourself and the
+world a demoniacal enemy? Peace, peace! Learn my miseries and do not seek
+to increase your own.”
+
+Frankenstein discovered that I made notes concerning his history; he asked
+to see them and then himself corrected and augmented them in many places,
+but principally in giving the life and spirit to the conversations he held
+with his enemy. “Since you have preserved my narration,” said
+he, “I would not that a mutilated one should go down to
+posterity.”
+
+Thus has a week passed away, while I have listened to the strangest
+tale that ever imagination formed. My thoughts and every feeling of my
+soul have been drunk up by the interest for my guest which this tale
+and his own elevated and gentle manners have created. I wish to soothe
+him, yet can I counsel one so infinitely miserable, so destitute of
+every hope of consolation, to live? Oh, no! The only joy that he can
+now know will be when he composes his shattered spirit to peace and
+death. Yet he enjoys one comfort, the offspring of solitude and
+delirium; he believes that when in dreams he holds converse with his
+friends and derives from that communion consolation for his miseries or
+excitements to his vengeance, that they are not the creations of his
+fancy, but the beings themselves who visit him from the regions of a
+remote world. This faith gives a solemnity to his reveries that render
+them to me almost as imposing and interesting as truth.
+
+Our conversations are not always confined to his own history and
+misfortunes. On every point of general literature he displays
+unbounded knowledge and a quick and piercing apprehension. His
+eloquence is forcible and touching; nor can I hear him, when he relates
+a pathetic incident or endeavours to move the passions of pity or love,
+without tears. What a glorious creature must he have been in the days
+of his prosperity, when he is thus noble and godlike in ruin! He seems
+to feel his own worth and the greatness of his fall.
+
+“When younger,” said he, “I believed myself destined for
+some great enterprise. My feelings are profound, but I possessed a coolness
+of judgment that fitted me for illustrious achievements. This sentiment of
+the worth of my nature supported me when others would have been oppressed,
+for I deemed it criminal to throw away in useless grief those talents that
+might be useful to my fellow creatures. When I reflected on the work I had
+completed, no less a one than the creation of a sensitive and rational
+animal, I could not rank myself with the herd of common projectors. But
+this thought, which supported me in the commencement of my career, now
+serves only to plunge me lower in the dust. All my speculations and hopes
+are as nothing, and like the archangel who aspired to omnipotence, I am
+chained in an eternal hell. My imagination was vivid, yet my powers of
+analysis and application were intense; by the union of these qualities I
+conceived the idea and executed the creation of a man. Even now I cannot
+recollect without passion my reveries while the work was incomplete. I trod
+heaven in my thoughts, now exulting in my powers, now burning with the idea
+of their effects. From my infancy I was imbued with high hopes and a lofty
+ambition; but how am I sunk! Oh! My friend, if you had known me as I once
+was, you would not recognise me in this state of degradation. Despondency
+rarely visited my heart; a high destiny seemed to bear me on, until I fell,
+never, never again to rise.”
+
+Must I then lose this admirable being? I have longed for a friend; I have
+sought one who would sympathise with and love me. Behold, on these desert
+seas I have found such a one, but I fear I have gained him only to know his
+value and lose him. I would reconcile him to life, but he repulses the idea.
+
+“I thank you, Walton,” he said, “for your kind intentions towards so
+miserable a wretch; but when you speak of new ties and fresh
+affections, think you that any can replace those who are gone? Can any
+man be to me as Clerval was, or any woman another Elizabeth? Even
+where the affections are not strongly moved by any superior excellence,
+the companions of our childhood always possess a certain power over our
+minds which hardly any later friend can obtain. They know our
+infantine dispositions, which, however they may be afterwards modified,
+are never eradicated; and they can judge of our actions with more
+certain conclusions as to the integrity of our motives. A sister or a
+brother can never, unless indeed such symptoms have been shown early,
+suspect the other of fraud or false dealing, when another friend,
+however strongly he may be attached, may, in spite of himself, be
+contemplated with suspicion. But I enjoyed friends, dear not only
+through habit and association, but from their own merits; and wherever
+I am, the soothing voice of my Elizabeth and the conversation of
+Clerval will be ever whispered in my ear. They are dead, and but one
+feeling in such a solitude can persuade me to preserve my life. If I
+were engaged in any high undertaking or design, fraught with extensive
+utility to my fellow creatures, then could I live to fulfil it. But
+such is not my destiny; I must pursue and destroy the being to whom I
+gave existence; then my lot on earth will be fulfilled and I may die.”
+
+My beloved Sister,
+
+September 2d.
+
+
+I write to you, encompassed by peril and ignorant whether I am ever
+doomed to see again dear England and the dearer friends that inhabit
+it. I am surrounded by mountains of ice which admit of no escape and
+threaten every moment to crush my vessel. The brave fellows whom I
+have persuaded to be my companions look towards me for aid, but I have
+none to bestow. There is something terribly appalling in our
+situation, yet my courage and hopes do not desert me. Yet it is
+terrible to reflect that the lives of all these men are endangered
+through me. If we are lost, my mad schemes are the cause.
+
+And what, Margaret, will be the state of your mind? You will not hear of my
+destruction, and you will anxiously await my return. Years will pass, and
+you will have visitings of despair and yet be tortured by hope. Oh! My
+beloved sister, the sickening failing of your heart-felt expectations is,
+in prospect, more terrible to me than my own death. But you have a husband
+and lovely children; you may be happy. Heaven bless you and make you so!
+
+My unfortunate guest regards me with the tenderest compassion. He
+endeavours to fill me with hope and talks as if life were a possession
+which he valued. He reminds me how often the same accidents have
+happened to other navigators who have attempted this sea, and in spite
+of myself, he fills me with cheerful auguries. Even the sailors feel
+the power of his eloquence; when he speaks, they no longer despair; he
+rouses their energies, and while they hear his voice they believe these
+vast mountains of ice are mole-hills which will vanish before the
+resolutions of man. These feelings are transitory; each day of
+expectation delayed fills them with fear, and I almost dread a mutiny
+caused by this despair.
+
+September 5th.
+
+
+A scene has just passed of such uncommon interest that, although it is
+highly probable that these papers may never reach you, yet I cannot
+forbear recording it.
+
+We are still surrounded by mountains of ice, still in imminent danger
+of being crushed in their conflict. The cold is excessive, and many of
+my unfortunate comrades have already found a grave amidst this scene of
+desolation. Frankenstein has daily declined in health; a feverish fire
+still glimmers in his eyes, but he is exhausted, and when suddenly
+roused to any exertion, he speedily sinks again into apparent
+lifelessness.
+
+I mentioned in my last letter the fears I entertained of a mutiny.
+This morning, as I sat watching the wan countenance of my friend—his
+eyes half closed and his limbs hanging listlessly—I was roused by half
+a dozen of the sailors, who demanded admission into the cabin. They
+entered, and their leader addressed me. He told me that he and his
+companions had been chosen by the other sailors to come in deputation
+to me to make me a requisition which, in justice, I could not refuse.
+We were immured in ice and should probably never escape, but they
+feared that if, as was possible, the ice should dissipate and a free
+passage be opened, I should be rash enough to continue my voyage and
+lead them into fresh dangers, after they might happily have surmounted
+this. They insisted, therefore, that I should engage with a solemn
+promise that if the vessel should be freed I would instantly direct my
+course southwards.
+
+This speech troubled me. I had not despaired, nor had I yet conceived
+the idea of returning if set free. Yet could I, in justice, or even in
+possibility, refuse this demand? I hesitated before I answered, when
+Frankenstein, who had at first been silent, and indeed appeared hardly
+to have force enough to attend, now roused himself; his eyes sparkled,
+and his cheeks flushed with momentary vigour. Turning towards the men,
+he said,
+
+“What do you mean? What do you demand of your captain? Are you, then,
+so easily turned from your design? Did you not call this a glorious
+expedition? “And wherefore was it glorious? Not because the way was
+smooth and placid as a southern sea, but because it was full of dangers and
+terror, because at every new incident your fortitude was to be called forth
+and your courage exhibited, because danger and death surrounded it, and
+these you were to brave and overcome. For this was it a glorious, for this
+was it an honourable undertaking. You were hereafter to be hailed as the
+benefactors of your species, your names adored as belonging to brave men
+who encountered death for honour and the benefit of mankind. And now,
+behold, with the first imagination of danger, or, if you will, the first
+mighty and terrific trial of your courage, you shrink away and are content
+to be handed down as men who had not strength enough to endure cold and
+peril; and so, poor souls, they were chilly and returned to their warm
+firesides. Why, that requires not this preparation; ye need not have come
+thus far and dragged your captain to the shame of a defeat merely to prove
+yourselves cowards. Oh! Be men, or be more than men. Be steady to your
+purposes and firm as a rock. This ice is not made of such stuff as your
+hearts may be; it is mutable and cannot withstand you if you say that it
+shall not. Do not return to your families with the stigma of disgrace
+marked on your brows. Return as heroes who have fought and conquered and
+who know not what it is to turn their backs on the foe.”
+
+He spoke this with a voice so modulated to the different feelings expressed
+in his speech, with an eye so full of lofty design and heroism, that can
+you wonder that these men were moved? They looked at one another and were
+unable to reply. I spoke; I told them to retire and consider of what had
+been said, that I would not lead them farther north if they strenuously
+desired the contrary, but that I hoped that, with reflection, their courage
+would return.
+
+They retired and I turned towards my friend, but he was sunk in languor and
+almost deprived of life.
+
+How all this will terminate, I know not, but I had rather die than
+return shamefully, my purpose unfulfilled. Yet I fear such will be my
+fate; the men, unsupported by ideas of glory and honour, can never
+willingly continue to endure their present hardships.
+
+September 7th.
+
+
+The die is cast; I have consented to return if we are not destroyed.
+Thus are my hopes blasted by cowardice and indecision; I come back
+ignorant and disappointed. It requires more philosophy than I possess
+to bear this injustice with patience.
+
+September 12th.
+
+
+It is past; I am returning to England. I have lost my hopes of utility
+and glory; I have lost my friend. But I will endeavour to detail these
+bitter circumstances to you, my dear sister; and while I am wafted
+towards England and towards you, I will not despond.
+
+September 9th, the ice began to move, and roarings like thunder were heard
+at a distance as the islands split and cracked in every direction. We were
+in the most imminent peril, but as we could only remain passive, my chief
+attention was occupied by my unfortunate guest whose illness increased in
+such a degree that he was entirely confined to his bed. The ice cracked
+behind us and was driven with force towards the north; a breeze sprang from
+the west, and on the 11th the passage towards the south became perfectly
+free. When the sailors saw this and that their return to their native
+country was apparently assured, a shout of tumultuous joy broke from them,
+loud and long-continued. Frankenstein, who was dozing, awoke and asked the
+cause of the tumult. “They shout,” I said, “because they
+will soon return to England.”
+
+“Do you, then, really return?”
+
+“Alas! Yes; I cannot withstand their demands. I cannot lead them
+unwillingly to danger, and I must return.”
+
+“Do so, if you will; but I will not. You may give up your purpose, but
+mine is assigned to me by Heaven, and I dare not. I am weak, but
+surely the spirits who assist my vengeance will endow me with
+sufficient strength.” Saying this, he endeavoured to spring from the
+bed, but the exertion was too great for him; he fell back and fainted.
+
+It was long before he was restored, and I often thought that life was
+entirely extinct. At length he opened his eyes; he breathed with
+difficulty and was unable to speak. The surgeon gave him a composing
+draught and ordered us to leave him undisturbed. In the meantime he
+told me that my friend had certainly not many hours to live.
+
+His sentence was pronounced, and I could only grieve and be patient. I sat
+by his bed, watching him; his eyes were closed, and I thought he slept; but
+presently he called to me in a feeble voice, and bidding me come near,
+said, “Alas! The strength I relied on is gone; I feel that I shall
+soon die, and he, my enemy and persecutor, may still be in being. Think
+not, Walton, that in the last moments of my existence I feel that burning
+hatred and ardent desire of revenge I once expressed; but I feel myself
+justified in desiring the death of my adversary. During these last days I
+have been occupied in examining my past conduct; nor do I find it blamable.
+In a fit of enthusiastic madness I created a rational creature and was
+bound towards him to assure, as far as was in my power, his happiness and
+well-being. This was my duty, but there was another still paramount to
+that. My duties towards the beings of my own species had greater claims to
+my attention because they included a greater proportion of happiness or
+misery. Urged by this view, I refused, and I did right in refusing, to
+create a companion for the first creature. He showed unparalleled malignity
+and selfishness in evil; he destroyed my friends; he devoted to destruction
+beings who possessed exquisite sensations, happiness, and wisdom; nor do I
+know where this thirst for vengeance may end. Miserable himself that he may
+render no other wretched, he ought to die. The task of his destruction was
+mine, but I have failed. When actuated by selfish and vicious motives, I
+asked you to undertake my unfinished work, and I renew this request now,
+when I am only induced by reason and virtue.
+
+“Yet I cannot ask you to renounce your country and friends to fulfil
+this task; and now that you are returning to England, you will have
+little chance of meeting with him. But the consideration of these
+points, and the well balancing of what you may esteem your duties, I
+leave to you; my judgment and ideas are already disturbed by the near
+approach of death. I dare not ask you to do what I think right, for I
+may still be misled by passion.
+
+“That he should live to be an instrument of mischief disturbs me; in
+other respects, this hour, when I momentarily expect my release, is the
+only happy one which I have enjoyed for several years. The forms of
+the beloved dead flit before me, and I hasten to their arms. Farewell,
+Walton! Seek happiness in tranquillity and avoid ambition, even if it
+be only the apparently innocent one of distinguishing yourself in
+science and discoveries. Yet why do I say this? I have myself been
+blasted in these hopes, yet another may succeed.”
+
+His voice became fainter as he spoke, and at length, exhausted by his
+effort, he sank into silence. About half an hour afterwards he
+attempted again to speak but was unable; he pressed my hand feebly, and
+his eyes closed for ever, while the irradiation of a gentle smile passed
+away from his lips.
+
+Margaret, what comment can I make on the untimely extinction of this
+glorious spirit? What can I say that will enable you to understand the
+depth of my sorrow? All that I should express would be inadequate and
+feeble. My tears flow; my mind is overshadowed by a cloud of
+disappointment. But I journey towards England, and I may there find
+consolation.
+
+I am interrupted. What do these sounds portend? It is midnight; the
+breeze blows fairly, and the watch on deck scarcely stir. Again there
+is a sound as of a human voice, but hoarser; it comes from the cabin
+where the remains of Frankenstein still lie. I must arise and examine.
+Good night, my sister.
+
+Great God! what a scene has just taken place! I am yet dizzy with the
+remembrance of it. I hardly know whether I shall have the power to detail
+it; yet the tale which I have recorded would be incomplete without this
+final and wonderful catastrophe.
+
+I entered the cabin where lay the remains of my ill-fated and admirable
+friend. Over him hung a form which I cannot find words to
+describe—gigantic in stature, yet uncouth and distorted in its
+proportions. As he hung over the coffin, his face was concealed by long
+locks of ragged hair; but one vast hand was extended, in colour and
+apparent texture like that of a mummy. When he heard the sound of my
+approach, he ceased to utter exclamations of grief and horror and sprung
+towards the window. Never did I behold a vision so horrible as his face, of
+such loathsome yet appalling hideousness. I shut my eyes involuntarily and
+endeavoured to recollect what were my duties with regard to this destroyer.
+I called on him to stay.
+
+He paused, looking on me with wonder, and again turning towards the
+lifeless form of his creator, he seemed to forget my presence, and
+every feature and gesture seemed instigated by the wildest rage of some
+uncontrollable passion.
+
+“That is also my victim!” he exclaimed. “In his murder my
+crimes are consummated; the miserable series of my being is wound to its
+close! Oh, Frankenstein! Generous and self-devoted being! What does it
+avail that I now ask thee to pardon me? I, who irretrievably destroyed thee
+by destroying all thou lovedst. Alas! He is cold, he cannot answer
+me.”
+
+His voice seemed suffocated, and my first impulses, which had suggested to
+me the duty of obeying the dying request of my friend in destroying his
+enemy, were now suspended by a mixture of curiosity and compassion. I
+approached this tremendous being; I dared not again raise my eyes to his
+face, there was something so scaring and unearthly in his ugliness. I
+attempted to speak, but the words died away on my lips. The monster
+continued to utter wild and incoherent self-reproaches. At length I
+gathered resolution to address him in a pause of the tempest of his passion.
+
+“Your repentance,” I said, “is now superfluous. If you
+had listened to the voice of conscience and heeded the stings of remorse
+before you had urged your diabolical vengeance to this extremity,
+Frankenstein would yet have lived.”
+
+“And do you dream?” said the dæmon. “Do you think that I was then
+dead to agony and remorse? He,” he continued, pointing to the corpse,
+“he suffered not in the consummation of the deed. Oh! Not the
+ten-thousandth portion of the anguish that was mine during the
+lingering detail of its execution. A frightful selfishness hurried me
+on, while my heart was poisoned with remorse. Think you that the
+groans of Clerval were music to my ears? My heart was fashioned to be
+susceptible of love and sympathy, and when wrenched by misery to vice
+and hatred, it did not endure the violence of the change without
+torture such as you cannot even imagine.
+
+“After the murder of Clerval I returned to Switzerland, heart-broken
+and overcome. I pitied Frankenstein; my pity amounted to horror; I
+abhorred myself. But when I discovered that he, the author at once of
+my existence and of its unspeakable torments, dared to hope for
+happiness, that while he accumulated wretchedness and despair upon me
+he sought his own enjoyment in feelings and passions from the
+indulgence of which I was for ever barred, then impotent envy and bitter
+indignation filled me with an insatiable thirst for vengeance. I
+recollected my threat and resolved that it should be accomplished. I
+knew that I was preparing for myself a deadly torture, but I was the
+slave, not the master, of an impulse which I detested yet could not
+disobey. Yet when she died! Nay, then I was not miserable. I had
+cast off all feeling, subdued all anguish, to riot in the excess of my
+despair. Evil thenceforth became my good. Urged thus far, I had no
+choice but to adapt my nature to an element which I had willingly
+chosen. The completion of my demoniacal design became an insatiable
+passion. And now it is ended; there is my last victim!”
+
+I was at first touched by the expressions of his misery; yet, when I called
+to mind what Frankenstein had said of his powers of eloquence and
+persuasion, and when I again cast my eyes on the lifeless form of my
+friend, indignation was rekindled within me. “Wretch!” I said.
+“It is well that you come here to whine over the desolation that you
+have made. You throw a torch into a pile of buildings, and when they are
+consumed, you sit among the ruins and lament the fall. Hypocritical fiend!
+If he whom you mourn still lived, still would he be the object, again would
+he become the prey, of your accursed vengeance. It is not pity that you
+feel; you lament only because the victim of your malignity is withdrawn
+from your power.”
+
+“Oh, it is not thus—not thus,” interrupted the being.
+“Yet such must be the impression conveyed to you by what appears to
+be the purport of my actions. Yet I seek not a fellow feeling in my misery.
+No sympathy may I ever find. When I first sought it, it was the love of
+virtue, the feelings of happiness and affection with which my whole being
+overflowed, that I wished to be participated. But now that virtue has
+become to me a shadow, and that happiness and affection are turned into
+bitter and loathing despair, in what should I seek for sympathy? I am
+content to suffer alone while my sufferings shall endure; when I die, I am
+well satisfied that abhorrence and opprobrium should load my memory. Once
+my fancy was soothed with dreams of virtue, of fame, and of enjoyment. Once
+I falsely hoped to meet with beings who, pardoning my outward form, would
+love me for the excellent qualities which I was capable of unfolding. I was
+nourished with high thoughts of honour and devotion. But now crime has
+degraded me beneath the meanest animal. No guilt, no mischief, no
+malignity, no misery, can be found comparable to mine. When I run over the
+frightful catalogue of my sins, I cannot believe that I am the same
+creature whose thoughts were once filled with sublime and transcendent
+visions of the beauty and the majesty of goodness. But it is even so; the
+fallen angel becomes a malignant devil. Yet even that enemy of God and man
+had friends and associates in his desolation; I am alone.
+
+“You, who call Frankenstein your friend, seem to have a knowledge of my
+crimes and his misfortunes. But in the detail which he gave you of them
+he could not sum up the hours and months of misery which I endured
+wasting in impotent passions. For while I destroyed his hopes, I did
+not satisfy my own desires. They were for ever ardent and craving; still
+I desired love and fellowship, and I was still spurned. Was there no
+injustice in this? Am I to be thought the only criminal, when all
+humankind sinned against me? Why do you not hate Felix, who drove his
+friend from his door with contumely? Why do you not execrate the rustic
+who sought to destroy the saviour of his child? Nay, these are virtuous
+and immaculate beings! I, the miserable and the abandoned, am an
+abortion, to be spurned at, and kicked, and trampled on. Even now my
+blood boils at the recollection of this injustice.
+
+“But it is true that I am a wretch. I have murdered the lovely and
+the helpless; I have strangled the innocent as they slept and grasped to
+death his throat who never injured me or any other living thing. I have
+devoted my creator, the select specimen of all that is worthy of love and
+admiration among men, to misery; I have pursued him even to that
+irremediable ruin. There he lies, white and cold in death. You hate me, but
+your abhorrence cannot equal that with which I regard myself. I look on the
+hands which executed the deed; I think on the heart in which the
+imagination of it was conceived and long for the moment when these hands
+will meet my eyes, when that imagination will haunt my thoughts no more.
+
+“Fear not that I shall be the instrument of future mischief. My work
+is nearly complete. Neither yours nor any man’s death is needed to
+consummate the series of my being and accomplish that which must be done,
+but it requires my own. Do not think that I shall be slow to perform this
+sacrifice. I shall quit your vessel on the ice raft which brought me
+thither and shall seek the most northern extremity of the globe; I shall
+collect my funeral pile and consume to ashes this miserable frame, that its
+remains may afford no light to any curious and unhallowed wretch who would
+create such another as I have been. I shall die. I shall no longer feel the
+agonies which now consume me or be the prey of feelings unsatisfied, yet
+unquenched. He is dead who called me into being; and when I shall be no
+more, the very remembrance of us both will speedily vanish. I shall no
+longer see the sun or stars or feel the winds play on my cheeks. Light,
+feeling, and sense will pass away; and in this condition must I find my
+happiness. Some years ago, when the images which this world affords first
+opened upon me, when I felt the cheering warmth of summer and heard the
+rustling of the leaves and the warbling of the birds, and these were all to
+me, I should have wept to die; now it is my only consolation. Polluted by
+crimes and torn by the bitterest remorse, where can I find rest but in
+death?
+
+“Farewell! I leave you, and in you the last of humankind whom these
+eyes will ever behold. Farewell, Frankenstein! If thou wert yet alive
+and yet cherished a desire of revenge against me, it would be better
+satiated in my life than in my destruction. But it was not so; thou
+didst seek my extinction, that I might not cause greater wretchedness;
+and if yet, in some mode unknown to me, thou hadst not ceased to think
+and feel, thou wouldst not desire against me a vengeance greater than
+that which I feel. Blasted as thou wert, my agony was still superior to
+thine, for the bitter sting of remorse will not cease to rankle in my
+wounds until death shall close them for ever.
+
+“But soon,” he cried with sad and solemn enthusiasm, “I
+shall die, and what I now feel be no longer felt. Soon these burning
+miseries will be extinct. I shall ascend my funeral pile triumphantly and
+exult in the agony of the torturing flames. The light of that conflagration
+will fade away; my ashes will be swept into the sea by the winds. My spirit
+will sleep in peace, or if it thinks, it will not surely think thus.
+Farewell.”
+
+He sprang from the cabin-window as he said this, upon the ice raft
+which lay close to the vessel. He was soon borne away by the waves and
+lost in darkness and distance.
+
+
+
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FRANKENSTEIN ***
+
+***** This file should be named 84-0.txt or 84-0.zip *****
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
+    https://www.gutenberg.org/8/84/
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will
+be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright
+law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works,
+so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the
+United States without permission and without paying copyright
+royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part
+of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm
+concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark,
+and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following
+the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use
+of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for
+copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very
+easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation
+of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project
+Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away--you may
+do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected
+by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark
+license, especially commercial redistribution.
+
+START: FULL LICENSE
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full
+Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at
+www.gutenberg.org/license.
+
+Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+
+1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or
+destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your
+possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a
+Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound
+by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the
+person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph
+1.E.8.
+
+1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See
+paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this
+agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the
+Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection
+of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual
+works in the collection are in the public domain in the United
+States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the
+United States and you are located in the United States, we do not
+claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing,
+displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as
+all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope
+that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting
+free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm
+works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the
+Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily
+comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the
+same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when
+you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are
+in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States,
+check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this
+agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing,
+distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any
+other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no
+representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any
+country other than the United States.
+
+1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other
+immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear
+prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work
+on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed,
+performed, viewed, copied or distributed:
+
+  This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
+  most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no
+  restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it
+  under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this
+  eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the
+  United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where
+  you are located before using this eBook.
+
+1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is
+derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not
+contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the
+copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in
+the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are
+redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply
+either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or
+obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm
+trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any
+additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms
+will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works
+posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the
+beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including
+any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access
+to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format
+other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official
+version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm website
+(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense
+to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means
+of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain
+Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the
+full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+provided that:
+
+* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+  the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+  you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed
+  to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has
+  agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project
+  Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid
+  within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are
+  legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty
+  payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project
+  Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in
+  Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg
+  Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+  you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+  does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+  License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all
+  copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue
+  all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm
+  works.
+
+* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of
+  any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+  electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of
+  receipt of the work.
+
+* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+  distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than
+are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing
+from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of
+the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the Foundation as set
+forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project
+Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may
+contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate
+or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other
+intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or
+other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or
+cannot be read by your equipment.
+
+1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium
+with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you
+with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in
+lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person
+or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second
+opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If
+the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing
+without further opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO
+OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT
+LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of
+damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement
+violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the
+agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or
+limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or
+unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the
+remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in
+accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the
+production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses,
+including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of
+the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this
+or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or
+additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any
+Defect you cause.
+
+Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of
+computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It
+exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations
+from people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future
+generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see
+Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at
+www.gutenberg.org
+
+Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by
+U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's business office is located at 809 North 1500 West,
+Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up
+to date contact information can be found at the Foundation's website
+and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact
+
+Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without
+widespread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND
+DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular
+state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To
+donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate
+
+Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be
+freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and
+distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of
+volunteer support.
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in
+the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not
+necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper
+edition.
+
+Most people start at our website which has the main PG search
+facility: www.gutenberg.org
+
+This website includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.
+
+
diff --git a/images/NVIDIA_NLP_Model_Size.png b/images/NVIDIA_NLP_Model_Size.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..be41952
Binary files /dev/null and b/images/NVIDIA_NLP_Model_Size.png differ
diff --git a/images/carbon_footprint_HuggingFace.png b/images/carbon_footprint_HuggingFace.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0067946
Binary files /dev/null and b/images/carbon_footprint_HuggingFace.png differ
diff --git a/images/pretraining_HuggingFace.png b/images/pretraining_HuggingFace.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..33ac882
Binary files /dev/null and b/images/pretraining_HuggingFace.png differ
diff --git a/images/transformers.png b/images/transformers.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4bbe078
Binary files /dev/null and b/images/transformers.png differ
diff --git a/images/transformers_blocks_HuggingFace.png b/images/transformers_blocks_HuggingFace.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f3be29d
Binary files /dev/null and b/images/transformers_blocks_HuggingFace.png differ
diff --git a/images/transformers_chrono_HuggingFace.png b/images/transformers_chrono_HuggingFace.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..506d924
Binary files /dev/null and b/images/transformers_chrono_HuggingFace.png differ
diff --git a/images/word_embeddings_Renu_Khandelwal.png b/images/word_embeddings_Renu_Khandelwal.png
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c02e864
Binary files /dev/null and b/images/word_embeddings_Renu_Khandelwal.png differ