Droll Stories, vol 2 | Page 3

delete this "Small Print!" and all
other references to Project Gutenberg, or:
[1] Only give exact copies of it. Among other things, this requires that
you do not remove, alter or modify the etext or this "small print!"
statement. You may however, if you wish, distribute this etext in
machine readable binary, compressed, mark-up, or proprietary form,
including any form resulting from conversion by word pro- cessing or
hypertext software, but only so long as *EITHER*:
[*] The etext, when displayed, is clearly readable, and does *not*
contain characters other than those intended by the author of the work,
although tilde (~), asterisk (*) and underline (_) characters may be used
to convey punctuation intended by the author, and additional characters
may be used to indicate hypertext links; OR
[*] The etext may be readily converted by the reader at no expense into
plain ASCII, EBCDIC or equivalent form by the program that displays
the etext (as is the case, for instance, with most word processors); OR
[*] You provide, or agree to also provide on request at no additional
cost, fee or expense, a copy of the etext in its original plain ASCII form
(or in EBCDIC or other equivalent proprietary form).
[2] Honor the etext refund and replacement provisions of this "Small
Print!" statement.
[3] Pay a trademark license fee to the Project of 20% of the net profits
you derive calculated using the method you already use to calculate
your applicable taxes. If you don't derive profits, no royalty is due.
Royalties are payable to "Project Gutenberg
Association/Carnegie-Mellon University" within the 60 days following
each date you prepare (or were legally required to prepare) your annual
(or equivalent periodic) tax return.
WHAT IF YOU *WANT* TO SEND MONEY EVEN IF YOU
DON'T HAVE TO?

The Project gratefully accepts contributions in money, time, scanning
machines, OCR software, public domain etexts, royalty free copyright
licenses, and every other sort of contribution you can think of. Money
should be paid to "Project Gutenberg Association / Carnegie-Mellon
University".
*END*THE SMALL PRINT! FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN
ETEXTS*Ver.04.29.93*END*

Etext prepared by Ian Hodgson,
[email protected] and Dagny,
[email protected] and John Bickers, [email protected]

DROLL STORIES COLLECTED FROM THE ABBEYS OF
TOURAINE VOLUME II: THE SECOND TEN TALES
by HONORE DE BALZAC

CONTENTS
THE SECOND TEN TALES
PROLOGUE THE THREE CLERKS OF SAINT NICHOLAS THE
CONTINENCE OF KING FRANCIS THE FIRST THE MERRY
TATTLE OF THE NUNS OF POISSY HOW THE CHATEAU
D'AZAY CAME TO BE BUILT THE FALSE COURTESAN THE
DANGER OF BEING TOO INNOCENT THE DEAR NIGHT OF
LOVE THE SERMON OF THE MERRY VICAR OF MEUDON THE
SUCCUBUS DESPAIR IN LOVE EPILOGUE

SECOND TEN TALES

PROLOGUE
Certain persons have reproached the Author for knowing no more
about the language of the olden times than hares do of telling stories.
Formerly these people would have been vilified, called cannibals,
churls, and sycophants, and Gomorrah would have been hinted at as
their natal place. But the Author consents to spare them the flowery
epithets of ancient criticism; he contents himself with wishing not to be
in their skin, for he would be disgusted with himself, and esteem
himself the vilest of scribblers thus to calumniate a poor little book
which is not in the style of any spoil-paper of these times. Ah! ill-
natured wretches! you should save your breath to cool your own
porridge! The Author consoles himself for his want of success in not
pleasing everyone by remembering that an old Tourainian, of eternal
memory, had put up with such contumely, that losing all patience, he
declared in one of his prologues, that he would never more put pen to
paper. Another age, but the same manners. Nothing changes, neither
God above nor men below. Thereupon of the Author continues his task
with a light heart, relying upon the future to reward his heavy labours.
And certes, it is a hard task to invent A HUNDRED DROLL TALES,
since not only have ruffians and envious men opened fire upon him, but
his friends have imitated their example, and come to him saying "Are
you mad? Do you think it is possible? No man ever had in the depths of
his imagination a hundred such tales. Change the hyperbolic title of
your budget. You will never finish it." These people are neither
misanthropes nor cannibals; whether they are ruffians I know not; but
for certain they are kind, good-natured friends; friends who have the
courage to tell you disagreeable things all your life along, who are
rough and sharp as currycombs, under the pretence that they are yours
to command, in all the mishaps of life, and in the hour of extreme
unction, all their worth will be known. If such people would only keep
these sad kindnesses; but they will not. When