The Grip of Desire

The Grip of Desire, by Hector France, et al

The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Grip of Desire, by Hector France, et al
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere 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.net

Title: The Grip of Desire
Author: Hector France
Release Date: February 6, 2004 [eBook #10963]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GRIP OF DESIRE***
This file was produced by Carlo Traverso, Relka Bihari, Andrea Ball, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team from images generously made available by the Bibliotheque nationale de France (BnF/Gallica) at http://gallica.bnf.fr.

THE GRIP OF DESIRE
THE STORY OF A PARISH-PRIEST
TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH OF HECTOR FRANCE

[Illustration: D��but d'une s��rie de documents en couleur.]

Love is a familiar; love is a devil; there is no evil angel but love. Yet was Samson so tempted, and he had an excellent strength; yet was Solomon so seduced, and he had a very good wit.
Love's Labour Lost.

With an engraved portrait of the Author

Other Works in English
By HECTOR FRANCE
Mansour's Chastisement, the Loves and Intrigues of an Arab Don Juan, done into English by ALFRED ALLINSON, and embellished with Seven fine Engravings by THEVENIN, after Drawings by BAZEILHAC.
Musk, Hashish and Blood, with Twenty-One Engravings by PAUL AVRIL. (In the Press.)
The Attack on the Brothels, A Realistic Account of the Civilizing of "Barbarians". With Illustrations. (In Hand.)
The Daughter of the Christ; The most original and philosophic work of the last twenty years. This work will be sumptuously illustrated by leading French Artists. (In Preparation.)

[Illustration: Fin d'une s��rie de documents en couleur.]

[Illustration: the author.]

[Illustration]

TO THE READER
The truth, the bitter truth.
DANTON.
Oh, sons and brothers, oh, poets When the thing exists, speak the word.
V. HUGO.

I do not assert that all the personages in this story are models of virtue. To some of them has been given a part which severe morality reproves. But I am a realist and not an idealist, and for that I beg the reader a thousand pardons. I have tried to paint what I saw and not that of which I dreamed. If my figures are not chaste, the fault is not mine, but of those who passed before me and whose features I sketched as my pen ran on.
You are warned therefore, Madam, that when you open this book, you will not find a "Treatise on Morality". Here are only the simple and pastoral loves of a poor and obscure village priest. An idyll in the shade of the parsonage limes and under the motionless eye of the weather-cock on the belfry.
If then you come across any word which offends your chaste ears, any picture which distresses your modest eye, blame only your own curiosity.
HECTOR FRANCE.

LIST OF CHAPTERS.
Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are Defiled and Unbelieving is nothing pure: but even their mind and conscience is Defiled. They profess that they know God; but in Works they Deny Him, being Abominable and Disobedient, and unto every good work Reprobate.
ST. PAUL.

LIST OF CHAPTERS.
I. The Cur�� II. The Confessional III. The Parsonage IV. Expectation V. The Meeting VI. The Look VII. The Salute VIII. The Fever IX. During Vespers X. In Parenthesis XI. The Flesh XII. The Temptation XIII. The Resolution XIV. The Captain XV. Memories XVI. The Epaulet XVII. The Voltairian XVIII. The Visit XIX. Hard Words XX. Kicks XXI. The Past XXII. The Servant XXIII. The Letter XXIV. The First Meeting XXV. Love XXVI. Of Young Girls in General XXVII. Of Suzanne in Particular XXVIII. The Shadow. XXIX. Other Meetings XXX. Seraphic Love XXXI. The Virgin XXXII. The Death's-Head XXXIII. Frenzy XXXIV. The Prohibition XXXV. The Shelter XXXVI. The Hot Wine XXXVII. T��te-��-T��te XXXVIII. The Kiss XXXIX. The Devil in Petticoats XL. Little Confessions XLI. Moral Reflections XLII. Memory Looking Back XLIII. Espionage XLIV. The Garret Window XLV. Treacherous Manoeuvre XLVI. The Letter XLVII. Good News XLVIII. Reconcilliation XLIX. Confidences L. Mammosa Virgo LI. Chamber Morality LII. The Posset LIII. The Leg LIV. Mater Saeva Cupidunum LV. In the Foot-Path LVI. Double Remorse LVII. The Explosion LVIII. Provocation LIX. Acts and Words LX. Talks LXI. Le P��re Hyacinthe LXII. The Happy Cur�� LXIII. The Miracles LXIV. The Two Augurs LXV. Table-Talk LXVI. Good Counsel LXVII. In A Glass LXVIII. The Rose Chamber LXIX. The Gust of Wind LXX. The Ambuscade LXXI. The Breach LXXII. The Assault LXXIII. Audaces Fortuna Juvat LXXIV. Before Mass LXXV. During Mass LXXVI. Awakening LXXVII. Consolations LXXVIII. False Alarms LXXIX. In the Diligence LXXX. An Old Acquaintance LXXXI. A Little Confession LXXXII. The Church-Woman LXXXIII. Conventicle LXXXIV. At the Palace LXXXV. Little Pastimes LXXXVI. Serious Talk LXXXVII. The Seminary LXXXVIII. The Fair One LXXXIX. Love Again XC. Le