François grows up in a Benedictine orphan asylum, becomes a choir-boy who serves two masters, and slides into petty thieving. Living on his wits as a juggler and later a fencing-master, he dodges through the streets of Revolutionary Paris, where friendship, lies and quick hands can save a man’s head.
A picaresque romp through the Terror by a Philadelphia physician who was also a popular novelist. Download the free EPUB.