On a moonlit terrace above the Spanish town of Menda, young Major Victor Marchand keeps watch for Napoleon’s army while the grandee’s household dances in the château behind him. When the town rises against the French, his general demands vengeance on the family he has come to love, and offers a pardon on conditions almost too cruel to state.
One of Balzac’s shortest and most harrowing tales, a study of honour and war that can be read in a single sitting. Download the free EPUB.