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Internet of Everything (IoE)
Series Editor:
Mangey Ram
Professor, Graphic Era University, Uttarakhand, India
IoT
Security and Privacy Paradigm
Edited by
Souvik Pal, Vicente Garcia Diaz, and Dac-Nhuong Le
Smart Innovation of Web of Things
Edited by
Vijender Kumar Solanki, Raghvendra Kumar, and Le Hoang Son
Big Data, IoT, and Machine Learning
Tools and Applications
Rashmi Agrawal, Marcin Paprzycki, and Neha Gupta
Internet of Everything and Big Data
Major Challenges in Smart Cities
Edited by
Salah-ddine Krit, Mohamed Elhoseny, Valentina Emilia Balas, Rachid Benlamri,
and Marius M. Balas
Bitcoin and Blockchain
History and Current Applications
Edited by
Sandeep Kumar Panda, Ahmed A. Elngar, Valentina Emilia Balas,
and Mohammed Kayed
For more information about this series, please visit: https://www.crcpress.
com/Internet-of-Everything-IoE-Security-and-Privacy-Paradigm/book-series/
CRCIOESPP

Bitcoin and Blockchain
History and Current Applications
Edited by
Sandeep Kumar Panda, Ahmed A. Elngar,
Valentina Emilia Balas, and Mohammed Kayed

MATLAB® is a trademark of The MathWorks, Inc. and is used with permission. The MathWorks
does not warrant the accuracy of the text or exercises in this book. This book’s use or discussion of
MATLAB® software or related products does not constitute endorsement or sponsorship by The
MathWorks of a particular pedagogical approach or particular use of the MATLAB® software.
First edition published 2020
by CRC Press
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has not been obtained. If any copyright material has not been acknowledged please write and let us
know so we may rectify in any future reprint.
Except as permitted under U.S. Copyright Law, no part of this book may be reprinted, reproduced,
transmitted, or utilized in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or
hereafter invented, including photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or in any information
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Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are
used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
ISBN: 978-0-367-90100-4 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-03258-8 (ebk)
Typeset in Times
by codeMantra

Dedicated to my sisters Sujata and Bhaina Sukanta, nephew
Surya Datta, wife Itishree (Leena), my son Jay Jagdish, and my
late father Jaya Gopal Panda and late mother Pranati Panda.
Sandeep Kumar Panda
Dedicated to my parents, my brother, my sisters, and also to
my kids Farida and Seif, your smile brings happiness in my life.
Ahmed A. Elngar

vii
Contents
Preface ix
.......................................................................................................................
Editors.................................................................................................................... xiii
Contributors xvii
...........................................................................................................
Chapter 1 Bitcoin: A P2P Digital Currency 1
Sathya A.R. and Ahmed A. Elngar
.........................................................
Chapter 2 Exploring the Bitcoin Network 23
Sathya A.R. and K. Varaprasada Rao
..........................................................
Chapter 3 Blockchain Technology: The Trust-Free Systems 37
Sathya A.R. and Ajay Kumar Jena
..............................
Chapter 4 Consensus and Mining in a Nutshell 55
Sathya A.R. and Santosh Kumar Swain
..................................................
Chapter 5 Blockchain: Introduction to the Technology behind Shared
Information 65
Naseem Ahamed
.........................................................................................
Chapter 6 Growth of Financial Transaction toward Bitcoin and Blockchain
Technology 79
Chiranji Lal Chowdhary
.........................................................................................
Chapter 7 A Brief Overview of Blockchain Algorithm and Its Impact upon
Cloud-Connected Environment 99
Subhasish Mohapatra and Smita Parija
..........................................................
Chapter 8 Solidity Essentials 115
Parv Garg and Neeraj Khadse
............................................................................
Chapter 9 Installing Frameworks, Deploying, and Testing Smart Contracts
in Ethereum Platform. 137
Tushar Sharma
......................................................................

viii Contents
Chapter 10 Blockchain in Healthcare Sector 163
S. Porkodi and D. Kesavaraja
......................................................
Chapter 11 Blockchain Theories and Its Applications 183
Jaipal Dhobale and Vaibhav Mishra
.......................................
Chapter 12 Building Permissioned Blockchain Networks Using
Hyperledger Fabric. 193
K. Varaprasada Rao, Mutyala Sree Teja, P. Praneeth Reddy,
and S. Saikrishna
..........................................................................
Chapter 13 Fraud-Resistant Crowdfunding System Using Ethereum
Blockchain 237
Sandeep Kumar Panda
........................................................................................
Index 277
......................................................................................................................

ix
Preface
Globally, the industries provide employment to about 500 million people from the
main business sectors which include service, retail, manufacturing, business, health
care, local and central government, finance sector, etc. All of these sectors are made
either automatic or semiautomatic by sophisticated business processes forming an
integral part of the digital economy. In this revolution, the Internet plays a vital role
in core business, and financial aspects of the digital economy are still centralized,
with the help of centralized agencies such as banks and tax agencies, to authenticate
and settle payments and transactions. These centralized services often are manual,
difficult to automate, and represent a bottleneck to facilitating a frictionless digital
economy. The blockchain technology, a distributed, decentralized, and public ledger,
addresses these issues by maintaining records of all transactions on a blockchain
network that promises a smart world of automation of complex services and manu-
facturing processes.
A blockchain network is a peer-to-peer network and does not require a central
authority or trusted intermediaries to authenticate or settle the transactions. The
first generation of blockchain network was coined by Satoshi Nakamoto in his 2008
white paper where the primary application of the blockchain network was the use of
electronic cash or cryptocurrency called Bitcoin. The second-generation blockchain
network called Ethereum was introduced in 2013. Ethereum allows a single program-
mable blockchain network to be used for developing different types of applications
where each application takes the form of a smart contract which is implemented in a
high-level language and deployed on the blockchain network.
There are very few books that can serve as a foundational text book for colleges and
universities looking to create new educational programs in the areas of blockchain,
smart contracts, and decentralized applications. The existing books are focused on
the business side of blockchain and case study–based evaluation of applications.
We have edited this book to meet the need at colleges and universities. This book
can serve as a textbook for senior- and graduate-level courses on the domains such
as business analytics, finance, Internet of Things, computer science, mathematics,
and business schools. This book is also dedicated to novice programmers and solu-
tion architects who want to build powerful, robust, optimized smart contracts using
solidity, and hyperledger fabrics from scratch.
This book is organized into 13 chapters.
Chapter 1, Bitcoin: A P2P Digital Currency, presents an overview of digital cur-
rencies, discusses the Bitcoin transactions and proof of work, reviews the Bitcoin
security attacks, and illustrates the Bitcoin development environment.
Chapter 2, Exploring the Bitcoin Network, describes the overall process of Bitcoin
networks like transactions, digital signatures, relay networks, and Bitcoin script.
Chapter 3, Blockchain Technology: The Trust-Free Systems, discusses blockchain
technology in detail and highlights some of the applications in which it can be used.
It also specifies some challenges and benefits of this technology that is all set to
transform the digital world.

x Preface
Chapter 4, Consensus and Mining in a Nutshell, provides an overview of the con-
sensus models, narrates the transaction process using consensus, and examines the
different consensus attacks.
Chapter 5, Blockchain: Introduction to the Technology behind Shared
Information, discusses the incentive to the miner, attacks, types of blockchain, and
blockchain impacts in finance and industry sectors.
Chapter 6, Growth of Financial Transaction toward Bitcoin and Blockchain
Technology, deliberates the introduction to cryptocurrency, and its history and
definitions. Nevertheless, this chapter also discusses some cybersecurity aspects of
blockchain.
Chapter 7, A Brief Overview of Blockchain Algorithm and Its Impact upon
Cloud-Connected Environment, focuses on blockchain algorithm and its impact
upon cloud-connected ecosystem.
The focus of Chapter 8, Solidity Essentials, is on briefly understood Solidity
Language. The need for Solidity is discussed. Its use case and implementation are
addressed. Details of its environment setup and compilation are also provided. Its
important components are explained along with examples for a better understanding
of syntax. By the end of this chapter, the reader will be familiar with Solidity and
will be able to write smart contracts on it.
Chapter 9, Installing Frameworks, Deploying, and Testing Smart Contracts in
Ethereum Platform, covers the smart contract programming with a special emphasis
on Solidity, properties associated with a smart contract account, fetching accounts
from Ganache module, deployment of smart contracts with Web3 and Infura, testing
smart contracts with open-source tools such as Remix and Mocha framework for
asynchronous testing, test coverage reports, and use of any assertion library. Hence,
this chapter highlights the methods for writing smart contracts using various author-
ing tools such as Visual Studio. However, the easiest and fastest way for developing
and testing the smart contracts is to use a browser-based tool known as Remix. Next,
we write few smart contract applications with Solidity language and explain all the
common function types used in it. The concepts of gas and transactions are thor-
oughly discussed. Lastly, this chapter is laid out in a manner that it helps the reader
to get the comprehensive idea of writing smart contracts.
Chapter 10, Blockchain in Healthcare Sector, discusses the existing and the latest
new developments in implementation, challenges, applications, and future direction
of the blockchain-based systems in healthcare sectors.
Chapter 11, Blockchain Theories and Its Applications, describes the financial
applications where blockchain provides traceability and transparency to the financial
transactions, which makes it a unique technology to take care of financial applica-
tions. Financial applications in the area of banking services, insurance sector – health
insurance, economic business applications, financial auditing, and cryptocurrency
payment and exchange are part of discussion. Non-financial applications: health
care – in healthcare sector, patients’ records should be shared with the healthcare
stakeholders with confidentiality; blockchain is an effective technology to take care
of this process. Governance – blockchain technology can serve as a path changer for
the local and central governments to take care of governance.

xi
Preface
Chapter 12, Building Permissioned Blockchain Networks Using Hyperledger
Fabric, discusses in detail about Hyperledger Fabric, its architecture, and the pro-
cedure to build the Hyperledger Fabric network using docker container technology
for an industry use case, which would involve multiple actors/organizations who
want to form a permissioned network. We will also discuss about developing the
chaincode (smart contract) for Hyperledger Fabric using node js, and building a
Representational State Transfer Application Program Interface (REST API) to inter-
act with the Fabric network using Fabric Node Software Development Kit (SDK).
Chapter 13, Fraud-Resistant Crowdfunding System Using Ethereum Blockchain,
presents all the details and technicalities in implementation of a crowdfunding plat-
form through Ethereum blockchain network in a scholarly manner.

xiii
Editors
Dr. Sandeep Kumar Panda is currently work-
ing as an associate professor in the Department
of Computer Science and Engineering, Faculty
of Science and Technology at ICFAI Foundation
for Higher Education (deemed to be University),
Hyderabad, Telangana, India. His research
interests include Software Engineering, Web
Engineering, Cryptography and Security,
Blockchain Technology, Internet of Things, and
Cloud Computing. He has published many papers
in international journals and international confer-
ences in repute. He received the “Research and
Innovation of the Year Award” hosted by WIEF
and EduSkills under the Banner of MSME,
Government of India and DST, Government of India at New Delhi in January 2020.
He has eight Indian Patents in his credit. His professional affiliations are MIEEE,
MACM, and LMIAENG.
Dr. Ahmed A. Elngar is an assistant professor
of Computer Science, the founder and chair of
Scientific Innovation Research Group (SIRG),
and the Director of Technological and Informatics
Studies Center, Faculty of Computers & Artificial
Intelligence at Beni-Suef University, Egypt. He
is managing editor of Journal of Cybersecurity
and Information Management (JCIM). He has
published more than 25 scientific research papers
in prestigious international journals and over five
books covering such diverse topics as data mining,
intelligent systems, social networks, and smart
environment. Research works and publications.
He is a collaborative researcher. He is a member
of the Egyptian Mathematical Society (EMS) and International Rough Set Society
(IRSS). His other research areas include Internet of Things (IoT), Network Security,
Intrusion Detection, Machine Learning, Data Mining, Artificial Intelligence, Big
Data, Authentication, Cryptology, Healthcare Systems, and Automation Systems. He
is an Editor and Reviewer of many international journals. He won several awards
including the “Young Researcher in Computer Science Engineering” from Global
Outreach Education Summit and Awards 2019 on 31 January 2019 (Thursday) at
Delhi, India and the “Best Young Researcher Award (Male) (Below 40 Years)”
from Global Education and Corporate Leadership Awards (GECL-2018) at

xiv Editors
Rajasthan, India. Also, he has an Intellectual Property Rights called “ElDahshan
Authentication Protocol,” Information Technology Industry Development Agency
(ITIDA), Technical Report, 2016. His activities in community and the environment
service include organizing 12 workshops hosted by a large number of universities in
almost all governorates of Egypt. He has participated in a workshop on Smartphone’s
techniques and their role in the development of visually impaired skills in various
walks of life.
Prof. Valentina Emilia Balas is currently a full
professor in the Department of Automatics and
Applied Software at the Faculty of Engineering,
“Aurel Vlaicu” University of Arad, Romania.
She holds a Ph.D. in Applied Electronics and
Telecommunications from Polytechnic University
of Timisoara. She is the author of more than
300 research papers in refereed journals and
international conferences. Her research interests
are in Intelligent Systems, Fuzzy Control, Soft
Computing, Smart Sensors, Information Fusion,
Modeling, and Simulation. She is the editor-in-chief
of International Journal of Advanced Intelligence
Paradigms (IJAIP) and International Journal of
Computational Systems Engineering (IJCSysE), is
a member of Editorial Board of several national and international journals, and is
expert evaluator for national and international projects and Ph.D. theses. She is the
director of Intelligent Systems Research Centre and director of the Department of
International Relations, Programs and Projects at “Aurel Vlaicu” University of Arad.
She served as the general chair of the International Workshop Soft Computing and
Applications (SOFA) in eight editions held from 2005 to 2018 in Romania and
Hungary. She participated in many international conferences as organizer, honorary
chair, session chair, and member in Steering, Advisory, or International Program
Committees. She is a member of EUSFLAT, SIAM, TC – Fuzzy Systems (IEEE
CIS), TC – Emergent Technologies (IEEE CIS), and TC – Soft Computing (IEEE
SMCS), and a senior member of IEEE. She was past vice-president (Awards) of
IFSA International Fuzzy Systems Association Council (2013–2015) and is a joint
secretary of the Governing Council of Forum for Interdisciplinary Mathematics
(FIM), a multidisciplinary academic body, India.

xv
Editors
Dr. Mohammed Kayed received an M.Sc. degree
in Computer Science from Minia University,
Minia, Egypt in 2002 and a Ph.D. degree in
Computer Science from Beni-Suef University,
Beni-Suef, Egypt in 2007. From 2005 to 2006,
he was a research and teaching assistant in the
Department of Computer Science and Information
Engineering at the National Central University,
Taiwan. Since 2007, he has been an assistant
professor with Department of Mathematics and
Computer Science, Faculty of Science, Beni-Suef
University, Beni-Suef, Egypt. He is currently an
associate professor and head of Computer Science Department, Faculty of Computer
and Artificial Intelligence, Beni-Suef University, Egypt. He is the author of more than
18 articles. His research interests include Web Mining, Opinion Mining, Information
Extraction, and Information Retrieval.

xvii
Contributors
Naseem Ahamed
Finance and Accounting Deapartment
ICFAI Business School
Hyderabad, Telangana, India
Chiranji Lal Chowdhary
School of Information Technology and
Engineering
VIT University
Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
Jaipal Dhobale
Operation and IT Deapartment
Ahmed A. Elngar
Computer Science
Beni-Suef University
Beni-Suef, Egypt
Parv Garg
Computer Science and Engineering
ICFAI Foundation for Higher
Education (Deemed to be
University)
Ajay Kumar Jena
School of Computer Engineering
KIIT (Deemed to be University)
Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
D. Kesavaraja
Department of Computer Science and
Engineering
Dr. SivanthiAditanar College of
Engineering
Tiruchendur, Tamil Nadu, India
Neeraj Khadse
ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education
(Deemed to be University)
Vaibhav Mishra
Operation and IT Deapartment
Subhasish Mohapatra
ADAMAS University
Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Sandeep Kumar Panda
Smita Parija
Electrical Engineering Department
National Institute of Technology
Rourkela, Odisha, India
S. Porkodi
Department of Computer Science and
Engineering
Dr. SivanthiAditanar College of
Engineering
Tiruchendur, Tamil Nadu, India
K. Varaprasada Rao

xviii Contributors
P. Praneeth Reddy
S. Saikrishna
Sathya A.R.
Tushar Sharma
Santosh Kumar Swain
KIIT (Deemed to be University)
Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
Mutyala Sree Teja

1
1 Bitcoin
A P2P Digital Currency
Sathya A.R.
Ahmed A. Elngar
Beni-Suef University
CONTENTS
1.1 Introduction 2
......................................................................................................
1.2 Digital Currencies before Bitcoin 2
.....................................................................
1.2.1 Blinded Cash 3
.........................................................................................
1.2.2 Web-Based Money 3
................................................................................
1.2.3 B-Money 3
...............................................................................................
1.2.4 Bit Gold 3
.................................................................................................
1.2.5 Hashcash 3
...............................................................................................
1.3 Bitcoin in a Nutshell 4
.........................................................................................
1.4 Transaction 5
........................................................................................................
1.4.1 Construct a Transaction 5
........................................................................
1.4.2 Getting the Right Input 5
.........................................................................
1.4.3 Creating the Output 6
..............................................................................
1.5 Timestamp Server 6
.............................................................................................
1.6 Proof of Work 7
...................................................................................................
1.7 Bitcoin Development Environment 9
...................................................................
1.7.1 Bitcoin Core Implementation 9
................................................................
1.7.2 Wallet Setup and Encryption 11
..............................................................
1.8 Keys, Wallets, and Addresses 12
.........................................................................
1.8.1 Digital Signature 12
.................................................................................
1.8.2 Keys 13
....................................................................................................
1.8.3 Wallets 13
................................................................................................
1.8.4 Addresses 14
............................................................................................
1.9 Security Attacks on Bitcoin System and Countermeasures 15
...........................
1.9.1 Major Security Attacks 15
.......................................................................
1.9.1.1 Double Spending 15
..................................................................
1.9.1.2 Mining Pool Attacks 15
............................................................
1.9.1.3 Client-Side Security Threat 17
.................................................
1.9.1.4 Bitcoin Network Attacks 17
......................................................

2 Bitcoin and Blockchain
1.1 INTRODUCTION
Over the past few decades, there have been many new applications on the Internet,
solving problems in a supportive and distributed way. There are many well-known
applications that are non-commercial and collaborative; for example, Hashcash,
Anonymous Communication, and BitTorrent. Generally, few applications material-
ize soon after the software concept is perceived. But, there are few exceptions; one
such idea is digital money. The concept of digital money is around since the 1980s,
but it took few decades to develop as a fully distributed solution. As per Ref. [1],
several attempts had been made to build digital currencies, but they required a cen-
tral authority like bank to handle transactions. Later approaches such as Bitgold,
B-money, Reusable Proof of Work (RPoW), and Karma suggested to have a cryp-
tographic puzzle named proof of work (PoW). Based on this model, every user can
mine their money but using a central bank to maintain the transactional details.
To eliminate the central authority, the register which records all transaction
details should also be distributive in nature. However, a serious risk involved in digi-
tal currencies or any distributed currency is double spending. As digital copies are
smaller, it is possible for any malicious user to make two parallel transactions using
the same coins to two different users. In traditional centralized models, the central
authority like banks can identify and prevent such malicious acts, whereas it is not
easy in a distributed model. The reason is that keeping the distributed information
and mutual acceptance in a consistent state is challenging, especially in a malicious
users environment. This goes down similar to the Byzantine Generals Problem [2].
This vision leads to employing quorum systems. Quorum systems [3] understand and
accept that in a distributed environment, it is possible to have faulty information and
mischievous users. Hence, to ensure a correct ledger, the voting concept was intro-
duced assuming majority of peers are honest. However, this election approach leads
to Sybil attacks [4], in which malicious users can set up several peers to challenge
the electoral process and implant wrong information. Propagation delays are ignored
and lead to brief inconsistencies. Bitcoin design overcomes all these difficulties.
1.2 DIGITAL CURRENCIES BEFORE BITCOIN
One of the earliest attempts to create cryptocurrency started few decades back in the
Netherlands. When a petrol station in the Netherlands suffered nighttime thefts, few
developers tried to link money with newly designed smart cards. A user who needs
to access the petrol station can use these smart cards instead of cash. This can be
1.9.2 Minor Attacks 18
.....................................................................................
1.9.2.1 Sybil Attack 18
.........................................................................
1.9.2.2 Eclipse Attack 18
......................................................................
1.9.2.3 Tampering 19
............................................................................
1.10 Privacy and Anonymity in Bitcoin. 19
................................................................
1.11 Reclaiming Disk Space 20
...................................................................................
1.12 Conclusion 20
......................................................................................................
References 20
................................................................................................................

3
Bitcoin: A P2P Digital Currency
one of the earliest examples of electronic cash which might have led to the digital
currency as we know them today. Some digital cash concepts before Bitcoin are
explained below.
1.2.1 BLINDED CASH
In 1983, David Chaum was the first to describe digital money. He states that the key
difference between credit-card payment and digital cash is anonymity. According
to Chaum, users can anonymously receive digital money from banks. Banks can
view who exchanged and how much money got exchanged, but cannot know what
it is used for. Chaum uses cryptography to create a blind, digital signature termed
“blinded cash” to make the cash anonymous. Therefore, “blinded cash” could be
exchanged securely between individuals, by carrying identity signatures and the
ability to change without traceability. But in 1988, Chaum went bankrupt. However,
his concepts, formula, and encryption tools played a key role in developing digital
currencies later.
1.2.2 WEB-BASED MONEY
In the 1990s, many companies tried to enlarge Chaum’s ideas. One such company
is PayPal. It allowed the users to send money quickly and safely via web browser.
Combined with eBay, it secured a dedicated user base and still remains a major pay-
ment service. Some companies even tried to trade gold via web browser. One success-
ful operation was e-gold, which offered credit in exchange of gold or other precious
metals. But in 2005, the federal government has to shut this down due to scams.
1.2.3 B-MONEY
Wei Dai, a developer, introduced a distributed, anonymous electronic cash system
called B-money in 1998. B-money used digital pseudonyms in a distributed environ-
ment to transfer digital currency. It even enforces contracts in the network without
using a third party. But B-money was not successful and failed to get any attention.
However, Satoshi used some elements of B-money in his Bitcoin whitepaper.
1.2.4 BIT GOLD
Later, Bitgold, which is another digital currency, was proposed by Nick Szabo.
Similar to today’s Bitcoin mining process, Bitgold had its own PoW mechanism
through which the solutions were cryptographically signed and broadcasted to the
public. Bitgold to an extent tried to avoid dependency on central authorities. However,
it was not successful, but added bits to the evolution of digital currencies.
1.2.5 HASHCASH
According to the Merkle, Hashcash is one of the most successful pre-Bitcoin digital
currencies developed in the mid-1990s. Hashcash was developed to serve many

purposes like reduce email spams, prevent Distributed Denial-of-Services (DDoS)
attacks, etc. Like many other modern digital currencies, Hashcash also uses
PoW algorithm to help in generating and distributing new coins. In fact, in 1997,
Hashcash also ran into the same issues faced by the other currencies. Hashcash
eventually became less effective because of its increased processing power require-
ment. In 2009, when Bitcoin was proposed, it started a new generation of digital
currencies. Bitcoin’s association with blockchain technology and decentralization
status make it different from many of the cryptocurrencies developed before. At
the same time, it is not possible to visualize Bitcoin, leaving the earlier attempts at
cryptocurrencies.
1.3 BITCOIN IN A NUTSHELL
Bitcoin and many other cryptocurrencies use open-source software to solve problems
related to peer-to-peer (P2P) network. A P2P system functions in a way different
from a government-issued fiat currency. Creating, certifying, and issuing fiat money
is performed by one person and is used by many. It is more like a client server model
in networking where a server receives and responds to requests from many clients.
A server is responsible for ensuring the correctness of data or information provided
to it. Making fake fiat currency is difficult and is an offense.
A group of nodes that are linked to a network is called a P2P network. The nodes
act both as client and as server. P2P network is faster, and its cost of maintenance
is lesser than the client server model. It is more flexible to attacks or issues at one
location. In addition to relying on a P2P network, Bitcoin also depends on the open-
source software. In open-source software, the source code is distributed with no or
less limitation on copyright in using the program.
Bitcoin design overcomes the difficulties faced by the digital currencies. It was
announced and deployed in 2008 and 2009, respectively, by Satoshi Nakamoto.
Bitcoin gained popularity immediately after that. The identity of Nakamoto remains
uncertain and leads to many speculations. Bitcoin brilliantly combines many exist-
ing technologies [5,6] and makes decentralization practical by limiting the number
of votes per entity in PoW scheme.
All transactions will be collected in a block by Bitcoin miners and the miner
will attempt to solve the given cryptographic puzzle by changing its nonce value.
Once the solution is obtained, it can be broadcasted along with the transactions to
other nodes and can update the distributed ledger. Coin ownership can be found
by traversing the blockchain until the coin’s most recent transaction is found. Due
to malicious operations and transmission delays, it is possible to have forks in the
chain. Consensus on such cases can be reached by taking the longest (block) chain
for consideration. In this way, Sybil and double spending attacks can be mitigated
to an extent by adding blockchain to PoW contributions. PoW generates the supply
of Bitcoin continuously for miners as incentives. Bitcoin does not require a central
authority to do these activities, thus making the distributed, digital currency practi-
cal. Table 1.1 differentiates the various features of centralized trust-based models
and decentralized model.

5
1.4 TRANSACTION
A publicly available database records every cryptocurrency exchange. Every Bitcoin
has an address called Bitcoin address. Transfer of Bitcoins from one Bitcoin address
to another is a transaction. Transactions that are yet to be recorded and most recent
transactions are stored in blocks. Every time a block is completed, it’ll bring a new
block into picture. Block generation produces rewards to the users. The reward sys-
tem implements a new, unique transaction in the block as the first transaction. This
first transaction is labeled as Coinbase transaction. The miner is always the creator of
that block. A transaction is never completed until it gets added in a block. The miners
compete to add the block to the existing blocks. The process of adding a new block is
called mining. Every block comes with an incentive. New Bitcoins are generated and
issued to the creator of the block at each block generation. Transactions are hashed,
combined, and hashed once again at each block until a single hash value is obtained.
This is called Merkle root [7]. Merkle root and the hash value of the previous block are
stored in the block header. A typical Bitcoin transaction structure is given in Figure 1.1.
1.4.1 CONSTRUCT A TRANSACTION
User’s wallet software will have all logic to choose a required input and output for
a transaction. Once the user selects the Bitcoins to be transferred and the destination
address, rest of the process will be taken care by the wallet itself. It is not necessary for a
user to be online for the wallet to construct a transaction. It can construct even if the user
is offline; the user only needs to be connected to the network to execute a transaction.
1.4.2 GETTING THE RIGHT INPUT
To begin with, the balance of the user has to be verified by the wallet. This ensures
that the user has sufficient balance to make a transaction. For this reason, every
TABLE 1.1
Comparison of Centralized and Decentralized Models
Features Centralized Model Decentralized Model (Bitcoin)
Transaction guidelines Central authority Consensus
Transaction verification Central authority Consensus
Money generation Through loan Through mining
Money supply Unlimited Limited
Money value Based on exchange rate Based on PoW, supply, and demand
Money transfer Reversible with central authority No central authority. Direct and
non-reversible
Privacy Partially anonymous, but known
to central authority
Partially anonymous
Fee Transaction fee Considerably low transaction fee
Transaction delay Delay in days Delay in minutes

FIGURE 1.1 Bitcoin transaction.
wallet maintains the balance of unspent transaction output. If no such copies are
maintained in the wallet, it can always request the network to retrieve the infor-
mation. Various application programming interfaces (APIs) are available to do this
task. Once the required amount of Bitcoin is available in the wallet, it can create the
output of the transaction.
1.4.3 CREATING THE OUTPUT
A script is created for the transaction output by which the transaction values can
be redeemed by providing a solution to the script; that is, whoever provides the
signature from the key confirming to the recipient’s public address. As the destina-
tion wallet will have the key with respect to that address only, the intended recipient
can provide the signature required and can redeem the coins. At last, for the transac-
tion to happen in a proper way, wallet application of the sender will charge a small
fee. This charging will not be explicit; it is the difference between the input and the
output. This transaction fee will later be collected by the miner to validate and add
a block in the network.
To manage the input and output, Bitcoin uses a scripting language which imposes
the conditions to be met to redeem the Bitcoins. The most popular script is “Pay-
to-PubkeyHash” (P2PKH). It needs only one signature of the owner to approve
the payment. In contrast, another script “Pay-to-ScriptHash” uses a multisignature
addresses for various transactions.
The schematic representation of a Bitcoin transaction is shown in Figure 1.2.
1.5 TIMESTAMP SERVER
The timestamp server functions by taking hash of a block comprising transactions
and distributing them to the public like newspapers or Usenet. The purpose of

7
FIGURE 1.2 Bitcoin transaction summary.
timestamp server is to guarantee that a block of transactions actually exist at the time
of timestamp. This allows the nodes to verify the order in which the transactions are
distributed. Hence, it is possible for the users to have a history of all transactions over
the network. Figure 1.3 shows the process of time stamping.
1.6 PROOF OF WORK
In Bitcoin, multiple copies of blockchain exist in the network, and it is necessary
to keep the global view of the blockchain consistent. For example, two different
transactions can be created using the same coins to different receivers, which is
called “double spending”. And if the two receivers process and get their transac-
tions verified individually based on their local views of blockchain, the blockchain
becomes inconsistent. Such problems can be resolved by (i) sharing verification
process of the transaction to guarantee rightness of the transaction and (ii) letting
everyone know the successfully processed transaction to assure the consistency of
blockchain. Bitcoin uses PoW and a distributed consensus protocol to satisfy the
above specifications.
As mentioned, the distribution of verification process is to ensure the correct-
ness of data by majority of valid users. Therefore, if the blockchain goes into an
unstable state at any time, all users can update their local blockchain copy to the one
accepted by most miners. But this election process is subject to Sybil attacks [4]. In
Sybil attacks, a malicious user creates many virtual nodes and makes them vote for
a wrong transaction, thereby disturbing the election process.
PoW model helps Bitcoin to overcome the Sybil attacks. In this model, a miner
has to solve a cryptographic mathematical puzzle to prove their genuineness similar

FIGURE 1.3 Timestamp server.
to Hashcash. PoW includes a value named “nonce” which generates a hash value
when hashed with SHA-256 which starts with the required number of zero bits.
The target sets the needed number of zero bits. The hash value needed must be
below the current target value and should have a certain number of leading zero bits
to be less than the target. To do this, a high level of computational cost is applied
to verification by PoW, and to do PoW, the miner needs a high level of computing
resources. It is, therefore, very difficult to fake the computing resources. Thus, the
problem of Sybil attacks is resolved.
In general, the transactions are not mined individually. The miners collect the
pending transactions to make a block and then mine the block by measuring the
block’s hash value as well as varying nonce. The nonce must differ until the final
value is less than or equal to the given target value. The miners share the 256-bit
target value. It is not simple to calculate the hash value. SHA-256 is the hash function
used in Bitcoin [8]. If the cryptographic hash function does not find the necessary
hash value, the only alternative is to try different nonce until a solution is found
(a hash value below the target). Consequently, the complexity of the puzzle depends
on the target value, i.e., lower the target value, lesser the number of solutions,
thereby making it more difficult to calculate the hash. Once the correct hash value is

9
determined for a block, the miner immediately broadcasts the block to the network
along with the measured hash value and nonce, and then the block is appended to his
private blockchain. On receiving a mined block, the other miners compare the hash
value given to the target value in the received block and verify its correctness. They
will also upgrade their blockchain locally by adding the new block. After adding the
block in blockchain successfully, the first who solved the puzzle will get a reward.
There is no central authority to provide the rewards. In the block generation system,
whenever a miner adds a Coinbase transaction or a reward-generating transaction for
his Bitcoin address, the rewards are provided.
Other than these rewards, the miner also receives a transaction fee for every suc-
cessful addition of transaction in block. The transaction fee usually will be the dif-
ference of value of all inputs and values of all outputs in a transaction. Studies show
that higher transaction fees make the transactions with lower transaction fees to suf-
fer from starvation problem, i.e., service denied for a longer duration. Bitcoin never
necessitates transaction fee. It is the owner of the transaction who sets the fee and is
not a constant value. Nonetheless, as users struggle to get transactions publicized on
the blockchain, transaction fees increase to rates that discourage the use of Bitcoin,
illustrating a major structural issue facing the blockchain.
1.7 BITCOIN DEVELOPMENT ENVIRONMENT
Bitcoin is an open-source mission, and MIT holds the license for its source
code. Bitcoin Core can be downloaded for free. A community of volunteers had
created the Bitcoin project. Initially, only Satoshi Nakamoto was there in the proj-
ect. Later by 2016, it had around 400 contributors with a handful of developers and
several part-time developers. Bitcoin Core can be regarded as the reference imple-
mentation of the Bitcoin system by Bitcoin since it is the authoritative reference on
how to implement each part of the technology. It is labeled as the Satoshi client.
Bitcoin Core acts as a Bitcoin node, and a collection of Bitcoin nodes form a Bitcoin
network. Nakamoto initially released the “Bitcoin” software, but to make it different
from the network, he later renamed it to “Bitcoin Core.” Bitcoin Core has all features
of Bitcoins such as wallet, block validation engine, transaction, and full network
node in P2P Bitcoin network.
1.7.1 BITCOIN CORE IMPLEMENTATION
Bitcoin Core can be downloaded from http://Bitcoin.org/en/choose-your-wallet and
installed by clicking Bitcoin Core button. Once the installation is complete, a new
application named “Bitcoin–QT” will be listed in applications. Bitcoin client can be
started by double clicking the icon. As the Bitcoin client starts running, it will down-
load the blockchain, and it will take several days to complete. When “Synchronized”
message is displayed, it is understood that the downloading process is successful.
The Bitcoin developers can download the full source code either as ZIP file or it
can be cloned from the authoritative database https://github.com/Bitcoin/Bitcoin. On
the other hand, in your system, a local copy of the source code can be created using
git command line.

The below command in Linux OS is used to clone the source code.
$ git clone https://github.com/Bitcoin/Bitcoin.git
After execution of the above command, a local copy of the complete database of
source code will be available in Bitcoin directory. Documentation will also be
offered along with the source code and is available in numerous files. The main
documentation will be available in README.md file in Bitcoin directory. Get into
the Bitcoin directory by executing the below command.
$ cd bitcoin
In order to ensure that the system in which the source code is downloaded has all
libraries to compile, the following script has to be executed to find the correct setting.
$ ./autogen.sh
The above autogen.sh script generates a set of automatic configuration scripts. These
configuration scripts will examine your system to find the correct settings, and will
ensure that the system has all the needed libraries to compile the code.
The most important script is the “Configure” script. It facilitates various options
to customize the build process. The command ./configure --help will list the
options available to create a customized build for your system.
$ ./configure
This script will find all the necessary files automatically, and thus a customized
build will be created. If everything is well, the configure script will finish its execu-
tion without any error and create customized build scripts which will help in com-
piling Bitcoin. Otherwise, it will terminate with errors. The error possibly could be
a missing or incompatible library. In that case, analyze the build document again
and be assured that necessary prerequisites are installed, and then rerun the config-
ure code.
The next step is to compile the source code, which will take hours to complete.
The compilation process has to be monitored often to check whether any error mes-
sage is shown.
$ make
Once the source code is compiled without any errors, installing the Bitcoin execut-
able into the system path is the final step. This can be done by executing the make
command.
$ sudo make install
To confirm the successful installation of Bitcoin, the following commands can be
executed. The sudo make install command asks for the path of the two executables.

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I contented myself with shaking his hand; a little convulsively, no doubt,
for he withdrew his, saying:
“I am deeply touched by the pleasure which it gives you.”
At last he appeared! he entered the salon and looked about; I divined
whom he was looking for. He came toward me. Good! he knew nothing! He
had the assurance to inquire for my wife’s health, and why she had not
come. I restrained myself, I said a few vague words in reply, and I walked
away from him.
I waited until he took his place at the écarté table, which he did at last. I
bet against him. At the second deal, when we lost two points, I declared that
our adversary had not cut the cards; I spoke as if I thought the cards had
been stacked. The others looked at one another in amazement, and said
nothing. Monsieur Dulac became thoughtful and distraught; he proposed to
throw the hand out, but I refused.
We lost. I instantly took the vacant seat. I trebled my stake, so that the
bettors should not bet on me; then I held my cards so that nobody could see
them. I discarded my aces in order to lose. I demanded my revenge, and
although it is customary to leave the table when one loses, I did not rise,
and I doubled my stake again, indulging in more epigrams on my
adversary’s good luck.
Monsieur Dulac showed great patience; he seemed ill at ease, but he said
nothing. I lost again; I assumed the air of a determined gambler and
increased my stake again. Again I lost; thereupon I rose and threw my cards
in my adversary’s face.
It was impossible to take that peacefully. Dulac rose in his turn and
asked me if I had intended to insult him. I laughed in his face and made no
reply. Others tried to adjust the affair by representing to him that I was a
bad loser and that my losses had irritated me. I saw plainly that everybody
thought me in the wrong. Dulac said nothing, nor did I. I had done enough
in public amply to explain a subsequent duel.
After a few moments I walked up to Dulac and said to him in an
undertone:
“I shall await you to-morrow, at seven o’clock, with a friend, at the
entrance to the forest of Vincennes; do not fail to be there, and be sure that
this affair cannot be adjusted.”

He bowed in assent; I walked about the salon once or twice, then
disappeared.
I required a second; my choice was already made; our real friends are
never so numerous as to cause us embarrassment.
I went to see Ernest at his new home. They had gone out, they were at
the theatre with their children. But they kept a servant now. I decided to
wait for them, for I felt that I must see Ernest that evening.
The certainty of vengeance near at hand, or of an end of my troubles,
calmed my passions a little. I reflected on my situation. I was going to fight.
If I killed my opponent, that would not give me back my happiness. If he
killed me, my children would be delivered over to the tender mercies of a
mother who did not love them; so that even that duel could not have a
satisfactory result. Was it really necessary? Yes, because I abhorred Dulac
now. And yet he had only played the part of a young man, he had done only
what I myself had done when I had been a bachelor. My wife was much the
guiltier, and her I could not punish.
I had nothing to write, in case I should be killed; for my children would
inherit all my property. I prayed that they might always remain in ignorance
of their mother’s sin.
How much misery may result from an instant’s weakness! If a woman
could ever calculate it, would she be guilty? But did I myself calculate it
before my marriage? No; we must have passions and torments and
excitement. A pure and tranquil happiness would bore us, and yet there are
some people who know that happiness; there are privileged beings; and
there are some too who have no passions, who love as they eat, or drink, or
sleep. Having no knowledge of veritable love, they do not suffer its
torments; perhaps they are the happier for it.
After five years and a few months of married life, and a love marriage,
too! She seemed to love me so dearly! was it not real love at that time? If
not, what constrained her to tell me so and to marry me? Her mother did
only as she wished. The woman who is forced to give her hand to a man
whom she does not love is much less guilty when she betrays her faith. But
to manifest so much love for me, and—But no, I must forget all that.
Ernest and his wife returned from the play, and were told that a
gentleman was waiting for them in their salon. They came in and exclaimed
in surprise when they saw me:

“Why, it is Blémont!”
“It is Monsieur Henri! How long it is since we have seen you! how do
you happen to come so late?”
“I wanted to see you; I have a favor to ask of Ernest.”
They both looked at me and both came toward me simultaneously.
“What’s the matter, pray? What has happened to you?”
“How pale he is, and how distressed!”
“Nothing is the matter.”
“Oh! yes, my friend, something is wrong; is your wife sick? or your
children?”
“I no longer have a wife, I have no children with me; I am alone now.”
“What do you say?” cried Marguerite; “your wife?”
“She has deceived me, betrayed me; she is no longer with me.”
They did not say a word; they seemed thunderstruck. I rose and
continued in a firmer voice:
“Yes, she has deceived me, that same Eugénie, whom I loved so dearly;
you know how dearly, you who were the confidants of my love. It was only
this morning that I obtained proofs of her perfidy. I am not used to suffering
as yet; I shall get used to it perhaps; but I swear, I will do my utmost to
forget a woman who is not worthy of me. I have been unfortunate in love; I
shall at least find some relief in friendship.”
Ernest and Marguerite threw themselves into my arms; Marguerite wept
and Ernest pressed my hand affectionately. At last I released myself from
their embrace.
“It is late, my friends; forgive me for coming thus to disturb your
happiness. Good-night, my little neighbor.—Ernest, a word with you,
please.”
He followed me to a window.
“I am to fight to-morrow; you can guess with whom and for what reason.
I need not tell you that there is no possible adjustment, although we are
supposed to be fighting because of a dispute at cards. Will you be my
second?”
“Yes, of course.”
“I shall expect you to-morrow morning, promptly at seven o’clock.”

“I will be on time.”
Marguerite had gone into another room. She returned at that moment and
said:
“Don’t you wish to kiss our children before you go?”
At that suggestion, tears came to my eyes; for I reflected that I could not
kiss my daughter before going to bed that night.
Marguerite evidently divined my thought.
“Oh! pray forgive me,” she said; “I have pained you. Oh dear! I didn’t
mean to.”
I pressed her hand, nodded to Ernest, and hurried from the room.
Once more I was compelled to return to that apartment. It was torture to
me. How empty it seemed! and in fact it was empty; no wife, no child about
me. It was not Eugénie whom my eyes sought; she had avoided and
shunned my presence for a long while. It was my daughter, my little
Henriette—she did not avoid me! What a miserable night I passed! not a
moment’s sleep. I wondered if she who made me so unhappy was sleeping
quietly.
At last the day came, and at six o’clock Ernest was at my house. I took
my pistols; a cab was below, and I told the driver to go to Vincennes.
I did not say a word during the drive. Just as we arrived, Ernest said to
me:
“If you should fall, my friend, have you nothing to say, no orders to
give?”
“No, my dear Ernest, for except you and your wife, no one really cares
for me. My son is not old enough to understand the loss he would sustain.
My daughter—she would cry perhaps, and that is why nothing must be said
to her. Poor child! I do not want to make her shed a tear.”
We arrived, and I saw two men walking to and fro a few gun shots from
the château; they were Dulac and his second. We hurried toward them and
joined them; they bowed to us; I did not respond to the salute, but strode on
toward the woods.
I did not know Dulac’s second; he was not one of our circle; so much the
better. I do not know what Dulac had said to him, but I am convinced that
he was not deceived as to the motive which had caused me to pick a quarrel
with him the night before.

We stopped; the seconds gave us the weapons after examining them;
then they measured off the distance.
“Fire, monsieur,” I said to Dulac; “I am the aggressor.”
“No, monsieur,” he replied coldly; “it is for you to fire first, you are the
insulted party.”
I did not wait for him to say it again; I fired and missed him. It was his
turn; he hesitated.
“Fire,” I said to him; “remember, monsieur, that this affair cannot end
thus.”
He fired. I was not hit. Ernest handed me another pistol. I aimed at Dulac
again, I pulled the trigger, and he fell.
I am not naturally cruel, but I wished that I had killed him.

XVII
A NEW CAUSE FOR UNHAPPINESS.—AN OLD
ACQUAINTANCE
I left the wood at once; Ernest followed me, after telling Dulac’s second
that he would send somebody to him.
At last, fate had been just; my thirst for vengeance had been satisfied. I
should have felt a little relieved, but I did not; it was because I was not
avenged on her who had injured me most. I thanked Ernest and left him,
promising him to go often to his house. He insisted that I should come that
very day to dine with them; but I felt that I must be alone a little longer. I
would go when I had learned to endure, or at least to conceal, my sorrow.
I looked for an apartment in Ernest’s neighborhood, far away from that
in which I had lived. I hired the first vacant one that I found, then returned
home. I went to my landlord and paid what he demanded to allow me to
move at once. At last I was free. I ordered my furniture to be moved
instantly.
I dismissed my servant. I had no reason to complain of her, far from it;
but she had been in my service during the time that I was determined to
forget; I did not want to see her again. At last I was free. I gave her enough
to enable her to wait patiently for other employment.
My furniture was taken to my new apartment on Rue Saint-Louis. I
installed myself there. I felt better at once, for I breathed more freely there.
There is nothing like change, for diseases of the heart as well as for those of
the body.
I would have liked to go to see my son, but it was too late to start for
Livry that day. I went to Eugénie’s banker to try to find out where she was.
I wanted to write to her, I wanted her to give me back my daughter. Two
children would be none too many to take the place of all that I had lost.
The banker was a most excellent man. I was careful not to tell him the
real cause of my separation from my wife. I gave him to understand that our
dispositions and our tastes had changed, and we had both thought it best to

adopt that course, which was irrevocable. So that it was not for the purpose
of running after my wife that I wanted to know where she was, but simply
to write to her on the subject of some business matters which we had not
been able to adjust.
He did not know where Eugénie was; she had not written to him; but he
promised to send me her address as soon as he knew it.
So I was forced to wait before seeing my daughter. If I had had her with
me, it seemed to me that I might recover all my courage and be happy
again. Yes, I believed that I could be happy again, embracing that sweet
child. If only I had her portrait. I had often had an idea of painting her, but
business or quarrels with her mother had prevented me from beginning the
work. “I will wait a few days,” I thought; “then the original will return to
me, and I will not part from her again.”
My regret at not having painted her portrait reminded me of that other
which I always carried with me. I determined to shatter it as she had
shattered mine long ago.
Eugénie’s portrait was set inside a locket. I took it out, opened it, and in
spite of myself, my eyes rested upon that miniature, which reproduced her
features so exactly. I do not know how it happened, but my rage faded
away. I felt moved, melted. Ah! that was not the woman who had betrayed
and abandoned me! that was the woman who had loved me, who had
responded so heartily to my passion, whose eyes were always seeking
mine! That Eugénie of the old days was a different person from the Eugénie
of to-day; why then should I destroy her portrait? I looked about me; I was
alone. My lips were once more pressed upon that face. It was a shameful
weakness; but I persuaded myself that I saw her once more as she was five
years before; and that delusion afforded me a moment’s happiness.
Early the next morning I started for Livry. That road recalled many
memories. My son was only eleven months old; but I determined that as
soon as it could be done without injuring his health, I would take him away
from his nurse, and not go to that place any more.
I reached the peasants’ house. They asked me about my wife as before. I
cut their questions short by telling them that she had gone on a long
journey. Then I asked for my son. They brought little Eugène to me. I took
him in my arms and was about to cover him with kisses, when suddenly a
new idea, a heartrending thought passed through my mind; my features

altered, I put aside the child, who was holding out his arms to me, and
replaced him in his nurse’s arms.
That worthy woman utterly failed to understand the change which had
taken place in me. She gazed at me and cried:
“Well! what’s the matter? You give me back your son without kissing
him! Why, he is a pretty little fellow, poor child!”
“My son!” I said to myself, “my son! he is only eleven months old, and
Dulac began coming to the house before Eugénie was enceinte.”
A new suspicion had come to aggravate my suffering. Who could assure
me that that was my child? that I was not on the point of embracing the fruit
of their guilty intercourse?
At that thought I sprang to my feet.
“Are you sick, monsieur?” the nurse asked me.
I did not answer her, but left the house. I walked about for some time in
the fields. I realized that thenceforth I should not be able to think of my son
without being haunted by that cruel thought; when I embraced the child,
that suspicion would poison my happiness, and would diminish the
affection that I should otherwise have had for him. And these women claim
that they are no more guilty than we are! Ah! they are always sure when
they are mothers; they are not afraid lest they may lavish their caresses on a
stranger’s child. That is one great advantage that they have over us. But
nature does not do everything; one becomes a father by adopting an
innocent little creature; and he who neglects and abandons his children
ceases to be a father.
I returned to the nurse’s house, somewhat calmer.
The poor woman was sitting in a corner with the child in her arms; she
dared not bring him to me again.
I went to her and kissed the child on the forehead, heaving a profound
sigh. I commended him to the peasants’ care, I gave them money, and I
returned to Paris more depressed than ever.
I found Ernest at my rooms waiting for me. He had been to my former
home, had learned my new address, and had been looking for me
everywhere since the morning, to divert me and comfort me.
“What do people say in society?”

That was my first question when I saw him; for I confess that my
greatest dread was that people should know that my wife had deceived me,
and it was much less on my own account than on hers that I dreaded it.
I did not wish that she should be held guilty in the eyes of society; it was
quite enough that she should be guilty to my knowledge; so I begged Ernest
to conceal nothing from me.
“Your duel is known,” he said, “but it is attributed to the quarrel you had
at the card table. You are generally blamed, and people are sorry for your
adversary. Dulac is not dead; indeed, it is thought that he will recover; but
he is seriously wounded, and he will be in bed for a long while. I do not
know how it happened that Giraud knew of your change of abode, and that
you have moved here without your wife. He questioned the concierges, no
doubt. He has been about everywhere, telling of it. People are talking; and
everyone makes up his own story; the majority think that you made your
wife so unhappy that she was obliged to leave you.”
“So much the better; let people think that, and let them put all the blame
on me; that is what I want. Only you and your wife know the truth, my dear
Ernest; and I am very sure that you will not betray my confidence.”
“No, of course not; although it makes me angry to hear people accuse
you and pity your wife. If I were in your place, I am not sure that I should
be so generous.”
“But my children, my friend, my daughter!”
“That is so; I didn’t think of them.”
“What do I care for the blame of society? it will see little of me at
present!”
“I trust, however, that you are not going to become a misanthrope, but
that you will try to amuse yourself, and try to forget a woman who does not
deserve your regrets; to act otherwise would be inexcusable weakness.”
“I promise to try to follow your advice.”
“To begin with, you must come home to dinner with me.”
I could not refuse Ernest, although solitude was all that I now desired. I
went home with him. His companion overwhelmed me with attentions and
friendliness; their children came to caress and to play with me. During
dinner they did all that they could to divert my thoughts. I was touched by
their friendship, but the sight of their domestic happiness, of that happy

family, was not adapted to alleviate my pain; on the contrary, it increased it
twofold. For I too had a wife and children! Ah! such pictures were not what
I wanted to see; they broke my heart. What I wanted was a crowd, uproar,
noisy amusements; I needed to be bewildered, not moved.
I left my good friends early. Three days later I received a letter from
Eugénie’s banker; he informed me that she was temporarily at Aubonne,
near Montmorency. So I knew where my daughter was, and that did me
good; it always seems that we are less distant from people when we know
where they are. I remembered that an old kinswoman of Eugénie’s mother
lived at Aubonne; she was probably living with her. I did not know whether
she would remain there, but I determined to write to her at once.
I sat down at my desk. I did not know how to begin, for it was the first
time that I had ever written to Eugénie. We had never been separated. I did
not propose to indulge in any reproaches in regard to her conduct. What
good would it do? One should never complain, except when one is willing
to forgive. I would go straight to the point, without beating about the bush.
“Madame, you have taken my daughter away; I wish, I insist, that she
should remain with me. Keep your son; you can give him that name; but
ought I too to call him my son? Take that child, and give me back my
daughter. It will be no deprivation to you; besides, I will allow her to go to
see her mother whenever you wish. I trust, madame, that I shall not be
obliged to write to you a second time.”
I signed this letter and sent it at once to the post; I was impatient to have
a reply.
I could no longer attend to business, so I abandoned my profession. I had
enough to live on, now that I no longer proposed to keep house or to receive
company. But what should I do to employ the time, which is so long when
one suffers? I would return to my brushes; yes, I would cultivate once more
that consoling art; I would give myself up to it entirely, and it would make
my time pass happily. That idea pleased me; it seemed to me like returning
to my bachelor life. But for my children, I would have left France and have
travelled for some time; but my daughter was still too young for me to
subject her to changes of climate which might injure her health.
Two days had not passed when I received a letter from Aubonne; it was
Eugénie’s reply. I trembled as I opened it.

“Monsieur, you are mistaken when you think that it would not be a great
deprivation to me not to have my daughter with me; I love her just as dearly
as you can possibly love her. As for your son, he is yours in fact, monsieur.
You know my frankness, so you can believe what I tell you. Things will
remain as they are; my daughter shall not leave me. Appeal to the law if you
wish; nothing will change my determination.
“EUGÉNIE.”
I could hardly endure to read that letter. I was angry, furious. She had
dishonored me, she had made me unhappy, and she refused to give me back
my daughter! Ah! that woman had no pity, no delicacy of feeling! She loved
her daughter, she said; yes, as she had loved me; she defied me, she told me
to appeal to the law! Ah! if I could do it! if I had proofs of her crime to
produce! But no; even if I could, she knew very well that I would not; that I
did not propose that the courts should ring with my complaints, that my
name should never be mentioned in society without being the subject of a
jest. Yes, she knew me, and that is why she had no fear. She declared that
her son was mine and she expected me to believe her word! No! I would
never see that child again, I wanted never to hear his name. But my
daughter—ah! I neither could nor wished to forget her.
For several days I was in a state of most intense excitement; I did not
know what to do, nor what course to adopt. Sometimes I determined to go
away, to leave France forever; but the thought of Henriette detained me;
sometimes I determined to go back into society, to have mistresses, to pass
my time with them, and to do my best to forget the past.
A profound prostration succeeded to that feverish excitement of my
senses. I avoided society, I did not even go to Ernest’s, although he had
come several times to beg me to do so. Everything bored and tired me; I
cared for nothing except to be alone, to think of my daughter. I hated and
cursed her mother. Yes, I would go away, I would leave the country. What
detained me there? I had no idea.
Several weeks passed, and I do not now know how I lived. I went out
early in order to avoid even Ernest’s visits, for I became more
misanthropical, more morose every day. I walked in solitary places, I
returned early, and always ordered my concierge to say that I was not at
home. My concierge was my servant also now; he took care of my
apartment, which was wretchedly kept.

The house in which I was living suited me in many respects; it was
gloomy and dark, like most of the old houses in the Marais, and contained
but few tenants, I thought, for I never met anybody on the stairs. I had one
neighbor, however, with whom I would gladly have dispensed; it was a man
who lived in the attic rooms above my apartment, the house having only
three floors in all.
That neighbor of mine was in the habit of beginning to sing as soon as he
got home, which was ordinarily between ten and eleven o’clock at night;
and I was forced to listen to his jovial refrains and drinking songs until he
was in bed and asleep. It annoyed me; not because it prevented me from
sleeping, for sleep never visited my eyes so early; but it disturbed me in my
thoughts, in my reflections. I was inclined sometimes to complain to the
concierge. But because I was unhappy, must I prevent others from being
light-hearted?
For some days that music had become more unendurable than ever,
because my neighbor had taken to returning much earlier, and his songs
often began at eight o’clock. Although I never talked with my concierge, I
decided to ask him who the man was who was always singing.
“Monsieur,” the concierge replied, “he’s a poor German, a tailor. I don’t
understand how he has the courage to sing, for he hasn’t a sou, and
apparently he never finds any work. That doesn’t surprise me, for he is a
drunkard and he works very badly. I gave him a pair of trousers, to make a
coat for my son; and it was very badly made, without fit or style, and the
patches all in front! I took my custom away from him. However, he won’t
trouble you long; as he doesn’t pay his rent, the landlord has decided to give
him notice.”
I informed the concierge that I did not wish the man to be sent away; but
it seemed that the landlord cared for nothing but his rent. That evening,
about eight o’clock, I heard the tailor singing with all his lungs; he executed
trills and flourishes. Who would ever have believed that the man had not a
sou?
I remembered the fable of the cobbler and the banker; suppose I should
go to my neighbor and give him money to keep silent? But perhaps that
would make him sing all the louder; for one could find few cobblers like the
one in the fable. However, I yielded to the idea of going to my neighbor. If
he was an obliging person, perhaps he would consent to sing not quite so

loud. But I had little hope of it, for the Germans are obstinate and they are
fond of music. Never mind, I would go to see the tailor none the less.
I ascended the stairs which separated me from the attic. My neighbor’s
voice guided me to his door. The key was on the outside, but for all that I
knocked before opening the door.
He continued to sing a passage from Der Freischütz, and did not reply;
thereupon I opened the door.
I entered a room in which there was a mattress with a wretched coverlid
thrown over it, in one corner. A rickety chair, a few broken jars and a long
board which served doubtless as a table, but which was then standing
against the wall—that was all the furniture. Leaning on the sill of the
window, which was open, was a man, still young, whose good-humored,
bloated face was not unfamiliar to me. He was in his shirt sleeves, and was
seated after the manner of tailors, with his knees outside the window, a
position which made him likely to fall into the courtyard at the slightest
forward movement.
On my arrival he stopped in the middle of a trill and exclaimed:
“Hello! I thought it was the concierge to ask for money again. I should
have said to him: ‘prout, prout!’ Sit you down, monsieur.”
I sat down, for my neighbor seemed quite unceremonious; he had not
risen. I do not know whether he thought that I had come to hear him sing;
but he seemed inclined to resume his performance. I stopped him at once.
“Monsieur, I am your neighbor.”
“Indeed! you are my neighbor, are you? Beside me or below?”
“Below.”
“Oh, yes! it’s a fact that on this floor there’s nobody but the cooks of the
house, all old women, unluckily. They don’t sing, they don’t make love,
they don’t know how to make anything but sauces,—reduced consommés,
as the one from the first floor says. For my part, I would give all her
consommés for a bottle of beaune. Ah! how delicious beaune is! If I had
any, I would give you some; but it is three days now that I haven’t drunk
anything but water. Prout, prout! I must make the best of it.”
While the tailor was talking, I examined him, because I was confident
that I had seen him somewhere before, but I could not remember where.

“Have you come to order trousers or a coat?” continued my neighbor. “It
is just, the right time, for I have nothing to do, and I will make ‘em up for
you at once, and in the latest style, although that miserable concierge
presumed to complain of my skill. The idiot! he wanted me to make a new
coat for his son out of an old pair of breeches that had already been turned
three times.”
“I have not come for a coat or a waistcoat, but to make a request of you.”
“A request?”
“You sing a great deal, monsieur.”
“Parbleu! I have nothing else to do.”
“You sing very well, certainly.”
“Yes, I have some voice; we Germans are all musicians; it is born in us.”
“I know it; but do you think that for a person who works with his brain,
who is obliged to think, to reflect, it is very pleasant to hear someone
singing all the time?”
“What has all that got to do with me?”
“Look you, monsieur, I will come to the point; your singing
inconveniences and annoys me; and if you would be obliging enough to
sing less, or not so loud, I would beg you to take this as a slight token of my
gratitude.”
I had taken my purse from my pocket and I was looking about for
something to put it on, which was hard to find, unless I should put it on the
floor, when the tailor, who had abruptly left the window and begun to dance
about the room, strode toward me with a frown.
“I say, monsieur from below, who don’t like music, do I look to you like
a man who asks alms? Who gave you leave to come to my room and insult
me? Has Pettermann ever been called a beggar?”
“Pettermann!” I said, looking at him more carefully; “is your name
Pettermann?”
“Schnick Pettermann, journeyman tailor from the age of fifteen. I have
never succeeded in getting to be a master tailor. It isn’t my fault. Well, when
will you finish staring me out of countenance?”
“Yes, I know now; you used to live on Rue Meslay.”

“I think so, but I have moved so often that I can hardly remember all the
rooms that I have occupied!”
“Don’t you remember that little room that you used to climb into so
often through the window in the roof, after breaking the glass, because you
had lost your key?”
“Ah! I remember now, there was a broad gutter; it was very convenient, I
used to walk on it.”
“And that young neighbor of yours in whose room you used to light your
candle?”
“Little Marguerite—ah, yes! I recognize you now. You were my
neighbor’s lover.”
“Oh, no! I was only her friend; but I used to go there often, and we used
to hear you come in. Ah! how happy I was in those days!”
“You were happy when I broke the window? Did that amuse you?”
“It seems that I must always happen on something to remind me of that
time, although I try to avoid it. However, I am glad to see you.”
“You are very good, monsieur. That must be at least five years ago, more
than five years, in fact, and I wasn’t married then.”
“Ah! have you been married since?”
“Mon Dieu! don’t mention it! I don’t know what crazy idea came into
my head, I who never gave a thought to love, when one day—prout, prout!
—it took me like a longing to sneeze; I fancied that I was in love with a
young cook who had sometimes asked me the time, then for a light; in
short, trifling things which indicated a purpose to scrape an acquaintance.
Suzanne was very pretty; yes, she was a superb creature, well put together; I
will do justice to her physical charms. She had saved twelve hundred francs
by cheating her employers a little in vegetables and butter. I said to myself:
‘That will be enough to set up a nice little tailor’s shop, after the style of the
Palais-Royal.’ I offered my hand which she accepted, and we were married;
I hired a shop on Boulevard du Pont-aux-Choux, all went well for——”
“For several months?”
“Prout! you are very polite! For a few days, a week at most. After that
my wife complained that I was slow, that I talked too much, that I drank.
For my part, I claimed that she ought to do nothing but make buttonholes.
She refused to take hold of the buttonholes, and that made me mad; I

persisted, she was obstinate, and to make a long story short, we fought! oh!
we fought like prize fighters! and once we had got into the habit of it, it was
all over, we never missed a single day. Prout! prout! morning and night! you
should have seen how we hammered each other!”
“Wouldn’t it have been better to leave your wife?”
“To be sure it would, and that is what I said to myself; one night when
my wife had almost torn off my left ear, I packed up my clothes and I left
her.”
“Have you seen her since?”
“I’m not such a fool. I have no desire to see her again, and for her part I
fancy that she isn’t anxious to see me. It’s all over now! To the devil with
love! Whether my wife dies or not, it’s all one to me; I shall never marry
again.”
“You have no children?”
“What do you suppose? As if we had time for that when we were always
fighting! And faith, I am glad that we hadn’t any; they would have been left
on my hands and I should have had to support the brats; and that would be
hard for a man who cannot feed himself every day.”
“But your wife was faithful to you, at all events?”
“Faithful? the devil! as if I paid any attention to that! In fact we only
lived together four months, and that didn’t make me rich! For some time
past I haven’t had any work at all, and a man’s fingers get stiff doing
nothing. But for all that, there’s no reason why you should come here with
your purse in your hand!”
“Look you, Monsieur Pettermann, I have not made myself understood; I
had no intention of insulting you.”
“I am not insulted, but——”
“I was told that you were without work, and I simply proposed to give
you my custom.”
“Oh! that makes a difference! your custom, that’s all right.”
“I can’t show you to-night what I want you to do; but I thought that there
would be no harm in offering you a little money in advance on what you do
for me. We have lived under the same roof before, and we know each other;
I should be very sorry to fall out with you.”

“Monsieur, if you offer me that in advance for the clothes I may make
for you, that’s a very different thing. Give me what you choose; I will take
it and I will not charge you any more on account of it.”
“All right; here is forty francs; we will settle up later.”
“Forty francs; I will make you a nice coat and waistcoat and trousers for
that. And as for singing, if it disturbs you——”
“No, sing on, Pettermann, sing on; now that I know that it’s you, it won’t
annoy me any more; I shall imagine that I am still living in my old
apartment.”
I left the tailor, who could not make up his mind which pocket to put his
forty francs in, and I returned to my room. But neither that night, nor during
the next week, did I hear Pettermann sing, because he did not come home
until midnight, and because he was always drunk and went to sleep as soon
as he was in bed.

XVIII
A MEETING.—DEPARTURE
My conversation with the tailor had quieted my thoughts; they were a
little less black, and I slept better; when we become depressed, we shun all
sorts of diversion, we avoid our friends, whose presence would eventually
allay our suffering. At such times we ought to be treated like those invalids
who are forced to take decoctions which they refuse to take, but which are
essential to their cure.
One morning I went to see Ernest, who had been to my rooms at least
ten times without finding me.
His wife scolded me warmly for my behavior.
“You avoid your true friends,” she said to me; “you live like a wolf! that
is perfectly absurd. Ought you to punish us for other people’s faults? Your
wife has chosen to keep her daughter—is that any reason for you to
despair? Can you not go to see her?”
“Go to see her! oh! I have longed to do it a thousand times; but she is
with her mother; and I could not bear the sight of her.”
“Her mother is not always with her,” said Ernest; “when she comes to
Paris, and that has happened quite often lately, she rarely brings her
daughter with her.”
“What! Eugénie has come to Paris already? I did not believe that she
would dare to show herself here.”
“You must remember that in society you are the one who is blamed. It is
you who have abandoned a lovely wife, whom you made wretched. I report
exactly what people say; it does not make you angry, does it?”
“On the contrary, I am very glad to hear it. Go on, Ernest; tell me what
you have learned.”
“After passing only a fortnight in the country, your wife returned to
Paris. She hired a handsome apartment on Rue d’Antin. She has been going
into society and has indulged in amusements of all sorts. She dresses with

the greatest elegance; she is seen at the theatre, at balls, and at concerts.
However, she returns often to the country, passes a few days there, and then
comes back here. The night before last I saw her at Madame de Saint-
Albin’s reception.”
“You saw her?”
“Yes; there were a great many people there. When I arrived, she was at a
card table. She was talking very loud, and laughing; attracted by her loud
voice, I walked in that direction. When she caught sight of me, my eyes
were fixed upon her; she turned hers away, and a great change came over
her face; her brow darkened, she stopped talking, and soon left the table.”
“Did you speak to her?”
“No, I had no wish to; and for her part I think that she was no more
anxious than I, for she carefully avoided meeting my eyes. She went away
while I was still looking for her in the salon; I believe that my presence was
the cause of her going.”
“Were not you at this reception, madame?” I asked Madame Ernest.
“Oh, no, Monsieur Henri! you know that people do not invite me; I am
not married.”
It seemed to me that as she said this the little woman sighed and glanced
furtively at Ernest. After a moment she continued:
“However, if I were married, I should not care any more about going into
society! The little that I have seen of it has not made me love it.”
“My dear love,” said Ernest, “we should go into society as we go to the
theatre, not to please others but to enjoy ourselves; when the play is
tiresome, you are not compelled to stay to the end.”
“And Monsieur Dulac?” I said after a moment; “you have not mentioned
him, Ernest. Don’t be afraid to tell me what you know. I suppose that he is
more devoted than ever to Madame Blémont.”
“You are mistaken; he had no sooner recovered from his wound, and that
was not long ago, than he went on a journey; I am told that he has gone to
Italy.”
I confess that that news pleased me. And yet what did it matter to me
now whether it was Dulac or some other man who was attentive to Madame
Blémont, as I should have nothing more in common with that woman?
Madame Blémont! She still called herself so, Ernest assured me. I hoped

that she would have resumed her mother’s name. Was it not cruel to be
unable to take one’s name away from a woman who dishonored it? If
Madame Blémont should have other children, they too would bear my name
and would share my property. Was that justice? But divorce was prohibited,
because it was considered immoral! Oh! of course it is much more moral to
leave to a guilty wife the name of the husband whom she abandons, and to
strange children a title and property to which they have no right!
And Ernest insisted that I should return to that circle where Madame
Blémont was welcomed and made much of; whereas they would consider
that they compromised themselves by inviting dear little Marguerite, who
loved her children, devoted herself to her family and made Ernest happy;
and why? because she was not married. Oh! that society, overflowing with
vices and absurd prejudices, disgusted me! I left it to Madame Blémont; I
did not propose to share anything with her thenceforth.
I promised my friends to go often to see them. I had not yet made up my
mind what I would do; but I still intended to travel, to leave Paris,
especially since I knew that Madame Blémont had returned.
My concierge informed me that a gentleman had called to see me for the
third time. From the description that he gave me I could not doubt that it
was Bélan, and I ordered the man always to tell him that I was out. He also
handed me a card upon which was the name of Giraud. Would those people
never leave me to myself? Unluckily my business had made it necessary for
me to leave my address at my former apartment; but I determined to settle
all the cases which had been placed in my hands with all possible speed, in
order that I might leave Paris as soon as possible.
I spent a part of every day going about to my former clients, to whom I
restored their papers, on the pretext that my health compelled me to
abandon my profession. In my peregrinations I occasionally saw Bélan or
Giraud, but I always succeeded in avoiding them. I had just finished my last
business. I felt free once more, and was congratulating myself upon being
able to follow my inclinations, when, as I walked rapidly through the
Palais-Royal, I was stopped by Bélan. That time I had no opportunity to
avoid him.
“Ah! I have caught you at last! Upon my word, I am in luck; where in
the devil have you been hiding, my dear friend? I have been to your
apartment a great many times, but you are always out.”

“I have many matters to arrange, my dear Bélan, and at this moment I
am in a great hurry.”
“I don’t care for that, I don’t propose to let you go; I have too many
things to tell you. But I say, have you left your wife?”
“Yes, we could not agree.”
“That is what I said at once: ‘They did not agree.’ I admit that you are
generally blamed; you are looked upon as a jealous husband, a domestic
tyrant.”
“People may say what they choose; it is quite indifferent to me.”
“And you are right. As for myself, if I only could separate from my
mother-in-law! Great heaven! how happy I would be! But Armide refuses to
leave her mother, and the result is that I am constantly between two fires:
when one is not picking a quarrel with me, the other is. To be sure, I am
perfectly at ease now concerning my wife’s fidelity. The marquis no longer
comes to see us; I don’t know why, but he has entirely ceased his visits. As
for Armide, she has become so crabbed, so sour; mon Dieu! there are times
when I think that I should prefer to be a cuckold, and to have my wife
amiable; and yet——”
“Bélan, I am obliged to leave you.”
“Pshaw! what’s your hurry? You are very lucky now, you are living as a
bachelor again; you are raising the deuce——”
“I am giving my whole attention to settling up my business, and——”
“Oh, yes! playing the saint! I know you, you rake! faith! between
ourselves, I will tell you that I too have made a little acquaintance. Look
you, we men are not saints, and although one is married, one may have
weaknesses, moments of forgetfulness; indeed, that is quite legitimate for
us. But I have to take the greatest precautions, for if my wife or my mother-
in-law should surprise me——”
“Adieu, Bélan. I wish you all the pleasure in the world.”
“But where are you going so fast? I will go with you.”
I was not at all anxious for the little man’s company; and to get rid of
him, I told him that I was going to the Bois de Boulogne. He clapped his
hands and cried:
“Parbleu! how nicely it happens! That is just where I have arranged to
meet my little one—near the Château de Madrid. I never see her except

outside the barrier.”
“But I have business in another direction.”
“Never mind; we will take a cab and drive to the Bois together.”
I could not refuse; it mattered little to me after all whether I went to the
Bois; I had plenty of time. And once there, I knew how to rid myself of
Bélan.
We took a cab. On the way Bélan talked to me about his wife, his
mistress, his mother-in-law, and my duel with Dulac; which he believed to
be the result of our quarrel over the cards. I was careful not to undeceive
him.
When we arrived at the Bois, Bélan insisted that I should go with him
and be introduced to his acquaintance. I assured him that somebody was
waiting for me too; but to satisfy him I agreed to meet him two hours later
at the Porte Maillot; and I determined not to be there.
Bélan left me at last, and I entered a path opposite to that which he had
taken. The weather was fine; it was four o’clock and there were many
people, especially equestrians, in the Bois. I stood for several minutes
watching the young people who came there to display their costumes and
horses, and their skill in riding. There had been a time when I myself
enjoyed that pleasure; but now nothing of the sort had any temptation for
me.
A cloud of dust announced the approach of a party. I thought that I could
see two women among the riders, and I stopped to look at them. The
cavalcade came up at a gallop and passed close to me. Having glanced at
one of the ladies, I turned my eyes upon the other. It was Eugénie,—
Eugénie, dressed in a stylish riding habit, and riding gracefully a spirited
horse. She almost brushed against me, her horse covered me with dust and I
was utterly unable to step back. I stood there, so startled, so oppressed, that
I had not the strength to walk.
The cavalcade was already far away, and my eyes were still following it;
I stood in the same spot, benumbed, motionless, with no eyes for anything
else. Other horsemen came up at a fast gallop. I did not hear them. They
called to me: “Look out!” but I did not stir. Suddenly I felt a violent shock; I
was thrown down upon the gravel, and a horse’s hoof struck me in the head.
My eyes closed and I lost consciousness. When I came to myself, I
found myself in one of the cafés at the entrance to the Bois. I saw many

people about me; among others, several young swells. One of them said to
me:
“I am terribly distressed, monsieur; I am the cause of your accident. I
shouted to you, however; but my horse had too much impetus, and I could
not stop him.”
“Yes, that is true,” observed a man who was holding my head; “I can
testify that monsieur shouted: ‘Look out!’ but why should anyone ride like
the wind? I shouted to you: ‘Stop!’ but prout! you didn’t stop.”
I recognized Pettermann; it was he who was behind me. I accepted the
apology of the young cavalier and told him that I bore him no ill will. I
reassured him concerning my wound, although I felt very weak, for I had
lost much blood. Someone had sent for a carriage and I asked Pettermann if
he could go with me.
“What’s that? can I!” replied the tailor; “why, if I couldn’t, I’d go with
you all the same. As if I would leave in this condition an excellent neighbor
of mine who paid me forty francs in advance! Prout! you don’t know me!”
They bandaged my head and helped me into the cab. Pettermann seated
himself opposite me and we returned to Paris.
On the way, my wound occupied my attention much less than the
meeting I had had. I asked Pettermann if he had not seen a woman riding
past me when they took me up and carried me away.
“When you were thrown down,” said the tailor, “I was within thirty
yards of you. I was walking, loafing, I had nothing to do. However, I did go
to your room this morning, monsieur, to ask you for your cloth; but I never
find you in the morning and at night I can’t find your door.”
“That isn’t what I asked you.”
“True. Well, then, I was walking, and I had just noticed some ladies pass
on horseback. Prout! but they rode finely! Other horses came along and I
stepped to one side; and it was then that I saw you. They shouted: ‘Look
out!’ I don’t know what you were looking at, but you didn’t move; and yet I
said to myself: ‘That gentleman isn’t deaf, for he heard me sing well
enough.’ Still the horses came on. I shouted ‘Look out!’ to you myself, and
I sung out to the riders to stop; but prout! you were already on the ground,
and with a famous scar! The young men stopped then. I already had you in
my arms. The man who knocked you down was in despair, I must do him
justice. We carried you to the nearest café; and when I said that I was your

neighbor and that I knew you, they sent for a cab; and then you opened your
eyes. But never mind! you got a rousing kick!”
“And while I was unconscious, you saw no other people near me? Those
ladies on horseback—did not one of them come back?”
“No, monsieur; there was no other lady near you except the one that
keeps the café; but she washed your head; oh! she didn’t spare the water!”
I said no more. I was beginning to suffer terribly; the carriage made me
sick, my head was on fire and my brain in a whirl. At last we reached my
home. Pettermann and the concierge carried me upstairs, put me to bed, and
went to call a doctor. I had a violent fever; soon I was unable to reply to the
people about me; I did not know them.
One evening I opened my heavy eyes and glanced about my room. It
was dimly lighted by a lamp. I saw Pettermann sitting at a table, with his
head resting on one of his hands, and his eyes fastened upon a watch which
he held in the other. I called him feebly; he heard me, uttered a joyful cry,
dropped the watch, and ran to my bed.
“Ah! you are saved!” he cried as he embraced me. “The doctor said that
you would recover consciousness to-night, before nine o’clock. I was
counting the minutes; there are only five left and I was beginning to doubt
the doctor’s word. But you recognize me! Sacredi! you are saved!”
He embraced me again, and I felt tears upon my cheeks. So there were
still some people who loved me! That thought relieved me. I held out my
hand to that excellent man, pressed his hand, and motioned to him to sit
down beside me.
“First of all,” he said to me, “you are going to drink this; it’s some
medicine ordered by the doctor, and you must do what he orders, since he
has cured you. I believe in doctors now.”
I drank the potion; then Pettermann picked up the watch and put it to his
ear, saying:
“It was your watch that I dropped on the floor, monsieur; but it hasn’t
even stopped. It’s like you, the spring is strong.”
He sat down and continued:
“For five days now you’ve been there in bed, and in that time fever and
delirium have been playing a fine game with you! Your brain galloped like
the infernal horse that knocked you down. We tried in vain to calm you; you

called me Eugénie, you talked about nothing but Eugénie. Sometimes you
adored her, and the next minute you cursed her; so that the concierge, who
is a bit of a gossip, said that some woman named Eugénie must have been
playing tricks on you; and I replied: ‘You must see that monsieur is
delirious, and consequently he doesn’t know what he is saying.’ In short, I
don’t know whether I did right, monsieur, but seeing you in that condition,
and no one with you to nurse you, I stationed myself here and I haven’t
budged. The concierge undertook to object, he wanted his niece, who is
nine years old, to nurse you; but prout! I didn’t listen to him, and I said: ‘I
was the one who brought monsieur home wounded, and I won’t leave him
until he’s cured.’ If I did wrong, I ask your pardon, and I will go away.”
I offered my hand to Pettermann again.
“Far from doing wrong, my friend, it is I who am deeply indebted to
you.”
“Not at all, monsieur, I owe you forty francs. But as soon as you get your
cloth——”
“Let’s not talk about that.”
“All right; besides, you mustn’t talk much, that’s another of the doctor’s
orders.”
“Has anyone been to see me?”
“Not a cat has entered the room except the doctor and the concierge.”
Ernest and his wife could know nothing of my accident; otherwise I was
sure that they would have come to take care of me. So henceforth I could
have only strangers about me. Ah! if my mother had known—but I was
very glad that she had not been informed of the accident, which would have
frightened her. There were many other things too which she did not know
and which I would have been glad to conceal from her forever.
I tried to rest, but Eugénie’s image often disturbed my sleep.
It was she who was the cause of my being in that bed. It was impossible
that she should not have recognized me, for her horse passed close to me;
and she did not return! Had she heard the commotion caused by my
accident? That I did not know. While I shunned society as if I were guilty,
Eugénie was indulging in all forms of pleasure. She, who used to mount a
horse only in fear and trepidation, and to ride very quietly, now rode
through the Bois de Boulogne at a fast gallop and displayed the rash

courage of an experienced horseman! It still seemed to me that I was
dreaming, that I was delirious. Since the Eugénie of the old days no longer
existed, it seemed to me I must forget the new one, I must think no more of
the woman who had wrecked my life.
I believed that, if I could embrace my little Henriette, I should be
entirely cured at once. I determined to go to see her before leaving Paris,
and to take her in my arms without her mother’s knowledge; and even if her
mother should know it, had I not the right to kiss my daughter? I would be
patient until then.
The doctor came again to see me. He was a man whom I did not know;
he seemed abrupt and cold; he talked little, but he neither made a show of
his knowledge nor used long words to his patients. I like doctors of that
sort.
After a few days I was much better, and I began to recover my strength.
Pettermann was still in my room; he had told me to dismiss him as soon as
he annoyed me, and I had kept him. I had become accustomed to his
services and attentions. I could not doubt his attachment, for he had given
me proofs of it. One especially convincing proof was that he had not drunk
too much a single time since he had constituted himself my nurse. It was
not selfish interest that guided him, for by refusing my purse when I went
up to his room he had proved that he did not care for money. I had noticed
also that he was neither prying nor talkative.
I indulged in all these reflections one evening as I lay upon a couch.
Pettermann was seated by the window; he said nothing, for he never tried to
converse when I did not speak to him. Sometimes we passed several hours
in succession without a word; that was another quality which I liked in him.
“Pettermann.”
“Monsieur.”
“Are you very much attached to your tailor’s trade?”
“Faith, monsieur, I have had so little work lately that I shall end by
forgetting my trade. And then, I may as well admit that I have never been
able to distinguish myself at it, and I am sick of it!”
“As soon as I have fully recovered my strength, I propose to leave Paris
and travel, for a very long time perhaps. If I should suggest to you to go
with me, to remain with me, not as a servant, but as a confidential friend
and trusted companion, how would that suit you?”

“Suit me! prout! that would suit me completely, monsieur. I will be your
groom, your valet, whatever you choose; for I am sure that you will never
treat me in a way to humiliate me.”
“Of course not. But, Pettermann, you have one failing——”
“I know what you mean; I get drunk. That is true; but it never happened
to me except when I had nothing to do. You will keep me busy, and that will
correct my habit of drinking. However, I don’t mean to swear to give up
wine entirely, for I should break my oath. If you take me with you, you
must allow me to get drunk once a month. I ask only that.”
“Once a month, all right; but no more!”
“No, monsieur.”
“It’s a bargain! You will stay with me. You have nothing to keep you in
Paris?”
“Bless my soul, no, monsieur; I have nothing but my wife.”
“We start in a few days; but I warn you that I intend to travel like an
artist, sometimes on foot, sometimes in a carriage; to defy the rain and the
sun when that is my pleasure.”
“Monsieur is joking. I am not a dainty woman; I will do whatever you
do.”
“One word more: do you know my name?”
“I have heard the concierge mention it once; I don’t remember it, but
——”
“Don’t try to remember it. I mean to assume another under which I
intend to travel. I shall call myself after this, Dalbreuse, and I do not wish to
be called anything else.”
“That is enough, monsieur; you understand that I will call you whatever
you please. So I have a profession at last. I have no further need to try to get
waistcoats and breeches to make! The deuce take sewing! And then too I
am very glad not to have to leave monsieur.”
Pettermann’s delight pleased me. I was very glad to have someone in my
service who had not known me during my married life.
On the day following this agreement, Ernest entered my room, ran to me
and embraced me.
“Do you know that I have been near death?” I asked him.

“I have just learned it from your concierge. Ungrateful man! not to send
us any word! Is that the way that a man should treat his friends?”
“My dear Ernest, when I was in condition to send you word, I was out of
danger; then I preferred to wait until I was entirely well, in order that I
might come and tell you myself.”
“But what was this accident that happened to you?”
I told Ernest the whole story; I did not conceal from him that I was
knocked down because I had gazed too long after Eugénie. Ernest was
indignant at my weakness, and he started to scold me.
“My friend,” I said, “you will have no further cause for such reproaches;
to prove it, I refuse from this instant to hear my wife mentioned. You will
promise never to mention her name again, will you not?”
“Oh! I shall not be the one to break that promise!”
“Besides, I am going to leave you, for a long time perhaps. I am going to
travel.”
“Despite my grief at being separated from you, I can only approve this
plan. Change of scene will do you good. But are you going alone?”
“No, I have found a faithful companion; that man who left the room
when you came in. You did not recognize him, did you? It is that poor
journeyman tailor who lived in the attic room near your dear Marguerite,
and who used to get into his room by breaking the window.”
“Is it possible? And that man——”
“Did not leave me for one minute while my life was in danger. And yet I
was a mere stranger to him. He is to travel with me, he will go wherever I
go.”
“I am very glad to know that you will have some devoted friend with
you.”
“Here, my friend, take this memorandum book.”
“What shall I do with it?”
“It contains the portrait of the woman whom I used to call my wife. I
must not keep it any longer. Later, if you choose, you may give the book to
—to her son.”
“Her son? But, Blémont, he is your son too. Are you not going to see
him before you go away?”

“No, the sight of him is too painful to me. I have told you all that I
thought,—all my torments. I shall never see that child again.”
“My dear Blémont, are you not wrong? Is that child responsible for his
mother’s wrongdoing?”
“It is possible that I am unjust; why did she give me a right to be? I
entrust you to look after everything that concerns him, and to put him at
school when he reaches the proper age. I will give you a letter to my notary,
instructing him to supply you with money whenever you need it. Forgive
me, my friend, for all the trouble I cause you.”
“Do not speak of trouble. But consider that that child——”
“Not another word about him, I beg you. I propose to try to banish from
my memory those persons whom I am forced to banish from my heart. By
the way, you must cease to call me Blémont, too; from this moment I lay
aside that name and assume the name of Dalbreuse. So that is the name
under which you must write to me, Ernest; for I trust that you will write to
me, my friend.”
“Yes, to be sure; but I trust that you will not stay away from us a century.
There will come a time, my dear Henri, when you will be able to live in
Paris and to meet the—the person whom you avoid now, without its
producing too serious an effect upon you.”
“I hope so. Meanwhile, I shall go away; I propose to visit Switzerland,
the Alps, the Pyrenees, Italy—no, I shall not go to Italy. But I shall stop
wherever I find that I enjoy myself. I shall try to paint some lovely views,
some attractive landscapes.”
“Above all things, paint some portraits of beautiful women; they will
distract you better than anything else. But when are you going? You must
wait until you are perfectly well.”
“I flatter myself that in a week I shall not feel my wound; meantime, you
will see me often; I am to be allowed to go out to-morrow, and I will go to
your house.”
Ernest took his leave and I made arrangements for my journey. Ernest
would let my apartment all furnished during my absence, and I left him in
full charge of everything. I had but one wish, that was to be far away from
Paris; but first I absolutely must see and embrace my daughter.

At last I was able to leave my room. I purchased two horses, for I
proposed to travel by short stages as long as it amused me. Then I went to
see my mother; I trembled lest she should have learned that I was no longer
living with my wife. She did know it, in fact; some kind friends had not
failed to inform her that I had separated from Eugénie; but she thought that
it was nothing more than a quarrel which had caused the rupture. She
proposed her mediation to reconcile us, for she also believed that it was I
who was in the wrong; and she preached me a sermon.
I thanked my mother and told her of my approaching departure, which I
said was due to important business. She hoped that at my return everything
would be forgotten between my wife and myself; I encouraged her in that
hope and bade her adieu. I was very certain that she would not go to see my
wife, for that would disturb her habits.
I gave to Ernest and his companion all the time that remained before my
departure. They were sorry to lose me, and yet they were glad that I was
going; it was the same with myself. I urged them to send me news of my
daughter; in leaving her I was separating from a part of myself, but if I
remained I should not see her any more. I made them swear that when they
wrote to me they would never mention Madame Blémont. Finally, one night
I embraced Ernest and Marguerite and their children affectionately; I was to
start early next morning.
Pettermann had long been ready. He told me that he was an excellent
rider. We had a good horse each, and at six o’clock we left Paris. My
comrade was very glad to be on the road; he hummed a refrain from the
Mariage de Figaro, which he had not done since my illness.
I started in the direction of Montmorency, for Aubonne is in that
neighborhood, and I proposed to go there to see my daughter. During the
past few days I had made inquiries concerning Madame Blémont at her
house on Rue d’Antin. In Paris, by the use of money, one may learn
whatever one desires. The result of my inquiries was that Madame Blémont
was now at Paris, and that her daughter was not with her. So that Henriette
was in the country without her mother; I could not hope to find a more
favorable moment to see my daughter.
We rode through Montmorency and arrived at Aubonne. Pettermann rode
behind without once asking where we were going, and his discretion

gratified me. When we came in sight of the first houses of Aubonne, I said
to him:
“I have business here, Pettermann; I have to see someone who is very
dear to me.”
“Whatever you please, monsieur; it looks to be a pleasant place.”
“First of all, you must inquire where Madame Rennebaut lives; she is an
old lady who owns a house in this neighborhood.”
“Madame Rennebaut? All right; I will ask the first baker that I see.
Perhaps there’s only one in the village, and Madame Rennebaut must
necessarily trade with him. Wait here for me, monsieur, I will soon be
back.”
I let Pettermann go; I was then on the summit of a hill from which I
could see several country houses nearby; I had stopped my horse and my
eyes strove to look inside those houses, to find my Henriette; the hope that I
should soon see and embrace my child made my heart beat faster.
Pettermann returned.
“Monsieur, I have found out about Madame Rennebaut: she is an old
widow lady, very rich and with no children, who keeps a gardener, a cook
and a maid.”
“And her house?”
“It is at the other end of the village; if we take this road to the pond, then
turn to the left, we shall see the house in front of us. It is a fine house with
an iron fence in front of it, and a garden with a terrace, from which there is
a splendid view.”
“Let us go on, Pettermann.”
We followed the road that had been pointed out to him. As I knew that
Madame Blémont was at Paris, I had no hesitation about calling at Madame
Rennebaut’s house; I did not know what Eugénie might have told her, but I
would ask to see my daughter, and I could not believe that they would deny
me that satisfaction.
We had passed the pond and were on a sort of path with the fields on one
side, leading to the lovely valley of Montmorency.
I spied the house that had been described to us; I urged my horse, and we
were already skirting the garden wall, when I saw a woman walking on the

terrace which ran along the wall on that side, leading a little girl by the
hand.
I recognized the woman and the little girl at once; and, instantly turning
my horse about, I rode into the fields and away from the house as rapidly as
we had approached.
I did not stop until several clumps of trees concealed me from the house.
Eugénie was there; therefore my informant must have been misled, or
perhaps she had returned the night before. However that might be, she was
there and I could not go to that house; her presence debarred me; perhaps
she would think it was she whom I wished to see. I should be too
humiliated if she should have such a thought.
However, I did not wish to go away without embracing my daughter. I
did not know what to do. Pettermann had followed me closely, and was
right behind me; but he waited and said nothing. I dismounted, and he was
about to do the same.
“No,” I said, “remain in the saddle and hold my horse; we shall go away
again soon. Wait for me behind these trees.”
I left him and walked toward the house, taking a roundabout way in
order to avoid being seen by the persons on the terrace; I was certain that
they had not seen me before, for they were not looking in my direction. At
last I reached the garden where I had seen them; a hedge concealed me. I
saw the edge of the terrace, but I could not look into the garden. There was
a walnut tree within a few feet of me; I looked about to see if anyone was
observing me, and in a few seconds I was in the tree. From there I could
look into the garden easily and had no fear of being seen.
There they were; they were coming in my direction from a path where
they had been out of my sight. Henriette ran about playing. Her mother
walked slowly, her eyes often on the ground, or gazing listlessly about. Ah!
how much lovelier than ever my daughter appeared to me! How happy I
was when she turned her head in my direction!
They drew near. The mother sat down on a bench near the corner of the
wall. She had a book, but she placed it by her side and did not read. Why
did she not read? Of what was she thinking? She did not talk with her
daughter; her brow was careworn and her eyes were heavy. Was she already
weary of dissipation?

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