"Jettatore!" At the Count's accusation, the young man's healthy glow fell away, his face turned ashy green, and a red ring formed around his eyes. He bent his brows, deepening the wrinkle in his forehead -- and a sulfurous light flashed from his eyes. He half rose, scoring with his nails the mahogany chair. "You are right, sir," he said, sitting back down with supreme will. "I ought to throw you out the window for your insult." "Believe me," said the Count, "I would not offer such an insult, which blood alone can wash out, were I not impelled by the gravest of motives. You may think it an absurd notion -- call it a prejudice, worthy of the Middle Ages! But I am convinced that the fascination with which you are unfortunately endowed acts fatally upon the girl you love!"

Author Biography

Pierre Jules Theophile Gautier (1811 - 1872) was a French poet, dramatist, novelist, journalist, and art and literary critic. While an ardent defender of Romanticism, Gautier's work is difficult to classify and remains a point of reference for many subsequent literary traditions such as Parnassianism, Symbolism, Decadence and Modernism. Early in his life, Gautier befriended Gerard de Nerval, who influenced him greatly in his earlier poetry and also through whom he was introduced to Victor Hugo. He shared in Hugo's dissatisfaction with the theatrical outputs of the time and the use of the word "tragedy." Gautier admired Honore de Balzac for his contributions to the development of French literature. Gautier was influenced greatly by his friends as well, paying tribute to them in his writings. In fact, he dedicated his collection of Dernieres Poesies to his many friends, including Herbert, Madame de la Grangerie, Maxime Du Camp and Princess Mathilde Bonaparte.