that I g:
would l
settledit was r
must n(
CLARIFY
does Mot
his reven
to him
It m~
nor de~
my goc
to smil
that m’
immol~
He ~
althou/
The thousand injuries of
respected and even feared. He prided himself on
his connoisseurship3 in wine. Few Italians have
Fortunato1 I had borne as I
best could; but when he ven- the true virtuoso spirit. For the most part their
tured upon insult, I vowed enthusiasm is adopted to suit the time and
revenge. You, who so well opportunity--to practice imposture4 upon the
know the nature of my soul, British and Austrian millionaires. In painting
will not suppose, however,
and gemmarys Fortunato, like his countrymen,
was a quack--but in the matter of old wines he
that I gave utterance to a threat. At length I
would be avenged; this was a point definitivelywas sincere. In this respect I did not differ from
settled--but the very definitiveness with *vhich him materially; I was skilful in the Italian vintages myself, and bought largely whenever I
it was resolved, precluded the idea of risk. I
must not only punish, but punish with impunity.
could.
It was about dusk, one evening during the
A wrong is unredressed
supreme madness of the carnival season, that
*vhen retribution overI encountered my friend. He accosted me with
CLARIFY What terms takes its redresser. It is
excessive warmth, for he had been drinking
does M0ntres0r set up for equally unredressed
his revenge here?
when the avenger fails to much. The man wore motley.6 He had on a
make himself felt as such tight-fitying parti-striped dress, and his head
tohim who has done the wrong.
was surmounted by the conical cap and bells.
It must be understood, that neither by word
nor deed had I given Fortunato cause to doubt
1. Fortunato (f6r’cha-nfi’t6).
my good-wil!. I continued, as was my wont,
2. immolation (Ym’a-la’shan): death or destruction.
to smile in his face, and he did not perceive
3. connoisseurship (kbn’a-s~r’sllYp): expertise or authority,
that my smile now was at the thought of his
especially in the fine arts or in matters of taste.
immolation,z
4. imposture: deception.
He had a weak point--this Fortunato-5. gemmary OEm’a-re)~ knowledge of precious gems.
although in other regards he was a man to be
6. motley: the costume of a court jester or clown.
WORDS
TO
KNOW
preclude (prY-kind’) ~ to make impossible, especially by taking action in advance;
prevent
impunity {¥rn-py~’n¥-t~) n. freedom from punishment, penalty, or harm
virtuoso (vOr’ch~-h’so) adj. characteristic of a person with masterly knowledge or
skill
accost (~ khst’) ~ to approach and speak to in an aggressive or hostile manner
209
I was so pleased to see him, that I thought I
Luchesi, he cannot distinguish Sherry from
should never have done wringing his hand.
Amontillado."
I said to him: "My dear Fortunato, you are
Thus speaking, Fortunato possessed himself
luckily met. How remarkably well you are
of my arm. Putting on a mask of black silk, and
looking to-day! But I have received a pipe7
drawing a roquelaureit closely about my person,
8
of what passes for Amontilla, do, and I have myI suffered him to hurry me to my palazzo,t2
doubts."
There were no attendants at home; they had
"How?" said he. "Amontillado ? A pipe ?
absconded to make merry in honor of the time.
Impossible! And in the middle of the carnival!" I had told them that I should not return until
"I have my doubts," I replied; "and I was
the morning, and had given them explicit orders
silly enough to pay the full Amontillado price not to stir from the house. These orders were
without consulting you in the matter. You weresufficient, I well knew, to insure their immediate
not to be found, and I was fearful of losing a disappearance, one and all, as soon as my back
bargain."
was turned.
"Amontillado!"
I took from their sconces two flambeaux,13
"I have my doubts."
and giving one to Fortunato, bowed him
"Amontillado!"
through several suites of rooms to the archway
"And I must satisfy them."
that led into the vaults. I passed down a long
"Amontillado!"
and winding staircase, requesting him to be
"As you are engaged, I am on my way to
cautious as he followed. We came at length to
Luchesi2 If anyone has a critical turn, it is he. the foot of the descent and stood together on
He will tell me--"
the damp ground of the catacombs of the
"Luchesi cannot tell Amontillado from
Montresors.
Sherry."
The gait of my friend was unsteady, and the
"And yet some fools will have it that his taste
bells upon his cap jingled as he strode.
is a match for your own."
"The pipe?" said he.
’"Come, let us go."
"It is farther on," said I; "but observe the
"Whither?"
white web-work which gleams from these
"To your vaults."
cavern walls."
"My friend, no; I will not impose upon your He turned toward me, and looked into my
good nature. I perceive you have an engageeyes with two filmy orbs that distilled the
ment. Luchesi---"
rheum of intoxication)4
"I have no engagement;--come."
"My friend, no. It is not the engagement, but
7. pipe: a wine barre! with a capacity of 126 gallons.
the severe cold with which I perceive you are
8. Amontillado (a m~n’fl-fi’d6): a pale dry sherry.
afflicted. The vaults are insufferably damp.
9. Luchesi
They are encrusted with 10. niter: a white, gray, or colorless mi~eral, consisting of
niter."10
potassium nitrate.
"Let us go, nevertheless. 11. roquelaure (r6k-I6r’) French: a man’s knee-length cloak,
INFER Based on this
popular during the 18tb century.
The cold is merely
exchange between
12.
palazzo
(paq~t’s6): a palace or mansion.
M0ntres0r and F0rtunat0, nothing. Amontillado!
!3.
from
.
.
.
flambeaux (tl’~m’b6z’): from their wall brackets
what can you infer about You have been imposed
two lighted torches.
each 0ftheir characters? upon. And as for
14. filmy.., intoxication: eyes clouded and watery from
drunkem~ess.
UNIT ONE AUTHOR STUDY: EDGAR ALLAN POE
"Ni
"Ni
had tl
"Ug
ugh! u
My
reply t
go bac
respec
me it
be ill,
there
nothir
a cou~
no int,
you sf
this M
He~
I drem
upon
"DI
He
and n,
jingle~
He
"Tt
the fo
are in"
kets
"Niter?" he asked, at length.
"Niter," I replied: "How long have you
bad that cough?"
"Ugh! ugh! ugh!--ugh! ugh! ugh!--ugh!
ugh! ugh!--ugh! ugh! ugh!--ugh! ugh! ugh!"
My poor friend found it impossible to
reply for many minutes.
"It is nothing," he said, at last.
"Come," I said, with decision, "we will
go back; your health is precious. You are rich,
respected, admired, beloved; you are happy, as
once I was. You are a man to be missed. For
me it is no matter. We will go back; you will
be ill, and I cannot be responsible. Besides,
there is Luchesi--"
"Enough," he said; "the cough is a mere
nothing; it will not kill me. I shall not die of
a cough."
"True--true," I replied; "and, indeed, I had
no intention of alarming you unnecessarily; but
you should use all proper caution. A draft of
this Medoc*s will defend us from the damps."
Here I knocked off the neck of a bottle that
I drew from a long row of its fellows that lay
upon the mold.
"Drink," I said, presenting him the wine,
He raised it to his lips with a leer. He paused
and nodded to me familiarly, while his bells
jingled.
"I drink," he said, "to the buried that repose
around us."
"And I to your long life."
He again took my arm, and we proceeded.
"These vaults," he said, "are extensive."
"The Montresors," I replied, "were a great
and numerous family."
’iI forget your arms."is
"A huge human foot d’or,s7 in a field azure;
the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs
are imbedded in the hee!,"
"And the motto?"
"Nemo me impune lacessit..,is
"Good!" he said.
The wine sparkled in his eyes and the bells
jingled. My own fancy grew warm with the
Medoc. We had passed through
walls of piled bones, with casks
and puncheons~9 intermingling,
into the inmost recesses of the
catacombs. I paused again, and
this time I made bold to seize
Fortunato by an arm above the elbow.
"The nlter!" I said; "see, it increases. It hangs
like moss upon the vaults. We are below the
river’s bed. The drops of moisture trickle among
the bones. Come, we will go back ere it is too
late. Your cot~g~"
"It is nothing," he said; "let us go on. But
first, another draft of the Medoc."
I broke and reached him a flagon of De
Gr~ve.2° He emptied it at a breath. His eyes
flashed with a fierce light. He laughed and
threw the bottle upward with a gesticulation2s I
did not understand.
I looked at him in surprise. He repeated the
movement--a grotesque one.
"You do not comprehend?" he said.
"Not I," 1 replied,
"Then you are not of the brotherhood."
"How?"
"You are not of the masons."22
15. Medoc (mS.-d6k’): a red Bordeaux wine.
16. arms= coat of arms--a design t!~at represelxts one’s
ancestry and family heritage. {in the following
paragraph, Montresor describes his family’s coat of
arms.)
17. d’or (dbr) Fre~¢ch: gold colored.
18. Nemo me impune lacessit (rift’m6 mS. ~m-pff6’n~ lg-k~s’~t)
Latin: Nobody provokes me with impunity,
19. casks and puncheons: large containers for storing wine.
20. De Gr~.ve (da griiv’): a; red Bordeaux wine.
21. gesticulation Oa-stgk’ya l~,’shart): a vigorous morion or
gesture,
22. of the ransoms: a Freemason, a member of a social
organization with secret rituals and signs.
"Yes, yes," I said;’"yes, yes."
Copyright © 1995 Jay Maisel.
"You? Impossible! A mason?"
"A mason," I replied.
"Proceed," I said; "herein is the Amontillado.
"A sign," he said.
As for Luchesi--"
"It is this," I answered, producing a trowel
"He is an ignoramus," interrupted my friend,
as
he
stepped unsteadily forward, while I
from beneath the folds of myfoquelaure.
"You jest," he exclaimed, recoiling a few paces.followed immediately at his heels. In an instant he
"But let us proceed to the Amontillado."
had reached the extremity of the niche, and find"Be it so," I said, replacing the tool beneath theing his progress arrested by the rock, stood stucloak, and again offering him my arm. He leanedpidly bewildered. A moment more and I
upon it heavily. We continued our route in searchhad fettered him to the granite. In its surface were
of the Amontillado. We passed through a range oftwo iron staples, distant from each other about
low arches, descended, passed on, and descending two feet, horizontally. From one of these
again, arrived at a deep crypt,23 in which the
depended a short chain, from the other a padlock.
foulness of the air caused our flambeaux rather toThrowing the links about his waist, it was but the
glow than flame.
work of a few seconds to secure it. He was too
At the most remote end of the crypt there
much astounded to resist. W~thdravdng the key I
apl~eared another less spacious. Its walls had been stepped back from the recess.
lined with human remains, "Pass your hand," I said, "over the wall; you
piled to the vault
cannot help feeling the niter. Indeed it is very
overhead, in the fashion of damp. Once more let me implore you to return.
PREDICT What do you
No? Then I must positively leave you. But I must
think Montresor plans to the great catacombs of
do to Fovtunato?
Paris. Three sides of this first render you all the little attentions in my
interior crypt were still
power."
ornamented in this manner. From the fourth the
"The Amontillado!" ejaculated my friend, not
bones had been thrown down, and lay
yet recovered from his astonishment.
promiscuously24 upon the earth, forming at one
"True," I replied; "the Amontillado."
point a mound of some size. -gUzthin the wall thus As I said these words I busied myself among the
exposed by the displacing of the bones~ we
pile of bones of which I have before spoken.
perceived a still interior recess, in depth about
Throwing them aside, I soon uncovered a quantity
four feet, in width three, in height six or seven. It of building stone and mortar. With these materials
seemed to have been constructed for no especial and with the aid of my trowel, I began vigorously
use vdthin itself, but formed merely the interval to wall up the entrance of th~ niche.
between two of the colossal supports of the roof
I had scarcely laid the first tier of the masonry2s
¯ of the catacombs, and was backed by one of their when I discovered that the intoxication of
circumscribing walls of solid granite.
Fortunato had in a great measure worn off. The
It was in vain that Fortunato, uplifting his dull
torch, endeavored to pry into the depth of the
23. crype an underground chamber serving as a burial place.
recess. Its termination the feeble light did not
24. promiscuously (pram~s’ky6o-as-le): randomly.
enable Us to see.
25. masonry= stonework.
W O RD S
TO
KNOW
212
termination (tOr’mg-n~’shen) n. the end of something; limit or edge
fetter (f~t’er) ~ to restrain with chains or shackles
implore (¥rn-pl6r’) ~ to beg; earnestly ask for
earliest indication I had of this was a low moaning stone to be fitted and plastered in. I
cry from the depth of the recess. It was *cot the cry its weight; I placed it partially in its destined
position. But now
of a drur&en man. There was then a long and
low laugh that erected the hairs upon m~,
obstinate silence. I laid the second tier, and the
third, and the fourth; and then I heard the furious was succeeded by a sad voice, which I had
difficulty in recognizing as that of the noble
vibrations of the chain. The noise lasted for
several minutes, during which,’that I might
Fortunato. The voice said-"Ha! ha! ha!~he! he!--a very good joke
hearken to it with the more satisfaction, I ceased
my labors and sat down upon the bones. When at indeed--an excellent jest. We will have many a
last the clanking subside~d, I resumed the trowel, rich laugh about it at the palazzo--he! he! he! -and finished without interruption the filth, the
over our wine--he! he! he!"
"The Amontillado!" I said.
sixth, and the seventh tier. The wall was now
"He! he! he!~he! he! he!--yes, the
nearly upon a level with my breast. I again
Amontillado.
But is it not getting late? Will not
paused, and holding the flambeaux over the
they be awaiting us at the palazzo, the Lady
mason-work, threw a few feeble rays upon the
Fortunato and the rest? Let us be gone."
figure within.
"Yes," I said, "let us be gone."
"For the love of God, Montresor!"
A succession of loud and shrill screams,
bursting suddenly from the throat of the chained
"Yes," I said, "for the love of God!"
But to these words I hearkened in vain for a
form, seemed to
tkrust me violently reply. I grew impatient. I called aloud,
back. For a brief
"Fortunato!"
No answer. I called again,
moment I
hesitated--I
"Fortunato!"
trembled.
No answer still. I thrust a torch through the
Unsheathing my
remaining aperture2r and let it fall within. There
rapier,26 1 began to came forth in return only a iingling of the balls.
grope with it about My heart grew sick on account of the dampness
of the catacombs. I hastened to make an end of
the recess; but the
thought of an
my iabor. I forced the last stone into its position; I
plastered it up. Against the new maso~y I reinstant reassured
me. I placed my hand upon the solid fabric of the erected the old rampart2~ of bones. For the half of
catacombs, and felt satisfied. I reapproached the a century no mortal has disturbed them. In pace
wail. I replied to the yells of him who clamored. I requiescat!29 .~
re-echoed--I aided--I surpassed them in volume
and in strength. I did this, and the clamorer grew
st~]l.
It was now midnight, and my task was drawing
to a close. I had completed the eighth, the ~nth,
and the tenth tier. I had finished a portion of the
last and the eleventh; there remained but a single
26. rapier (rSp~-ar) a long, slender sword.
27. aperture (Rp’ar char): an opening, such as a hole or a gap.
28. rampart: fortification; protective barrier.
z~. In p~ce reqm~scat (m pa ke re-kwe~es kat) Lat ~: May h
rest in peace.
Wt
Was a
{asci~
grave
the w
the ~
DE
twenl
of Vi~
as ar
at th~
but o
dislik
asa!
WI
the h
up in
Just t
feet,
Lieut
Th
tage
the y
fort,
man)
lain ~
Fe
cornt
out ~
W O R D S subside {sab-sid’) ~ to become less agitated or active; lessen
TO destined {d~s’tYnd)adj. determined beforehand; fated de~tine ,z
214
I(NOW
i with
THIE STORY BEIHIINID "TIME CASK OF AMONTILLADO"
iche a
~d. It
ya
~e! --
not
the
bells.
.mpness
nd of
)sition; I
I ree’half of ~:
~le or a gap.
:in:May he
While at Fort Independence, Poe [who
was a private there in 1827] became
fascinated with the inscriptions on a
gravestone on a small monument outside
the walls of the fort ....
off the army records as a deserter.
According to the story which Poe finally
gathered together, Captain Green had been .
so detested by his fellow officers at the fort
that they decided to take a terrible revenge
on him for Massie’s death ....
Beneath this stone are deposited the
Visiting Captain Green one moonless night,
remains of Lieut. ROBERT E MASSIE, of
they pretended to be friendly and plied him
the U. S. Regt. of Light Artillery ....
with wine until he was helplessly intoxicated.
During the summer of 1817, Poe learned, Then, carrying the captain down to one of the
twenty-year-old Lieutenant Robert F. Massie ancient dungeons, the officers forced his body
of Virginia had arrived at Fort Independence through a tiny opening which led into the
as a newly appointed officer. Most of the men subterranean casemate4...
By this time Green had awakened from
at the post came to eujoy Massie’s friendship,
his
drunken stupor and demanded to know
but one office1; Captain Green, took a violent
dislike to him. Green was known at the fort what was taking place. Without answering,
his captors began to shackle him to the
as a bully and a dangerous swordsman.
When Christmas vacations were allotted, floor, using the heavy iron handcuffs and
footcuffs fastened into the stone. Then they
few of the officers were allowed to leave
all left the dungeon and proceeded to sea!
the fort, and Christmas Eve found them
the captain up alive inside the windowless
up in the old barracks hall, playing cards.
casemate, using bricks and mortar....
Just before midnight, at the height of the
Captain Green shrieked in terror and
card game, Captain Green sprang to his
begged for mercy, but his cries fell on deaf
feet, reached across the table and slapped
ears. The last brick was finally inserted,
Lieutenant Massie squarely in the face.
"You’re a cheat," he roared, "and I demand morta~ applied, and the room sealed up, the
officers believed, forever. Captain Green
immediate satisfaction!" . . .
The duel began. Captain Green, an expert undoubtedly died a horrible dead{ within a
swordsman, soon had Massie at a disadvan- fe*v days ....
tage and ran him through. Fatally wounded, [In 1905, workmen repairing the fort
the young Virginian was carried back to the found the dungeon. To their amazement,
they found a skeleton inside, shackled to the
fort, where he died that afternoon. His
many friends mourned the passing of a gal- floor, with a few fragments of an old army
uniform dinging to the bones.]
lant officer....
Feeling against Captain Green ran high
for many weeks, and then suddenly he
1. subterranean casemate (sub ta-ra ne-an kas mat). a
completely vanished. Years went by withfortified underground or partly underground room
with small windows for firing weapons from.
out a sign of him, and Green was written
THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO