"Sade, Marquis De - The 120 Days Of Sodom 2" - читать интересную книгу автора (Marquis de Sade)

"Everything under the sun," Duclos assured him. "I did not think it
worth dwelling on these matters which would also have disturbed the smooth
unfolding of my history, but since it is evident they might amuse you, in
future I'll not forget to cite my thefts.
"As well as that fault, I have always been reproached for another: I am
said to have a hard heart, a very bad one indeed; but is that fault really
mine? or is it not rather from Nature we have our vices as well as our
perfections? and is there anything I can do to soften this heart she caused
to be insensible? I don't believe I have ever in all my life wept over my
troubles, and I can safely assure you I have never dropped a tear for the
afflictions of others; I loved my sister, and I lost her without the least
twinge of grief, you were witness to the stoic indifference with which I
greeted news of her undoing; I would, by God, see the universe perish
without a sniffle or a sigh."
"That is how one must be," said the Duc, "compassion is a fool's
virtue. Close examination reveals that it is never anything but compassion
which costs us delights. But with that toughened heart of yours, you must
have committed crimes, for, you know, insensibility leads straight to
nothing else."
"My Lord," Duclos replied, "the regulations prescribed for our
narrations prevent me from apprising you of a great many things; my
companions will supply what you have ordained I omit. I do have one word to
say, however: when later on they attempt to represent themselves to you as
villains, you may be perfectly sure I have never been any better than
they."
"That, I should say, is doing justice to oneself," Blangis observed.
"Well, go on with your tales; we'll have to be content with what you tell
us, for we have ourselves set bounds to your discourses; but remember that
when we, you and I, have a little chat together, I'll insist upon hearing
of your various peccadillos."
"And I shall conceal none of them from you, Sire. May it be that after
having heard me out you shall have no cause to repent of your indulgence
toward one of the King's worst subjects." Wherewith she lifted up her voice
and addressed the assembly again:
Despite all these defects, and above all that of being thoroughly
unappreciative of the value of the humiliating sentiment of gratitude,
which I consider as naught but an injurious burden to humanity and one
which completely degrades the pride and self-respect implanted in us by
Nature, with all these deficiencies, I say, my companions were nevertheless
very fond of me, and of them all I was the most sought after by men.
Such was my situation when a rich landowner named d'Aucourt came to
have a party at Fournier's; as he was one of her steadfast clients, but one
who preferred girls brought in from outside the house to those residing in
it, he was held in the highest esteem, and Madame, who felt I had
absolutely to make his acquaintance, gave me notice two days beforehand not
to waste an ounce of the precious matter for which he had a greater passion
than any of the other men I had met with until then; but from the details
you will be able to judge of all this for yourselves. D'Aucourt arrived,
and having eyed me up and down, he scolded Madame Fournier for having
waited so long to supply him with this pretty creature. I thanked him for