El Dorado
'El Dorado' Summary
It is 1794 and Paris, "despite the horrors that had stained her walls - has remained a city of pleasure, and the knife of the guillotine did scarce descend more often than did the drop-scenes on the stage."
The plot begins when Sir Percy, the Scarlet Pimpernel, reluctantly agrees to take Armand St. Just, brother of his wife, Marguerite, with him to France as part of a plan to rescue the young Dauphin.
Percy warns Armand not to renew any friendships while in Paris, but it doesn't take long before Armand has ignored his warnings and renewed a friendship with the scheming Baron de Batz (in the pay of the Austrian government), who wants to free the Dauphin himself and despises the Scarlet Pimpernel and all he represents.
Whilst attending the opera with De Batz, Armand foolishly tells him that he is in the league of the Scarlet Pimpernel. While there, he falls in love with a young actress named Citizeness Jeanne L'Ange. De Batz introduces the couple backstage at the theatre and once they have fallen for each other, De Batz tells Citizen Heron of the general committee of Public Safety where and when they have arranged to meet.
After covering for Armand at her house, L'Ange is arrested and thrown into jail. Learning of her peril and in the throes of passion, Armand fails to trust Sir Percy who has told him that he will rescue Jeanne, and forgets his promise to his leader.
Armand, desperate to share Jeanne's fate, runs to the gate of the Temple prison and screams, "Long Live the King." There he is intercepted by none other than Percy's arch enemy, Chauvelin.
Faced with the death of his love, Armand betrays Percy, unaware that The Pimpernel has already secured Jeanne's freedom. Sir Percy is then captured and imprisoned by Chauvelin and Heron in the cell that was home to Marie Antoinette in her last days.
Chauvelin insists that Percy is to be deprived of sleep in the hope that he will be weakened and disclose where young Capet, the uncrowned King of France, is being held following his rescue.
After 17 days in prison, Percy is sure that the dauphin has been transported safely into Holland. He then contrives, by pretending to crack and confess the dauphin's whereabouts, to make his escape. He tells Chauvelin and Heron that the dauphin is being held in an area in the north, near the coast of France, but that he has to show them, rather than tell them, because the paths are nameless and too small for them to find without him.
Chauvelin and Heron, skeptical, bring along Armand and Marguerite as hostages. Once in the north, Percy takes advantage of a chance when Chauvelin and Heron are separated, and darkness, to subdue Heron, bind and truss him, put on his clothes, and direct the guileless French soldiers (who think that the bound Heron is Percy) to put him in the gated yard of a church. Percy, still thought to be Heron, drives a carriage with Marguerite and Armand inside to the coast, where his ship is waiting for them.
Book Details
Author
Baroness Emmuska Orczy
Hungary, England
Baroness Emma Orczy usually known as Baroness Orczy (the name under which she was published) or to her family and friends as Emmuska Orczy, was a Hungarian-born British novelist and playwright. She is...
More on Baroness Emmuska OrczyDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books
Aboe Bakar by Paul Adriaan Daum
In "Aboe Bakar" by Paul Adriaan Daum, delve into the enigmatic world of colonial Java where secrets and desires intertwine in a captivating tale of fo...
The Triumph of the Scarlet Pimpernel by Emma Orczy
The Triumph of the Scarlet Pimpernel, first published in 1922, is a book in the series about the Scarlet Pimpernel's adventures by Baroness Orczy. Aga...
The River Duddon: A Series of Sonnets by William Wordsworth
Located in a part of Cumbria that was once part of Lancashire, the River Duddon rises in the high fells of the Lake District and flows for 25 miles th...
Tongues of Conscience by Robert Smythe Hichens
In the heart of Edwardian England, a young woman's conscience is put to the ultimate test in Robert Smythe Hichens' gripping novel, Tongues of Conscie...
In Search of Mademoiselle by George Gibbs
Embark on a captivating adventure through the intrigue of 17th century France as George Gibbs's "In Search of Mademoiselle" unveils a tale of mistaken...
Forgotten World, by Edmond Hamilton by Edmond Hamilton
In the heart of the impenetrable Amazon rainforest lies a secret beyond imagination—a "Forgotten World" awaiting discovery. Edmond Hamilton's enthrall...
Modern Russian Literature by D. S. Mirsky
In this, the esteemed historian and critic D.S. Mirsky invites readers to delve into the depths of Russia's literary heritage and explore the transfor...
The Necromancers by Robert Hugh Benson
It tells the story of a group of friends who experiment with occultism and unwittingly summon demonic forces. Benson's writing is atmospheric and eer...
Literary Pilgrimages of a Naturalist by Winthrop Packard
It is a captivating book designed for young readers. Published in 1911, this literary gem takes its readers on an enchanting journey through the eyes...
An Itinerant House, and Other Stories by Emma Frances Dawson
In the title story, a peculiar house with a nomadic nature takes center stage, embarking on a journey that leaves its inhabitants bewildered and intri...
Reviews for El Dorado
No reviews posted or approved, yet...