A Cask Of Amontillado Movie

The Cask of Amontillado

The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, simply when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge. You lot, who so well know the nature of my soul, will not suppose, however, that I gave utterance to a threat.At length I would be avenged; this was a indicate definitively settled — but the very definitiveness with which it was resolved precluded the idea of take a chance. I must not but punish but punish with impunity. A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. Information technology is as unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong.

It must be understood that neither by discussion nor human action had I given Fortunato crusade to doubt my skillful will. I connected, as was my wont, to smiling in his face, and he did not perceive that my smileat present was at the thought of his immolation.

He had a weak point — this Fortunato — although in other regards he was a human being to be respected and even feared. He prided himself on his connoisseurship in wine. Few Italians take the true virtuoso spirit. For the well-nigh part their enthusiasm is adopted to arrange the time and opportunity, to practice imposture upon the British and Austrianmillionaires. In painting and gemmary, Fortunato, like his countrymen, was a quack, but in the matter of erstwhile wines he was sincere. In this respect I did not differ from him materially; — I was skilful in the Italian vintages myself, and bought largely whenever I could.

It was about sunset, one evening during the supreme madness of the carnival flavour, that I encountered my friend. He accosted me with excessive warmth, for he had been drinking much. The man wore motley. He had on a tight-fitting parti-striped dress, and his head was surmounted past the conical cap and bells. I was then pleased to see him that I thought I should never have washed wringing his hand.

I said to him — "My dear Fortunato, you are luckily met. How remarkably well yous are looking to-day! Merely I accept received a pipe of what passes for Amontillado, and I have my doubts."

"How?" said he. "Amontillado? A piping? Impossible! And in the centre of the carnival!"

"I accept my doubts," I replied; "and I was silly enough to pay the full Amontillado price without consulting y'all in the matter. You were not to be found, and I was fearful of losing a bargain."

"Amontillado!"

"I have my doubts."

"Amontillado!"

"And I must satisfy them."

"Amontillado!"

"As y'all are engaged, I am on my way to Luchesi. If whatever one has a disquisitional turn it is he. He will tell me ——"

"Luchesi cannot tell Amontillado from Sherry."

"And nonetheless some fools will have it that his sense of taste is a lucifer for your own."

"Come, let us go."

"Whither?"

"To your vaults."

"My friend, no; I will not impose upon your good nature. I perceive yous take an engagement. Luchesi ——"

"I have no engagement; — come."

"My friend, no. It is not the engagement, but the severe cold with which I perceive you are afflicted. The vaults are insufferably damp. They are encrusted with nitre."

"Let u.s.a. go, nevertheless. The cold is merely nothing. Amontillado! You accept been imposed upon. And as for Luchesi, he cannot distinguish Sherry from Amontillado."

Thus speaking, Fortunato possessed himself of my arm. Putting on a mask of black silk and drawing aroquelaire closely nigh my person, I suffered him to hurry me to my palazzo.

At that place were no attendants at abode; they had absconded to make merry in honour of the time. I had told them that I should not return until the morning, and had given them explicit orders not to stir from the house. These orders were sufficient, I well knew, to insure their firsthand disappearance, ane and all, as soon as my back was turned.

I took from their sconces two flambeaux, and giving 1 to Fortunato, bowed him through several suites of rooms to the entrance that led into the vaults. I passed downwardly a long and winding staircase, requesting him to exist cautious as he followed. We came at length to the human foot of the descent, and stood together on the damp ground of the catacombs of the Montresors.

The gait of my friend was unsteady, and the bells upon his cap jingled as he strode.

"The piping," said he.

"Information technology is farther on," said I; "but observe the white web-work which gleams from these cavern walls."

He turned towards me, and looked into my eyes with two filmy orbs that distilled the rheum of intoxication .

"Nitre?" he asked, at length.

"Nitre," I replied. "How long accept you lot had that coughing?"

"Ugh! ugh! ugh! — ugh! ugh! ugh! — ugh! ugh! ugh! — ugh! ugh! ugh! — ugh! ugh! ugh!"

My poor friend found information technology incommunicable to respond for many minutes.

"It is nix," he said, at last.

"Come," I said, with decision, "we volition go back; your health is precious. You are rich, respected, admired, beloved; you are happy, as once I was. Y'all are a man to be missed. For me it is no thing. We will go back; y'all will be ill, and I cannot be responsible. Besides, there is Luchesi ——"

"Enough," he said; "the cough is a mere zilch; it will not kill me. I shall not die of a cough."

"True — truthful," I replied; "and, indeed, I had no intention of alarming y'all unnecessarily — but you should utilize all proper caution. A draught of this Medoc will defend us from the damps."

Here I knocked off the neck of a bottle which I drew from a long row of its fellows that lay upon the mould.

"Drink," I said, presenting him the wine.

He raised information technology 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."

"I forget your arms."

"A huge human pes d'or, in a field azure; the pes crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are imbedded in the heel."

"And the motto?"

"Nemo me impune lacessit."

"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 intermingling, into the inmost recesses of the catacombs. I paused over again, and this time I made assuming to seize Fortunato by an arm above the elbow.

"The nitre!" I said: "see, it increases. It hangs like moss upon the vaults. We are beneath the river'due south bed. The drops of moisture trickle amidst the basic. Come up, we volition become back ere information technology is too late. Your coughing ——"

"It is nothing," he said; "let us keep. But starting time, another draught of the Medoc."

I broke and reached him a flaçon of De Grâve. He emptied it at a breath. His optics flashed with a fierce lite. He laughed and threw the canteen upwards with a gesticulation I did non empathize.

I looked at him in surprise. He repeated the movement — a grotesque one.

"You practise not comprehend?" he said.

"Non I," I replied.

"Then yous are not of the alliance."

"How?"

"You are not of the masons."

"Yes, aye," I said; "yes, yeah."

"You? Impossible! A stonemason?"

"A stonemason," I replied.

"A sign," he said.

"Information technology is this," I answered, producing a trowel from beneath the folds of myroquelaire.

"You jest," he exclaimed, recoiling a few paces. "But let usa proceed to the Amontillado."

"Be it so," I said, replacing the tool beneath the cloak and over again offering him my arm. He leaned upon it heavily. We continued our route in search of the Amontillado. Nosotros passed through a range of low arches, descended, passed on, and descending once more, arrived at a deep crypt, in which the foulness of the air caused our flambeaux rather to glow than flame.

At the most remote end of the crypt there appeared another less spacious. Its walls had been lined with human remains, piled to the vault overhead, in the fashion of the great catacombs of Paris. Three sides of this interior crypt were notwithstanding ornamented in this way. From the fourth the basic had been thrown down, and lay promiscuously upon the earth, forming at ane signal a mound of some size. Within the wall thus exposed past the displacing of the bones, nosotros perceived a still interior recess, in depth nigh four feet, in width iii, in height six or 7. Information technology seemed to have been constructed for no especial use within itself, but formed only the interval between two of the jumbo supports of the roof of the catacombs, and was backed by i of their circumscribing walls of solid granite.

It was in vain that Fortunato, uplifting his dull torch, endeavoured to pry into the depths of the recess. Its termination the feeble lite did not enable usa to see.

"Go on," I said; "herein is the Amontillado. As for Luchesi ——"

"He is an ignoramus," interrupted my friend, as he stepped unsteadily forward, while I followed immediately at his heels. In an instant he had reached the extremity of the niche, and finding his progress arrested by the rock, stood stupidly bewildered. A moment more and I had fettered him to the granite. In its surface were 2 iron staples, distant from each other almost ii anxiety, horizontally. From one of these depended a short concatenation, from the other a padlock. Throwing the links about his waist, it was but the work of a few seconds to secure information technology. He was too much astounded to resist. Withdrawing the cardinal I stepped dorsum from the recess.

"Pass your manus," I said, "over the wall; you cannot assistance feeling the nitre. Indeed, it isvery damp. Over again let meimplore you to return. No? So I will positively leave you lot. But I must first render you all the little attentions in my power."

"The Amontillado!" ejaculated my friend, not nevertheless recovered from his astonishment.

"True," I replied; "the Amontillado."

As I said these words I busied myself amongst the pile of bones of which I have earlier spoken. Throwing them aside, I soon uncovered a quantity of edifice stone and mortar. With these materials and with the assist of my trowel, I began vigorously to wall up the entrance of the niche.

I had scarcely laid the get-go tier of my masonry when I discovered that the intoxication of Fortunato had in a great measure worn off. The earliest indication I had of this was a low moaning cry from the depth of the recess. It wasnot the cry of a drunken man. There was then a long and obstinate silence. I laid the second tier, and the third, and the fourth; and and then I heard the furious vibrations of the chain. The racket lasted for several minutes, during which, that I might hearken to it with the more satisfaction, I ceased my labours and saturday down upon the bones. When at last the clanking subsided, I resumed the trowel, and finished without interruption the fifth, the 6th, and the 7th tier. The wall was now nearly upon a level with my breast. I again paused, and holding the flambeaux over the mason-piece of work, threw a few feeble rays upon the figure within.

A succession of loud and shrill screams, bursting of a sudden from the pharynx of the chained form, seemed to thrust me violently back. For a brief moment I hesitated, I trembled. Unsheathing my rapier, I began to grope with information technology nigh the recess; but the thought of an instant reassured me. I placed my paw upon the solid material of the catacombs, and felt satisfied. I reapproached the wall. I replied to the yells of him who clamoured. I re-echoed — I aided — I surpassed them in volume and in strength. I did this, and the clamourer grew still.

It was now midnight, and my task was drawing to a close. I had completed the eighth, the ninth, and the tenth tier. I had finished a portion of the last and the eleventh; in that location remained just a single stone to be fitted and plastered in. I struggled with its weight; I placed information technology partially in its destined position. Simply at present at that place came from out the niche a depression express joy that erected the hairs upon my head. It was succeeded past a sad voice, which I had difficulty in recognising equally that of the noble Fortunato. The voice said —

"Ha! ha! ha! — he! he! he! — a very skillful joke, indeed — an excellent jest. We will have many a rich laugh about it at the palazzo — he! he! he! — over our wine — he! he! he!"

"The Amontillado!" I said.

"He! he! he! — he! he! he! — aye, the Amontillado. Simply is it non getting late? Will non they be pending us at the palazzo — the Lady Fortunato and the rest? Allow us be gone."

"Yes," I said, "allow united states of america exist gone."

"For the love of God, Montresor!"

"Yes," I said, "for the love of God!"

Only to these words I hearkened in vain for a respond. I grew impatient. I called aloud —

"Fortunato!"

No answer. I chosen again —

"Fortunato!" No respond all the same. I thrust a torch through the remaining aperture and let it fall within. There came forth in return only a jingling of the bells. My heart grew sick — on business relationship of the dampness of the catacombs. I hastened to make an end of my labour. I forced the last stone into its position; I plastered it upwards. Against the new masonry I re-erected the former rampart of bones. For the half of a century no mortal has disturbed them.In pace requiescat!

---

Edgar Allan Poe

Originally Published in 1846

Epitome by Bernie Wrightson

A Cask Of Amontillado Movie,

Source: https://poemuseum.org/the-cask-of-amontillado/

Posted by: busseyfacconly.blogspot.com

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