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St. Ives: Being the Adventures of a French Prisoner in England

by Robert Louis Stevenson

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Prisoners of war -- FictionFrench -- England -- Fiction

Inside this work

  1. 01Front matter~2 min
  2. 02CHAPTER I—A TALE OF A LION RAMPANT — part 1~25 min
  3. 03CHAPTER I—A TALE OF A LION RAMPANT — part 2~5 min
  4. 04CHAPTER II—A TALE OF A PAIR OF SCISSORS~15 min
  5. 05CHAPTER III—MAJOR CHEVENIX COMES INTO THE STORY, AND GOGUELAT GOES OUT~22 min
  6. 06CHAPTER IV—ST. IVES GETS A BUNDLE OF BANK NOTES~17 min
  7. 07CHAPTER V—ST. IVES IS SHOWN A HOUSE~17 min
  8. 08CHAPTER VI—THE ESCAPE~23 min
  9. 09CHAPTER VII—SWANSTON COTTAGE~17 min
  10. 10CHAPTER VIII—THE HEN-HOUSE~15 min
  11. 11CHAPTER IX—THREE IS COMPANY, AND FOUR NONE — part 1~25 min
  12. 12CHAPTER IX—THREE IS COMPANY, AND FOUR NONE — part 2~3 min
  13. 13CHAPTER X—THE DROVERS~23 min
  14. 14CHAPTER XI—THE GREAT NORTH ROAD~25 min
  15. 15CHAPTER XII—I FOLLOW A COVERED CART NEARLY TO MY DESTINATION — part 1~24 min
  16. 16CHAPTER XII—I FOLLOW A COVERED CART NEARLY TO MY DESTINATION — part 2~2 min
  17. 17CHAPTER XIII—I MEET TWO OF MY COUNTRYMEN~20 min
  18. 18CHAPTER XIV—TRAVELS OF THE COVERED CART~16 min
  19. 19CHAPTER XV—THE ADVENTURE OF THE ATTORNEY’S CLERK — part 1~25 min
  20. 20CHAPTER XV—THE ADVENTURE OF THE ATTORNEY’S CLERK — part 2~10 min
  21. 21CHAPTER XVI—THE HOME-COMING OF MR. ROWLEY’S VISCOUNT~19 min
  22. 22CHAPTER XVII—THE DESPATCH-BOX~20 min
  23. 23CHAPTER XVIII—MR. ROMAINE CALLS ME NAMES~20 min
  24. 24CHAPTER XIX—THE DEVIL AND ALL AT AMERSHAM PLACE~23 min
  25. 25CHAPTER XX—AFTER THE STORM~22 min
  26. 26CHAPTER XXI—I BECOME THE OWNER OF A CLARET-COLOURED CHAISE~21 min
  27. 27CHAPTER XXII—CHARACTER AND ACQUIREMENTS OF MR. ROWLEY~21 min
  28. 28CHAPTER XXIII—THE ADVENTURE OF THE RUNAWAY COUPLE~25 min
  29. 29CHAPTER XXIV—THE INN-KEEPER OF KIRKBY-LONSDALE~17 min
  30. 30CHAPTER XXV—I MEET A CHEERFUL EXTRAVAGANT~15 min

A few words to begin

It was in the month of May 1813 that I was so unlucky as to fall at last into the hands of the enemy. My knowledge of the English language had marked me out for a certain employment. Though I cannot conceive a soldier refusing to incur the risk, yet to be hanged for a spy is a disgusting business; and I was relieved to be held a prisoner of war. Into the Castle of Edinburgh, standing in the midst of that city on the summit of an extraordinary rock, I was cast with several hundred fellow-sufferers, all privates like myself, and the more part of them, by an accident, very ignorant, plain fellows. My English, which had brought me into that scrape, now helped me very materially to bear it. I had a thousand advantages. I was often called to play the part of an interpreter, whether of orders or complaints, and thus brought in relations, sometimes of mirth, sometimes almost of friendship, with the officers in charge. A young lieutenant singled me out to be his adversary at chess, a game in which I was extremely proficient, and would reward me for my gambits with excellent cigars. The major of the battalion took lessons of French from me while at breakfast, and was sometimes so obliging as to have me join him at the meal. Chevenix was his name. He was stiff as a drum-major and selfish as an Englishman, but a fairly conscientious pupil and a fairly upright man. Little did I su…

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