Frankenstein - According to

on one leg. My father wished me
to seek amusement in society. I abhorred the face of man. How they would, each
and all, abhor me and hunt me from the world for what I had done. Arghhhh!
    At
length, my father yielded to my desire to avoid society and he locked me in the
W.C., where I had a plentiful supply of water. He would say to me through the
keyhole, ‘You can take a horse to water but he needn’t drink; you can’t make a
silk purse out of a sow’s ear; a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush;
beware your sins will find you out; a stitch in time saves nine.’
    ‘Thank
you father’ said I.
    ‘I
continued in the same dream world. I imagined I was the Greek god Apollo,
surrounded by woodland nymphs. Then, one day, I was no longer Apollo but Victor
Frankenstein and strapped down to the bed. Was there any mail when I was away?
Yes.
    The
day before we left Paris (how in God’s name did I get there?) I received the
following letter from Elizabeth:
     
    My
dear friend,
    It
gave me the greatest pleasure to receive a letter and your dirty laundry and
you are no longer at a formidable distance like Ireland but still wear the
restrictive jacket. How you must suffer! I hope to see you looking even more
ill than when you quitted Geneva. This winter has been miserable, tortured as I
have been by revolving swannicles and anxious suspense; yet I hope to see peace
in your countenance and to find that your heart is not totally void of comfort
and tranquillity. I know you enjoy so much being ill.
    P.S.
Perhaps on our wedding day you can leave off your straitjacket.
    Elizabeth
Lavenza
    Geneva,
May 18th, 17—.
     
    After
the ceremony was performed, a large party assembled. The sun was hot so we did
not touch it. The sun sank lower in the heavens; and we passed the river
Drance. We looked at the numerous fish that were swimming in the clear water
so, stripping off, I dove into the water and retrieved a fish which I gave to
my Elizabeth who straightaway ate it.

CHAPTER
VI
     
     
     
    We
walked on the shore, enjoying the transitory light and dogs crapping on the
beach. Suddenly a heavy storm descended and we were drenched. I had been calm
during the day; now, between my teeth I clenched a dagger. In my left hand I
carried a grenade, while in my right hand I had a sword.
    I
earnestly entreated Elizabeth to retire, resolving to join her as soon as I had
some knowledge of the whereabouts of the monster. She left me and went to
prepare divorce papers. One of the hand grenades was in my trouser pocket.
Should it suddenly explode, I would be castrated on my wedding night.
    Suddenly
I heard a shrill and dreadful scream. I could feel the blood trickling in my
veins, and tingling in the extremities of my limbs. This state lasted but for
an instant; the scream was repeated, and I rushed into the room.
    Great
God! why did I not then expire? [Nothing was stopping you. Ed.] She was there,
lifeless and inanimate, thrown across the bed, her head hanging down, her body
hanging up and her pale and distorted features half covered by her hair.
Everywhere I turn I see the same figure — £10,000 from her insurance.
    There
lay the body of Elizabeth, my love, my wife, so lately living, so dear, so
worthy, so dead! Deadly languor and coldness of the limbs told me that rigor
mortis had set in. What I now held in my arms had ceased to exist. No, now she
was a stiff.
    I
looked up and saw at the open window a figure, the most hideous and abhorred. A
grin was on the face of the monster which seemed to take in part of his chest.
He seemed to jeer, the cheeky devil. With his fiendish fingers he reached
towards the package of my cigarettes, which he grabbed. Drawing my pistol from
my bosom, I fired and the recoil threw me back and jammed me in the window. He
plunged into the lake and swam away with the swiftness of lightning.
    The
discharge of my pistol brought a crowd into the room and the ceiling down. I
pointed to the spot from where he had disappeared. We followed the tracks with
maps and boats, and nets were cast — but all we caught was a fourteen-pound
salmon. After passing several hours, we returned hopeless but with a good catch
of fish.
    After
having landed, they proceeded to search the country; search parties going in
different directions among the woods and vines following a trail of dog-ends.
We never saw any of them again. I attempted to accompany them, and proceeded a
short distance from the house; but my head whirled around and ended