Jamontillado

I had suffered, as best I could, the thousand wrongs that Fortunato had done to me, but when he turned to insults, I swore that I would get revenge. I did not, of course, let any threat pass my lips. I waited for my chance patiently. I wanted to avoid the risk of failure; and if revenge is to succeed, two conditions are necessary. The wrongdoer must know that he is being punished, and by whom;and it must be impossible for him to hit back.
I continued to treat Fortunato kindly and to smile in his face. He did not realize that my smile was at the thought of his death.
Fortunato had one weakness, although he was, on the whole, a man to be respected and even feared. He was very proud of his knowledge of wine. On other subjects, he just pretended to be wise, but in the matter of wine hewas sincere. We shared this interest. I knew a great deal about Italian wines myself, and bought large amounts whenever I could.
My chance came one evening during the holiday season. We met in the street. He had been drinking heavily, and he greeted me very warmly. He was dressed for the traditional celebrations, in a striped suit and a tall, pointed hat with bells. I was so pleased to see himthat I thought I should never finish shaking his hand.
I said, 'My dear Fortunato, how lucky I am to meet you today. I have received a barrel of what claims to be Amontillado,* but I have my doubts.
' 'Amontillado?' he said. 'A barrel? Impossible! And in the middle of the celebrations!'
'I have my doubts,' I replied; 'and I was foolish enough to pay the full Amontillado price without askingyou for advice. I could not find you, and I was afraid of losing it.'
'Amontillado!'
'I have my doubts, and I would like to be sure.'
'Amontillado!'
'As you are busy, I am on my way to Luchesi. He will be able to tell me ...'
'Luchesi cannot tell Amontillado from any other kind of wine.'
'But some fools say that his taste is a match for your own.'
'Come, let us go to your wine store.''My friend, no. Perhaps you have nothing to do, but I see that you have a very bad cold. My wine store is far below the ground, and it is very cold and wet there.'
'Let us go, anyway. The cold is nothing. Amontillado! You have been deceived. And as for Luchesi, he cannot tell a Spanish from an Italian wine.'
Fortunato took my arm. I put on a mask of black silk, and, turning up the highcollar of my coat, I allowed him to hurry me to my house.
My servants were not at home. I had told them that I would not return until the morning, and had given them strict orders not to leave the house. I knew that these orders were enough to make them all disappear as soon as my back was turned.
I took two lamps from their stands, and, giving one to Fortunato, led him through to a long, narrowstaircase. At the foot of this, deep underground, was the place where all the members of the Montresor family were buried. And there too, among the graves, was the family wine store.
My friend's walk was unsteady, and the bells on his cap rang as he moved.
'The barrel?' he said; and started coughing suddenly.
'It is further on,' I said. 'How long have you had that cough?' My poor friend wasunable to answer me for several minutes. 'It is nothing,' he said, at last.
'Come,' I said firmly, 'we will go back. Your health isimportant. You are rich, respected, admired, loved; you are happy, as I was once. You will be ill, and I cannot be responsible. We will go back. There is always Luchesi ...'
'Enough,' he said, 'the cough is nothing. It will not kill me. I shall not die of a cough.''True - true,' I replied. 'I did not wish to frighten you — but you should take care. Here, a drink of this will help keep the cold out.'
I opened a bottle of fine old wine which I took from a long row that lay on the floor.
'Drink,' I said, handing him the wine.
He raised it to his lips with a smile. 'I drink,' he said, 'to the dead that lie around us.'
'And I to your long life.'
He...