I recently picked up a copy of H. Bedford-Jones‘ (1887-1949) novellette The Second Life of Monsieur the Devil. First appearing in the May 1920 Blue Book Magazine, it has been reprinted by Wildside Press. I found another print copy from an unknown publisher.
Set in French Indochina around 1920, it’s an adventure tale with a large cast of characters. M. le Diable is the main character, a criminal with several alias, one being Lebrun. Condemned to life imprisonment to the French penal colony on New Caledonia, Nouméa, he has somehow escapes and vows revenge against the French colonial officers who so sentanced him.
Another main character is Berangere Des Gachons, who lives with her father on a remote island off the coast of French Indochina with a small cadre of servants. Her father is a well-off, former French colonial officer. She soon takes a trip to Saigon with only a Breton boatman. There among other things she engages the services of a young widow as her personal maid.
We see Monsieur the Devil also in Saigon, putting together a crew to help in his quest. This includes L’Etiole, Le Morpion, Curel, and J. Hudson Smith. And we learn that the young widow is also part of his group. L’Etiole and Le Morpion are wanted by the police. Curel is a sailor now addicted to opium pills. J. Hudson Smith is an American, who the police want information on. What a group. Before they even get to the island in question, an altercation occurs between L’Etiole and Smith that leads to L’Etiole’s death and Smith being grievously wounded by a knife.
Will Lebrun succeed in his vengeance? What about the young girl, Berangere? What is the role of Smith in all of this?
Another interesting, if a little too short, tale by Bedford-Jones. Check it out.
