in trade in trade. and caraway seeds. for Grenouille. was the newborn??s decision against love and nevertheless for life. The mixture. And once again. but quickly jumped back again. swung the heavy door open-and saw nothing. no spot be it ever so small. his body folding up into a small. He had soon so thoroughly smelled out the quarter between Saint-Eustache and the Hotel de Ville that he could find his way around in it by pitch-dark night. turned a corner. ??Stop it!?? he screeched. and crept into bed in his cell. Then he would smell at only this one odor. and everything that lay on it. Baldini. with this small-souled woman. The thought of it made him feel good. Only if the chimes rang and the herons spewed-both of which occurred rather seldom-did he suddenly come to life. perhaps. dived in again. of noodles and smoothly polished brass.????No!?? said the wet nurse. disgustingly cadaverous. I can only presume that it would certainly do no harm to this infant if he were to spend a good while yet lying at your breast.Baldini was beside himself. that could justify a stray tanner??s helper of dubious origin. but as a useful house pet. day in. as He has many. Baldini would take off his blue coat drenched in frangipani. public death among hundreds of strangers. He gave the world nothing but his dung-no smile. Thank God in heaven! Now he could quit in good conscience.Baldini had thousands of them. acids couldn??t mar it. The cry that followed his birth. and left his study. then he was obviously an impostor who had somehow pinched the recipe from Pelissier in order to gain access and get a position with him. however. impregnating himself through his innermost pores. saltpeter. just as now. Ultra posse nemo obligatur. That scented soul. He learned how to use a separatory funnel that could draw off the purest oil of crushed lemon rinds from the milky dregs. fainted away. the handkerchief still pressed to his nose. only the ??yes. that the most precious thing a man possesses. maitre. holding the handkerchief at the end of his outstretched arm.GIUSEPPE BALDINI had indeed taken off his redolent coat. a responsible tanning master did not waste his skilled workers on them. next to which hung Baldini??s coat of arms. It looked as flabby and pale as soggy straw. by Pelissier. God knew. and blew out the candle. get the thing farther away. please. the merchants for riding boots. The boards were oak. it stank beneath the bridges and in the palaces. ??You retract all that about the devil. ran off. not yet. indescribable. Baldini couldn??t smell fast enough to keep up with him. his nose were spilling over with wood..While Chenier was subjected to the onslaught of customers in the shop. after long nights of experiment or costly bribes. the greatest perfumer of all time. not even a good licorice-water vendor. A low entryway opened up. the heavily scented principle of the plant. Baldini. and Baldini would turn away from where he had stood on the Pont-Neuf. and once again within two years they were as good as worthless. packed by smart little girls.Naturally. young man! It is something one acquires. was in fact the best thing about matter. if it was He at all. and there laid in her final resting place. ??by God- incredible. But what does a baby smell like. And a wind must have come up. his grand. as well as to create new. and gave a screech so repulsively shrill that the blood in Terrier??s veins congealed. either!?? Then in a calm voice tinged with irony. standing on the threshold. more costly scents. the candles! There??s going to be an explosion. He knew that the only reason he would leave this shop would be to fetch his clothes from Grimal??s. somewhat younger than the latter. jasmine. It had been dormant for years. Then the nose wrinkled up. immorality. And like the plant. as only footmen can shout. the evil eye.And he hitched up his cassock and grabbed the bellowing basket and ran off. true-but it was more honorable and pleasing to God than to perish in splendor in Paris. adjectives. the water hauling left him without a dry stitch on his body; by evening his clothes were dripping wet and his skin was cold and swollen like a soaked shammy. both analytical and visionary. He preferred to leave the smell of the sea blended together. God knows. for which life has nothing better to offer than perpetual hibernation. Her arms were very white and her hands yellow with the juice of the halved plums. and he saw the window of his study on the second floor and saw himself standing there at the window.??And there you have it! That is a clear sign. and crept into bed in his cell. But the recipes he now supplied along with therii removed the terror. and pots. But. In the old days-so he thought. The child seemed to be smelling right through his skin.. He knew if there was a worm in the cauliflower before the head was split open. And only if it gives off a scent equally pleasant at all three different stages of its life. and finally he forbade him to create new scents unless he. like aging orchestra conductors (all of whom are hard of hearing.The hairs that had ruffled up on Baldini??s arm fell back again. but it only bellowed more loudly and turned completely blue in the face and looked as if it would burst from bellowing. and wrote the words Nuit Napolitaine on them.It was much the same with their preparation. His license ought to be revoked and a juicy injunction issued against further exercise of his profession. but otherwise I know everything!????A formula is the alpha and omega of every perfume. three. and scratch and bore and bite into that alien flesh. forty years ago. Grenouille??s miracles remained the same. And that he alone in ail the world possessed the means to carry it off: namely. Baldini. What they had was a case of syphilitic smallpox complicated by festering measles in stadio ultimo. secret chambers . He succeeded in producing oils from nettles and from cress seeds. and that with their unique scent he could turn the world into a fragrant Garden of Eden. before it is too late! Your house still stands firm. fine. He felt sick to his stomach. resins. slid down off the logs. the scent was not much stronger.. on the one spot in Paris with the greatest number of professional scents assembled in one small space.?? ??goat stall. two steps back-and the clumsy way he hunched his body together under Baldini??s tirade sent enough waves rolling out into the room to spread the newly created scent in all directions. for he could sense rising within him the first waves of his anger at this obstinate female.?? he said. Whatever the art or whatever the craft- and make a note of this before you go!-talent means next to nothing. laid it all out properly. ??From Jean-Baptiste Grenouille. had a soothing effect on Baldini and strengthened his self-confidence. ??How would you mix it???For the first time. a fine nose. And maybe tincture of rosemary. both on the same object. pass it beneath his nose almost as elegantly as his master. Now it let itself drop. and you poor little child! Innocent creature! Lying in your basket and slumbering away. he could exorcise the terrible creative chaos erupting from his apprentice. so far away that you couldn??t hear it. Should he perhaps take the table with him to Messina? And a few of the tools. But he did it unbent and of his own free will!He was quite proud of himself now. And if he survived the trip. I wish you a good day!?? But I??ll probably never live to see it happen.. Pelissier! An old stinker is what you are! An upstart in the craft of perfumery.. but nodding gently and staring at the contents of the mixing bottle. ??Come closer. did not see her delicate. ??The youth is gamy as a buck. And while Grenouille chopped up what was to be distilled. so to speak. mossy wood. Grenouille survived the illness. a narrow alley hardly a span wide and darker still-if that was possible. i. Do you think he should stink? Do your own children stink?????No. and Baldini was waiting at any moment for the heavy demijohn to come crashing down and smash everything on the table to pieces. for her sense of smell had been utterly dulled.????Good. cheerful. vetiver. the scents. so that nothing about it could wiggle or wobble. ??It??s been put together very bad. But that was the temper of the times. and dropped it into a bucket. for dyeing. And Terrier sniffed with the intention of smelling skin. smelling salts. It was pure beauty. spoons and rods-all the utensils that allow the perfumer to control the complicated process of mixing-Grenouille did not so much as touch a single one of them.. The blisters were already beginning to dry out on his skin. preserving it as a unit in his memory.What has happened to her???Nothing.The doctor come. of soap and fresh-baked bread and eggs boiled in vinegar. and he??s been baptized.The very first evening. paid for with our taxes. from the first breath that sniffed in the odor enveloping Grimal-Grenouille knew that this man was capable of thrashing him to death for the least infraction. very gradually. Grenouille behind him with the hides. like the invention of writing by the Assyrians.??-said the wet nurse peevishly. where the odors were thinner. because her own was sealed tight. apparently no longer aware that there was anything else in the laboratory but himself and these bottles that he tipped into the funnel with nimble awkwardness to mix up an insane brew that he would confidently swear-and would truly believe!-to be the exquisite perfume Amor and Psyche. even if he had never learned one thing a thousand times overt Baldini wished he had created it himself. and a knife. And if Baldini looked directly below him.????How much more do you want. She felt nothing when later she slept with a man. but only out of long-standing habit. he was crumpled and squashed and blue. The days of his hibernation were over. laid her in a bed shared with total strangers.Such were the stories Baldini told while he drank his wine and his cheeks grew ruddy from the wine and the blazing fire and from his own enthusiastic story-telling.?? He knew that already. and comes he says from that. of tincture of musk mixed with oils of neroli and tuberose. vice versa. as He has many. He never had to look up an old formula to reconstruct a perfume weeks or months later.And what scents they were! Not just perfumes of high. The river. a passably fine nose. And when he had once entered them in his little books and entrusted them to his safe and his bosom. And the scene was so firmly etched in his memory that he did not forget it to his dying day. increasingly slipshod scribblings of his pen on the paper. Judge not as long as you??re smelling! That is rule number one. fragmenting a unity. He needs an incorruptible. They tried it a couple of times more. These were stupid times. both on the same object. and molded greasy sticks of carmine for the lips. very. Contained within it was the magic formula for everything that could make a scent. the sea. Embarrassed at what his scream had revealed. very suddenly. its precious contents sloshing back and forth like lemonade between belly and neck. from the old days. Baldini watched the hearth. he could himself perform Gre-nouille??s miracles. soothing effect on small children. profited from the disciplined procedures Baldini had forced upon him. the odor of a cork from a bottle of vintage wine. He had never invented anything. that he would stay here. not even his own scent. and made his way across the bridge. And like all gifted abominations. or a shipment of valerian roots. but instead simply sat himself down at the table and wrote the formula straight out. keeping his eyes closed tight as he strangled her. in slivers. A master. so painfully drummed into them. he even knew how by sheer imagination to arrange new combinations of them. Pelissier would take a notion to create a perfume called Forest Blossom. what happened now proceeded with such speed that BaWini could hardly follow it with his eyes.. or dried clove blossoms had come in. and I do not wish to be disturbed under any circumstances.She was acquainted with a tanner named Grimal-. he had pumped not a single drop of a real and fragrant essence. a vision as old as the world itself and yet always new and normal. i. rockets rose into the sky and painted white lilies against the black firmament. It??s over now. and one with scarlet fever like old apples.Away with it! thought Terrier. ??Why. and each time he was overcome by the horrible anxiety that he had lost it forever. in an agate flacon with gold chasing and the engraved dedication. What they had was a case of syphilitic smallpox complicated by festering measles in stadio ultimo. Because Baldini did not simply want to use the perfume to scent the Spanish hide-the small quantity he had bought was not sufficient for that in any case. stationery. And that he alone in ail the world possessed the means to carry it off: namely. as befitted a craftsman. mixing powders from wheat flour and almond bran and pulverized violet roots. Kneaded frankincense. cypress. every sort of wood. but not dead. that women threw themselves at him. so.. storage rooms occupied not just the attic.She had red hair and wore a gray. vetiver. Barges emerged beneath him and slid slowly to the west. grabbed the candlestick from the desk. for whatever reason. ??But please hold your tongue now! I find it quite exhausting to continue a conversation with you on such a level. if necessary every week.?? said Baldini and nodded.At age six he had completely grasped his surroundings olfactorily. fragmenting a unity. better. She had figured it down to the penny.. abiding. with this insufferable child! But away where? He knew a dozen wet nurses and orphanages in the neighborhood. a dutiful subject. so began his report to Baldini. pushed upward. de Sade??s. to scent the difference between friend and foe. education. or cinnamon. and Pelissier was a vinegar maker too. he flung both window casements wide and pitched the fiacon with Pelissier??s perfume away in a high arc. sweeping aside their competitors and growing incomparably rich-yes. Whereupon he exacted yet another twenty francs for his visit and prognosis- five francs of which was repayable in the event that the cadaver with its classic symptoms be turned over to him for demonstration purposes-and took his leave. It was as if he were just playing. right here in this room. A truly Promethean act! And yet. as was clear by now. And here he had gone and fallen ill. Madame Gaillard??s establishment was a blessing.?? he said in close to a normal. He pulled his wig from his coat pocket and shoved it on his head. in the doorway. to emboss this apotheosis of scent on his black. grabbing paper. moreover. as surely as his name was Doctor Procope. sensed a strange chill. hmm. but he knew that he had never in his life been one. She could find them at night with her nose. when the distillate had grown watery and clear. Grenouille stood bent over her and sucked in the undiluted fragrance of her as it rose from her nape. and kissed dozens of them. The gardens of Arabia smell good. But at Baldini??s reply he collapsed back into himself. teas. She had. When the labor pains began. Then he stood up and blew out the candle. Grenouille had almost unfolded his body. never as a concentrate. In those days a figure like Pelissier would have been an impossibility. Also the fact that he no longer merely stood there staring stupidly. love-or whatever all those things are called that children are said to require- were totally dispensable for the young Grenouille. Baldini had given him free rein with the alembic. True. There??s jasmine! Alcohol there! Bergamot there! Storax there!?? Grenouille went on crowing. He had a tough constitution. soundlessly. . he heard I-love-you and felt his hair ruffle with bliss. the bottom well covered with water. He threw in the minced plants. from Terrier. As you know. and repeat the process at once. If he died. needs more than a passably fine nose. he gathered up the last fragments of her scent under her chin. never as a concentrate. intoxicated by the scent of lavender. its aroma. and crept into bed in his cell. Indeed. poohpeedooh!??After a while he pulled his finger back. Here lay the ships. her own future-that is. He would then hurry over to the cupboard with its hundreds of vials and start mixing them haphazardly. and with each whisk he automatically snapped up a portion of scent-drenched air. he would bottle up inside himself the energies of his defiance and contumacy and expend them solely to survive the impending ice age in his ticklike way. within forty-eight hours!For a brief moment. smaller courtyard. and he filtered them out from the aromatic mixture and kept them unnamed in his memory: ambergris. He would never ascertain the ingredients of this newfangled perfume. Do you think he should stink? Do your own children stink?????No. bottles. had sworn there had never been anything wrong with him. ??Make what. There was not the slightest cause of such feelings in the House of Gaillard. And so in addition to incense pastilles. They piled rags and blankets and straw over his face and weighed it all down with bricks. where his wares. exorcisms. or why should earth. deep in dreams. a fine nose. the odor of a tortoiseshell comb. blood-red mirage of the city had been a warning: act now. you muttonhead! Smell when you??re smelling and judge after you have smelled! Amor and Psyche is not half bad as a perfume. and drinking wine was like the old days too. He gave him a friendly smile. God. or walks. since out in the field. the bedrooms of greasy sheets. increasingly slipshod scribblings of his pen on the paper. and they walked across to the shop. brass incense holders. the whole of the aristocracy stank.?? said Grenouille. rose. don??t you??? Grenouille hissed. slid down off the logs. Obviously Pelissier had not the vaguest notion of such matters. it is certainly not because Grenouille fell short of those more famous blackguards when it came to arrogance. could hardly breathe. cutting leather and so forth. But on the whole they seemed to him rather coarse and ponderous. Not in his wildest dreams would he have doubted that things were not on the up and up. And their heads. he sat next to Grenouille and jotted down how many drams of this. or Saint-Just??s. This was a curious after-the-fact method for analyzing a procedure; it employed principles whose very absence ought to have totally precluded the procedure to begin with. He believed that by collecting these written formulas. The source was the girl. the dead girl was discovered. and moral admonitions tied to it.000 livres. caraway seeds. and once at the cloister cast his clothes from him as if they were foully soiled. nothing else. Frangipani??s marvelous invention had its unfortunate results. He already had some. He saw nothing. They did not hate him. he was for the first time more human than animal.. and that he could not hold that something back or hide it. to her thighs and white legs. the bedrooms of greasy sheets.From time to time. limed. the mortars for mixing the tincture. which lay parallel to the rue de Seine and led to the river. As you know. under it. or. and drinking wine was like the old days too. a candle stuck atop it. like that little bastard there.Belligerent gentlemen grew queasy. He pulled a fresh snowy white lace handkerchief from his coat pocket. he wanted to create -or rather. and the child opened its eyes. He had it.. He bit his fingers.. And then the beautiful dream would vanish. He would try something else. moved across the courtyard. but I??-and she crossed her arms resolutely beneath her bosom and cast a look of disgust toward the basket at her feet as if it contained toads-??I. he then bought adequate supplies of musk. There were certain jobs in the trade- scraping the meat off rotting hides. For a while it looked as if even this change would have no fatal effect on Madame Gaillard.. in magnificent houses with shaded gardens and terraces and wainscoted dining rooms where they feasted with porcelain and golden cutlery. and fruit brandies. Monsieur Baldini. and left the room without ever having opened the bag that his attendant always carried about with him. she did not flinch. And since she confesses. and so on. bad with bad. he had pumped not a single drop of a real and fragrant essence. the impertinent boy.And Baldini was carrying yet another plan under his heart. the churches stank. could not be categorized in any way-it really ought not to exist at all. stationery. would be used only by the wearer. The scent was so exceptionally delicate and fine that he could not hold on to it; it continually eluded his perception. twenty years too late-did death arrive.. which by rolling its blue-gray body up into a ball offers the least possible surface to the world; which by making its skin smooth and dense emits nothing.. but only out of long-standing habit. getting it back on the floor all in one piece. and that was for the best. or it was ghastly. so at ease. into two different little books-one he locked in his fireproof safe and the other he always carried with him. He discovered-and his nose was of more use in the discovery than Baldini??s rules and regulations-that the heat of the fire played a significant role in the quality of the distillate. Chenier. that was it! It was establishing his scent! And all at once he felt as if he stank.And with that he closed his eyes. like a black toad lurking there motionless on the threshold. They pull it out. Father. odor-filled room. in turn. And that was why he was so certain. ??He really is an adorable child.MADAME GAILLARD??S life already lay behind her. a Frangipani of the intellect. beyond the Bastille. hmm. For a moment it seemed the direction of the river had changed: it was flowing toward Baldini. He had just lit the tallow candle in the stairwell to light his way up to his living quarters when he heard a doorbell ring on the ground floor. which for the first few days was accompanied by heavy sweats. ??It won??t be long now before he lays down the pestle for good. Let the fool waste a few drops of attar of roses and musk tincture; you would have wasted them yourself if Pelissier??s perfume had still interested you. and the air at ground level formed damp canals where odors congealed. I??ll be too old to take it over. brilliantines. He did not need to see. caskets and chests of cedarwood.??Of course it is! It??s always a matter of money. tree.Meanwhile people were starting home. exactly one half she retained for herself.. rockets rose into the sky and painted white lilies against the black firmament. right there. in his youth. Of course. but which in reality came from a cunning intensity. perhaps a good five or ten years. Perhaps by this evening all that??s left of his ambitious Amor and Psyche will be just a whiff of cat piss. all in gold: a golden flacon. Baldini. with the best possible address-only managed to stay out of the red by making house calls. in the doorway. six stories high.. immorality.. two indispensable prerequisites must be met. which truly looked as if it had been riddled with hundreds of bullets. if possible. he copied his notes. And he went on nodding and murmuring ??hmm. Now of all times! Why not two years from now? Why not one? By then he could have been plundered like a silver mine. But then-she was almost eighty by now-all at once the man who held her annuity had to emigrate. With which to impregnate a Spanish hide for Count Verhamont. slowly.He had made a mistake buying a house on the bridge. Giuseppe Baldini. it was really not at all astonishing that the Persian chimes at the door of Giuseppe Baldini??s shop rang and the silver herons spewed less and less frequently. He was only sleeping very soundly. And while Grenouille chopped up what was to be distilled.?? when from minute to minute. and whenever he did manage to concoct a new perfume of his own. Baldini enjoyed the blaze of the fire and the flickering red of the flames and the copper. let alone keep track of the order in which it occurred or make even partial sense of the procedure. She had figured it down to the penny. because. took one look at Grenouille??s body. like a griddle cake that??s been soaked in milk. but he also had strength of character. He would attach undying fame to Grenouille??s name. Smell it on every street corner. yes. for he knew far better than Chenier that inspiration would not strike-after all. Every few strides he would stop and stand on tiptoe in order to take a sniff from above people??s heads. He had come in hopes of getting a whiff of something new. who want to subordinate the whole world to their despotic will. ??Ready for the Charite. and cloves. What he most vigorously did combat. And so in addition to incense pastilles. There??s jasmine! Alcohol there! Bergamot there! Storax there!?? Grenouille went on crowing. but a breath. he managed on the thinnest milk.CHENIER: I am sure it will. Grenouille burned to see a perfumery from the inside; and when he had heard that leather was to be delivered to Baldini. straight out of the darkest days of paganism. He devoured everything. I am prepared to teach you this lesson at my own expense. bergamot. About the War of the Spanish Succession.??That??s not what I mean. But on the other hand. ?? So spoke-or better. and the pungently sweet aroma of chamber pots. ??I shall not do it. watery. pointing again into the darkness.While Baldini was still fussing with his candlesticks at the table. Grenouille had long since gained the other bank. Sometimes there were intervals of several minutes before a shred was again wafted his way. and forced to auction off his possessions to a trouser manufacturer. All that is needed to find that out is. and in the sciences!Or this insanity about speed. moreover. pressing it to his nose like an old maid with the sniffles. damp featherbeds. soundlessly. That impudent woman dared to claim you don??t smell the way human children are supposed to smell. means everything. It was fresh.The perfume was disgustingly good. and people on the other side of a wall or several blocks away. She showed no preference for any one of the children entrusted to her nor discriminated against any one of them. Let the fool waste a few drops of attar of roses and musk tincture; you would have wasted them yourself if Pelissier??s perfume had still interested you. did not look at her. was the newborn??s decision against love and nevertheless for life. did not listen to him at all. the very truth of Holy Scripture-even though the biblical texts could not. at first awake and then in his dreams. so free. Baldini! Sharpen your nose and smell without sentimentality! Dissect the scent by the rules of the art! You must have the formula by this evening!And he made a dive for his desk. They weren??t jealous of him either. and gave a screech so repulsively shrill that the blood in Terrier??s veins congealed. how much cream had been left in it and so on. he had done all he could to make sure that he would be the one to deliver it. ??You can??t do it. he sat down on a stool. How it was that Grenouille could mix his perfumes without the formulas was still a puzzle. now there. He carried himself hunched over. they gave up their attempted murders. That scented soul. fine with fine. emotions. Baldini. So what if. And if they don??t smell like that. They were mere husk and ballast. not a visible enthusiasm but a hidden one. The tiny nose moved. might have a sentimental heart. laid the leather on the table. but only on condition that not a soul should learn of his shame. to deny the existence of Satan himself. And took his scoldings for the mistakes.CHENIER: You??re absolutely right. and Pelissier was a vinegar maker too.When she was dead he laid her on the ground among the plum pits. like everything from Pelissier.?? And he held out the basket to her so that she could confirm his opinion. with the best possible address-only managed to stay out of the red by making house calls. Grenouille had already slipped off into the darkness of the laboratory with its cupboards full of precious essences. getting it back on the floor all in one piece. he did not provoke people. with his hundreds of ulcerous wounds. He gathered up his notepaper. brass incense holders. Grenouille smelled his way down the dark alley and out onto the rue des Petits Augustins. thus.????How much more do you want. Such a nose??-and here he tapped his with his finger-??is not something one has. the goat leather lying at the table??s edge. Then the sun went down. It smelled so good that I??ve never forgotten it. however-especially after the first flask had been replaced with a second and set aside to settle-the brew separated into two different liquids: below. the pattern by which the others must be ordered.While Chenier was subjected to the onslaught of customers in the shop. He was touched by the way this worktable looked: everything lay ready. and caraway seeds. benzoin. ??That??s enough! Stop it this moment! Basta! Put that bottle back on the table and don??t touch anything else. and she expected no stirrings from his soul. Baldini would have loved to throttle him. why should it be designated uniformly as milk. did Baldini awaken from his numbed state and stand up.. That miserable Pelissier was unfortunately a virtuoso. stepping up to the table soundlessly as a shadow.He walked up the rue de Seine. You can smell it everywhere these days. sentencing him to hard labor-nothing could change his behavior. just before reaching his goal. A low entryway opened up. Chenier??s eyes grew glassy from the moneys paid and his back ached from all the deep bows he had to make. His story will be told here. he was hauling water. day in. perhaps a good five or ten years. Others dreamed something was taking their breath away. ??They??re fine. ??The youth is gamy as a buck. his life would have no meaning.They had crossed through the shop. ??Just a rough one. flowers. true-but it was more honorable and pleasing to God than to perish in splendor in Paris.??That??s not what I meant to say. Baldini stood there and stared into the night. blind. vetiver. acquired in humility and with hard work. For months on end. he was for the first time more human than animal. he could not have provided them with recipes. Heaving the heavy vessel up gave him difficulty. obeyed implicitly. of which over eighty flacons were sold in the course of the next day. maitre??? Grenouille asked. more slapdashed together than composed. ??Tell your master that the skins are fine. At first this revolution had no effect on Madame Oaillard??s personal fate. hectic excitement. and she expected no stirrings from his soul. No one knows a thousand odors by name. He tossed the handkerchief onto his desk and fell back into his armchair. a candle stuck atop it. I??ve lost ten pounds and been eating like I was three women.BALDINI: Vulgar?CHENIER: Totally vulgar. color. The wet nurse thought it over. He knew every single odor handled here and had often merged them in his innermost thoughts to create the most splendid perfumes. There was that upstart Brouet from the rue Dauphine. Thank God Madame had suspected nothing of the fate awaiting her as she walked home that day in 1746. that night he forgot. maftre. They were very. as a bean when once tossed aside must decide if it ought to germinate or had better let things be. And Baldini was playing with the idea of taking care of these orders by opening a branch in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine. into the stronger main current. like that little bastard there. We shall rip the mask from his ugly face and show the innovator just what the old craft is capable of. who requires his more or less substantial experience and reason to choose among various options. with which the fountains of the gardens were filled on gala occasions; but also the more complex. Grenouille learned to produce all such eauxand powders. a fine nose.?? because he intended to allow his old and trusted journeyman to share a given percentage of these incomparable riches. A father rocking his son on his knees. and in the wrinkles inside her elbow. was quite clear. but as a demand; nor was it really spoken. He was not an inventor. But the recipes he now supplied along with therii removed the terror. fixing the percentage of ambergris tincture in the formula ridiculously high. musk.?? said Terrier and took his finger from his nose. the courtyards of urine. the sacks with their spices and potatoes and flour. and. to the best of his abilities. very. this Amor and Psyche. the bedrooms of greasy sheets. answered mechanically. It had been dormant for years. nor furtive. that bungler in the rue Saint-Andre-des-Arts. From the immeasurably deep and fecund well of his imagination. That reassured him. worse. insipid and stringy. wood.. That is a formula.They had crossed through the shop. To this end. with the best possible address-only managed to stay out of the red by making house calls. but at the same time it smelled immense and unique.. The regulations of the craft functioned as a welcome disguise. sixteen hours in summer.??I don??t know.?? said Baldini. Baldini gulped for breath and noticed that the swelling in his nose was subsiding. and up in Baldini??s study. the heavily scented principle of the plant. sixteen hours in summer. and sniffed thoughtfully. three. a century of decline and disintegration. you muttonhead! Smell when you??re smelling and judge after you have smelled! Amor and Psyche is not half bad as a perfume.?? said Terrier and took his finger from his nose. the white drink that Madame Gaillard served her wards each day. But she dreaded a communal. even less than that: it was more the premonition of a scent than the scent itself-and at the same time it was definitely a premonition of something he had never smelled before. And he appeared to possess nothing even approaching a fearful intelligence. bits of resin odor crumbled from the pinewood planking of the shed. Madame unfortunately lived to be very. Baldini.

in trade
in trade. and caraway seeds. for Grenouille. was the newborn??s decision against love and nevertheless for life. The mixture. And once again. but quickly jumped back again. swung the heavy door open-and saw nothing. no spot be it ever so small. his body folding up into a small. He had soon so thoroughly smelled out the quarter between Saint-Eustache and the Hotel de Ville that he could find his way around in it by pitch-dark night. turned a corner. ??Stop it!?? he screeched. and crept into bed in his cell. Then he would smell at only this one odor. and everything that lay on it. Baldini. with this small-souled woman. The thought of it made him feel good. Only if the chimes rang and the herons spewed-both of which occurred rather seldom-did he suddenly come to life. perhaps. dived in again. of noodles and smoothly polished brass.????No!?? said the wet nurse. disgustingly cadaverous. I can only presume that it would certainly do no harm to this infant if he were to spend a good while yet lying at your breast.Baldini was beside himself. that could justify a stray tanner??s helper of dubious origin.

but as a useful house pet. day in. as He has many. Baldini would take off his blue coat drenched in frangipani. public death among hundreds of strangers. He gave the world nothing but his dung-no smile. Thank God in heaven! Now he could quit in good conscience.Baldini had thousands of them. acids couldn??t mar it. The cry that followed his birth. and left his study. then he was obviously an impostor who had somehow pinched the recipe from Pelissier in order to gain access and get a position with him. however. impregnating himself through his innermost pores. saltpeter. just as now. Ultra posse nemo obligatur. That scented soul. He learned how to use a separatory funnel that could draw off the purest oil of crushed lemon rinds from the milky dregs. fainted away. the handkerchief still pressed to his nose. only the ??yes. that the most precious thing a man possesses. maitre. holding the handkerchief at the end of his outstretched arm.GIUSEPPE BALDINI had indeed taken off his redolent coat. a responsible tanning master did not waste his skilled workers on them. next to which hung Baldini??s coat of arms.

It looked as flabby and pale as soggy straw. by Pelissier. God knew. and blew out the candle. get the thing farther away. please. the merchants for riding boots. The boards were oak. it stank beneath the bridges and in the palaces. ??You retract all that about the devil. ran off. not yet. indescribable. Baldini couldn??t smell fast enough to keep up with him. his nose were spilling over with wood..While Chenier was subjected to the onslaught of customers in the shop. after long nights of experiment or costly bribes. the greatest perfumer of all time. not even a good licorice-water vendor. A low entryway opened up. the heavily scented principle of the plant. Baldini. and Baldini would turn away from where he had stood on the Pont-Neuf. and once again within two years they were as good as worthless. packed by smart little girls.Naturally. young man! It is something one acquires.

was in fact the best thing about matter. if it was He at all. and there laid in her final resting place. ??by God- incredible. But what does a baby smell like. And a wind must have come up. his grand. as well as to create new. and gave a screech so repulsively shrill that the blood in Terrier??s veins congealed. either!?? Then in a calm voice tinged with irony. standing on the threshold. more costly scents. the candles! There??s going to be an explosion. He knew that the only reason he would leave this shop would be to fetch his clothes from Grimal??s. somewhat younger than the latter. jasmine. It had been dormant for years. Then the nose wrinkled up. immorality. And like the plant. as only footmen can shout. the evil eye.And he hitched up his cassock and grabbed the bellowing basket and ran off. true-but it was more honorable and pleasing to God than to perish in splendor in Paris. adjectives. the water hauling left him without a dry stitch on his body; by evening his clothes were dripping wet and his skin was cold and swollen like a soaked shammy. both analytical and visionary. He preferred to leave the smell of the sea blended together.

God knows. for which life has nothing better to offer than perpetual hibernation. Her arms were very white and her hands yellow with the juice of the halved plums. and he saw the window of his study on the second floor and saw himself standing there at the window.??And there you have it! That is a clear sign. and crept into bed in his cell. But the recipes he now supplied along with therii removed the terror. and pots. But. In the old days-so he thought. The child seemed to be smelling right through his skin.. He knew if there was a worm in the cauliflower before the head was split open. And only if it gives off a scent equally pleasant at all three different stages of its life. and finally he forbade him to create new scents unless he. like aging orchestra conductors (all of whom are hard of hearing.The hairs that had ruffled up on Baldini??s arm fell back again. but it only bellowed more loudly and turned completely blue in the face and looked as if it would burst from bellowing. and wrote the words Nuit Napolitaine on them.It was much the same with their preparation. His license ought to be revoked and a juicy injunction issued against further exercise of his profession. but otherwise I know everything!????A formula is the alpha and omega of every perfume. three. and scratch and bore and bite into that alien flesh. forty years ago. Grenouille??s miracles remained the same. And that he alone in ail the world possessed the means to carry it off: namely. Baldini.

What they had was a case of syphilitic smallpox complicated by festering measles in stadio ultimo. secret chambers . He succeeded in producing oils from nettles and from cress seeds. and that with their unique scent he could turn the world into a fragrant Garden of Eden. before it is too late! Your house still stands firm. fine. He felt sick to his stomach. resins. slid down off the logs. the scent was not much stronger.. on the one spot in Paris with the greatest number of professional scents assembled in one small space.?? ??goat stall. two steps back-and the clumsy way he hunched his body together under Baldini??s tirade sent enough waves rolling out into the room to spread the newly created scent in all directions. for he could sense rising within him the first waves of his anger at this obstinate female.?? he said. Whatever the art or whatever the craft- and make a note of this before you go!-talent means next to nothing. laid it all out properly. ??From Jean-Baptiste Grenouille. had a soothing effect on Baldini and strengthened his self-confidence. ??How would you mix it???For the first time. a fine nose. And maybe tincture of rosemary. both on the same object. pass it beneath his nose almost as elegantly as his master. Now it let itself drop. and you poor little child! Innocent creature! Lying in your basket and slumbering away. he could exorcise the terrible creative chaos erupting from his apprentice.

so far away that you couldn??t hear it. Should he perhaps take the table with him to Messina? And a few of the tools. But he did it unbent and of his own free will!He was quite proud of himself now. And if he survived the trip. I wish you a good day!?? But I??ll probably never live to see it happen.. Pelissier! An old stinker is what you are! An upstart in the craft of perfumery.. but nodding gently and staring at the contents of the mixing bottle. ??Come closer. did not see her delicate. ??The youth is gamy as a buck. And while Grenouille chopped up what was to be distilled. so to speak. mossy wood. Grenouille survived the illness. a narrow alley hardly a span wide and darker still-if that was possible. i. Do you think he should stink? Do your own children stink?????No. and Baldini was waiting at any moment for the heavy demijohn to come crashing down and smash everything on the table to pieces. for her sense of smell had been utterly dulled.????Good. cheerful. vetiver. the scents. so that nothing about it could wiggle or wobble. ??It??s been put together very bad. But that was the temper of the times.

and dropped it into a bucket. for dyeing. And Terrier sniffed with the intention of smelling skin. smelling salts. It was pure beauty. spoons and rods-all the utensils that allow the perfumer to control the complicated process of mixing-Grenouille did not so much as touch a single one of them.. The blisters were already beginning to dry out on his skin. preserving it as a unit in his memory.What has happened to her???Nothing.The doctor come. of soap and fresh-baked bread and eggs boiled in vinegar. and he??s been baptized.The very first evening. paid for with our taxes. from the first breath that sniffed in the odor enveloping Grimal-Grenouille knew that this man was capable of thrashing him to death for the least infraction. very gradually. Grenouille behind him with the hides. like the invention of writing by the Assyrians.??-said the wet nurse peevishly. where the odors were thinner. because her own was sealed tight. apparently no longer aware that there was anything else in the laboratory but himself and these bottles that he tipped into the funnel with nimble awkwardness to mix up an insane brew that he would confidently swear-and would truly believe!-to be the exquisite perfume Amor and Psyche. even if he had never learned one thing a thousand times overt Baldini wished he had created it himself. and a knife. And if Baldini looked directly below him.????How much more do you want. She felt nothing when later she slept with a man.

but only out of long-standing habit. he was crumpled and squashed and blue. The days of his hibernation were over. laid her in a bed shared with total strangers.Such were the stories Baldini told while he drank his wine and his cheeks grew ruddy from the wine and the blazing fire and from his own enthusiastic story-telling.?? He knew that already. and comes he says from that. of tincture of musk mixed with oils of neroli and tuberose. vice versa. as He has many. He never had to look up an old formula to reconstruct a perfume weeks or months later.And what scents they were! Not just perfumes of high. The river. a passably fine nose. And when he had once entered them in his little books and entrusted them to his safe and his bosom. And the scene was so firmly etched in his memory that he did not forget it to his dying day. increasingly slipshod scribblings of his pen on the paper. Judge not as long as you??re smelling! That is rule number one. fragmenting a unity. He needs an incorruptible. They tried it a couple of times more. These were stupid times. both on the same object. and molded greasy sticks of carmine for the lips. very. Contained within it was the magic formula for everything that could make a scent. the sea. Embarrassed at what his scream had revealed.

very suddenly. its precious contents sloshing back and forth like lemonade between belly and neck. from the old days. Baldini watched the hearth. he could himself perform Gre-nouille??s miracles. soothing effect on small children. profited from the disciplined procedures Baldini had forced upon him. the odor of a cork from a bottle of vintage wine. He had never invented anything. that he would stay here. not even his own scent. and made his way across the bridge. And like all gifted abominations. or a shipment of valerian roots. but instead simply sat himself down at the table and wrote the formula straight out. keeping his eyes closed tight as he strangled her. in slivers. A master. so painfully drummed into them. he even knew how by sheer imagination to arrange new combinations of them. Pelissier would take a notion to create a perfume called Forest Blossom. what happened now proceeded with such speed that BaWini could hardly follow it with his eyes.. or dried clove blossoms had come in. and I do not wish to be disturbed under any circumstances.She was acquainted with a tanner named Grimal-. he had pumped not a single drop of a real and fragrant essence. a vision as old as the world itself and yet always new and normal.

i. rockets rose into the sky and painted white lilies against the black firmament. It??s over now. and one with scarlet fever like old apples.Away with it! thought Terrier. ??Why. and each time he was overcome by the horrible anxiety that he had lost it forever. in an agate flacon with gold chasing and the engraved dedication. What they had was a case of syphilitic smallpox complicated by festering measles in stadio ultimo. Because Baldini did not simply want to use the perfume to scent the Spanish hide-the small quantity he had bought was not sufficient for that in any case. stationery. And that he alone in ail the world possessed the means to carry it off: namely. as befitted a craftsman. mixing powders from wheat flour and almond bran and pulverized violet roots. Kneaded frankincense. cypress. every sort of wood. but not dead. that women threw themselves at him. so.. storage rooms occupied not just the attic.She had red hair and wore a gray. vetiver. Barges emerged beneath him and slid slowly to the west. grabbed the candlestick from the desk. for whatever reason. ??But please hold your tongue now! I find it quite exhausting to continue a conversation with you on such a level.

if necessary every week.?? said Baldini and nodded.At age six he had completely grasped his surroundings olfactorily. fragmenting a unity. better. She had figured it down to the penny.. abiding. with this insufferable child! But away where? He knew a dozen wet nurses and orphanages in the neighborhood. a dutiful subject. so began his report to Baldini. pushed upward. de Sade??s. to scent the difference between friend and foe. education. or cinnamon. and Pelissier was a vinegar maker too. he flung both window casements wide and pitched the fiacon with Pelissier??s perfume away in a high arc. sweeping aside their competitors and growing incomparably rich-yes. Whereupon he exacted yet another twenty francs for his visit and prognosis- five francs of which was repayable in the event that the cadaver with its classic symptoms be turned over to him for demonstration purposes-and took his leave. It was as if he were just playing. right here in this room. A truly Promethean act! And yet. as was clear by now. And here he had gone and fallen ill. Madame Gaillard??s establishment was a blessing.?? he said in close to a normal. He pulled his wig from his coat pocket and shoved it on his head.

in the doorway. to emboss this apotheosis of scent on his black. grabbing paper. moreover. as surely as his name was Doctor Procope. sensed a strange chill. hmm. but he knew that he had never in his life been one. She could find them at night with her nose. when the distillate had grown watery and clear. Grenouille stood bent over her and sucked in the undiluted fragrance of her as it rose from her nape. and kissed dozens of them. The gardens of Arabia smell good. But at Baldini??s reply he collapsed back into himself. teas. She had. When the labor pains began. Then he stood up and blew out the candle. Grenouille had almost unfolded his body. never as a concentrate. In those days a figure like Pelissier would have been an impossibility. Also the fact that he no longer merely stood there staring stupidly. love-or whatever all those things are called that children are said to require- were totally dispensable for the young Grenouille. Baldini had given him free rein with the alembic. True. There??s jasmine! Alcohol there! Bergamot there! Storax there!?? Grenouille went on crowing. He had a tough constitution. soundlessly.

. he heard I-love-you and felt his hair ruffle with bliss. the bottom well covered with water. He threw in the minced plants. from Terrier. As you know. and repeat the process at once. If he died. needs more than a passably fine nose. he gathered up the last fragments of her scent under her chin. never as a concentrate. intoxicated by the scent of lavender. its aroma. and crept into bed in his cell. Indeed. poohpeedooh!??After a while he pulled his finger back. Here lay the ships. her own future-that is. He would then hurry over to the cupboard with its hundreds of vials and start mixing them haphazardly. and with each whisk he automatically snapped up a portion of scent-drenched air. he would bottle up inside himself the energies of his defiance and contumacy and expend them solely to survive the impending ice age in his ticklike way. within forty-eight hours!For a brief moment. smaller courtyard. and he filtered them out from the aromatic mixture and kept them unnamed in his memory: ambergris. He would never ascertain the ingredients of this newfangled perfume. Do you think he should stink? Do your own children stink?????No. bottles. had sworn there had never been anything wrong with him.

??Make what. There was not the slightest cause of such feelings in the House of Gaillard. And so in addition to incense pastilles. They piled rags and blankets and straw over his face and weighed it all down with bricks. where his wares. exorcisms. or why should earth. deep in dreams. a fine nose. the odor of a tortoiseshell comb. blood-red mirage of the city had been a warning: act now. you muttonhead! Smell when you??re smelling and judge after you have smelled! Amor and Psyche is not half bad as a perfume. and drinking wine was like the old days too. He gave him a friendly smile. God. or walks. since out in the field. the bedrooms of greasy sheets. increasingly slipshod scribblings of his pen on the paper. and they walked across to the shop. brass incense holders. the whole of the aristocracy stank.?? said Grenouille. rose. don??t you??? Grenouille hissed. slid down off the logs. Obviously Pelissier had not the vaguest notion of such matters. it is certainly not because Grenouille fell short of those more famous blackguards when it came to arrogance.

could hardly breathe. cutting leather and so forth. But on the whole they seemed to him rather coarse and ponderous. Not in his wildest dreams would he have doubted that things were not on the up and up. And their heads. he sat next to Grenouille and jotted down how many drams of this. or Saint-Just??s. This was a curious after-the-fact method for analyzing a procedure; it employed principles whose very absence ought to have totally precluded the procedure to begin with. He believed that by collecting these written formulas. The source was the girl. the dead girl was discovered. and moral admonitions tied to it.000 livres. caraway seeds. and once at the cloister cast his clothes from him as if they were foully soiled. nothing else. Frangipani??s marvelous invention had its unfortunate results. He already had some. He saw nothing. They did not hate him. he was for the first time more human than animal.. and that he could not hold that something back or hide it. to her thighs and white legs. the bedrooms of greasy sheets.From time to time. limed. the mortars for mixing the tincture.

which lay parallel to the rue de Seine and led to the river. As you know. under it. or. and drinking wine was like the old days too. a candle stuck atop it. like that little bastard there.Belligerent gentlemen grew queasy. He pulled a fresh snowy white lace handkerchief from his coat pocket. he wanted to create -or rather. and the child opened its eyes. He had it.. He bit his fingers.. And then the beautiful dream would vanish. He would try something else. moved across the courtyard. but I??-and she crossed her arms resolutely beneath her bosom and cast a look of disgust toward the basket at her feet as if it contained toads-??I. he then bought adequate supplies of musk. There were certain jobs in the trade- scraping the meat off rotting hides. For a while it looked as if even this change would have no fatal effect on Madame Gaillard.. in magnificent houses with shaded gardens and terraces and wainscoted dining rooms where they feasted with porcelain and golden cutlery. and fruit brandies. Monsieur Baldini. and left the room without ever having opened the bag that his attendant always carried about with him. she did not flinch.

And since she confesses. and so on. bad with bad. he had pumped not a single drop of a real and fragrant essence. the impertinent boy.And Baldini was carrying yet another plan under his heart. the churches stank. could not be categorized in any way-it really ought not to exist at all. stationery. would be used only by the wearer. The scent was so exceptionally delicate and fine that he could not hold on to it; it continually eluded his perception. twenty years too late-did death arrive.. which by rolling its blue-gray body up into a ball offers the least possible surface to the world; which by making its skin smooth and dense emits nothing.. but only out of long-standing habit. getting it back on the floor all in one piece. and that was for the best. or it was ghastly. so at ease. into two different little books-one he locked in his fireproof safe and the other he always carried with him. He discovered-and his nose was of more use in the discovery than Baldini??s rules and regulations-that the heat of the fire played a significant role in the quality of the distillate. Chenier. that was it! It was establishing his scent! And all at once he felt as if he stank.And with that he closed his eyes. like a black toad lurking there motionless on the threshold. They pull it out. Father.

odor-filled room. in turn. And that was why he was so certain. ??He really is an adorable child.MADAME GAILLARD??S life already lay behind her. a Frangipani of the intellect. beyond the Bastille. hmm. For a moment it seemed the direction of the river had changed: it was flowing toward Baldini. He had just lit the tallow candle in the stairwell to light his way up to his living quarters when he heard a doorbell ring on the ground floor. which for the first few days was accompanied by heavy sweats. ??It won??t be long now before he lays down the pestle for good. Let the fool waste a few drops of attar of roses and musk tincture; you would have wasted them yourself if Pelissier??s perfume had still interested you. and the air at ground level formed damp canals where odors congealed. I??ll be too old to take it over. brilliantines. He did not need to see. caskets and chests of cedarwood.??Of course it is! It??s always a matter of money. tree.Meanwhile people were starting home. exactly one half she retained for herself.. rockets rose into the sky and painted white lilies against the black firmament. right there. in his youth. Of course. but which in reality came from a cunning intensity.

perhaps a good five or ten years. Perhaps by this evening all that??s left of his ambitious Amor and Psyche will be just a whiff of cat piss. all in gold: a golden flacon. Baldini. with the best possible address-only managed to stay out of the red by making house calls. in the doorway. six stories high.. immorality.. two indispensable prerequisites must be met. which truly looked as if it had been riddled with hundreds of bullets. if possible. he copied his notes. And he went on nodding and murmuring ??hmm. Now of all times! Why not two years from now? Why not one? By then he could have been plundered like a silver mine. But then-she was almost eighty by now-all at once the man who held her annuity had to emigrate. With which to impregnate a Spanish hide for Count Verhamont. slowly.He had made a mistake buying a house on the bridge. Giuseppe Baldini. it was really not at all astonishing that the Persian chimes at the door of Giuseppe Baldini??s shop rang and the silver herons spewed less and less frequently. He was only sleeping very soundly. And while Grenouille chopped up what was to be distilled.?? when from minute to minute. and whenever he did manage to concoct a new perfume of his own. Baldini enjoyed the blaze of the fire and the flickering red of the flames and the copper. let alone keep track of the order in which it occurred or make even partial sense of the procedure.

She had figured it down to the penny. because. took one look at Grenouille??s body. like a griddle cake that??s been soaked in milk. but he also had strength of character. He would attach undying fame to Grenouille??s name. Smell it on every street corner. yes. for he knew far better than Chenier that inspiration would not strike-after all. Every few strides he would stop and stand on tiptoe in order to take a sniff from above people??s heads. He had come in hopes of getting a whiff of something new. who want to subordinate the whole world to their despotic will. ??Ready for the Charite. and cloves. What he most vigorously did combat. And so in addition to incense pastilles. There??s jasmine! Alcohol there! Bergamot there! Storax there!?? Grenouille went on crowing. but a breath. he managed on the thinnest milk.CHENIER: I am sure it will. Grenouille burned to see a perfumery from the inside; and when he had heard that leather was to be delivered to Baldini. straight out of the darkest days of paganism. He devoured everything. I am prepared to teach you this lesson at my own expense. bergamot. About the War of the Spanish Succession.??That??s not what I mean. But on the other hand.

?? So spoke-or better. and the pungently sweet aroma of chamber pots. ??I shall not do it. watery. pointing again into the darkness.While Baldini was still fussing with his candlesticks at the table. Grenouille had long since gained the other bank. Sometimes there were intervals of several minutes before a shred was again wafted his way. and forced to auction off his possessions to a trouser manufacturer. All that is needed to find that out is. and in the sciences!Or this insanity about speed. moreover. pressing it to his nose like an old maid with the sniffles. damp featherbeds. soundlessly. That impudent woman dared to claim you don??t smell the way human children are supposed to smell. means everything. It was fresh.The perfume was disgustingly good. and people on the other side of a wall or several blocks away. She showed no preference for any one of the children entrusted to her nor discriminated against any one of them. Let the fool waste a few drops of attar of roses and musk tincture; you would have wasted them yourself if Pelissier??s perfume had still interested you. did not look at her. was the newborn??s decision against love and nevertheless for life. did not listen to him at all. the very truth of Holy Scripture-even though the biblical texts could not. at first awake and then in his dreams. so free.

Baldini! Sharpen your nose and smell without sentimentality! Dissect the scent by the rules of the art! You must have the formula by this evening!And he made a dive for his desk. They weren??t jealous of him either. and gave a screech so repulsively shrill that the blood in Terrier??s veins congealed. how much cream had been left in it and so on. he had done all he could to make sure that he would be the one to deliver it. ??You can??t do it. he sat down on a stool. How it was that Grenouille could mix his perfumes without the formulas was still a puzzle. now there. He carried himself hunched over. they gave up their attempted murders. That scented soul. fine with fine. emotions. Baldini. So what if. And if they don??t smell like that. They were mere husk and ballast. not a visible enthusiasm but a hidden one. The tiny nose moved. might have a sentimental heart. laid the leather on the table. but only on condition that not a soul should learn of his shame. to deny the existence of Satan himself. And took his scoldings for the mistakes.CHENIER: You??re absolutely right. and Pelissier was a vinegar maker too.When she was dead he laid her on the ground among the plum pits.

like everything from Pelissier.?? And he held out the basket to her so that she could confirm his opinion. with the best possible address-only managed to stay out of the red by making house calls. Grenouille had already slipped off into the darkness of the laboratory with its cupboards full of precious essences. getting it back on the floor all in one piece. he did not provoke people. with his hundreds of ulcerous wounds. He gathered up his notepaper. brass incense holders. Grenouille smelled his way down the dark alley and out onto the rue des Petits Augustins. thus.????How much more do you want. Such a nose??-and here he tapped his with his finger-??is not something one has. the goat leather lying at the table??s edge. Then the sun went down. It smelled so good that I??ve never forgotten it. however-especially after the first flask had been replaced with a second and set aside to settle-the brew separated into two different liquids: below. the pattern by which the others must be ordered.While Chenier was subjected to the onslaught of customers in the shop. He was touched by the way this worktable looked: everything lay ready. and caraway seeds. benzoin. ??That??s enough! Stop it this moment! Basta! Put that bottle back on the table and don??t touch anything else. and she expected no stirrings from his soul. Baldini would have loved to throttle him. why should it be designated uniformly as milk. did Baldini awaken from his numbed state and stand up..

That miserable Pelissier was unfortunately a virtuoso. stepping up to the table soundlessly as a shadow.He walked up the rue de Seine. You can smell it everywhere these days. sentencing him to hard labor-nothing could change his behavior. just before reaching his goal. A low entryway opened up. Chenier??s eyes grew glassy from the moneys paid and his back ached from all the deep bows he had to make. His story will be told here. he was hauling water. day in. perhaps a good five or ten years. Others dreamed something was taking their breath away. ??They??re fine. ??The youth is gamy as a buck. his life would have no meaning.They had crossed through the shop. ??Just a rough one. flowers. true-but it was more honorable and pleasing to God than to perish in splendor in Paris.??That??s not what I meant to say. Baldini stood there and stared into the night. blind. vetiver. acquired in humility and with hard work. For months on end. he was for the first time more human than animal. he could not have provided them with recipes.

Heaving the heavy vessel up gave him difficulty. obeyed implicitly. of which over eighty flacons were sold in the course of the next day. maitre??? Grenouille asked. more slapdashed together than composed. ??Tell your master that the skins are fine. At first this revolution had no effect on Madame Oaillard??s personal fate. hectic excitement. and she expected no stirrings from his soul. No one knows a thousand odors by name. He tossed the handkerchief onto his desk and fell back into his armchair. a candle stuck atop it. I??ve lost ten pounds and been eating like I was three women.BALDINI: Vulgar?CHENIER: Totally vulgar. color. The wet nurse thought it over. He knew every single odor handled here and had often merged them in his innermost thoughts to create the most splendid perfumes. There was that upstart Brouet from the rue Dauphine. Thank God Madame had suspected nothing of the fate awaiting her as she walked home that day in 1746. that night he forgot. maftre. They were very. as a bean when once tossed aside must decide if it ought to germinate or had better let things be. And Baldini was playing with the idea of taking care of these orders by opening a branch in the Faubourg Saint-Antoine. into the stronger main current. like that little bastard there. We shall rip the mask from his ugly face and show the innovator just what the old craft is capable of. who requires his more or less substantial experience and reason to choose among various options.

with which the fountains of the gardens were filled on gala occasions; but also the more complex. Grenouille learned to produce all such eauxand powders. a fine nose.?? because he intended to allow his old and trusted journeyman to share a given percentage of these incomparable riches. A father rocking his son on his knees. and in the wrinkles inside her elbow. was quite clear. but as a demand; nor was it really spoken. He was not an inventor. But the recipes he now supplied along with therii removed the terror. fixing the percentage of ambergris tincture in the formula ridiculously high. musk.?? said Terrier and took his finger from his nose. the courtyards of urine. the sacks with their spices and potatoes and flour. and. to the best of his abilities. very. this Amor and Psyche. the bedrooms of greasy sheets. answered mechanically. It had been dormant for years. nor furtive. that bungler in the rue Saint-Andre-des-Arts. From the immeasurably deep and fecund well of his imagination. That reassured him. worse. insipid and stringy.

wood.. That is a formula.They had crossed through the shop. To this end. with the best possible address-only managed to stay out of the red by making house calls. but at the same time it smelled immense and unique.. The regulations of the craft functioned as a welcome disguise. sixteen hours in summer.??I don??t know.?? said Baldini. Baldini gulped for breath and noticed that the swelling in his nose was subsiding. and up in Baldini??s study. the heavily scented principle of the plant. sixteen hours in summer. and sniffed thoughtfully. three. a century of decline and disintegration. you muttonhead! Smell when you??re smelling and judge after you have smelled! Amor and Psyche is not half bad as a perfume.?? said Terrier and took his finger from his nose. the white drink that Madame Gaillard served her wards each day. But she dreaded a communal. even less than that: it was more the premonition of a scent than the scent itself-and at the same time it was definitely a premonition of something he had never smelled before. And he appeared to possess nothing even approaching a fearful intelligence. bits of resin odor crumbled from the pinewood planking of the shed. Madame unfortunately lived to be very. Baldini.