The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel
| Company type | Book |
|---|---|
| Industry | Literature |
| Founded | 1919 |
| Founder | Baroness Orczy |
| Products | Short story collection |
The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel serves as a 1919 follow-up to the renowned adventure The Scarlet Pimpernel, penned by Baroness Orczy. This collection comprises eleven short tales that depict Sir Percy Blakeney’s bold efforts to save nobles and French citizens from execution by guillotine during the French Revolution.
Set against the backdrop of 1793, these narratives are arranged in a non-sequential manner and occasionally allude to events from other books in the series.
Sir Percy Explains
Madeleine Lannoy, whose spouse perished defending the Queen at Versailles, now works as a street performer in Paris’s poorest districts. She disguises herself in order to search for her son, who was taken by Citizen Jean Paul Marat. Madeleine fears that if her son remains missing, he will grow up in the city’s most destitute neighborhoods, potentially falling into crime or despair.
A Question of Passports
Citizen Bibot oversees Porte Montmartre following the execution of his predecessor for permitting aristocrats to flee. Citizen Marat alerts Bibot that the Scarlet Pimpernel intends to rescue the Duc and Duchesse de Montreux along with their family during their transfer to the Conciergerie prison that night. However, Bibot is resolute in stopping their escape.
Two Good Patriots
Citizeness Fanny Roussell and her husband stand trial before the Revolutionary Tribunal on charges of treason but are eventually acquitted.
The Old Scarecrow
Citizen Lepine, a public letter-writer stationed at Quai des Augustins and Rue Dauphine, observes Agnes—a young woman weighed down by despair—passing by as she heads toward Pont Neuf, illustrating the harsh realities faced by Parisians during this tumultuous era.
A Fine Bit of Work
Pierre Lenègre, once a footman for Marie Antoinette, was denounced by the Committee of Public Safety after openly expressing support for the Queen. He narrowly avoided execution thanks to the intervention of the Scarlet Pimpernel. Sir Percy discovers that Père Lenègre has been betrayed by the concierge Jean Baptiste, who informed the gendarmes leading to his arrest.
How Jean-Pierre Met the Scarlet Pimpernel
The Marquis and Marquise de Mortaine and their son le Vicomte are hiding in a cramped attic in Lyons, suffering from hunger and poverty. Their servant Jean-Pierre, while searching for milk, collapses from starvation but regains consciousness upon overhearing two Englishmen nearby. He initially betrays their location in exchange for food but soon regrets this decision. The strangers then come to the family’s aid, providing rescue and medical attention for the ill Vicomte—though they must rely on Citizen Laporte, a republican doctor whose involvement could endanger them all.
Out of the Jaws of Death
Valentine Lemercier’s diary recounts her imprisonment alongside her family in the Abbaye for two weeks. As the September massacres commence, prisoners are brutally slaughtered outside their cell, with violent blows striking their window signaling imminent danger.
The Traitor
In November 1793, Lord Kulmsted—a nominal member of the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel—has violated his oath, possibly motivated by financial difficulties or envy toward Sir Percy. Despite cautions from fellow members, Sir Percy includes Kulmsted in a perilous mission to Paris aimed at rescuing women loyal to Marie Antoinette who face execution.
The Cabaret de la Liberté
Esther Vincent, whose father was a banker executed by guillotine and whose fortune remains undisclosed, now lives in destitution in Paris. A group of criminals schemes to claim her inheritance by coercing her into marriage with Citizen Merri, threatening death if she refuses. To rescue Esther and her English partner Jack Kennard from this perilous plot, the Scarlet Pimpernel adopts the persona of Citizen Rateau—a thin man with a harsh cough.
"Needs Must—"
Lucile Clamette, accompanied by her three children, confronts Commissary Lebel and Citizen Chauvelin, who intend to trap her former employer, Henri the Vicomte de Montogrueil. Facing the threat that the Committee of Public Safety will send her children to a House of Correction, Lucile consents to compose a letter to both Henri and his father, the Marquis, under Chauvelin’s instructions. The Marquis and his son hold compromising documents revealing bribes paid to CPS officials, which have shielded them thus far. Should the Marquis hand over these papers, they risk arrest and execution; however, with Lucile’s children at stake, refusal is nearly impossible. In desperation, Lucile’s son seeks assistance from Citizen Rateau (an alias of the Pimpernel) at the Cabaret de la Liberté.
A Battle of Wits
Tournefort, an operative for the Committee of Public Safety, overhears talk regarding diamonds left behind in a château by Madame la Comtesse—likely the spouse of Comte de Sucy. Suspecting treachery, he demands entry to arrest those involved but uncovers no proof despite thorough searching. To outflank Citizen Chauvelin, Tournefort enlists Citizen Gourdon and a group including Citizen Rateau to conduct a search of the château for the jewels. Yet Chauvelin foresees this tactic and arrives at the location ahead of them...