"The Cabriolet Driver" by Alexandre Dumas, summary Automatic translate

Alexandre Dumas’s novella, written in the early 1830s, is a masterpiece of Romantic prose, where a mundane sketch of Parisian life seamlessly transitions into a dramatic tale of honor, love, and self-sacrifice. The work is notable for the author’s inclusion of himself in the narrative, creating a sense of authenticity, and using the figure of a simple coachman as the bearer of a noble story that contrasts with his social standing.

The Philosophy of Parisian Taxi Drivers

The narrative opens with the author’s sociological observation, drawing a clear distinction between two types of Parisian hired carriages: the ordinary cab driver (fiacre) and the cabriolet driver. The former is described as a rough, silent, and stoic creature, reminiscent of prehistoric humans. He performs his duties mechanically, showing no interest in either the horses or the passengers.

The cabriolet driver, on the other hand, is a product of civilization. He is sociable, considerate, and has absorbed knowledge from his passengers: he absorbs literary opinions from academics, political views from members of parliament, and surgical knowledge from medical students. It is to this category that the story’s protagonist, Cantillon, who drives cabriolet number 221, belongs.

New Year’s visit

The action takes place on January 1, 1831. The narrator, recognizably Dumas himself, hires Cantillon’s carriage for his traditional New Year’s visits. The cabriolet is chosen for its neat appearance and the vestiges of former luxury in the coachman’s attire: his hat and coat bear traces of ripped braid and livery stripes, marking him as a former servant of a wealthy household.

The first visit is to the Arsenal, to the writer Charles Nodier. En route, the narrator is lost in creative thought: he’s working on the finale of the third act of his drama "Anthony." Cantillon, eager for conversation, tries his best to attract the passenger’s attention, adjusting his leg loops and whistling melodies, but the writer remains indifferent, mentally constructing the characters’ dialogues.

After a visit to Nodier, the ice of silence finally breaks. Cantillon, learning that his passenger is a writer, offers him a plot for a novel based on real events from his own life. It turns out that the coachman once served the young and wealthy Monsieur Eugène.

The Story of Mr. Eugene

Ten years ago, Cantillon entered the service of Monsieur Eugène, a melancholy young man with an income of ten thousand livres. Eugène led a solitary life but had an enemy — a neighbor named Alfred de Linard, an arrogant and unpleasant man. Their feud escalated after a chance encounter on the stairs and a quarrel at a ball.

One night, returning home, Eugène and Cantillon saw a woman throw herself off a bridge into the Seine in despair. Without a second thought, Eugène jumped into the icy water after her. Cantillon, who couldn’t swim, tried to help from his boat, but in the confusion he lost one of his oars and nearly drowned himself.

The rescue scene is described with great drama. In complete darkness, Eugène managed to find the drowning woman and swim to the servant’s boat. Cantillon, displaying resourcefulness, managed to pull the exhausted master and the girl into the boat using his remaining oar. Rescuers responded to their cries for help, and the victims were brought to shore.

The Secret of the Rescued Girl

The rescued girl, named Marie, was transported to a hospital on the Rue de Bac. After regaining consciousness, she confessed to Eugène that her actions were caused by her lover’s betrayal: she was pregnant, and he had abandoned her. Eugène, displaying nobility, promised to take care of her and asked permission to inform her father that she was alive.

Cantillon was sent with a letter to Marie’s father, Captain Dumont, who lived in a modest attic on Rue Fossé-Saint-Victor. The coachman found the old soldier preparing to commit suicide: the captain, having received his daughter’s farewell letter, was loading his pistols, intending to shoot her seducer and then himself. The news of his daughter’s rescue stayed his hand.

Clash of Honor

A tragic scene unfolded at the hospital on Rue Bac. While Captain Dumont and Eugène were at Marie’s bedside, the culprit of the tragedy, Alfred de Linard, appeared. Eugène forced him into the room. Alfred cynically declared that he could not marry Marie because of his family’s opposition, but was willing to pay his way out of it.

An enraged Captain Dumont attacked his attacker. Eugène separated them, but a duel was inevitable. It was decided that the adversaries would meet in an hour in the Bois de Boulogne at the Porte Maillot.

Duel in the Bois de Boulogne

At dawn, the combatants arrived at the scene of the duel. Captain Dumont, realizing his chances were slim, left final instructions to Eugène: to give his daughter her mother’s ring and to take care of her after his death. The old soldier chose pistols.

The duel was brief. Shots rang out, and Captain Dumont fell dead. Eugène, acting as second, calmly took up the swords and declared it was now Alfred’s turn to fight him. Alfred tried to excuse himself by citing fatigue, but Eugène was adamant.

The second part of the duel was fought with swords. Eugène fenced with icy calm, parrying his opponent’s thrusts. Even after receiving wounds to his arm and thigh, he did not retreat. When Alfred, confident of victory, made a careless lunge, Eugène delivered the fatal blow, piercing his opponent through and through.

A noble ending

Alfred, dying, showed no remorse. Eugène, convinced of his enemy’s death, immediately sent Cantillon to fetch a notary. The purpose of this act was not to formalize the inheritance, but to save Marie’s honor. Eugène married the girl and recognized her child as his own, ensuring their legal status in society and material well-being.

After these events, Eugène and his young wife set off on a journey. Cantillon, the faithful servant, received a generous reward: a thousand francs and that very same cabriolet and horse, which allowed him to start his own business and become an independent coachman.

The narrator, having heard this story, orders him to be taken home, postponing his remaining visits. Impressed by the nobility of the characters and the drama of the events, he decides to commit what he heard to paper. "I returned to my room and wrote down Cantillon’s story as he told it to me."