When Antoine Rouge disappeared, soon after he had himself contracted the disease which...

Adrian Tripod:

When Antoine Rouge disappeared, soon after he had himself contracted the disease which bears his name, we believe that he had preferred to die alone, in an exile only partially self-willed. Still, he on one occasion remarked that Rouge's malady could not possibly be fatal to Rouge, though it had already killed hundreds of thousands of women. And it is true that his death was confirmed only by certain authorities who had long wished for his death. Yet the Rouge, as my mentor and I were preternaturally close, and I feel sure that he no longer exists