JULES VERNE

       Translated by

      STANFORD L. LUCE

       Edited by

      ARTHUR B. EVANS

      Introduction & Notes by

      PETER SCHULMAN

      Wesleyan University Press

      Middletown, Connecticut

      Published by

      Wesleyan University Press, Middletown, CT 06459

       www.wesleyan.edu/wespress

      The Wesleyan edition of The Begum’s Millions

      © 2005 by Wesleyan University Press

      Translation copyright © 2005 by Stanford L. Luce

      All rights reserved

      Printed in the United States of America

      The illustrations in the novel are by

      Léon Benett and appeared in the original French

      edition of Les Cinq cents millions de la Bégum.

      Library of Congress

      Cataloging-in-Publication Data

      Verne, Jules, 1828–1905.

      [Cinq cents millions de la Bégum. English]

      The Begum’s millions / by Jules Verne ; translated

      by Stanford L. Luce ; edited by Arthur B. Evans ;

      introduction and notes by Peter Schulman.

      p. cm. — (The Wesleyan early classics of science

      fiction series)

      Includes bibliographical references.

      ISBN 0-8195-6796-5 (cloth : alk. paper)

      I. Luce, Stanford, 1923– II. Evans, Arthur B. III. Schulman, Peter, 1964– IV. Title. V. Series.

      pq2469.c49e5 2005

      843'.8—dc22 2005046203

      5 4 3 2 1

      Cover illustration by Léon Benett (1839–1917).

       CONTENTS

       A Note on the Translation, ix

       Introduction, xiii

      The Begum’s Millions by Jules Verne

       1 Mr. Sharp Makes His Entrance, 1

       2 Two Friends, 13

       3 A News Item, 26

       4 Divided in Two, 36

       5 The City of Steel, 48

       6 The Albrecht Mine, 66

       7 The Central Block, 79

       8 The Dragon’s Lair, 89

       9 Absent without Leave, 105

       10 An Article from Unsere Centurie, a German Journal, 117

       11 Dinner at Dr. Sarrasin’s, 130

       12 The Council, 136

       13 Letter from Marcel Bruckmann to Professor Schultze, Stahlstadt, 148

       14 Preparing for Combat, 150

       15 The San Francisco Stock Exchange, 156

       16 Two Frenchman