'Set of Six' Summary

**Gaspar Ruiz** tells the story of a South American general who tells his guests a long tale about a notorious strong man that explains the origin of his current domestic arrangements. **The Informer** leads the reader into the depths of a political conspiracy, dealing very slyly indeed with questions of truth and pretence. **The Brute** asks whether we can believe there could be such a thing as a positively malevolent ship. **An Anarchist** introduces us to an unfortunate man who has had a vision of society itself as malevolent and has not been able to rest in peace ever since. **The Duel**, the most obviously likeable tale in this collection, recounts the history of an unfortunate feud between two officers of Napoleon's army that caused them to fight a series of duels over many years. **Il Conde** rounds out the collection, giving a new twist to the saying "See Naples and die".