THE FLORENTINE
DAGGER

A Novel for Amateur Detectives

BY
BEN HECHT

BONI AND LIVERIGHT
Publishers New York

Copyright, 1923, by
Boni and Liveright, Inc.

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

TO JOSEPHINE DITRICHSTEIN,
who graciously promised to read my next book, providing, of course, it was a mystery story

WALLACE SMITH’S ILLUSTRATIONS

The five illustrations contained in the followingpages, and the jacket design, are the work of thenew phenomenal black and white artist, WallaceSmith. In making the drawings Mr. Smith choseto illustrate the spirit of the text rather than itsletter. The result is this series of Renaissancepictures whose dark opulence curiously interpretsthe moods of the story’s hero, Prince Juliende Medici—of Broadway.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

I. Velvet Souls 17

Containing a nervous cavalier with frightened eyes. Introducing a mysterious and puritanical satyr. And discussing the tired ghosts that haunted the heart of Julien De Medici.

II. The Veiled Aphrodite 30

In which a lady of barbaric eyes smiles, sighs, and weeps. In which Eros obliges with a saxophone solo. A morning of golden shadows and an off-stage pizzicato.

III. Murder 38

In which Julien De Medici collides with a tantalizing corpse. In which a dagger, a candlestick, a crucifix, and a false beard mumble incoherently.

IV. The Empty Web 51

In which a detective weaves a theory. In which Julien De Medici stares at a clew. In which Pandora raises a warning finger to her lips. A table set for two, an initialed purse, an ancient theater program—but the story waits.

V. Questions and Answers 72

In which the world wags its callous tongue. In which dénouements thumb their noses at each other. In which Julien De Medici succumbs to a delicious madness. A Jesuitical policeman and an ambitious coroner flirt coyly with an Enigma.

VI. Labyrinths of Blood 93

In which a detective attaches a pair of asses’ ears to his head. In whic

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