“Do you know that you sleep from yesterday morning?” - Entering the room to the student Don Cleoface, asked one of his friends.

Cleophas opened his eyes, and his first thought was that the amazing adventures that he experienced last night were nothing more than a dream. However, very soon he became convinced that what had happened to him was a reality, and he really spent some of the most unusual hours in his life in the company of Lame Imp.

Their acquaintance happened as follows. During a meeting with a girlfriend, Don Cleophas was caught up with four thugs. They threatened to kill him if he did not marry the lady with whom he had been found. However, the student did not have the slightest intention to marry this beauty, and he only spent time with her to mutual pleasure. He bravely defended himself, however, when his sword was knocked out of his hands, he was forced to run straight along the roofs of the houses. In the darkness, he noticed the light, headed there and, slipping into the dormer window, hid in someone's room in the attic. When he looked around, he found that he was most likely in the laboratory of some astrologer, - this was indicated by a hanging copper lamp, a book and papers on the table, as well as a compass, a globe, flasks and quadrants.

At that moment, the student heard a long sigh, which soon recurred. It turned out that in one of the flasks there was a certain spirit, or rather a demon, as he himself explained to the amazed Cleophas. Bes said that the learned sorcerer has held him locked up for six months by the power of his magic, and asked for help. To the question of Kleofas, to which category of devils he belongs, a proud answer followed: “I arrange funny marriages - I connect old men with minors, gentlemen - with maidservants, daughters-in-law - with tender lovers who have no pennies. This I introduced into the world of luxury, debauchery, gambling and chemistry. I am the inventor of carousels, dances, music, comedy and all the latest French mods. In a word, I am Asmodeus, nicknamed The Lame Demon. "

The brave young man, struck by such a meeting, treated the new acquaintance with all respect and soon released him from the bottle. A lame freak appeared in front of him in a turban with feathers and in white satin clothes. His cloak was painted with numerous frivolous scenes, reproducing what is being done in the world, as suggested by Asmodeus.

Grateful to his savior, the demon carried him along from a cramped room, and soon they were on top of the tower, from where a view of the whole of Madrid was opened. Asmodeus explained to his companion that he intended to show him what was being done in the city, and that by the power of devilish power he would raise all the roofs. Indeed, with one movement of his hand, it seemed as if he had demolished the roofs of all the houses, and, despite the darkness of the night, the student had everything that happened inside the houses and palaces. Countless pictures of life were revealed to him, and his guide explained the details or drew his attention to the most amazing examples of human stories. Dazzling in its diversity, the picture of manners and passions that the student observed that night made him wiser and more experienced for a thousand years. The hidden springs were revealed to him, which determined the twists and turns of fate, secret vices, forbidden drives, hidden motives. The most intimate details, the most hidden thoughts, appeared before Cleophas in full view with the help of his guide. Mocking, skeptical and at the same time condescending to human weaknesses, the demon turned out to be an excellent commentator on the scenes of the huge human comedy that he showed the young man that night.

And he began by taking revenge on the very Don, whose student was so suddenly overtaken by bandits. Asmodeus assured Cleophas that the beauty herself had set up this attack, as she planned to marry the student. Kleofas saw that now the cheat is sitting at the table with the very types who were chasing him and whom she herself had hidden in her house, and was eating with them a rich treat sent to them. His indignation knew no bounds, but soon his fury gave way to laughter. Asmodeus disgusted each other with feasting, a bloody scuffle ensued between them, the neighbors called the police, and now the two surviving brawlers and the mistress of the house were imprisoned ...

This is one of many examples of how repulsive worldly truth was exposed that imaginary decency that night, how the cover of hypocrisy flew off from human actions, and tragedies turned into comedies. Bes patiently explained to Cleoface that the beautiful woman who admired him had false hair and false teeth. That the three young people, with a mournful look, sitting at the bedside of a dying man are nephews who will not wait for the death of a wealthy uncle. That the nobleman, who, before going to bed, reads the note from his beloved, does not know that this person has ruined him. That another noble gentleman, who is worried about the birth of his precious wife, does not suspect that he owes this event to his servant. Two observers had nightly anxieties of restless conscience, secret meetings of lovers, crimes, traps and deceits. The vices, which usually disguise themselves and go into the shadows, seemed to come to life before the eyes of a bewitched Cleophas, and he was amazed how jealousy and arrogance, greed and excitement, avarice and vanity dominate human destinies.

In fact, the whole novel is a nightly conversation between a student and Asmodeus, during which we are told a lot of stories, which are straightforward and sometimes bizarrely incredible. Often these are stories of lovers who are prevented from uniting either by the cruelty and suspicion of their parents, or by inequality of origin. One of these stories, fortunately, ends with a happy wedding, but many others are sad.

In the first case, the count fell in love with the daughter of a simple nobleman and, not intending to marry her, set out to make the girl his mistress. With the help of lies and clever tricks, he convinced the girl of his love, gained her favor and began to penetrate the silk stairs into her bedroom. This was helped by a duet bribed by him, which the father specially assigned to his daughter in order to monitor her morality. Once a secret romance was discovered by his father. He wanted to kill the count, and his daughter identified in the monastery. However, as already mentioned, the denouement of the story was happy. The count was imbued with grief of the girl insulted by him, made her an offer and restored family honor. Not only that, he gave his own sister's brother a wife, deciding that love is more important than titles.

But such a harmony of hearts is rare. It is not always that vice is put to shame, and virtue is awarded. The story of the beautiful doña Theodora, for example, ended tragically — and it was precisely in this case, the relations of the three heroes showed a model of generosity, nobility and the ability to sacrifice in the name of friendship! Donya Theodora was equally passionately loved by two loyal friends. She reciprocated one of them. First, her chosen one wanted to leave, so as not to be a rival to a friend, then a friend persuaded him not to give up happiness. Donja Theodora, however, had by that time been abducted by a third man, who himself was soon killed in a battle with robbers. After dizzying adventures, captivity, escape, pursuit and happy salvation, the lovers finally united and got married. Fortunately, they knew no bounds. However, in the midst of this bliss, a fatal incident manifested itself: during the hunt, don Juan fell off his horse, seriously wounded his head and died. “Doña Theodora is that lady who, as you see, fights in the hands of two women in despair: probably soon she will follow her husband,” the demon calmly concluded.

What is human nature like? What is more in it - pettiness or grandeur, baseness or nobility? Trying to figure it out, an inquisitive student tirelessly followed his nimble guide. They looked into the prison cells, examined the columns of prisoners returning home, penetrated the secrets of dreams, and even the tomb vaults did not serve as an obstacle to them. They discussed the reasons for the insanity of those who are imprisoned in the homes of the insane, as well as those cranks who are obsessed with mania, although they lead a normal-looking lifestyle. Some of them were a slave to their stinginess, some envy, some swagger, some habits of recklessness. “Everywhere you look, you see people with damaged brains,” the demon rightly remarked, continuing that it was as if “all the same people appear, only in different guises”. In other words, human types and vices are unusually tenacious. During their journey through the rooftops, they noticed a terrible fire raging in one of the palaces. A master, a noble city dweller, was killing and crying in front of him, not because his good was burning, but because his only daughter remained in the house. Cleophas the only time in a night gave the demon an order to which he had the right as a deliverer: he demanded to save the girl. Thinking for a moment, Asmodeus assumed the appearance of Cleophas, rushed into the fire and, under the delighted cries of the crowd, carried out an insensitive girl. Soon she opened her eyes and was wrapped in the arms of a happy father. Her deliverer quietly disappeared.

Among the stories strung on a single thread of the story, we note only two more. Here is the first one. The son of a village cobbler became a financier and became very wealthy. Twenty years later, he returned to his parents, gave his father money and demanded that he quit his job. Three more months passed. The son was surprised when one day in his city he saw a father who prayed: “I am dying of idleness! Let me live my work again ”... The second case is this. One dishonest man in the forest saw a man digging a treasure under a tree. When the owner of the treasure left, the fraudster dug up the money and appropriated it to himself. His life went very successfully. But somehow he found out that the owner of the treasure suffers hardship and need. And the first one felt an irreplaceable need to help him. And in the end, he came with repentance, admitting that he lived at his expense for many years ...

Yes, a person is sinful, weak, miserable, he is a slave to his passions and habits. But at the same time, he is endowed with the freedom to create his own destiny, unknown to the representative of evil spirits. And this freedom manifests itself even in the whimsical, unpredictable form of the novel The Lame Demon itself. And the demon himself did not long enjoy free rein - soon the sorcerer discovered his flight and again returned back. In the end, Asmodeus gave Cleophas advice to marry the beautiful Seraphina, who was saved from the fire.

Having woken up in a day, the student hurried to the house of a noble townsman and really saw the ashes in his place. He also learned that the owner is everywhere looking for the savior of his daughter and wants to bless his marriage with Serafina in gratitude. Cleophasus came to this family and was enthusiastically greeted. He fell in love with Serafina at first sight, and she fell in love with him. But after that, he came to her father and, having looked down, explained that he was not the one who saved Serafin, but the devil. The old man, however, said: “Your recognition strengthens me in my intention to give you my daughter: you are her true savior. If you had not asked the Lame demon to save her from the death threatening her, he would not have resisted her death. ”

These words dispelled all doubts. And a few days later the wedding was celebrated with all the occasion splendor.