nor an engagement. Ma foi, there is no hurry. My daughter is only
seventeen years old, and your son twenty-one. While we wait, time will
be progressing, events will succeed each other; things which in the
evening look dark and obscure, appear but too clearly in the light of
morning, and sometimes the utterance of one word, or the lapse of a
single day, will reveal the most cruel calumnies."
"Calumnies, did you say, sir?" cried Morcerf, turning livid with rage.
"Does any one dare to slander me?"
"Monsieur, I told you that I considered it best to avoid all
explanation."
"Then, sir, I am patiently to submit to your refusal?"
"Yes, sir, although I assure you the refusal is as painful for me to
give as it is for you to receive, for I had reckoned on the honor
of your alliance, and the breaking off of a marriage contract always
injures the lady more than the gentleman."
"Enough, sir," said Morcerf, "we will speak no more on the subject." And
clutching his gloves in anger, he left the apartment. Danglars observed
that during the whole conversation Morcerf had never once dared to
ask if it was on his own account that Danglars recalled his word.
That evening he had a long conference with several friends; and M.
Cavalcanti, who had remained in the drawing-room with the ladies, was
the last to leave the banker's house.
The next morning, as soon as he awoke, Danglars asked for the
newspapers; they were brought to him; he laid aside three or four, and
at last fixed on the Impartial, the paper of which Beauchamp was the
chief editor. He hastily tore off the cover, opened the journal with
nervous precipitation, passed contemptuously over the Paris jottings,
and arriving at the miscellaneous intelligence, stopped with a malicious
smile, at a paragraph headed "We hear from Yanina." "Very good,"
observed Danglars, after having read the paragraph; "here is a little
article on Colonel Fernand, which, if I am not mistaken, would render
the explanation which the Comte de Morcerf required of me perfectly
unnecessary."
At the same moment, that is, at nine o'clock in the morning, Albert de
Morcerf, dressed in a black coat buttoned up to his chin, might have
been seen walking with a quick and agitated step in the direction of
Monte Cristo's house in the Champs Elysees. When he presented himself at
the gate the porter informed him that the Count had gone out about half
an hour previously. "Did he take Baptistin with him?"
"No, my lord."
"Call him, then; I wish to speak to him." The concierge went to seek the
valet de chambre, and returned with him in an instant.
"My good friend," said Albert, "I beg pardon for my intrusion, but I
was anxious to know from your own mouth if your master was really out or
not."
"He is really out, sir," replied Baptistin.
"Out, even to me?"
"I know how happy my master always is to receive the vicomte," said
Baptistin; "and I should therefore never think of including him in any
general order."
"You are right; and now I wish to see him on an affair of great
importance. Do you think it will be long before he comes in?"
"No, I think not, for he ordered his breakfast at ten o'clock."
"Well, I will go and take a turn in the Champs Elysees, and at ten
o'clock I will return here; meanwhile, if the count should come in, will
you beg him not to go out again without seeing me?"
"You may depend on my doing so, sir," said Baptistin.
Albert left the cab in which he had come at the count's door, intending
to take a turn on foot. As he was passing the Allee des Veuves, he
thought he saw the count's horses standing at Gosset's shooting-gallery;
he approached, and soon recognized the coachman. "Is the count shooting
in the gallery?" said Morcerf.
"Yes, sir," replied the coachman. While he was speaking, Albert had
heard the report of two or three pistol-shots. He entered, and on his
way met the waiter. "Excuse me, my lord," said the lad; "but will you
have the kindness to wait a moment?"
"What for, Philip?" asked Albert, who, being a constant visitor there,
did not understand this opposition to his entrance.
"Because the person who is now in the gallery prefers being alone, and
never practices in the presence of any one."
"Not even before you, Philip? Then who loads his pistol?"
"His servant."
"A Nubian?"
"A negro."
"It is he, then."
"Do you know this gentleman?"
"Yes, and I am come to look for him; he is a friend of mine."
"Oh, that is quite another thing, then. I will go immediately and inform
him of your arrival." And Philip, urged by his own curiosity, entered
the gallery; a second afterwards, Monte Cristo appeared on the
threshold. "I ask your pardon, my dear count," said Albert, "for
following you here, and I must first tell you that it was not the
fault of your servants that I did so; I alone am to blame for the
indiscretion. I went to your house, and they told me you were out, but
that they expected you home at ten o'clock to breakfast. I was walking
about in order to pass away the time till ten o'clock, when I caught
sight of your carriage and horses."
"What you have just said induces me to hope that you intend breakfasting
with me."
"No, thank you, I am thinking of other things besides breakfast
just now; perhaps we may take that meal at a later hour and in worse
company."
"What on earth are you talking of?"
"I am to fight to-day."
"For what?"
"I am going to fight"--
"Yes, I understand that, but what is the quarrel? People fight for all
sorts of reasons, you know."
"I fight in the cause of honor."
"Ah, that is something serious."
"So serious, that I come to beg you to render me a service."
"What is it?"
"To be my second."
"That is a serious matter, and we will not discuss it here; let us speak
of nothing till we get home. Ali, bring me some water." The count turned
up his sleeves, and passed into the little vestibule where the gentlemen
were accustomed to wash their hands after shooting. "Come in, my lord,"
said Philip in a low tone, "and I will show you something droll."
Morcerf entered, and in place of the usual target, he saw some
playing-cards fixed against the wall. At a distance Albert thought it
was a complete suit, for he counted from the ace to the ten. "Ah, ha,"
said Albert, "I see you were preparing for a game of cards."
"No," said the count, "I was making a suit."
"How?" said Albert.
"Those are really aces and twos which you see, but my shots have turned
them into threes, fives, sevens, eights, nines, and tens." Albert
approached. In fact, the bullets had actually pierced the cards in the
exact places which the painted signs would otherwise have occupied, the
lines and distances being as regularly kept as if they had been ruled
with pencil. "Diable," said Morcerf.
"What would you have, my dear viscount?" said Monte Cristo, wiping his
hands on the towel which Ali had brought him; "I must occupy my leisure
moments in some way or other. But come, I am waiting for you." Both men
entered Monte Cristo's carriage, which in the course of a few minutes
deposited them safely at No. 30. Monte Cristo took Albert into his
study, and pointing to a seat, placed another for himself. "Now let us
talk the matter over quietly," said the count.
"You see I am perfectly composed," said Albert.
"With whom are you going to fight?"
"With Beauchamp."
"One of your friends!"
"Of course; it is always with friends that one fights."
"I suppose you have some cause of quarrel?"
"I have."
"What has he done to you?"
"There appeared in his journal last night--but wait, and read for
yourself." And Albert handed over the paper to the count, who read as
follows:--
"A correspondent at Yanina informs us of a fact of which until now we
had remained in ignorance. The castle which formed the protection of
the town was given up to the Turks by a French officer named Fernand,
in whom the grand vizier, Ali Tepelini, had reposed the greatest
confidence."
"Well," said Monte Cristo, "what do you see in that to annoy you?"
"What do I see in it?"
"Yes; what does it signify to you if the castle of Yanina was given up
by a French officer?"
"It signifies to my father, the Count of Morcerf, whose Christian name
is Fernand!"
"Did your father serve under Ali Pasha?"
"Yes; that is to say, he fought for the independence of the Greeks, and
hence arises the calumny."
"Oh, my dear viscount, do talk reason!"
"I do not desire to do otherwise."
"Now, just tell me who the devil should know in France that the officer
Fernand and the Count of Morcerf are one and the same person? and who
cares now about Yanina, which was taken as long ago as the year 1822 or
1823?"
"That just shows the meanness of this slander. They have allowed all
this time to elapse, and then all of a sudden rake up events which have
been forgotten to furnish materials for scandal, in order to tarnish the
lustre of our high position. I inherit my father's name, and I do not
choose that the shadow of disgrace should darken it. I am going to
Beauchamp, in whose journal this paragraph appears, and I shall insist
on his retracting the assertion before two witnesses."
"Beauchamp will never retract."
"Then he must fight."
"No he will not, for he will tell you, what is very true, that perhaps
there were fifty officers in the Greek army bearing the same name."
"We will fight, nevertheless. I will efface that blot on my father's
character. My father, who was such a brave soldier, whose career was so
brilliant"--
"Oh, well, he will add, 'We are warranted in believing that this
Fernand is not the illustrious Count of Morcerf, who also bears the same
Christian name.'"
"I am determined not to be content with anything short of an entire
retractation."
"And you intend to make him do it in the presence of two witnesses, do
you?"
"Yes."
"You do wrong."
"Which means, I suppose, that you refuse the service which I asked of
you?"
"You know my theory regarding duels; I told you my opinion on that
subject, if you remember, when we were at Rome."
"Nevertheless, my dear count, I found you this morning engaged in
an occupation but little consistent with the notions you profess to
entertain."
"Because, my dear fellow, you understand one must never be eccentric. If
one's lot is cast among fools, it is necessary to study folly. I shall
perhaps find myself one day called out by some harebrained scamp, who
has no more real cause of quarrel with me than you have with Beauchamp;
he may take me to task for some foolish trifle or other, he will bring
his witnesses, or will insult me in some public place, and I am expected
to kill him for all that."
"You admit that you would fight, then? Well, if so, why do you object to
my doing so?"
"I do not say that you ought not to fight, I only say that a duel is a
serious thing, and ought not to be undertaken without due reflection."
"Did he reflect before he insulted my father?"
"If he spoke hastily, and owns that he did so, you ought to be
satisfied."
"Ah, my dear count, you are far too indulgent."
"And you are far too exacting. Supposing, for instance, and do not be
angry at what I am going to say"--
"Well."
"Supposing the assertion to be really true?"
"A son ought not to submit to such a stain on his father's honor."
"Ma foi, we live in times when there is much to which we must submit."
"That is precisely the fault of the age."
"And do you undertake to reform it?"
"Yes, as far as I am personally concerned."
"Well, you are indeed exacting, my dear fellow!"
"Yes, I own it."
"Are you quite impervious to good advice?"
"Not when it comes from a friend."
"And do you account me that title?"
"Certainly I do."
"Well, then, before going to Beauchamp with your witnesses, seek further
information on the subject."
"From whom?"
"From Haidee."
"Why, what can be the use of mixing a woman up in the affair?--what can
she do in it?"
"She can declare to you, for example, that your father had no hand
whatever in the defeat and death of the vizier; or if by chance he had,
indeed, the misfortune to"--
"I have told you, my dear count, that I would not for one moment admit
of such a proposition."
"You reject this means of information, then?"
"I do--most decidedly."
"Then let me offer one more word of advice."
"Do so, then, but let it be the last."
"You do not wish to hear it, perhaps?"
"On the contrary, I request it."
"Do not take any witnesses with you when you go to Beauchamp--visit him
alone."
"That would be contrary to all custom."
"Your case is not an ordinary one."
"And what is your reason for advising me to go alone?"
"Because then the affair will rest between you and Beauchamp."
