that of my friends, should be respected by you?"
"And how have I broken that treaty, your excellency?"
"You have this evening carried off and conveyed hither the Vicomte
Albert de Morcerf. Well," continued the count, in a tone that made
Franz shudder, "this young gentleman is one of my friends--this young
gentleman lodges in the same hotel as myself--this young gentleman has
been up and down the Corso for eight hours in my private carriage, and
yet, I repeat to you, you have carried him off, and conveyed him hither,
and," added the count, taking the letter from his pocket, "you have set
a ransom on him, as if he were an utter stranger."
"Why did you not tell me all this--you?" inquired the brigand chief,
turning towards his men, who all retreated before his look. "Why have
you caused me thus to fail in my word towards a gentleman like the
count, who has all our lives in his hands? By heavens, if I thought one
of you knew that the young gentleman was the friend of his excellency, I
would blow his brains out with my own hand!"
"Well," said the count, turning towards Franz, "I told you there was
some mistake in this."
"Are you not alone?" asked Vampa with uneasiness.
"I am with the person to whom this letter was addressed, and to whom
I desired to prove that Luigi Vampa was a man of his word. Come, your
excellency," the count added, turning to Franz, "here is Luigi Vampa,
who will himself express to you his deep regret at the mistake he has
committed." Franz approached, the chief advancing several steps to meet
him. "Welcome among us, your excellency," he said to him; "you heard
what the count just said, and also my reply; let me add that I would
not for the four thousand piastres at which I had fixed your friend's
ransom, that this had happened."
"But," said Franz, looking round him uneasily, "where is the
Viscount?--I do not see him."
"Nothing has happened to him, I hope," said the count frowningly.
"The prisoner is there," replied Vampa, pointing to the hollow space in
front of which the bandit was on guard, "and I will go myself and tell
him he is free." The chief went towards the place he had pointed out
as Albert's prison, and Franz and the count followed him. "What is the
prisoner doing?" inquired Vampa of the sentinel.
"Ma foi, captain," replied the sentry, "I do not know; for the last hour
I have not heard him stir."
"Come in, your excellency," said Vampa. The count and Franz ascended
seven or eight steps after the chief, who drew back a bolt and opened
a door. Then, by the gleam of a lamp, similar to that which lighted the
columbarium, Albert was to be seen wrapped up in a cloak which one of
the bandits had lent him, lying in a corner in profound slumber. "Come,"
said the count, smiling with his own peculiar smile, "not so bad for a
man who is to be shot at seven o'clock to-morrow morning." Vampa looked
at Albert with a kind of admiration; he was not insensible to such a
proof of courage.
"You are right, your excellency," he said; "this must be one of your
friends." Then going to Albert, he touched him on the shoulder, saying,
"Will your excellency please to awaken?" Albert stretched out his arms,
rubbed his eyelids, and opened his eyes. "Oh," said he, "is it you,
captain? You should have allowed me to sleep. I had such a delightful
dream. I was dancing the galop at Torlonia's with the Countess G----."
Then he drew his watch from his pocket, that he might see how time sped.
"Half-past one only?" said he. "Why the devil do you rouse me at this
hour?"
"To tell you that you are free, your excellency."
"My dear fellow," replied Albert, with perfect ease of mind, "remember,
for the future, Napoleon's maxim, 'Never awaken me but for bad news;' if
you had let me sleep on, I should have finished my galop, and have been
grateful to you all my life. So, then, they have paid my ransom?"
"No, your excellency."
"Well, then, how am I free?"
"A person to whom I can refuse nothing has come to demand you."
"Come hither?"
"Yes, hither."
"Really? Then that person is a most amiable person." Albert looked
around and perceived Franz. "What," said he, "is it you, my dear Franz,
whose devotion and friendship are thus displayed?"
"No, not I," replied Franz, "but our neighbor, the Count of Monte
Cristo."
"Oh, my dear count," said Albert gayly, arranging his cravat and
wristbands, "you are really most kind, and I hope you will consider
me as under eternal obligations to you, in the first place for the
carriage, and in the next for this visit," and he put out his hand to
the Count, who shuddered as he gave his own, but who nevertheless did
give it. The bandit gazed on this scene with amazement; he was evidently
accustomed to see his prisoners tremble before him, and yet here was one
whose gay temperament was not for a moment altered; as for Franz, he was
enchanted at the way in which Albert had sustained the national honor in
the presence of the bandit. "My dear Albert," he said, "if you will make
haste, we shall yet have time to finish the night at Torlonia's. You
may conclude your interrupted galop, so that you will owe no ill-will to
Signor Luigi, who has, indeed, throughout this whole affair acted like a
gentleman."
"You are decidedly right, and we may reach the Palazzo by two o'clock.
Signor Luigi," continued Albert, "is there any formality to fulfil
before I take leave of your excellency?"
"None, sir," replied the bandit, "you are as free as air."
"Well, then, a happy and merry life to you. Come, gentlemen, come."
And Albert, followed by Franz and the count, descended the staircase,
crossed the square chamber, where stood all the bandits, hat in hand.
"Peppino," said the brigand chief, "give me the torch."
"What are you going to do?" inquired the count.
"I will show you the way back myself," said the captain; "that is
the least honor that I can render to your excellency." And taking the
lighted torch from the hands of the herdsman, he preceded his guests,
not as a servant who performs an act of civility, but like a king who
precedes ambassadors. On reaching the door, he bowed. "And now, your
excellency," added he, "allow me to repeat my apologies, and I hope you
will not entertain any resentment at what has occurred."
"No, my dear Vampa," replied the count; "besides, you compensate for
your mistakes in so gentlemanly a way, that one almost feels obliged to
you for having committed them."
"Gentlemen," added the chief, turning towards the young men, "perhaps
the offer may not appear very tempting to you; but if you should ever
feel inclined to pay me a second visit, wherever I may be, you shall be
welcome." Franz and Albert bowed. The count went out first, then Albert.
Franz paused for a moment. "Has your excellency anything to ask me?"
said Vampa with a smile.
"Yes, I have," replied Franz; "I am curious to know what work you were
perusing with so much attention as we entered."
"Caesar's 'Commentaries,'" said the bandit, "it is my favorite work."
"Well, are you coming?" asked Albert.
"Yes," replied Franz, "here I am," and he, in his turn, left the caves.
They advanced to the plain. "Ah, your pardon," said Albert, turning
round; "will you allow me, captain?" And he lighted his cigar at Vampa's
torch. "Now, my dear count," he said, "let us on with all the speed
we may. I am enormously anxious to finish my night at the Duke of
Bracciano's." They found the carriage where they had left it. The count
said a word in Arabic to Ali, and the horses went on at great speed. It
was just two o'clock by Albert's watch when the two friends entered into
the dancing-room. Their return was quite an event, but as they entered
together, all uneasiness on Albert's account ceased instantly. "Madame,"
said the Viscount of Morcerf, advancing towards the countess, "yesterday
you were so condescending as to promise me a galop; I am rather late in
claiming this gracious promise, but here is my friend, whose character
for veracity you well know, and he will assure you the delay arose from
no fault of mine." And as at this moment the orchestra gave the signal
for the waltz, Albert put his arm round the waist of the countess, and
disappeared with her in the whirl of dancers. In the meanwhile Franz was
considering the singular shudder that had passed over the Count of Monte
Cristo at the moment when he had been, in some sort, forced to give his
hand to Albert.
Chapter 38. The Compact.
The first words that Albert uttered to his friend, on the following
morning, contained a request that Franz would accompany him on a visit
to the count; true, the young man had warmly and energetically thanked
the count on the previous evening; but services such as he had rendered
could never be too often acknowledged. Franz, who seemed attracted
by some invisible influence towards the count, in which terror was
strangely mingled, felt an extreme reluctance to permit his friend to be
exposed alone to the singular fascination that this mysterious personage
seemed to exercise over him, and therefore made no objection to Albert's
request, but at once accompanied him to the desired spot, and, after a
short delay, the count joined them in the salon. "My dear count," said
Albert, advancing to meet him, "permit me to repeat the poor thanks I
offered last night, and to assure you that the remembrance of all I owe
to you will never be effaced from my memory; believe me, as long as I
live, I shall never cease to dwell with grateful recollection on the
prompt and important service you rendered me; and also to remember that
to you I am indebted even for my life."
"My very good friend and excellent neighbor," replied the count, with a
smile, "you really exaggerate my trifling exertions. You owe me nothing
but some trifle of 20,000. francs, which you have been saved out of
your travelling expenses, so that there is not much of a score between
us;--but you must really permit me to congratulate you on the ease and
unconcern with which you resigned yourself to your fate, and the perfect
indifference you manifested as to the turn events might take."
"Upon my word," said Albert, "I deserve no credit for what I could not
help, namely, a determination to take everything as I found it, and to
let those bandits see, that although men get into troublesome scrapes
all over the world, there is no nation but the French that can smile
even in the face of grim Death himself. All that, however, has nothing
to do with my obligations to you, and I now come to ask you whether, in
my own person, my family, or connections, I can in any way serve you?
My father, the Comte de Morcerf, although of Spanish origin, possesses
considerable influence, both at the court of France and Madrid, and I
unhesitatingly place the best services of myself, and all to whom my
life is dear, at your disposal."
"Monsieur de Morcerf," replied the count, "your offer, far from
surprising me, is precisely what I expected from you, and I accept it in
the same spirit of hearty sincerity with which it is made;--nay, I will
go still further, and say that I had previously made up my mind to ask a
great favor at your hands."
"Oh, pray name it."
"I am wholly a stranger to Paris--it is a city I have never yet seen."
"Is it possible," exclaimed Albert, "that you have reached your present
age without visiting the finest capital in the world? I can scarcely
credit it."
"Nevertheless, it is quite true; still, I agree with you in thinking
that my present ignorance of the first city in Europe is a reproach
to me in every way, and calls for immediate correction; but, in all
probability, I should have performed so important, so necessary a duty,
as that of making myself acquainted with the wonders and beauties of
your justly celebrated capital, had I known any person who would have
introduced me into the fashionable world, but unfortunately I possessed
no acquaintance there, and, of necessity, was compelled to abandon the
idea."
"So distinguished an individual as yourself," cried Albert, "could
scarcely have required an introduction."
"You are most kind; but as regards myself, I can find no merit I
possess, save that, as a millionaire, I might have become a partner in
the speculations of M. Aguado and M. Rothschild; but as my motive in
travelling to your capital would not have been for the pleasure of
dabbling in stocks, I stayed away till some favorable chance should
present itself of carrying my wish into execution. Your offer, however,
smooths all difficulties, and I have only to ask you, my dear M. de
Morcerf" (these words were accompanied by a most peculiar smile),
"whether you undertake, upon my arrival in France, to open to me the
doors of that fashionable world of which I know no more than a Huron or
a native of Cochin-China?"
"Oh, that I do, and with infinite pleasure," answered Albert; "and so
much the more readily as a letter received this morning from my father
summons me to Paris, in consequence of a treaty of marriage (my dear
Franz, do not smile, I beg of you) with a family of high standing, and
connected with the very cream of Parisian society."
