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Quite sufficient, replied the count, as, taking out his
tablets, he wrote down No. 27, Rue du Helder, 21st May,
half-past ten in the morning.
Now then, said the count, returning his tablets to his
pocket, make yourself perfectly easy; the hand of your
time-piece will not be more accurate in marking the time
than myself.
Shall I see you again ere my departure? asked Albert.
That depends; when do you leave?
To-morrow evening, at five oclock.
In that case I must say adieu to you, as I am compelled to
go to Naples, and shall not return hither before Saturday
evening or Sunday morning. And you, baron, pursued the
count, addressing Franz, do you also depart to-morrow?
Yes.
For France?
No, for Venice; I shall remain in Italy for another year or
two.
Then we shall not meet in Paris?
I fear I shall not have that honor.
Well, since we must part, said the count, holding out a
hand to each of the young men, allow me to wish you both a
safe and pleasant journey. It was the first time the hand
of Franz had come in contact with that of the mysterious
individual before him, and unconsciously he shuddered at its
touch, for it felt cold and icy as that of a corpse. Let us
understand each other, said Albert; it is agreed -- is it
not? -- that you are to be at No. 27, in the Rue du Helder,
on the 21st of May, at half-past ten in the morning, and
your word of honor passed for your punctuality?
The 21st of May, at half-past ten in the morning, Rue du
Helder, No. 27, replied the Count. The young men then rose,
and bowing to the count, quitted the room. What is the
matter? asked Albert of Franz, when they had returned to
their own apartments; you seem more than commonly
thoughtful.
I will confess to you, Albert, replied Franz, the count
is a very singular person, and the appointment you have made
to meet him in Paris fills me with a thousand
apprehensions.
My dear fellow, exclaimed Albert, what can there possibly
be in that to excite uneasiness? Why, you must have lost
your senses.
Whether I am in my senses or not, answered Franz, that is
the way I feel.
Listen to me, Franz, said Albert; I am glad that the
occasion has presented itself for saying this to you, for I
have noticed how cold you are in your bearing towards the
count, while he, on the other hand, has always been courtesy
itself to us. Have you anything particular against him?
Possibly.
Did you ever meet him previously to coming hither?
I have.
And where?
Will you promise me not to repeat a single word of what I
am about to tell you?
I promise.
Upon your honor?
Upon my honor.
Then listen to me. Franz then related to his friend the
history of his excursion to the Island of Monte Cristo and
of his finding a party of smugglers there, and the two
Corsican bandits with them. He dwelt with considerable force
and energy on the almost magical hospitality he had received
from the count, and the magnificence of his entertainment in
the grotto of the Thousand and One Nights. He recounted,
with circumstantial exactitude, all the particulars of the
supper, the hashish, the statues, the dream, and how, at his
awakening, there remained no proof or trace of all these
events, save the small yacht, seen in the distant horizon
driving under full sail toward Porto-Vecchio. Then he
detailed the conversation overheard by him at the Colosseum,
between the count and Vampa, in which the count had promised
to obtain the release of the bandit Peppino, -- an
engagement which, as our readers are aware, he most
faithfully fulfilled. At last he arrived at the adventure of
the preceding night, and the embarrassment in which he found
himself placed by not having sufficient cash by six or seven
hundred piastres to make up the sum required, and finally of
his application to the count and the picturesque and
satisfactory result that followed. Albert listened with the
most profound attention. Well, said he, when Franz had
concluded, what do you find to object to in all you have
related? The count is fond of travelling, and, being rich,
possesses a vessel of his own. Go but to Portsmouth or
Southampton, and you will find the harbors crowded with the
yachts belonging to such of the English as can afford the
expense, and have the same liking for this amusement. Now,
by way of having a resting-place during his excursions,
avoiding the wretched cookery -- which has been trying its
best to poison me during the last four months, while you
have manfully resisted its effects for as many years, -- and
obtaining a bed on which it is possible to slumber, Monte
Cristo has furnished for himself a temporary abode where you
first found him; but, to prevent the possibility of the
Tuscan government taking a fancy to his enchanted palace,
and thereby depriving him of the advantages naturally
expected from so large an outlay of capital, he has wisely
enough purchased the island, and taken its name. Just ask
yourself, my good fellow, whether there are not many persons
of our acquaintance who assume the names of lands and
properties they never in their lives were masters of?
But, said Franz, the Corsican bandits that were among the
crew of his vessel?
Why, really the thing seems to me simple enough. Nobody
knows better than yourself that the bandits of Corsica are
not rogues or thieves, but purely and simply fugitives,
driven by some sinister motive from their native town or
village, and that their fellowship involves no disgrace or
stigma; for my own part, I protest that, should I ever go to
Corsica, my first visit, ere even I presented myself to the
mayor or prefect, should be to the bandits of Colomba, if I
could only manage to find them; for, on my conscience, they
are a race of men I admire greatly.
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Then it is settled, said the count, and I give you my
solemn assurance that I only waited an opportunity like the
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I pledge you my honor, cards returned the count, that I mean to
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Have you made up your new mind when you shall be there
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Nay, said the Count; I will give you three months ere I
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And in three months time, said Albert, you will be at my
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and hour? inquired the count; only let me warn you that I
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So be it, then, replied the discount count, and extending his hand
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Capital, exclaimed Albert; your breakfast shall be
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Where do you search live?
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