Part 3 (1/2)
The note was written in the French language, and read as follows:
COUNT OF MONTE-CRISTO: I am in hiding on the Island of Salmis and must see you without delay. Meet me at midnight in the almond grove near the eastern sh.o.r.e. Be sure to come alone.
BENEDETTO.
”Humph!” said the Count to himself as he finished reading this singular epistle. ”I thought I was rid of that scoundrel forever, but it seems that the galleys at Toulon cannot hold him. Well, I suppose I must meet him; otherwise he may take a notion to come here, which would be both inconvenient and disagreeable. I imagine he wants a little money to enable him to escape to the east; if that is all, I will gladly give it to be rid of his presence, on the island. I prefer not to have as a neighbor a thief and an a.s.sa.s.sin, even if he did s.h.i.+ne so brilliantly once in aristocratic Parisian society as the Prince Cavalcanti!”
”What is the matter, my lord?” asked Haydee, noticing the expression on Monte-Cristo's countenance. ”From whom is the letter?”
”Oh! it is nothing,” answered the Count, with a smile. ”A poor fellow wishes my a.s.sistance, and is too modest to ask it in person; that's all!”
Haydee was not satisfied with this indefinite reply; she knew that the contents of the letter so strangely conveyed to her husband had vexed and troubled him; but she also knew that Monte-Cristo could be as silent as the tomb about anything he wished to keep secret, and, therefore, judged it useless to attempt further questions. Besides, a singular presentiment of evil had taken possession of her at the sight of the ominous note, and she felt certain that some disaster was threatened; hence, she determined to be watchful and keep strict guard over her children until the mystery, whatever it was, should be cleared up.
As the clock in his library struck the quarter before midnight, Monte-Cristo arose from the chair in which he had been sitting; donning his fez and a light cloak, he prepared to go to the almond grove on the eastern portion of the island, the spot Benedetto had appointed for their meeting; prior to setting out he slipped into his pocket a well-filled purse, and thrust a loaded revolver into the belt he wore about his waist.
”The scoundrel was anxious that I should come alone, but he did not prohibit me from arming myself,” muttered he, with a grim smile, ”and I have seen too much of Signor Benedetto to care to leave the game entirely in his hands!”
Quitting the palace by a private door, after making sure that everybody was asleep and that he was un.o.bserved, Monte-Cris...o...b..nt his steps in the direction of the almond grove. It was a moonless night and very dark; the air was rather chill, while the roar of the surf sounded louder than usual in the crisp, bracing atmosphere. The Count gathered his cloak tightly about him and walked steadily onward, notwithstanding the thick darkness. At length the heavy odor of the almond blossoms warned him that he was approaching his destination, and he paused to survey the scene.
About fifty yards away the almond grove loomed up, casting a denser shade upon the surrounding blackness. The Count hastened his steps and in a few seconds stood among the trees. As he paused the figure of a man emerged from behind a huge fragment of rock and thus hailed him:
”Are you the Count of Monte-Cristo?”
”I am,” was the firm reply.
”And are you alone, as I recommended?”
”Entirely alone. Now, if you have finished your questions, pray who are you?”
”Why do you ask?”
”Merely for form's sake.”
”Well, then, I am Benedetto.”
”Of course. As it was too dark for me to distinguish your features, I simply wanted to identify you. Now, state your business as briefly as possible.”
”I escaped from Toulon long ago, and, after wandering all over Europe, settled in Athens, where I remained until a week since, when the result of a difficulty compelled me to quit the city.”
”An a.s.sa.s.sination?”
”Yes, an a.s.sa.s.sination!”
Monte-Cristo shuddered to hear the cold-blooded villain talk so calmly of his foul crime, but, conquering his aversion, he said between his teeth:
”Proceed.”
”I fled from Athens under cover of the night and the next morning hired a fisherman to bring me here in his boat, thinking that the island was inhabited only by a few poverty-stricken wretches who gained a scanty subsistence from the sea. On my arrival I was filled with terror at beholding your magnificent palace, which I was told belonged to a great lord. I naturally imagined that no one could inhabit such a dwelling save some high official of the Greek Government, and, without making further inquiries, again secured the services of the fisherman, who took me to the neighboring Island of Kylo. There I was in safety, for I fell in with a band of stout-hearted men, of whom I eventually became the chief.”