Volume I Part 50 (1/2)
Clary nodded and tenheart absorbed in the reading of this interesting novel She sympathized with Edmond Dantes and Faria, she ith Mercedes, she hated Villefort, lalars, was enthusiastic for Valentine, admired Maximilian and breathed much easier when Madame de Villefort, the inhuman poisoner, had ended her evil career And over all these personages hovered in wonderful glory the e, the noble benefactor Monte-Cristo seeirl like a God, and when darkness set in and Madaee_, Clary e:
”Oh, Mamma Caraman, how beautiful is the romance and how happy do I feel to have seen the count! Yes, so, just so, he ought to appear; oh, Alexandre Dureatelse Both ladies conversed then more explicitly of the various persons in the romance, and afterward the companion withdrew, as already mentioned, to the veranda to work, and Clary re in a little pavilion orna she was unable to tell, when all at once without the garden wall a curious noise was heard Clary lifted her head and listened; the reading had excited her to the extent that at this moment a spectral appearance would have come not unexpectedly and yet she quite plainly noticed a sparkling pair of eyes, which inquiringly turned in all directions Clary did not stir A cloud, which up to that nized the Zouave, who sat upon the wall and then slipped down into the garden
Coucou seeround; he listened for a while, and as everything seemed quiet he selected the hich led to the veranda
At the veranda a la, and close by stood a basket filled with various skeins and balls of wool, while Mada comfortably The Jackal remained motionless at the foot of the veranda and looked up, and as nothing seemed to move, he soon resolved to cli into the garden
As soon as the Jackal saw Madaht of his er and ant than his mother, even were she alive With his hands folded over his breast, he looked at the sleeping woman; he did not anticipate that Clary, hid behind a tamarind-tree, watched all hiswhat ht the Zouave to this spot
Now Coucou approached the co a half-suppressed shriek she junized only the for after the first object at hand, she took hold of the work-basket and threith all her ht at the Zouave The basket hit Coucou's head and clapped itself like a helled in his hair, tickling his nose and causing a violent cough and continual sneezing
The lady now first recognized the brave Jackal, and considering the aard situation he was placed in, she could not help bursting into a loud laugh In vain Coucou tried to rid hihed and sneezed uninterruptedly, and the basket seeth the French lady took pity on him and helped him to remove the basket, and then in a voice of merriment which she could not suppress she said:
”Well, Monsieur Jackal, you will perhaps tell me what induced you to come here?”
Coucou was ready to answer, but the wool threads prevented hi, and Clary, below in the garden, suffered frohter in order not to betray her presence, the Zouave breathlessly gasped:
”One--drop--of water--I suffocate!”
Madalassful of water, and as the cough would not stop, she took from the sideboard a bottle filled with cordial and offered it to the soldier with these words:
”There, drink a drop, you big scamp, and then explain your presence here”
The Zouave cast a grateful glance at the lady and took a long draught out of the bottle
”Sapristi!” he then exclaiue, ”that is an excellent drop!”
”Bah, never mind the drop now, but answerfor here?”
”I--intended--”
”Quick, and do not stutter so awfully Is it lawful at night and in darkness to enter a strange abode and to frighten people?”
”Alas, I shall certainly never do it again,” stammered poor Coucou, crestfallen ”I came here, because--”
”Dear me, I alhingly interrupted Madame Caraman
”Not exactly, madame, but behold, there are moments in the life of a soldier--”
”In which he proves himself especially stupid,” added Madame Caraman impatiently; ”stick to your subject”