The Son Of Monte Cristo Part 27 (2/2)

”Fanfar has no parents”

The Marquis bit his lips With difficulty he curbed his impatience; it showed in his voice and his eyes Gudel suspected nothing

”A poor orphan, then?” asked the Marquis, in thefather?”

”No, sir, I found Fanfar”

”Pray tellman”

”It is a simple story, sir My father and I were mountebanks, and there are worse trades, let me assure you I have served my time under the Republic, and was easy in my mind when there caain I had left e which the allies would have gobbled up at a mouthful, so I asked for a short leave and started off I tuoods into s I used in my profession I must not omit to mention that Bobi+chel had kept up the business fornot very rapidly, for there was already fighting going on in France, and ere obliged to turn off the highway h a field, I heard the sound of a bugle It was the French bugle call It sounded a little queer, but I said to myself, 'Hullo! there are co that I shall never forget in my life”

”Go on!” cried the Marquis

Gudel opened his eyes in amazement, but he could not well see the face of his companion, and was flattered by the evident curiosity of the Marquis

”I saw soldiers, several of the dead, butchered by the Cossacks

I looked around to see who had sounded the bugle You won't believe me when I tell you that it was a boy, certainly not over ten, who had discovered this bugle and blown it I ran to him, but I don't know that he even sawat that very moment”

”And you picked him up?”

”Of course I did! And this was Fanfar”

”Did you make any search for his parents?”

”How could I! The Cossacks were at my heels, and there was fire and blood everywhere”

”But later on?”

”The child was sick for a long tian to recover we feared that his brain was hopelessly affected It was not until eighteen months had elapsed that he was able to tell es mountains”

”Ah!” The Marquis drew his breath with pain ”Go on! go on!” he muttered in a hoarse voice

”He said his father's name was Simon, his mother's name Francoise, and a little sister was called Francinette, but he gave me no family name I did e the mountains, the mother was burned in a fire set by the Cossacks, the sister had disappeared; my little Fanfar was all alone I kept hiht hiood, brave people, on the other cowards and assassins”

The Marquis was livid There was now no doubt It was Simon's son who had been thus thrown in his path He asked one more question

”But could you not learn the father's nae was burned, almost all the inhabitants had perished, the Cossacks had done their ell One of the peasants did tell ht a school--was a great lord in disguise, but there are always just such foolish stories, and you know in those days great lords were not often killed in defending France”

Fanfar entered somewhat abruptly

”This is the lad, sir,” said Gudel, drawing hi!”