to smile; "I fetched 2,000 francs."
(* The Spahis are French cavalry reserved for service in
Africa.)
"Then these 1,000 francs" — said Mercedes, shuddering —
"Are the half of the sum, mother; the other will be paid in a
year."
Mercedes raised her eyes to heaven with an expression it would
be impossible to describe, and tears, which had hitherto been
restrained, now yielded to her emotion, and ran down her
cheeks.
"The price of his blood!" she murmured.
"Yes, if I am killed," said Albert, laughing. "But I assure you,
mother, I have a strong intention of defending my person, and I
never felt half so strong an inclination to live as I do now."
"Merciful heavens!"
"Besides, mother, why should you make up your mind that I am to
be killed? Has Lamoriciere, that Ney of the South, been killed? Has
Changarnier been killed? Has Bedeau been killed? Has Morrel, whom
we know, been killed? Think of your joy, mother, when you see me
return with an embroidered uniform! I declare, I expect to look
magnificent in it, and chose that regiment only from vanity."
Mercedes sighed while endeavoring to smile; the devoted mother felt
that she ought not to allow the whole weight of the sacrifice to
fall upon her son. "Well, now you understand, mother!" continued
Albert; "here are more than 4,000 francs settled on you; upon these
you can live at least two years."
"Do you think so?" said Mercedes. These words were uttered in so
mournful a tone that their real meaning did not escape Albert; he
felt his heart beat, and taking his mother's hand within his own he
said, tenderly, —
"Yes, you will live!"
"I shall live! — then you will not leave me, Albert?"
"Mother, I must go," said Albert in a firm, calm voice; "you
love me too well to wish me to remain useless and idle with you;
besides, I have signed."
"You will obey your own wish and the will of heaven!"
"Not my own wish, mother, but reason — necessity. Are we not two
despairing creatures? What is life to you? — Nothing. What is lifedespairing creatures? What is life to you? — Nothing. What is life
to me? — Very little without you, mother; for believe me, but for
you I should have ceased to live on the day I doubted my father and
renounced his name. Well, I will live, if you promise me still to
hope; and if you grant me the care of your future prospects, you
will redouble my strength. Then I will go to the governor of
Algeria; he has a royal heart, and is essentially a soldier; I will
tell him my gloomy story. I will beg him to turn his eyes now and
then towards me, and if he keep his word and interest himself for
me, in six months I shall be an officer, or dead. If I am an
officer, your fortune is certain, for I shall have money enough for
both, and, moreover, a name we shall both be proud of, since it
will be our own. If I am killed — well then mother, you can also
die, and there will be an end of our misfortunes."
"It is well," replied Mercedes, with her eloquent glance; "you
are right, my love; let us prove to those who are watching our
actions that we are worthy of compassion."
"But let us not yield to gloomy apprehensions," said the young
man; "I assure you we are, or rather we shall be, very happy. You
are a woman at once full of spirit and resignation; I have become
simple in my tastes, and am without passion, I hope. Once in
service, I shall be rich — once in M. Dantes' house, you will be at
rest. Let us strive, I beseech you, — let us strive to be
cheerful."
"Yes, let us strive, for you ought to live, and to be happy,
Albert."
"And so our division is made, mother," said the young man,
affecting ease of mind. "We can now part; come, I shall engage your
passage."
"And you, my dear boy?"
"I shall stay here for a few days longer; we must accustom
ourselves to parting. I want recommendations and some information
relative to Africa. I will join you again at Marseilles."
"Well, be it so — let us part," said Mercedes, folding around
her shoulders the only shawl she had taken away, and whichher shoulders the only shawl she had taken away, and which
accidentally happened to be a valuable black cashmere. Albert
gathered up his papers hastily, rang the bell to pay the thirty
francs he owed to the landlord, and offering his arm to his mother,
they descended the stairs. Some one was walking down before them,
and this person, hearing the rustling of a silk dress, turned
around. "Debray!" muttered Albert.
"You, Morcerf?" replied the secretary, resting on the stairs.
Curiosity had vanquished the desire of preserving his incognito,
and he was recognized. It was, indeed, strange in this unknown spot
to find the young man whose misfortunes had made so much noise in
Paris.
"Morcerf!" repeated Debray. Then noticing in the dim light the
still youthful and veiled figure of Madame de Morcerf: — "Pardon
me," he added with a smile, "I leave you, Albert." Albert
understood his thoughts. "Mother," he said, turning towards
Mercedes, "this is M. Debray, secretary of the minister for the
interior, once a friend of mine."
"How once?" stammered Debray; "what do you mean?"
"I say so, M. Debray, because I have no friends now, and I ought
not to have any. I thank you for having recognized me, sir." Debray
stepped forward, and cordially pressed the hand of his
interlocutor. "Believe me, dear Albert," he said, with all the
emotion he was capable of feeling, — "believe me, I feel deeply for
your misfortunes, and if in any way I can serve you, I am
yours."
"Thank you, sir," said Albert, smiling. "In the midst of our
misfortunes, we are still rich enough not to require assistance
from any one. We are leaving Paris, and when our journey is paid,
we shall have 5,000 francs left." The blood mounted to the temples
of Debray, who held a million in his pocket-book, and unimaginative
as he was he could not help reflecting that the same house had
contained two women, one of whom, justly dishonored, had left it
poor with 1,500,000 francs under her cloak, while the other,
unjustly stricken, but sublime in her misfortune, was yet rich withunjustly stricken, but sublime in her misfortune, was yet rich with
a few deniers. This parallel disturbed his usual politeness, the
philosophy he witnessed appalled him, he muttered a few words of
general civility and ran down-stairs.
That day the minister's clerks and the subordinates had a great
deal to put up with from his ill-humor. But that same night, he
found himself the possessor of a fine house, situated on the
Boulevard de la Madeleine, and an income of 50,000 livres. The next
day, just as Debray was signing the deed, that is about five
o'clock in the afternoon, Madame de Morcerf, after having
affectionately embraced her son, entered the coupe of the
diligence, which closed upon her. A man was hidden in Lafitte's
banking-house, behind one of the little arched windows which are
placed above each desk; he saw Mercedes enter the diligence, and he
also saw Albert withdraw. Then he passed his hand across his
forehead, which was clouded with doubt. "Alas," he exclaimed, "how
can I restore the happiness I have taken away from these poor
innocent creatures? God help me!"