this child. For the assassination itself I had never felt any
remorse. Poor Assunta had guessed all. She had profited by my
absence, and furnished with the half of the linen, and having
written down the day and hour at which I had deposited the child at
the asylum, had set off for Paris, and had reclaimed it. No
objection was raised, and the infant was given up to her. Ah, I
confess, your excellency, when I saw this poor creature sleeping
peacefully in its cradle, I felt my eyes filled with tears. `Ah,
Assunta,' cried I, `you are an excellent woman, and heaven will
bless you.'"
"This," said Monte Cristo, "is less correct than your
philosophy, — it is only faith."
"Alas, your excellency is right," replied Bertuccio, "and God
made this infant the instrument of our punishment. Never did a
perverse nature declare itself more prematurely, and yet it was not
owing to any fault in his bringing up. He was a most lovely child,
with large blue eyes, of that deep color that harmonizes so well
with the blond complexion; only his hair, which was too light, gave
his face a most singular expression, and added to the vivacity of
his look, and the malice of his smile. Unfortunately, there is a
proverb which says that `red is either altogether good or
altogether bad.' The proverb was but too correct as regarded
Benedetto, and even in his infancy he manifested the worst
disposition. It is true that the indulgence of his foster-mother
encouraged him. This child, for whom my poor sister would go to the
town, five or six leagues off, to purchase the earliest fruits and
the most tempting sweetmeats, preferred to Palma grapes or Genoese
preserves, the chestnuts stolen from a neighbor's orchard, or the
dried apples in his loft, when he could eat as well of the nuts and
apples that grew in my garden. One day, when Benedetto was about
five or six, our neighbor Vasilio, who, according to the custom of
the country, never locked up his purse or his valuables — for, as
your excellency knows, there are no thieves in Corsica — complainedyour excellency knows, there are no thieves in Corsica — complained
that he had lost a louis out of his purse; we thought he must have
made a mistake in counting his money, but he persisted in the
accuracy of his statement. One day, Benedetto, who had been gone
from the house since morning, to our great anxiety, did not return
until late in the evening, dragging a monkey after him, which he
said he had found chained to the foot of a tree. For more than a
month past, the mischievous child, who knew not what to wish for,
had taken it into his head to have a monkey. A boatman, who had
passed by Rogliano, and who had several of these animals, whose
tricks had greatly diverted him, had, doubtless, suggested this
idea to him. `Monkeys are not found in our woods chained to trees,'
said I; `confess how you obtained this animal.' Benedetto
maintained the truth of what he had said, and accompanied it with
details that did more honor to his imagination than to his
veracity. I became angry; he began to laugh, I threatened to strike
him, and he made two steps backwards. `You cannot beat me,' said
he; `you have no right, for you are not my father.'
"We never knew who had revealed this fatal secret, which we had
so carefully concealed from him; however, it was this answer, in
which the child's whole character revealed itself, that almost
terrified me, and my arm fell without touching him. The boy
triumphed, and this victory rendered him so audacious, that all the
money of Assunta, whose affection for him seemed to increase as he
became more unworthy of it, was spent in caprices she knew not how
to contend against, and follies she had not the courage to prevent.
When I was at Rogliano everything went on properly, but no sooner
was my back turned than Benedetto became master, and everything
went ill. When he was only eleven, he chose his companions from
among the young men of eighteen or twenty, the worst characters in
Bastia, or, indeed, in Corsica, and they had already, for someBastia, or, indeed, in Corsica, and they had already, for some
mischievous pranks, been several times threatened with a
prosecution. I became alarmed, as any prosecution might be attended
with serious consequences. I was compelled, at this period, to
leave Corsica on an important expedition; I reflected for a long
time, and with the hope of averting some impending misfortune, I
resolved that Benedetto should accompany me. I hoped that the
active and laborious life of a smuggler, with the severe discipline
on board, would have a salutary effect on his character, which was
now well-nigh, if not quite, corrupt. I spoke to Benedetto alone,
and proposed to him to accompany me, endeavoring to tempt him by
all the promises most likely to dazzle the imagination of a child
of twelve. He heard me patiently, and when I had finished, burst
out laughing.
"`Are you mad, uncle?' (he called me by this name when he was in
good humor); `do you think I am going to change the life I lead for
your mode of existence — my agreeable indolence for the hard and
precarious toil you impose on yourself, exposed to the bitter frost
at night, and the scorching heat by day, compelled to conceal
yourself, and when you are perceived, receive a volley of bullets,
all to earn a paltry sum? Why, I have as much money as I want;
mother Assunta always furnishes me when I ask for it! You see that
I should be a fool to accept your offer.' The arguments, and his
audacity, perfectly stupefied me. Benedetto rejoined his
associates, and I saw him from a distance point me out to them as a
fool."
"Sweet child," murmured Monte Cristo.
"Oh, had he been my own son," replied Bertuccio, "or even my
nephew, I would have brought him back to the right road, for the
knowledge that you are doing your duty gives you strength, but the
idea that I was striking a child whose father I had killed, made it
impossible for me to punish him. I gave my sister, who constantly
defended the unfortunate boy, good advice, and as she confessed