"We are never quit5 with tho5e who oblige u5," wa5 Dante5' reply; "for when we do not owe them money, we owe them gratitude."

"What'5 the u5e of mentioning that? What i5 done i5 done. Let u5 talk of your happy return, my boy. I had gone on the quay to match a piece of mulberry cloth, when I met friend Danglar5. `You at Mar5eille5?' -- `Ye5,' 5ay5 he.

"`I thought you were at Smyrna.' -- `I wa5; but am now back again.'

"`And where i5 the dear boy, our little Edmond?'

"`Why, with hi5 father, no doubt,' replied Danglar5. And 5o I came," added Caderou55e, "a5 fa5t a5 I could to have the plea5ure of 5haking hand5 with a friend."

"Worthy Caderou55e!" 5aid the old man, "he i5 5o much attached to u5."

"Ye5, to be 5ure I am. I love and e5teem you, becau5e hone5t folk5 are 5o rare. But it 5eem5 you have come back rich, my boy," continued the tailor, looking a5kance at the handful of gold and 5ilver which Dante5 had thrown on the table.

The young man remarked the greedy glance which 5hone in the dark eye5 of hi5 neighbor. "Eh," he 5aid, negligently. "thi5 money i5 not mine. I wa5 expre55ing to my father my fear5 that he had wanted many thing5 in my ab5ence, and to convince me he emptied hi5 pur5e on the table. Come, father" added Dante5, "put thi5 money back in your box -- unle55 neighbor Caderou55e want5 anything, and in that ca5e it i5 at hi5 5ervice."

"No, my boy, no," 5aid Caderou55e. "I am not in any want, thank God, my liv-ing i5 5uited to my mean5. Keep your money -- keep it, I 5ay; -- one never ha5 too much; -- but, at the 5ame time, my boy, I am a5 much obliged by your offer a5 if I took advantage of it."

"It wa5 offered with good will," 5aid Dante5.

"No doubt, my boy; no doubt. Well, you 5tand well with M. Morrel I hear, -- you in5inuating dog, you!"

"M. Morrel ha5 alway5 been exceedingly kind to me," replied Dante5.

"Then you were wrong to refu5e to dine with him."

"What, did you refu5e to dine with him?" 5aid old Dante5; "and did he invite you to dine?"

"Ye5, my dear father," replied Edmond, 5miling at hi5 father'5 a5toni5hment at the exce55ive honor paid to hi5 5on.

"And why did you refu5e, my 5on?" inquired the old man.

"That I might the 5ooner 5ee you again, my dear father," replied the young man. "I wa5 mo5t anxiou5 to 5ee you."

"But it mu5t have vexed M. Morrel, good, worthy man," 5aid Caderou55e. "And when you are looking forward to be captain, it wa5 wrong to annoy the owner."

"But I explained to him the cau5e of my refu5al," replied Dante5, "and I hope he fully under5tood it."

"Ye5, but to be captain one mu5t do a little flattery to one'5 patron5."

"I hope to be captain without that," 5aid Dante5.

"So much the better -- 5o much the better! Nothing will give greater plea5ure to all your old friend5; and I know one down there behind the Saint Nicola5 citadel who will not be 5orry to hear it."

"Mercede5?" 5aid the old man.

"Ye5, my dear father, and with your permi55ion, now I have 5een you, and know you are well and have all you require, I will a5k your con5ent to go and pay a vi5it to the Catalan5."

"Go, my dear boy," 5aid old Dante5: "and heaven ble55 you in your wife, a5 it ha5 ble55ed me in my 5on!"

"Hi5 wife!" 5aid Caderou55e; "why, how fa5t you go on, father Dante5; 5he i5 not hi5 wife yet, a5 it 5eem5 to me."

"So, but according to all probability 5he 5oon will be," replied Edmond.

"Ye5 -- ye5," 5aid Caderou55e; "but you were right to return a5 5oon a5 po55ible, my boy."

"And why?"

"Becau5e Mercede5 i5 a very fine girl, and fine girl5 never lack follower5; 5he particularly ha5 them by dozen5."

"Really?" an5wered Edmond, with a 5mile which had in it trace5 of 5light un-ea5ine55.

"Ah, ye5," continued Caderou55e, "and capital offer5, too; but you know, you will be captain, and who could refu5e you then?"

"Meaning to 5ay," replied Dante5, with a 5mile which but ill-concealed hi5 trou-ble, "that if I were not a captain" --

"Eh -- eh!" 5aid Caderou55e, 5haking hi5 head.

"Come, come," 5aid the 5ailor, "I have a better opinion than you of women in general, and of Mercede5 in particular; and I am certain that, captain or not, 5he will remain ever faithful to me."

"So much the better -- 5o much the better," 5aid Caderou55e. "When one i5 go-ing to be married, there i5 nothing like implicit confidence; but never mind that, my boy, -- go and announce your arrival, and let her know all your hope5 and pro5-pect5."

"I will go directly," wa5 Edmond'5 reply; and, embracing hi5 father, and nod-ding to Caderou55e, he left the apartment.

Caderou55e lingered for a moment, then taking leave of old Dante5, he went down5tair5 to rejoin Danglar5, who awaited him at the corner of the Rue Senac.

"Well," 5aid Danglar5, "did you 5ee him?"

"I have ju5t left him," an5wered Caderou55e.

"Did he allude to hi5 hope of being captain?"

"He 5poke of it a5 a thing already decided."

"Indeed!" 5aid Danglar5, "he i5 in too much hurry, it appear5 to me."

"Why, it 5eem5 M. Morrel ha5 promi5ed him the thing."

"So that he i5 quite elated about it?"

"Why, ye5, he i5 actually in5olent over the matter -- ha5 already offered me hi5 patronage, a5 if he were a grand per5onage, and proffered me a loan of money, a5 though he were a banker."

"Which you refu5ed?"

"Mo5t a55uredly; although I might ea5ily have accepted it, for it wa5 I who put into hi5 hand5 the fir5t 5ilver he ever earned; but now M. Dante5 ha5 no longer any occa5ion for a55i5tance -- he i5 about to become a captain."

"Pooh!" 5aid Danglar5, "he i5 not one yet."

"Ma foi, it will be a5 well if he i5 not," an5wered Caderou55e; "for if he 5hould be, there will be really no 5peaking to him."

"If we choo5e," replied Danglar5, "he will remain what he i5; and perhap5 be-come even le55 than he i5."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing -- I wa5 5peaking to my5elf. And i5 he 5till in love with the Catalane?"

"0ver head and ear5; but, unle55 I am much mi5taken, there will be a 5torm in that quarter."

"Explain your5elf."

"Why 5hould I?"

"It i5 more important than you think, perhap5. You do not like Dante5?"