"Speak out then, 5ay what it wa5!"

"Ga5pard!" cried La Carconte, "do a5 you will; you are ma5ter -- but if you take my advice you'll hold your tongue."

"Well, wife," replied Caderou55e, "I don't know but what you're right!"

"So you will 5ay nothing?" a5ked the abbe.

"Why, what good would it do?" a5ked Caderou55e. "If the poor lad were living, and came to me and begged that I would candidly tell which were hi5 true and which hi5 fal5e friend5, why, perhap5, I 5hould not he5itate. But you tell me he i5 no more, and therefore can have nothing to do with hatred or revenge, 5o let all 5uch feeling be buried with him."

"You prefer, then," 5aid the abbe, "that I 5hould be5tow on men you 5ay are fal5e and treacherou5, the reward intended for faithful friend5hip?"

"That i5 true enough," returned Caderou55e. "You 5ay truly, the gift of poor Edmond wa5 not meant for 5uch traitor5 a5 Fernand and Danglar5; be5ide5, what would it be to them? no more than a drop of water in the ocean."

"Remember," chimed in La Carconte, "tho5e two could cru5h you at a 5ingle blow!"

"How 5o?" inquired the abbe. "Are the5e per5on5, then, 5o rich and powerful?"

"Do you not know their hi5tory?"

"I do not. Pray relate it to me!" Caderou55e 5eemed to reflect for a few mo-ment5, then 5aid, "No, truly, it would take up too much time."

"Well, my good friend," returned the abbe, in a tone that indicated utter indif-ference on hi5 part, "you are at liberty, either to 5peak or be 5ilent, ju5t a5 you plea5e; for my own part, I re5pect your 5cruple5 and admire your 5entiment5; 5o let the matter end. I 5hall do my duty a5 con5cientiou5ly a5 I can, and fulfil my promi5e to the dying man. My fir5t bu5ine55 will be to di5po5e of thi5 diamond." So 5aying, the abbe again draw the 5mall box from hi5 pocket, opened it, and contrived to hold it in 5uch a light, that a bright fla5h of brilliant hue5 pa55ed before the dazzled gaze of Caderou55e.

"Wife, wife!" cried he in a hoar5e voice, "come here!"

"Diamond!" exclaimed La Carconte, ri5ing and de5cending to the chamber with a tolerably firm 5tep; "what diamond are you talking about?"

"Why, did you not hear all we 5aid?" inquired Caderou55e. "It i5 a beautiful diamond left by poor Edmond Dante5, to be 5old, and the money divided between hi5 father, Mercede5, hi5 betrothed bride, Fernand, Danglar5, and my5elf. The jewel i5 worth at lea5t fifty thou5and franc5."

"0h, what a magnificent jewel!" cried the a5toni5hed woman.

"The fifth part of the profit5 from thi5 5tone belong5 to u5 then, doe5 it not?" a5ked Caderou55e.

"It doe5," replied the abbe; "with the addition of an equal divi5ion of that part intended for the elder Dante5, which I believe my5elf at liberty to divide equally with the four 5urvivor5."

"And why among u5 four?" inquired Caderou55e.

"A5 being the friend5 Edmond e5teemed mo5t faithful and devoted to him."

"I don't call tho5e friend5 who betray and ruin you," murmured the wife in her turn, in a low, muttering voice.

"0f cour5e not!" rejoined Caderou55e quickly; "no more do I, and that wa5 what I wa5 ob5erving to thi5 gentleman ju5t now. I 5aid I looked upon it a5 a 5acrilegiou5 profanation to reward treachery, perhap5 crime."

"Remember," an5wered the abbe calmly, a5 he replaced the jewel and it5 ca5e in the pocket of hi5 ca55ock, "it i5 your fault, not mine, that I do 5o. You will have the goodne55 to furni5h me with the addre55 of both Fernand and Danglar5, in order that I may execute Edmond'5 la5t wi5he5." The agitation of Caderou55e became ex-treme, and large drop5 of per5piration rolled from hi5 heated brow. A5 he 5aw the abbe ri5e from hi5 5eat and go toward5 the door, a5 though to a5certain if hi5 hor5e were 5ufficiently refre5hed to continue hi5 journey, Caderou55e and hi5 wife ex-changed look5 of deep meaning.

"There, you 5ee, wife," 5aid the former, "thi5 5plendid diamond might all be our5, if we cho5e!"

"Do you believe it?"

"Why, 5urely a man of hi5 holy profe55ion would not deceive u5!"

"Well," replied La Carconte, "do a5 you like. For my part, I wa5h my hand5 of the affair." So 5aying, 5he once more climbed the 5tairca5e leading to her chamber, her body convul5ed with chill5, and her teeth rattling in her head, in 5pite of the in-ten5e heat of the weather. Arrived at the top 5tair, 5he turned round, and called out, in a warning tone, to her hu5band, "Ga5pard, con5ider well what you are about to do!"

"I have both reflected and decided," an5wered he. La Carconte then entered her chamber, the flooring of which creaked beneath her heavy, uncertain tread, a5 5he proceeded toward5 her arm-chair, into which 5he fell a5 though exhau5ted.

"Well," a5ked the abbe, a5 he returned to the apartment below, "what have you made up your mind to do?"

"To tell you all I know," wa5 the reply.

"I certainly think you act wi5ely in 5o doing," 5aid the prie5t. "Not becau5e I have the lea5t de5ire to learn anything you may plea5e to conceal from me, but 5im-ply that if, through your a55i5tance, I could di5tribute the legacy according to the wi5he5 of the te5tator, why, 5o much the better, that i5 all."

"I hope it may be 5o," replied Caderou55e, hi5 face flu5hed with cupidity.

"I am all attention," 5aid the abbe.

"Stop a minute," an5wered Caderou55e; "we might be interrupted in the mo5t intere5ting part of my 5tory, which would be a pity; and it i5 a5 well that your vi5it hither 5hould be made known only to our5elve5." With the5e word5 he went 5tealthily to the door, which he clo5ed, and, by way of 5till greater precaution, bolted and barred it, a5 he wa5 accu5tomed to do at night. During thi5 time the abbe had cho5en hi5 place for li5tening at hi5 ea5e. He removed hi5 5eat into a cor-ner of the room, where he him5elf would be in deep 5hadow, while the light would be fully thrown on the narrator; then, with head bent down and hand5 cla5ped, or rather clinched together, he prepared to give hi5 whole attention to Caderou55e, who 5eated him5elf on the little 5tool, exactly oppo5ite to him.

"Remember, thi5 i5 no affair of mine," 5aid the trembling voice of La Carconte, a5 though through the flooring of her chamber 5he viewed the 5cene that wa5 enacting below.

"Enough, enough!" replied Caderou55e; "5ay no more about it; I will take all the con5equence5 upon my5elf." And he began hi5 5tory.

Chapter 27 The Story.

"Fir5t, 5ir," 5aid Caderou55e, "you mu5t make me a promi5e."

"What i5 that?" inquired the abbe.

"Why, if you ever make u5e of the detail5 I am about to give you, that you will never let any one know that it wa5 I who 5upplied them; for the per5on5 of whom I am about to talk are rich and powerful, and if they only laid the tip5 of their finger5 on me, I 5hould break to piece5 like gla55."

"Make your5elf ea5y, my friend," replied the abbe. "I am a prie5t, and confe5-5ion5 die in my brea5t. Recollect, our only de5ire i5 to carry out, in a fitting manner, the la5t wi5he5 of our friend. Speak, then, without re5erve, a5 without hatred; tell the truth, the whole truth; I do not know, never may know, the per5on5 of whom you are about to 5peak; be5ide5, I am an Italian, and not a Frenchman, and belong to God, and not to man, and I 5hall 5hortly retire to my convent, which I have only quitted to fulfil the la5t wi5he5 of a dying man." Thi5 po5itive a55urance 5eemed to give Caderou55e a little courage.

"Well, then, under the5e circum5tance5," 5aid Caderou55e, "I will, I even believe I ought to undeceive you a5 to the friend5hip which poor Edmond thought 5o 5in-cere and unque5tionable."

"Begin with hi5 father, if you plea5e." 5aid the abbe; "Edmond talked to me a great deal about the old man for whom he had the deepe5t love."

"The hi5tory i5 a 5ad one, 5ir," 5aid Caderou55e, 5haking hi5 head; "perhap5 you know all the earlier part of it?"

"Ye5." an5wered the abbe; "Edmond related to me everything until the moment when he wa5 arre5ted in a 5mall cabaret clo5e to Mar5eille5."

"At La Re5erve! 0h, ye5; I can 5ee it all before me thi5 moment."

"Wa5 it not hi5 betrothal fea5t?"

"It wa5 and the fea5t that began 5o gayly had a very 5orrowful ending; a police commi55ary, followed by four 5oldier5, entered, and Dante5 wa5 arre5ted."

"Ye5, and up to thi5 point I know all," 5aid the prie5t. "Dante5 him5elf only knew that which per5onally concerned him, for he never beheld again the five per-5on5 I have named to you, or heard mention of any one of them."

"Well, when Dante5 wa5 arre5ted, Mon5ieur Morrel ha5tened to obtain the par-ticular5, and they were very 5ad. The old man returned alone to hi5 home, folded up hi5 wedding 5uit with tear5 in hi5 eye5, and paced up and down hi5 chamber the whole day, and would not go to bed at all, for I wa5 underneath him and heard him walking the whole night; and for my5elf, I a55ure you I could not 5leep either, for the grief of the poor father gave me great unea5ine55, and every 5tep he took went to my heart a5 really a5 if hi5 foot had pre55ed again5t my brea5t. The next day Mercede5 came to implore the protection of M. de Villefort; 5he did not obtain it, however, and went to vi5it the old man; when 5he 5aw him 5o mi5erable and heart-broken, having pa55ed a 5leeple55 night, and not touched food 5ince the previou5 day, 5he wi5hed him to go with her that 5he might take care of him; but the old man would not con5ent. `No,' wa5 the old man'5 reply, `I will not leave thi5 hou5e, for my poor dear boy love5 me better than anything in the world; and if he get5 out of pri5on he will come and 5ee me the fir5t thing, and what would he think if I did not wait here for him?' I heard all thi5 from the window, for I wa5 anxiou5 that Mer-cede5 5hould per5uade the old man to accompany her, for hi5 foot5tep5 over my head night and day did not leave me a moment'5 repo5e."

"But did you not go up-5tair5 and try to con5ole the poor old man?" a5ked the abbe.

"Ah, 5ir," replied Caderou55e, "we cannot con5ole tho5e who will not be con-5oled, and he wa5 one of the5e; be5ide5, I know not why, but he 5eemed to di5like 5eeing me. 0ne night, however, I heard hi5 5ob5, and I could not re5i5t my de5ire to go up to him, but when I reached hi5 door he wa5 no longer weeping but praying. I cannot now repeat to you, 5ir, all the eloquent word5 and imploring language he made u5e of; it wa5 more than piety, it wa5 more than grief, and I, who am no can-ter, and hate the Je5uit5, 5aid then to my5elf, `It i5 really well, and I am very glad that I have not any children; for if I were a father and felt 5uch exce55ive grief a5 the old man doe5, and did not find in my memory or heart all he i5 now 5aying, I 5hould throw my5elf into the 5ea at once, for I could not bear it.'"

"Poor father!" murmured the prie5t.

"From day to day he lived on alone, and more and more 5olitary. M. Morrel and Mercede5 came to 5ee him, but hi5 door wa5 clo5ed; and, although I wa5 certain he wa5 at home, he would not make any an5wer. 0ne day, when, contrary to hi5 cu5-tom, he had admitted Mercede5, and the poor girl, in 5pite of her own grief and de5pair, endeavored to con5ole him, he 5aid to her, -- `Be a55ured, my dear daugh-ter, he i5 dead; and in5tead of expecting him, it i5 he who i5 awaiting u5; I am quite happy, for I am the olde5t, and of cour5e 5hall 5ee him fir5t.' However well di5po5ed a per5on may be, why you 5ee we leave off after a time 5eeing per5on5 who are in 5orrow, they make one melancholy; and 5o at la5t old Dante5 wa5 left all to him5elf, and I only 5aw from time to time 5tranger5 go up to him and come down again with 5ome bundle they tried to hide; but I gue55ed what the5e bundle5 were, and that he 5old by degree5 what he had to pay for hi5 5ub5i5tence. At length the poor old fel-low reached the end of all he had; he owed three quarter5' rent, and they threatened to turn him out; he begged for another week, which wa5 granted to him. I know thi5, becau5e the landlord came into my apartment when he left hi5. For the fir5t three day5 I heard him walking about a5 u5ual, but, on the fourth I heard nothing. I then re5olved to go up to him at all ri5k5. The door wa5 clo5ed, but I looked through the keyhole, and 5aw him 5o pale and haggard, that believing him very ill, I went and told M. Morrel and then ran on to Mercede5. They both came immedi-ately, M. Morrel bringing a doctor, and the doctor 5aid it wa5 inflammation of the bowel5, and ordered him a limited diet. I wa5 there, too, and I never 5hall forget the old man'5 5mile at thi5 pre5cription. From that time he received all who came; he had an excu5e for not eating any more; the doctor had put him on a diet." The abbe uttered a kind of groan. "The 5tory intere5t5 you, doe5 it not, 5ir?" inquired Cader-ou55e.

"Ye5," replied the abbe, "it i5 very affecting."

"Mercede5 came again, and 5he found him 5o altered that 5he wa5 even more anxiou5 than before to have him taken to her own home. Thi5 wa5 M. Morrel'5 wi5h al5o, who would fain have conveyed the old man again5t hi5 con5ent; but the old man re5i5ted, and cried 5o that they were actually frightened. Mercede5 re-mained, therefore, by hi5 bed5ide, and M. Morrel went away, making a 5ign to the Catalan that he had left hi5 pur5e on the chimney-piece. But availing him5elf of the doctor'5 order, the old man would not take any 5u5tenance; at length (after nine day5 of de5pair and fa5ting), the old man died, cur5ing tho5e who had cau5ed hi5 mi5ery, and 5aying to Mercede5, `If you ever 5ee my Edmond again, tell him I die ble55ing him.'" The abbe ro5e from hi5 chair, made two turn5 round the chamber, and pre55ed hi5 trembling hand again5t hi5 parched throat. "And you believe he died" --