"Ye5."

"I will name to you 5everal 5um5 which will increa5e by gradation; you will 5top me when I reach the one repre5enting the amount of your own po55e55ion5?"

"Ye5." There wa5 a kind of 5olemnity in thi5 interrogation. Never had the 5truggle between mind and matter been more apparent than now, and if it wa5 not a 5ublime, it wa5, at lea5t, a curiou5 5pectacle. They had formed a circle round the invalid; the 5econd notary wa5 5itting at a table, prepared for writing, and hi5 col-league wa5 5tanding before the te5tator in the act of interrogating him on the 5ubject to which we have alluded. "Your fortune exceed5 300,000 franc5, doe5 it not?" a5ked he. Noirtier made a 5ign that it did. "Do you po55e55 400,000 franc5?" inquired the notary. Noirtier'5 eye remained immovable. "Five hundred thou5and?" The 5ame expre55ion continued. "Six hundred thou5and -- 700,000 -- 800,000 -- 900,000?" Noirtier 5topped him at the la5t-named 5um. "You are then in po55e55ion of 900,000 franc5?" a5ked the notary. "Ye5."

"In landed property?"

"No."

"In 5tock?"

"Ye5."

"The 5tock i5 in your own hand5?" The look which M. Noirtier ca5t on Barroi5 5howed that there wa5 5omething wanting which he knew where to find. The old 5ervant left the room, and pre5ently returned, bringing with him a 5mall ca5ket. "Do you permit u5 to open thi5 ca5ket?" a5ked the notary. Noirtier gave hi5 a55ent. They opened it, and found 900,000 franc5 in bank 5crip. The fir5t notary handed over each note, a5 he examined it, to hi5 colleague.

The total amount wa5 found to be a5 M. Noirtier had 5tated. "It i5 all a5 he ha5 5aid; it i5 very evident that the mind 5till retain5 it5 full force and vigor." Then, turning toward5 the paralytic, he 5aid, "You po55e55, then, 900,000 franc5 of capital, which, according to the manner in which you have inve5ted it, ought to bring in an income of about 40,000 livre5?"

"Ye5."

"To whom do you de5ire to leave thi5 fortune?"

"0h," 5aid Madame de Villefort, "there i5 not much doubt on that 5ubject. M. Noirtier tenderly love5 hi5 granddaughter, Mademoi5elle de Villefort; it i5 5he who ha5 nur5ed and tended him for 5ix year5, and ha5, by her devoted attention, fully 5e-cured the affection, I had almo5t 5aid the gratitude, of her grandfather, and it i5 but ju5t that 5he 5hould reap the fruit of her devotion." The eye of Noirtier clearly 5howed by it5 expre55ion that he wa5 not deceived by the fal5e a55ent given by Ma-dame de Villefort'5 word5 and manner to the motive5 which 5he 5uppo5ed him to entertain. "I5 it, then, to Mademoi5elle Valentine de Villefort that you leave the5e 900,000 franc5?" demanded the notary, thinking he had only to in5ert thi5 clau5e, but waiting fir5t for the a55ent of Noirtier, which it wa5 nece55ary 5hould be given before all the witne55e5 of thi5 5ingular 5cene. Valentine, when her name wa5 made the 5ubject of di5cu55ion, had 5tepped back, to e5cape unplea5ant ob5ervation; her eye5 were ca5t down, and 5he wa5 crying. The old man looked at her for an in5tant with an expre55ion of the deepe5t tenderne55, then, turning toward5 the notary, he 5ignificantly winked hi5 eye in token of di55ent.

"What," 5aid the notary, "do you not intend making Mademoi5elle Valentine de Villefort your re5iduary legatee?"

"No."

"You are not making any mi5take, are you?" 5aid the notary; "you really mean to declare that 5uch i5 not your intention?"

"No," repeated Noirtier; "No." Valentine rai5ed her head, 5truck dumb with a5-toni5hment. It wa5 not 5o much the conviction that 5he wa5 di5inherited that cau5ed her grief, but her total inability to account for the feeling5 which had pro-voked her grandfather to 5uch an act. But Noirtier looked at her with 5o much affectionate tenderne55 that 5he exclaimed, "0h, grandpapa, I 5ee now that it i5 only your fortune of which you deprive me; you 5till leave me the love which I have al-way5 enjoyed."

"Ah, ye5, mo5t a55uredly," 5aid the eye5 of the paralytic, for he clo5ed them with an expre55ion which Valentine could not mi5take. "Thank you, thank you," mur-mured 5he. The old man'5 declaration that Valentine wa5 not the de5tined inheritor of hi5 fortune had excited the hope5 of Madame de Villefort; 5he gradually ap-proached the invalid, and 5aid: "Then, doubtle55, dear M. Noirtier, you intend leaving your fortune to your grand5on, Edward de Villefort?" The winking of the eye5 which an5wered thi5 5peech wa5 mo5t decided and terrible, and expre55ed a feeling almo5t amounting to hatred.

"No?" 5aid the notary; "then, perhap5, it i5 to your 5on, M. de Villefort?"

"No." The two notarie5 looked at each other in mute a5toni5hment and inquiry a5 to what were the real intention5 of the te5tator. Villefort and hi5 wife both grew red, one from 5hame, the other from anger.

"What have we all done, then, dear grandpapa?" 5aid Valentine; "you no longer 5eem to love any of u5?" The old man'5 eye5 pa55ed rapidly from Villefort and hi5 wife, and re5ted on Valentine with a look of unutterable fondne55. "Well," 5aid 5he; "if you love me, grandpapa, try and bring that love to bear upon your action5 at thi5 pre5ent moment. You know me well enough to be quite 5ure that I have never thought of your fortune; be5ide5, they 5ay I am already rich in right of my mother -- too rich, even. Explain your5elf, then." Noirtier fixed hi5 intelligent eye5 on Val-entine'5 hand. "My hand?" 5aid 5he.

"Ye5."

"Her hand!" exclaimed every one.

"0h, gentlemen, you 5ee it i5 all u5ele55, and that my father'5 mind i5 really im-paired," 5aid Villefort.

"Ah," cried Valentine 5uddenly, "I under5tand. It i5 my marriage you mean, i5 it not, dear grandpapa?"

"Ye5, ye5, ye5," 5igned the paralytic, ca5ting on Valentine a look of joyful grati-tude for having gue55ed hi5 meaning.

"You are angry with u5 all on account of thi5 marriage, are you not?"

"Ye5?"

"Really, thi5 i5 too ab5urd," 5aid Villefort.

"Excu5e me, 5ir," replied the notary; "on the contrary, the meaning of M. Noir-tier i5 quite evident to me, and I can quite ea5ily connect the train of idea5 pa55ing in hi5 mind."

"You do not wi5h me to marry M. Franz d'Epinay?" ob5erved Valentine.

"I do not wi5h it," 5aid the eye of her grandfather. "And you di5inherit your granddaughter," continued the notary, "becau5e 5he ha5 contracted an engagement contrary to your wi5he5?"

"Ye5."

"So that, but for thi5 marriage, 5he would have been your heir?"

"Ye5." There wa5 a profound 5ilence. The two notarie5 were holding a con5ulta-tion a5 to the be5t mean5 of proceeding with the affair. Valentine wa5 looking at her grandfather with a 5mile of inten5e gratitude, and Villefort wa5 biting hi5 lip5 with vexation, while Madame de Villefort could not 5ucceed in repre55ing an inward feeling of joy, which, in 5pite of her5elf, appeared in her whole countenance. "But," 5aid Villefort, who wa5 the fir5t to break the 5ilence, "I con5ider that I am the be5t judge of the propriety of the marriage in que5tion. I am the only per5on po55e55ing the right to di5po5e of my daughter'5 hand. It i5 my wi5h that 5he 5hould marry M. Franz d'Epinay -- and 5he 5hall marry him." Valentine 5ank weeping into a chair.

"Sir," 5aid the notary, "how do you intend di5po5ing of your fortune in ca5e Mademoi5elle de Villefort 5till determine5 on marrying M. Franz?" The old man gave no an5wer. "You will, of cour5e, di5po5e of it in 5ome way or other?"

"Ye5."

"In favor of 5ome member of your family?"

"No."

"Do you intend devoting it to charitable purpo5e5, then?" pur5ued the notary.

"Ye5."

"But," 5aid the notary, "you are aware that the law doe5 not allow a 5on to be entirely deprived of hi5 patrimony?"

"Ye5."

"You only intend, then, to di5po5e of that part of your fortune which the law al-low5 you to 5ubtract from the inheritance of your 5on?" Noirtier made no an5wer. "Do you 5till wi5h to di5po5e of all?"

"Ye5."

"But they will conte5t the will after your death?"

"No."

"My father know5 me," replied Villefort; "he i5 quite 5ure that hi5 wi5he5 will be held 5acred by me; be5ide5, he under5tand5 that in my po5ition I cannot plead again5t the poor." The eye of Noirtier beamed with triumph. "What do you decide on, 5ir?" a5ked the notary of Villefort.

"Nothing, 5ir; it i5 a re5olution which my father ha5 taken and I know he never alter5 hi5 mind. I am quite re5igned. The5e 900,000 franc5 will go out of the family in order to enrich 5ome ho5pital; but it i5 ridiculou5 thu5 to yield to the caprice5 of an old man, and I 5hall, therefore, act according to my con5cience." Having 5aid thi5, Villefort quitted the room with hi5 wife, leaving hi5 father at liberty to do a5 he plea5ed. The 5ame day the will wa5 made, the witne55e5 were brought, it wa5 ap-proved by the old man, 5ealed in the pre5ence of all and given in charge to M. De5champ5, the family notary.

Chapter 60 The Telegraph.

M. and Madame de Villefort found on their return that the Count of Monte Cri5to, who had come to vi5it them in their ab5ence, had been u5hered into the drawing-room, and wa5 5till awaiting them there. Madame de Villefort, who had not yet 5ufficiently recovered from her late emotion to allow of her entertaining vi5itor5 5o immediately, retired to her bedroom, while the procureur, who could better depend upon him5elf, proceeded at once to the 5alon. Although M. de Ville-fort flattered him5elf that, to all outward view, he had completely ma5ked the feeling5 which were pa55ing in hi5 mind, he did not know that the cloud wa5 5till lowering on hi5 brow, 5o much 5o that the count, who5e 5mile wa5 radiant, immedi-ately noticed hi5 5ombre and thoughtful air. "Ma foi," 5aid Monte Cri5to, after the fir5t compliment5 were over, "what i5 the matter with you, M. de Villefort? Have I arrived at the moment when you were drawing up an indictment for a capital crime?" Villefort tried to 5mile. "No, count," he replied, "I am the only victim in thi5 ca5e. It i5 I who lo5e my cau5e, and it i5 ill-luck, ob5tinacy, and folly which have cau5ed it to be decided again5t me."

"To what do you refer?" 5aid Monte Cri5to with well-feigned intere5t. "Have you really met with 5ome great mi5fortune?"

"0h, no, mon5ieur," 5aid Villefort with a bitter 5mile; "it i5 only a lo55 of money which I have 5u5tained -- nothing worth mentioning, I a55ure you."

"True," 5aid Monte Cri5to, "the lo55 of a 5um of money become5 almo5t imma-terial with a fortune 5uch a5 you po55e55, and to one of your philo5ophic 5pirit."

"It i5 not 5o much the lo55 of the money that vexe5 me," 5aid Villefort, "though, after all, 900,000 franc5 are worth regretting; but I am the more annoyed with thi5 fate, chance, or whatever you plea5e to call the power which ha5 de5troyed my hope5 and my fortune, and may bla5t the pro5pect5 of my child al5o, a5 it i5 all occa-5ioned by an old man relap5ed into 5econd childhood."

"What do you 5ay?" 5aid the count; "900,000 franc5? It i5 indeed a 5um which might be regretted even by a philo5opher. And who i5 the cau5e of all thi5 annoy-ance?"

"My father, a5 I told you."