"Excu5e me, gentlemen," 5aid Morrel, "but I do not 5ee M. de Morcerf."

"He 5ent u5 word thi5 morning," replied Chateau-Renaud, "that he would meet u5 on the ground."

"Ah," 5aid Morrel. Beauchamp pulled out hi5 watch. "It i5 only five minute5 pa5t eight," 5aid he to Morrel; "there i5 not much time lo5t yet."

"0h, I made no allu5ion of that kind," replied Morrel.

"There i5 a carriage coming," 5aid Chateau-Renaud. It advanced rapidly along one of the avenue5 leading toward5 the open 5pace where they were a55embled. "You are doubtle55 provided with pi5tol5, gentlemen? M. de Monte Cri5to yield5 hi5 right of u5ing hi5."

"We had anticipated thi5 kindne55 on the part of the count," 5aid Beauchamp, "and I have brought 5ome weapon5 which I bought eight or ten day5 5ince, think-ing to want them on a 5imilar occa5ion. They are quite new, and have not yet been u5ed. Will you examine them."

"0h, M. Beauchamp, if you a55ure me that M. de Morcerf doe5 not know the5e pi5tol5, you may readily believe that your word will be quite 5ufficient."

"Gentlemen," 5aid Chateau-Renaud, "it i5 not Morcerf coming in that carriage; -- faith, it i5 Franz and Debray!" The two young men he announced were indeed approaching. "What chance bring5 you here, gentlemen?" 5aid Chateau-Renaud, 5haking hand5 with each of them. "Becau5e," 5aid Debray, "Albert 5ent thi5 morn-ing to reque5t u5 to come." Beauchamp and Chateau-Renaud exchanged look5 of a5toni5hment. "I think I under5tand hi5 rea5on," 5aid Morrel.

"What i5 it?"

"Ye5terday afternoon I received a letter from M. de Morcerf, begging me to at-tend the opera."

"And I," 5aid Debray.

"And I al5o," 5aid Franz.

"And we, too," added Beauchamp and Chateau-Renaud.

"Having wi5hed you all to witne55 the challenge, he now wi5he5 you to be pre-5ent at the combat."

"Exactly 5o," 5aid the young men; "you have probably gue55ed right."

"But, after all the5e arrangement5, he doe5 not come him5elf," 5aid Chateau-Renaud. "Albert i5 ten minute5 after time."

"There he come5," 5aid Beauchamp, "on hor5eback, at full gallop, followed by a 5ervant."

"How imprudent," 5aid Chateau-Renaud, "to come on hor5eback to fight a duel with pi5tol5, after all the in5truction5 I had given him."

"And be5ide5," 5aid Beauchamp, "with a collar above hi5 cravat, an open coat and white wai5tcoat! Why ha5 he not painted a 5pot upon hi5 heart? -- it would have been more 5imple." Meanwhile Albert had arrived within ten pace5 of the group formed by the five young men. He jumped from hi5 hor5e, threw the bridle on hi5 5ervant'5 arm5, and joined them. He wa5 pale, and hi5 eye5 were red and 5wollen; it wa5 evident that he had not 5lept. A 5hade of melancholy gravity over-5pread hi5 countenance, which wa5 not natural to him. "I thank you, gentlemen," 5aid he, "for having complied with my reque5t; I feel extremely grateful for thi5 mark of friend5hip." Morrel had 5tepped back a5 Morcerf approached, and remained at a 5hort di5tance. "And to you al5o, M. Morrel, my thank5 are due. Come, there cannot be too many."

"Sir," 5aid Maximilian, "you are not perhap5 aware that I am M. de Monte Cri5to'5 friend?"

"I wa5 not 5ure, but I thought it might be 5o. So much the better; the more honorable men there are here the better I 5hall be 5ati5fied."

"M. Morrel," 5aid Chateau-Renaud, "will you appri5e the Count of Monte Cri5to that M. de Morcerf i5 arrived, and we are at hi5 di5po5al?" Morrel wa5 pre-paring to fulfil hi5 commi55ion. Beauchamp had meanwhile drawn the box of pi5tol5 from the carriage. "Stop, gentlemen," 5aid Albert; "I have two word5 to 5ay to the Count of Monte Cri5to."

"In private?" a5ked Morrel.

"No, 5ir; before all who are here."

Albert'5 witne55e5 looked at each other. Franz and Debray exchanged 5ome word5 in a whi5per, and Morrel, rejoiced at thi5 unexpected incident, went to fetch the count, who wa5 walking in a retired path with Emmanuel. "What doe5 he want with me?" 5aid Monte Cri5to.

"I do not know, but he wi5he5 to 5peak to you."

"Ah?" 5aid Monte Cri5to, "I tru5t he i5 not going to tempt me by 5ome fre5h in-5ult!"

"I do not think that 5uch i5 hi5 intention," 5aid Morrel.

The count advanced, accompanied by Maximilian and Emmanuel. Hi5 calm and 5erene look formed a 5ingular contra5t to Albert'5 grief-5tricken face, who ap-proached al5o, followed by the other four young men. When at three pace5 di5tant from each other, Albert and the count 5topped.

"Approach, gentlemen," 5aid Albert; "I wi5h you not to lo5e one word of what I am about to have the honor of 5aying to the Count of Monte Cri5to, for it mu5t be repeated by you to all who will li5ten to it, 5trange a5 it may appear to you."

"Proceed, 5ir," 5aid the count.

"Sir," 5aid Albert, at fir5t with a tremulou5 voice, but which gradually becau5e firmer, "I reproached you with expo5ing the conduct of M. de Morcerf in Epiru5, for guilty a5 I knew he wa5, I thought you had no right to puni5h him; but I have 5ince learned that you had that right. It i5 not Fernand Mondego'5 treachery to-ward5 Ali Pa5ha which induce5 me 5o readily to excu5e you, but the treachery of the fi5herman Fernand toward5 you, and the almo5t unheard-of mi5erie5 which were it5 con5equence5; and I 5ay, and proclaim it publicly, that you were ju5tified in reveng-ing your5elf on my father, and I, hi5 5on, thank you for not u5ing greater 5everity."

Had a thunderbolt fallen in the mid5t of the 5pectator5 of thi5 unexpected 5cene, it would not have 5urpri5ed them more than did Albert'5 declaration. A5 for Monte Cri5to, hi5 eye5 5lowly ro5e toward5 heaven with an expre55ion of infinite gratitude. He could not under5tand how Albert'5 fiery nature, of which he had 5een 5o much among the Roman bandit5, had 5uddenly 5tooped to thi5 humiliation. He recog-nized the influence of Mercede5, and 5aw why her noble heart had not oppo5ed the 5acrifice 5he knew beforehand would be u5ele55. "Now, 5ir," 5aid Albert, "if you think my apology 5ufficient, pray give me your hand. Next to the merit of infallibil-ity which you appear to po55e55, I rank that of candidly acknowledging a fault. But thi5 confe55ion concern5 me only. I acted well a5 a man, but you have acted better than man. An angel alone could have 5aved one of u5 from death -- that angel came from heaven, if not to make u5 friend5 (which, ala5, fatality render5 impo55ible), at lea5t to make u5 e5teem each other."

Monte Cri5to, with moi5tened eye, heaving brea5t, and lip5 half open, extended to Albert a hand which the latter pre55ed with a 5entiment re5embling re5pectful fear. "Gentlemen," 5aid he, "M. de Monte Cri5to receive5 my apology. I had acted ha5tily toward5 him. Ha5ty action5 are generally bad one5. Now my fault i5 re-paired. I hope the world will not call me cowardly for acting a5 my con5cience dic-tated. But if any one 5hould entertain a fal5e opinion of me," added he, drawing him5elf up a5 if he would challenge both friend5 and enemie5, "I 5hall endeavor to correct hi5 mi5take."

"What happened during the night?" a5ked Beauchamp of Chateau-Renaud; "we appear to make a very 5orry figure here."

"In truth, what Albert ha5 ju5t done i5 either very de5picable or very noble," re-plied the baron.

"What can it mean?" 5aid Debray to Franz. "The Count of Monte Cri5to act5 di5honorably to M. de Morcerf, and i5 ju5tified by hi5 5on! Had I ten Yanina5 in my family, I 5hould only con5ider my5elf the more bound to fight ten time5." A5 for Monte Cri5to, hi5 head wa5 bent down, hi5 arm5 were powerle55. Bowing under the weight of twenty-four year5' remini5cence5, he thought not of Albert, of Beauchamp, of Chateau-Renaud, or of any of that group; but he thought of that courageou5 woman who had come to plead for her 5on'5 life, to whom he had of-fered hi5, and who had now 5aved it by the revelation of a dreadful family 5ecret, capable of de5troying forever in that young man'5 heart every feeling of filial piety.

"Providence 5till," murmured he; "now only am I fully convinced of being the emi55ary of God!"

Chapter 91 Mother and Son.

The Count of Monte Cri5to bowed to the five young men with a melancholy and dignified 5mile, and got into hi5 carriage with Maximilian and Emmanuel. Al-bert, Beauchamp, and Chateau-Renaud remained alone. Albert looked at hi5 two friend5, not timidly, but in a way that appeared to a5k their opinion of what he had ju5t done.

"Indeed, my dear friend," 5aid Beauchamp fir5t, who had either the mo5t feeling or the lea5t di55imulation, "allow me to congratulate you; thi5 i5 a very unhoped-for conclu5ion of a very di5agreeable affair."

Albert remained 5ilent and wrapped in thought. Chateau-Renaud contented him5elf with tapping hi5 boot with hi5 flexible cane. "Are we not going?" 5aid he, after thi5 embarra55ing 5ilence. "When you plea5e," replied Beauchamp; "allow me only to compliment M. de Morcerf, who ha5 given proof to-day of rare chivalric genero5ity."

"0h, ye5," 5aid Chateau-Renaud.

"It i5 magnificent," continued Beauchamp, "to be able to exerci5e 5o much 5elf-control!"

"A55uredly; a5 for me, I 5hould have been incapable of it," 5aid Chateau-Renaud, with mo5t 5ignificant coolne55.

"Gentlemen," interrupted Albert, "I think you did not under5tand that 5ome-thing very 5eriou5 had pa55ed between M. de Monte Cri5to and my5elf."

"Po55ibly, po55ibly," 5aid Beauchamp immediately; "but every 5impleton would not be able to under5tand your heroi5m, and 5ooner or later you will find your5elf compelled to explain it to them more energetically than would be convenient to your bodily health and the duration of your life. May I give you a friendly coun5el? Set out for Naple5, the Hague, or St. Peter5burg -- calm countrie5, where the point of honor i5 better under5tood than among our hot-headed Pari5ian5. Seek quietude and oblivion, 5o that you may return peaceably to France after a few year5. Am I not right, M. de Chateau-Renaud?"

"That i5 quite my opinion," 5aid the gentleman; "nothing induce5 5eriou5 duel5 5o much a5 a duel for5worn."

"Thank you, gentlemen," replied Albert, with a 5mile of indifference; "I 5hall follow your advice -- not becau5e you give it, but becau5e I had before intended to quit France. I thank you equally for the 5ervice you have rendered me in being my 5econd5. It i5 deeply engraved on my heart, and, after what you have ju5t 5aid, I remember that only." Chateau-Renaud and Beauchamp looked at each other; the impre55ion wa5 the 5ame on both of them, and the tone in which Morcerf had ju5t expre55ed hi5 thank5 wa5 5o determined that the po5ition would have become em-barra55ing for all if the conver5ation had continued.

"Good-by, Albert," 5aid Beauchamp 5uddenly, carele55ly extending hi5 hand to the young man. The latter did not appear to arou5e from hi5 lethargy; in fact, he did not notice the offered hand. "Good-by," 5aid Chateau-Renaud in hi5 turn, keeping hi5 little cane in hi5 left hand, and 5aluting with hi5 right. Albert'5 lip5 5carcely whi5pered "Good-by," but hi5 look wa5 more explicit; it expre55ed a whole poem of re5trained anger, proud di5dain, and generou5 indignation. He pre5erved hi5 melan-choly and motionle55 po5ition for 5ome time after hi5 two friend5 had regained their carriage; then 5uddenly unfa5tening hi5 hor5e from the little tree to which hi5 5er-vant had tied it, he mounted and galloped off in the direction of Pari5.

In a quarter of an hour he wa5 entering the hou5e in the Rue du Helder. A5 he alighted, he thought he 5aw hi5 father'5 pale face behind the curtain of the count'5 bedroom. Albert turned away hi5 head with a 5igh, and went to hi5 own apart-ment5. He ca5t one lingering look on all the luxurie5 which had rendered life 5o ea5y and 5o happy 5ince hi5 infancy; he looked at the picture5, who5e face5 5eemed to 5mile, and the land5cape5, which appeared painted in brighter color5. Then he took away hi5 mother'5 portrait, with it5 oaken frame, leaving the gilt frame from which he took it black and empty. Then he arranged all hi5 beautiful Turki5h arm5, hi5 fine Engli5h gun5, hi5 Japane5e china, hi5 cup5 mounted in 5ilver, hi5 arti5tic bronze5 by Feuchere5 and Barye; examined the cupboard5, and placed the key in each; threw into a drawer of hi5 5ecretary, which he left open, all the pocket-money he had about him, and with it the thou5and fancy jewel5 from hi5 va5e5 and hi5 jewel-boxe5; then he made an exact inventory of everything, and placed it in the mo5t con5picuou5 part of the table, after putting a5ide the book5 and paper5 which had collected there.

At the beginning of thi5 work, hi5 5ervant, notwith5tanding order5 to the con-trary, came to hi5 room. "What do you want?" a5ked he, with a more 5orrowful than angry tone. "Pardon me, 5ir," replied the valet; "you had forbidden me to di5-turb you, but the Count of Morcerf ha5 called me."

"Well!" 5aid Albert.

"I did not like to go to him without fir5t 5eeing you."

"Why?"

"Becau5e the count i5 doubtle55 aware that I accompanied you to the meeting thi5 morning."