One

THE SHIP COMES HOME

On May 24, 1815, the good ship Pharaoh was seen drawing near to Marseilles. As she came closer to the land, those watching her noticed that she was sailing very slowly, and in an unusual manner.

"Something must have happened on board," said one to another; "what can it be?"

A gentleman was standing near. He was unable to wait for the ship to reach the land; he jumped into a boat and ordered it to take him to meet the ship.

As the boat drew near, a young man came to the side of the ship. He seemed to be the Captain. He was about twenty years of age. His eyes and his hair were black. He had the quiet manner of one who is used to meeting danger.

"Oh! Is it you, Dantes?" cried the man in the boat. "What has happened?

"A very sad thing has happened, Mr. Morrel," replied the young man. "When our ship was near Civita-vecchia, we lost our brave Captain Leclerc."

Turning to his men, he gave a quick order. Then he turned again to Mr. Morrel.

The Pharaoh was Mr. Morrel's ship, and Edmond Dantes had been First Officer after the Captain.

"Why, you see, Edmond," replied Mr. Morrel, "we must all die some time, and the old must make way for the young. And as to the goods which the ship carries—?"

"They are all quite safe, Mr. Morrel, and they are worth a lot of money. Now, if you will come on board, here is Mr. Danglars who does all the buying and selling. I must go and see to my ship."

Mr. Morrel quickly climbed up and came on board. He was met by Mr. Danglars.

Mr. Danglars was a man of about twenty-five years of age. Both his face and his manner were unpleasing. None of the men on board the Pharaoh liked Danglars. "Well, Mr. Morrel," said Danglars, "you have heard of the sad death of Captain Leclerc?"

"Yes, he was a brave and good man."

"And a good seaman, grown old between sea and sky, as a man should be who serves the business-house of Morrel & Son," replied Danglars.

"But," replied Mr. Morrel, looking at Dantes who was busy with his ship, "a man need not always be old in order to understand his work. Our friend Edmond seems to know his work well and to need no help from anyone."

"Yes," said Danglars, giving a look at Edmond which showed that he had little love for him and would gladly have made himself captain in Edmond's place. "Yes—he is young, and he is very sure of himself. As soon as the Captain was dead, he took command of the ship without asking anyone. And he caused us to lose a day and a half at the Island of Elba, instead of coming straight to Marseilles."

"As to taking command of the ship," replied Mr. Morrel, "that was his duty, for he was First Officer. As to losing a day and a half at Elba, he was wrong, if the ship was safe and did not need any work done on it."

"The ship was in perfect condition, and this time was lost just for the pleasure of going on shore."

"Dantes!" said the ship-master, turning towards the young man, "come this way."

"In a minute, Mr. Morrel," answered Dantes. He gave an order to his men. The ship stopped, and was safely tied up. When all was ready, Dantes came towards Mr. Morrel.

"The ship is now all ready," he said, "and I am at your service. You called me, I think?"

Danglars took a few steps back.

"I wished to ask why you stopped at the Island of Elba," said Mr. Morrel.

"I do not know, Mr. Morrel. It was the last order which Captain Leclerc gave me. When he was near his death, he gave me a letter for Marshal Bertrand."

Mr. Morrel looked around him. Then he drew Dantes to one side, and said suddenly, "And how is Napoleon?

"Very well, so far as I could judge from my eyes."

"You spoke to him?"

"No, it was he who spoke to me," said Dantes. "He asked me about the ship, and the time when it left Marseilles, the course it had followed, and what goods it had on board. If the ship had had nothing on board and I had been the master, I believe he would have bought her. But I told him that I was only First Officer, and that Morrel & Son were master. 'Ah ha,' he said, 'I know them. The Morrels have been ship-masters for many years; but there was a Morrel who was a soldier with me in the same company at Valence.'"

"True!" cried the master, greatly delighted. "That was Policar Morrel, my uncle, later a captain in the army. Dantes, you must tell my uncle that Napoleon remembered him, and you will see it bring fire into the old soldier's eyes. Come, come," he said, putting his hand kindly on Edmond's arm, "you did very right, Dantes, to do as Captain Leclerc asked. But, if it were known that you had taken a letter to Marshal Bertrand, and had talked with Napoleon, it might get you into trouble."

"How?" asked Dantes; "for I did not even know what I was carrying; and Napoleon only asked me such questions as he would have asked anyone. But I must go on with my work." And he went away.

Danglars came back and said:

"Well, it seems that he has given you good enough reasons for stopping at Elba?"

"Very good reasons, my dear Danglars."

"That is good," said Danglars, "for it is always sad to see a man who does not do his duty."

"Dantes has done his," replied the master, "and there is no more to be said. It was Captain Leclerc who gave orders for this visit to Elba."

"Talking of Captain Leclerc, has not Dantes given his letter to you?"

"To me? No. Was there one?"

"I believe that Captain Leclerc gave him a letter for you as well as that other letter."

"How do you know that he had another letter?"

Danglars became very red in the face.

"I was passing close to the door of the Captain's room, which was half open, and I saw him give two letters to Dantes."

"He did not speak of it," replied the master. "If there is any letter, he will give it to me."

Just then Dantes returned, and Danglars went away as before.

"Well, my dear Dantes, are you now free? asked the master.

"Yes, Mr. Morrel."

"Then you can come and have dinner with me?"

"I thank you, Mr. Morrel, but my first visit must be made to my father. Do you know how my father is?"

"I believe he is well, though I have not seen him lately."

"Yes, he likes to keep himself shut up in his little room."

"That shows at least that he has wanted for nothing while you have been away."

"No," replied Dantes; "my father is proud; and, if he had not a meal left, he would not have asked anything except from God."

"Well then, after this first visit has been made, I hope to see you."

"I thank you again, Mr. Morrel; but after this first visit has been made, there is yet another person whom I must see."

"True, Dantes. I forgot that. Of course there is among the Catalans one who is waiting for you and will meet you with no less delight than will your father. It is the beautiful Mercedes. She has come to me three times asking if anything had been heard of the Pharaoh. Edmond, you have a very beautiful lady-love."

"She is more than my lady-love, now," replied the young seaman. "She has promised to marry me."

"Well, well, my dear Edmond," said the master, "I must not waste your time. Do you want any money?"

"No, I have all my pay to take, three months of it."

"You are a careful fellow, Edmond."

"Say that I have a poor father, Mr. Morrel."

"Yes, yes, I know how good a son you are. Now hurry away to see your father. I have a son too, and I should be very angry with anyone who kept him away from me after a three months' journey. Oh—did not Captain Leclerc, before he died, give you a letter for me?"

"He was not able to write, Mr. Morrel. May I be allowed to leave my work for fourteen days?"

"To get married?"

"Yes, first; and then to go to Paris."

"Yes, of course; take what time you need, Dantes. But you must be back again in three months, for the Pharaoh cannot sail without her captain."

"Without her captain!" cried Dantes, his eyes bright with joy. "Do you really mean to make me captain of the Pharaoh? Oh, Mr. Morrel!" he cried, with tears in his eyes, seizing the master's hand, "I thank you, both for my father and for Mercedes."

"Good, good! Edmond. Go to your father: go and see Mercedes: and come to me after."

"Shall I take you to the shore with me?"

"No, I thank you. I shall remain to do some work with Danglars. Have you been pleased with him on this journey?

"Do you mean, 'Is he a good friend?' No, for I think he has never liked me since we had a quarrel one day, and I asked him to come on shore with me on the Island of Monte Cristo and have a fight in order to settle it. If you mean, 'Did he do his work well?'—there is nothing against him."

"But tell me, Dantes, if you were captain of the Pharaoh, would you like to keep Danglars?"

"If his work pleases my master, it pleases me also."

"Good! good! Dantes. I see you are a really fine fellow."

"May I have the use of your boat?"

"Of course."

"Well, again, Mr. Morrel, a thousand thanks."

"I hope to see you soon, my dear Edmond."

The young seaman jumped into the boat, telling the boatman to go to the end of the Canebière, a wide road running through the centre of the town.

The ship-master followed him with his eyes until he saw him reach the shore and mix with the crowd. Danglars stood behind, also watching the young man as he went away, but with a very different look.