Two

FATHER AND SON

Dantes crossed the Canebière, and went along Noailles Road. He then turned into a narrow street and entered a small house on the left-hand side. He waited for a minute outside the half-opened door of his father's room.

The old man had not yet heard that the Pharaoh had arrived. He was standing on a chair, fixing in place the flowers which grew up round his window. Suddenly a well-known voice behind him cried, "Father, dear father!" The old man gave a cry, and turned; then, seeing his son, he fell into his arms.

"What is the matter?" asked Dantes. "Are you ill?"

"No, no, my dear Edmond, my boy—my son! But I did not expect you, and the joy, the surprise of seeing you so suddenly—oh, I seem as if I were going to die."

"Come, dear father, they say joy never kills. Here I am; and now we will be happy."

"Tell me all that has happened to you."

"The good Captain Leclerc is dead; for that I am very sad. Mr. Morrel tells me that I shall be captain in his place. Do you understand, father? Just think! A captain at twenty years of age, with fine big pay—and I get a part of the gains also. Is that not more than a poor seaman like me could have hoped for?"

"Yes, my dear boy," replied the old man, "and much more than you could have expected."

"With the first money I get, you shall have a new house. What is the matter, father? Are you not well?"

"It is nothing. It will soon pass away."

"You need food, or something to drink. Where shall I find it for you?"

"There is nothing in the house," answered the old man; "but I need nothing, now you are here."

"I gave you plenty of money when I left, three months ago."

"Yes, that is true, but you forgot that we had to pay something back to our friend Caderousse. He asked me for it, saying that if I did not pay, he would get the money from Mr. Morrel. So, I gave it to him."

"But it was more than half the money that I gave you! So you have lived for three months on half what I gave you. Why did you do that? Here, father, take this, take it, and send out for some food at once."

He put all the money he had with him on the table, twelve pieces of gold, five or six silver pieces, and some others.

"Gently, gently, ''said the old man, "I shall not need all that. But here comes someone."

Dantes' father looked out of the window. "It is Cadorousse, " he said. "He has heard of your return, and has come to tell you how pleased he is."

"Ah! His voice says one thing, while his heart thinks another. But he is a neighbour, and he once did us a service, so we are pleased to see him."

There appeared at the door the black head of Caderousse. He was a man of about twenty-five years of age, and he held in his hand a small piece of cloth. (For he was a maker of men's clothing.)

"What! Is it you, Edmond, returned? " said he.

"Yes, as you see, neighbour Caderousse and ready to help you in any way, " replied Dantes, trying to hide his real feelings.

"You have come back rich, " said Caderousse fixing a hungry look upon the gold lying on the table.

"Oh that, " said Dantes, seeing the look, "that is my father's money. Come, father, put your money back in the box. But, of course, if our neighbour wants any of it, it is at his service."

"Thanks, thanks. But I do not need anything. I met my friend Danglars, and he told me that you had returned. So I came to have the pleasure of meeting you."

"Good Caderousse! " said the old man. "He is such a friend to us."

"Well, it seems that Mr. Morrel is pleased with you. You are hoping to be the next captain perhaps? " said Caderousse with a rather ugly look.

"Yes. I have reason to believe that I am to be the next captain. But, dear father, now that I have seen you, and know that you have all you need, I must go and pay a visit to the Catalans."

"Go, my dear boy, " said old Dantes, "and may God bless your wife, as He has blessed me in my son."

"His wife! " said Caderousse. "She is not his wife yet. Mercedes is a fine girl, and fine girls are not without plenty of young fellows. But, as you will be captain."

"No, " answered Dantes, "I think better than you do of women,—and of Mercedes. I am certain that, captain or not, she will remain ever true to me."

Edmond left the room. Caderousse waited for a short time. Then he went away also—to join Danglars who was waiting for him at the corner.

"I've just left him," Caderousse said.

"Did he talk about his hope of being captain?"

"Mr. Morrel has promised it to him."

"So he is quite delighted about it?"

"Ho! He offered to 'help' me, as if he were the rich man, and I the poor neighbour!"

"He is not captain yet," said Danglars quietly. "If we wish, he will remain what he is—and perhaps become even less than he is. Is he still in love with the Catalan girl?"

"Yes. But I think there may be a storm there. Every time I have seen Mercedes come into the city of late she has been with Fernand, a tall, strong, black-eyed Catalan, with a red face, brown skin and a wild manner. She says that he is the son of her father's brother."

"You say Dantes has gone to the Catalans?"

"He went before I left the room."

"Let us go the same way. We will stop at La Reserve and drink a glass there, while we wait to hear—what we shall hear."

"Come along," said Caderousse; "but you must pay for the drink."