Noirtier was prepared to receive them, dressed in black, andinstalled in his arm-chair. When the three persons heexpected had entered, he looked at the door, which his valetimmediately closed.

"Listen," whispered Villefort to Valentine, who could notconceal her joy; "if M. Noirtier wishes to communicateanything which would delay your marriage, I forbid you tounderstand him." Valentine blushed, but did not answer.Villefort, approaching Noirtier - "Here is M. Franzd'Epinay," said he; "you requested to see him. We have allwished for this interview, and I trust it will convince youhow ill-formed are your objections to Valentine's marriage."

Noirtier answered only by a look which made Villefort'sblood run cold. He motioned to Valentine to approach. In amoment, thanks to her habit of conversing with hergrandfather, she understood that he asked for a key. Thenhis eye was fixed on the drawer of a small chest between thewindows. She opened the drawer, and found a key; and,understanding that was what he wanted, again watched hiseyes, which turned toward an old secretary which had beenneglected for many years and was supposed to contain nothingbut useless documents. "Shall I open the secretary?" askedValentine.

"Yes," said the old man.

"And the drawers?"

"Yes."

"Those at the side?"

"No."

"The middle one?"

"Yes." Valentine opened it and drew out a bundle of papers."Is that what you wish for?" asked she.

"No."

She took successively all the other papers out till thedrawer was empty. "But there are no more," said she.Noirtier's eye was fixed on the dictionary. "Yes, Iunderstand, grandfather," said the young girl.

"He pointed to each letter of the alphabet. At the letter Sthe old man stopped her. She opened, and found the word"secret."

"Ah, is there a secret spring?" said Valentine.

"Yes," said Noirtier.

"And who knows it?" Noirtier looked at the door where theservant had gone out. "Barrois?" said she.

"Yes."

"Shall I call him?"

"Yes."

Valentine went to the door, and called Barrois. Villefort'simpatience during this scene made the perspiration roll fromhis forehead, and Franz was stupefied. The old servant came."Barrois," said Valentine, "my grandfather has told me toopen that drawer in the secretary, but there is a secretspring in it, which you know - will you open it?"

Barrois looked at the old man. "Obey," said Noirtier'sintelligent eye. Barrois touched a spring, the false bottomcame out, and they saw a bundle of papers tied with a blackstring.

"Is that what you wish for?" said Barrois.

"Yes."

"Shall I give these papers to M. de Villefort?"

"No."

"To Mademoiselle Valentine?"

"No."

"To M. Franz d'Epinay?"

"Yes."

Franz, astonished, advanced a step. "To me, sir?" said he.

"Yes." Franz took them from Barrois and casting a glance atthe cover, read: -

"`To be given, after my death, to General Durand, who shallbequeath the packet to his son, with an injunction topreserve it as containing an important document.'

"Well, sir," asked Franz, "what do you wish me to do withthis paper?"

"To preserve it, sealed up as it is, doubtless," said theprocureur.

"No," replied Noirtier eagerly.

"Do you wish him to read it?" said Valentine.

"Yes," replied the old man. "You understand, baron, mygrandfather wishes you to read this paper," said Valentine.

"Then let us sit down," said Villefort impatiently, "for itwill take some time."

"Sit down," said the old man. Villefort took a chair, butValentine remained standing by her father's side, and Franzbefore him, holding the mysterious paper in his hand."Read," said the old man. Franz untied it, and in the midstof the most profound silence read:

"`Extract from the Report of a meeting of the BonapartistClub in the Rue Saint-Jacques, held February 5th, 1815.'"

Franz stopped. "February 5th, 1815!" said he; "it is the daymy father was murdered." Valentine and Villefort were dumb;the eye of the old man alone seemed to say clearly, "Go on."

"But it was on leaving this club," said he, "my fatherdisappeared." Noirtier's eye continued to say, "Read." Heresumed: -

"`The undersigned Louis Jacques Beaurepaire,lieutenant-colonel of artillery, Etienne Duchampy, generalof brigade, and Claude Lecharpal, keeper of woods andforests, Declare, that on the 4th of February, a letterarrived from the Island of Elba, recommending to thekindness and the confidence of the Bonapartist Club, GeneralFlavien de Quesnel, who having served the emperor from 1804to 1814 was supposed to be devoted to the interests of theNapoleon dynasty, notwithstanding the title of baron whichLouis XVIII. had just granted to him with his estate ofEpinay.

"`A note was in consequence addressed to General de Quesnel,begging him to be present at the meeting next day, the 5th.The note indicated neither the street nor the number of thehouse where the meeting was to be held; it bore nosignature, but it announced to the general that some onewould call for him if he would be ready at nine o'clock. Themeetings were always held from that time till midnight. Atnine o'clock the president of the club presented himself;the general was ready, the president informed him that oneof the conditions of his introduction was that he should beeternally ignorant of the place of meeting, and that hewould allow his eyes to be bandaged, swearing that he wouldnot endeavor to take off the bandage. General de Quesnelaccepted the condition, and promised on his honor not toseek to discover the road they took. The general's carriagewas ready, but the president told him it was impossible forhim to use it, since it was useless to blindfold the masterif the coachman knew through what streets he went. "Whatmust be done then?" asked the general. - "I have mycarriage here," said the president.

"`"Have you, then, so much confidence in your servant thatyou can intrust him with a secret you will not allow me toknow?"

"`"Our coachman is a member of the club," said thepresident; "we shall be driven by a State-Councillor."

"`"Then we run another risk," said the general, laughing,"that of being upset." We insert this joke to prove that thegeneral was not in the least compelled to attend themeeting, but that he came willingly. When they were seatedin the carriage the president reminded the general of hispromise to allow his eyes to be bandaged, to which he madeno opposition. On the road the president thought he saw thegeneral make an attempt to remove the handkerchief, andreminded him of his oath. "Sure enough," said the general.The carriage stopped at an alley leading out of the RueSaint-Jacques. The general alighted, leaning on the arm ofthe president, of whose dignity he was not aware,considering him simply as a member of the club; they wentthrough the alley, mounted a flight of stairs, and enteredthe assembly-room.

"`"The deliberations had already begun. The members,apprised of the sort of presentation which was to be madethat evening, were all in attendance. When in the middle ofthe room the general was invited to remove his bandage, hedid so immediately, and was surprised to see so manywell-known faces in a society of whose existence he had tillthen been ignorant. They questioned him as to hissentiments, but he contented himself with answering, thatthe letters from the Island of Elba ought to have informedthem'" -

Franz interrupted himself by saying, "My father was aroyalist; they need not have asked his sentiments, whichwere well known."

"And hence," said Villefort, "arose my affection for yourfather, my dear M. Franz. Opinions held in common are aready bond of union."

"Read again," said the old man. Franz continued: -

"`The president then sought to make him speak moreexplicitly, but M. de Quesnel replied that he wished firstto know what they wanted with him. He was then informed ofthe contents of the letter from the Island of Elba, in whichhe was recommended to the club as a man who would be likelyto advance the interests of their party. One paragraph spokeof the return of Bonaparte and promised another letter andfurther details, on the arrival of the Pharaon belonging tothe shipbuilder Morrel, of Marseilles, whose captain wasentirely devoted to the emperor. During all this time, thegeneral, on whom they thought to have relied as on abrother, manifested evidently signs of discontent andrepugnance. When the reading was finished, he remainedsilent, with knitted brows.

"`"Well," asked the president, "what do you say to thisletter, general?"

"`"I say that it is too soon after declaring myself forLouis XVIII. to break my vow in behalf of the ex-emperor."This answer was too clear to permit of any mistake as to hissentiments. "General," said the president, "we acknowledgeno King Louis XVIII., or an ex-emperor, but his majesty theemperor and king, driven from France, which is his kingdom,by violence and treason."

"`"Excuse me, gentlemen," said the general; "you may notacknowledge Louis XVIII., but I do, as he has made me abaron and a field-marshal, and I shall never forget that forthese two titles I am indebted to his happy return toFrance."

"`"Sir," said the president, rising with gravity, "becareful what you say; your words clearly show us that theyare deceived concerning you in the Island of Elba, and havedeceived us! The communication has been made to you inconsequence of the confidence placed in you, and which doesyou honor. Now we discover our error; a title and promotionattach you to the government we wish to overturn. We willnot constrain you to help us; we enroll no one against hisconscience, but we will compel you to act generously, evenif you are not disposed to do so."

"`"You would call acting generously, knowing your conspiracyand not informing against you, that is what I should callbecoming your accomplice. You see I am more candid thanyou."'"

"Ah, my father!" said Franz, interrupting himself. "Iunderstand now why they murdered him." Valentine could nothelp casting one glance towards the young man, whose filialenthusiasm it was delightful to behold. Villefort walked toand fro behind them. Noirtier watched the expression of eachone, and preserved his dignified and commanding attitude.Franz returned to the manuscript, and continued: -

"`"Sir," said the president, "you have been invited to jointhis assembly - you were not forced here; it was proposedto you to come blindfolded - you accepted. When youcomplied with this twofold request you well knew we did notwish to secure the throne of Louis XVIII., or we should nottake so much care to avoid the vigilance of the police. Itwould be conceding too much to allow you to put on a mask toaid you in the discovery of our secret, and then to removeit that you may ruin those who have confided in you. No, no,you must first say if you declare yourself for the king of aday who now reigns, or for his majesty the emperor."

"`"I am a royalist," replied the general; "I have taken theoath of allegiance to Louis XVIII., and I will adhere toit." These words were followed by a general murmur, and itwas evident that several of the members were discussing thepropriety of making the general repent of his rashness.

"`The president again arose, and having imposed silence,said, - "Sir, you are too serious and too sensible a mannot to understand the consequences of our present situation,and your candor has already dictated to us the conditionswhich remain for us to offer you." The general, putting hishand on his sword, exclaimed, - "If you talk of honor, donot begin by disavowing its laws, and impose nothing byviolence."

"`"And you, sir," continued the president, with a calmnessstill more terrible than the general's anger, "I advise younot to touch your sword." The general looked around him withslight uneasiness; however he did not yield, but calling upall his fortitude, said, - "I will not swear."

"`"Then you must die," replied the president calmly. M.d'Epinay became very pale; he looked round him a secondtime, several members of the club were whispering, andgetting their arms from under their cloaks. "General," saidthe president, "do not alarm yourself; you are among men ofhonor who will use every means to convince you beforeresorting to the last extremity, but as you have said, youare among conspirators, you are in possession of our secret,and you must restore it to us." A significant silencefollowed these words, and as the general did not reply, - "Close the doors," said the president to the door-keeper.

"`The same deadly silence succeeded these words. Then thegeneral advanced, and making a violent effort to control hisfeelings, - "I have a son," said he, "and I ought to thinkof him, finding myself among assassins."

"`"General," said the chief of the assembly, "one man mayinsult fifty - it is the privilege of weakness. But he doeswrong to use his privilege. Follow my advice, swear, and donot insult." The general, again daunted by the superiorityof the chief, hesitated a moment; then advancing to thepresident's desk, - "What is the form, said he.

"`"It is this: - `I swear by my honor not to reveal to anyone what I have seen and heard on the 5th of February, 1815,between nine and ten o'clock in the evening; and I pleadguilty of death should I ever violate this oath.'" Thegeneral appeared to be affected by a nervous tremor, whichprevented his answering for some moments; then, overcominghis manifest repugnance, he pronounced the required oath,but in so low a tone as to be scarcely audible to themajority of the members, who insisted on his repeating itclearly and distinctly, which he did.

"`"Now am I at liberty to retire?" said the general. Thepresident rose, appointed three members to accompany him,and got into the carriage with the general after bandaginghis eyes. One of those three members was the coachman whohad driven them there. The other members silently dispersed."Where do you wish to be taken?" asked the president. - "Anywhere out of your presence," replied M. d'Epinay."Beware, sir," replied the president, "you are no longer inthe assembly, and have only to do with individuals; do notinsult them unless you wish to be held responsible." Butinstead of listening, M. d'Epinay went on, - "You are stillas brave in your carriage as in your assembly because youare still four against one." The president stopped thecoach. They were at that part of the Quai des Ormes wherethe steps lead down to the river. "Why do you stop here?"asked d'Epinay.

"`"Because, sir," said the president, "you have insulted aman, and that man will not go one step farther withoutdemanding honorable reparation."

"`"Another method of assassination?" said the general,shrugging his shoulders.

"`"Make no noise, sir, unless you wish me to consider you asone of the men of whom you spoke just now as cowards, whotake their weakness for a shield. You are alone, one aloneshall answer you; you have a sword by your side, I have onein my cane; you have no witness, one of these gentlemen willserve you. Now, if you please, remove your bandage." Thegeneral tore the handkerchief from his eyes. "At last," saidhe, "I shall know with whom I have to do." They opened thedoor and the four men alighted.'"

Franz again interrupted himself, and wiped the cold dropsfrom his brow; there was something awful in hearing the sonread aloud in trembling pallor these details of his father'sdeath, which had hitherto been a mystery. Valentine claspedher hands as if in prayer. Noirtier looked at Villefort withan almost sublime expression of contempt and pride. Franzcontinued: -

"`It was, as we said, the fifth of February. For three daysthe mercury had been five or six degrees below freezing andthe steps were covered with ice. The general was stout andtall, the president offered him the side of the railing toassist him in getting down. The two witnesses followed. Itwas a dark night. The ground from the steps to the river wascovered with snow and hoarfrost, the water of the riverlooked black and deep. One of the seconds went for a lanternin a coal-barge near, and by its light they examined theweapons. The president's sword, which was simply, as he hadsaid, one he carried in his cane, was five inches shorterthan the general's, and had no guard. The general proposedto cast lots for the swords, but the president said it washe who had given the provocation, and when he had given ithe had supposed each would use his own arms. The witnessesendeavored to insist, but the president bade them be silent.The lantern was placed on the ground, the two adversariestook their stations, and the duel began. The light made thetwo swords appear like flashes of lightning; as for the men,they were scarcely perceptible, the darkness was so great.

"`General d'Epinay passed for one of the best swordsmen inthe army, but he was pressed so closely in the onset that hemissed his aim and fell. The witnesses thought he was dead,but his adversary, who knew he had not struck him, offeredhim the assistance of his hand to rise. The circumstanceirritated instead of calming the general, and he rushed onhis adversary. But his opponent did not allow his guard tobe broken. He received him on his sword and three times thegeneral drew back on finding himself too closely engaged,and then returned to the charge. At the third he fell again.They thought he slipped, as at first, and the witnesses,seeing he did not move, approached and endeavored to raisehim, but the one who passed his arm around the body found itwas moistened with blood. The general, who had almostfainted, revived. "Ah," said he, "they have sent somefencing-master to fight with me." The president, withoutanswering, approached the witness who held the lantern, andraising his sleeve, showed him two wounds he had received inhis arm; then opening his coat, and unbuttoning hiswaistcoat, displayed his side, pierced with a third wound.Still he had not even uttered a sigh. General d'Epinay diedfive minutes after.'"

Franz read these last words in a voice so choked that theywere hardly audible, and then stopped, passing his hand overhis eyes as if to dispel a cloud; but after a moment'ssilence, he continued: -

"`The president went up the steps, after pushing his swordinto his cane; a track of blood on the snow marked hiscourse. He had scarcely arrived at the top when he heard aheavy splash in the water - it was the general's body,which the witnesses had just thrown into the river afterascertaining that he was dead. The general fell, then, in aloyal duel, and not in ambush as it might have beenreported. In proof of this we have signed this paper toestablish the truth of the facts, lest the moment shouldarrive when either of the actors in this terrible sceneshould be accused of premeditated murder or of infringementof the laws of honor.

"`Signed, Beaurepaire, Deschamps, and Lecharpal.'"

When Franz had finished reading this account, so dreadfulfor a son; when Valentine, pale with emotion, had wiped awaya tear; when Villefort, trembling, and crouched in a corner,had endeavored to lessen the storm by supplicating glancesat the implacable old man, - "Sir," said d'Epinay toNoirtier, "since you are well acquainted with all thesedetails, which are attested by honorable signatures, - since you appear to take some interest in me, although youhave only manifested it hitherto by causing me sorrow,refuse me not one final satisfaction - tell me the name ofthe president of the club, that I may at least know whokilled my father." Villefort mechanically felt for thehandle of the door; Valentine, who understood sooner thananyone her grandfather's answer, and who had often seen twoscars upon his right arm, drew back a few steps."Mademoiselle," said Franz, turning towards Valentine,"unite your efforts with mine to find out the name of theman who made me an orphan at two years of age." Valentineremained dumb and motionless.

"Hold, sir," said Villefort, "do not prolong this dreadfulscene. The names have been purposely concealed; my fatherhimself does not know who this president was, and if heknows, he cannot tell you; proper names are not in thedictionary."

"Oh, misery," cried Franz: "the only hope which sustained meand enabled me to read to the end was that of knowing, atleast, the name of him who killed my father! Sir, sir,"cried he, turning to Noirtier, "do what you can - make meunderstand in some way!"

"Yes," replied Noirtier.

"Oh, mademoiselle, - mademoiselle!" cried Franz, "yourgrandfather says he can indicate the person. Help me, - lend me your assistance!" Noirtier looked at the dictionary.Franz took it with a nervous trembling, and repeated theletters of the alphabet successively, until he came to M. Atthat letter the old man signified "Yes."

"M," repeated Franz. The young man's finger, glided over thewords, but at each one Noirtier answered by a negative sign.Valentine hid her head between her hands. At length, Franzarrived at the word MYSELF.

"Yes!"

"You?" cried Franz, whose hair stood on end; "you, M.Noirtier - you killed my father?"

"Yes!" replied Noirtier, fixing a majestic look on the youngman. Franz fell powerless on a chair; Villefort opened thedoor and escaped, for the idea had entered his mind tostifle the little remaining life in the heart of thisterrible old man.