Villefort rose, half ashamed of being surprised in such aparoxysm of grief. The terrible office he had held fortwenty-five years had succeeded in making him more or lessthan man. His glance, at first wandering, fixed itself uponMorrel. "Who are you, sir," he asked, "that forget that thisis not the manner to enter a house stricken with death? Go,sir, go!" But Morrel remained motionless; he could notdetach his eyes from that disordered bed, and the palecorpse of the young girl who was lying on it. "Go! - do youhear?" said Villefort, while d'Avrigny advanced to leadMorrel out. Maximilian stared for a moment at the corpse,gazed all around the room, then upon the two men; he openedhis mouth to speak, but finding it impossible to giveutterance to the innumerable ideas that occupied his brain,he went out, thrusting his hands through his hair in such amanner that Villefort and d'Avrigny, for a moment divertedfrom the engrossing topic, exchanged glances, which seemedto say, - "He is mad!"

But in less than five minutes the staircase groaned beneathan extraordinary weight. Morrel was seen carrying, withsuperhuman strength, the arm-chair containing Noirtierup-stairs. When he reached the landing he placed thearm-chair on the floor and rapidly rolled it intoValentine's room. This could only have been accomplished bymeans of unnatural strength supplied by powerful excitement.But the most fearful spectacle was Noirtier being pushedtowards the bed, his face expressing all his meaning, andhis eyes supplying the want of every other faculty. Thatpale face and flaming glance appeared to Villefort like afrightful apparition. Each time he had been brought intocontact with his father, something terrible had happened."See what they have done!" cried Morrel, with one handleaning on the back of the chair, and the other extendedtowards Valentine. "See, my father, see!"

Villefort drew back and looked with astonishment on theyoung man, who, almost a stranger to him, called Noirtierhis father. At this moment the whole soul of the old manseemed centred in his eyes which became bloodshot; the veinsof the throat swelled; his cheeks and temples became purple,as though he was struck with epilepsy; nothing was wantingto complete this but the utterance of a cry. And the cryissued from his pores, if we may thus speak - a cryfrightful in its silence. D'Avrigny rushed towards the oldman and made him inhale a powerful restorative.

"Sir," cried Morrel, seizing the moist hand of theparalytic, "they ask me who I am, and what right I have tobe here. Oh, you know it, tell them, tell them!" And theyoung man's voice was choked by sobs. As for the old man,his chest heaved with his panting respiration. One couldhave thought that he was undergoing the agonies precedingdeath. At length, happier than the young man, who sobbedwithout weeping, tears glistened in the eyes of Noirtier."Tell them," said Morrel in a hoarse voice, "tell them thatI am her betrothed. Tell them she was my beloved, my noblegirl, my only blessing in the world. Tell them - oh, tellthem, that corpse belongs to me!"

The young man overwhelmed by the weight of his anguish, fellheavily on his knees before the bed, which his fingersgrasped with convulsive energy. D'Avrigny, unable to bearthe sight of this touching emotion, turned away; andVillefort, without seeking any further explanation, andattracted towards him by the irresistible magnetism whichdraws us towards those who have loved the people for whom wemourn, extended his hand towards the young man. But Morrelsaw nothing; he had grasped the hand of Valentine, andunable to weep vented his agony in groans as he bit thesheets. For some time nothing was heard in that chamber butsobs, exclamations, and prayers. At length Villefort, themost composed of all, spoke: "Sir," said he to Maximilian,"you say you loved Valentine, that you were betrothed toher. I knew nothing of this engagement, of this love, yet I,her father, forgive you, for I see that your grief is realand deep; and besides my own sorrow is too great for angerto find a place in my heart. But you see that the angel whomyou hoped for has left this earth - she has nothing more todo with the adoration of men. Take a last farewell, sir, ofher sad remains; take the hand you expected to possess oncemore within your own, and then separate yourself from herforever. Valentine now requires only the ministrations ofthe priest."

"You are mistaken, sir," exclaimed Morrel, raising himselfon one knee, his heart pierced by a more acute pang than anyhe had yet felt - "you are mistaken; Valentine, dying asshe has, not only requires a priest, but an avenger. You, M.de Villefort, send for the priest; I will be the avenger."

"What do you mean, sir?" asked Villefort, trembling at thenew idea inspired by the delirium of Morrel.

"I tell you, sir, that two persons exist in you; the fatherhas mourned sufficiently, now let the procureur fulfil hisoffice."

The eyes of Noirtier glistened, and d'Avrigny approached.

"Gentlemen," said Morrel, reading all that passed throughthe minds of the witnesses to the scene, "I know what I amsaying, and you know as well as I do what I am about to say- Valentine has been assassinated!" Villefort hung hishead, d'Avrigny approached nearer, and Noirtier said "Yes"with his eyes. "Now, sir," continued Morrel, "in these daysno one can disappear by violent means without some inquiriesbeing made as to the cause of her disappearance, even wereshe not a young, beautiful, and adorable creature likeValentine. Mr. Procureur," said Morrel with increasingvehemence, "no mercy is allowed; I denounce the crime; it isyour place to seek the assassin." The young man's implacableeyes interrogated Villefort, who, on his side, glanced fromNoirtier to d'Avrigny. But instead of finding sympathy inthe eyes of the doctor and his father, he only saw anexpression as inflexible as that of Maximilian. "Yes,"indicated the old man.

"Assuredly," said d'Avrigny.

"Sir," said Villefort, striving to struggle against thistriple force and his own emotion, - "sir, you are deceived;no one commits crimes here. I am stricken by fate. It ishorrible, indeed, but no one assassinates."

The eyes of Noirtier lighted up with rage, and d'Avrignyprepared to speak. Morrel, however, extended his arm, andcommanded silence. "And I say that murders are committedhere," said Morrel, whose voice, though lower in tone, lostnone of its terrible distinctness: "I tell you that this isthe fourth victim within the last four months. I tell you,Valentine's life was attempted by poison four days ago,though she escaped, owing to the precautions of M. Noirtier.I tell you that the dose has been double, the poisonchanged, and that this time it has succeeded. I tell youthat you know these things as well as I do, since thisgentleman has forewarned you, both as a doctor and as afriend."

"Oh, you rave, sir," exclaimed Villefort, in vainendeavoring to escape the net in which he was taken.

"I rave?" said Morrel; "well, then, I appeal to M. d'Avrignyhimself. Ask him, sir, if he recollects the words he utteredin the garden of this house on the night of Madame deSaint-Meran's death. You thought yourselves alone, andtalked about that tragical death, and the fatality youmentioned then is the same which has caused the murder ofValentine." Villefort and d'Avrigny exchanged looks. "Yes,yes," continued Morrel; "recall the scene, for the words youthought were only given to silence and solitude fell into myears. Certainly, after witnessing the culpable indolencemanifested by M. de Villefort towards his own relations, Iought to have denounced him to the authorities; then Ishould not have been an accomplice to thy death, as I nowam, sweet, beloved Valentine; but the accomplice shallbecome the avenger. This fourth murder is apparent to all,and if thy father abandon thee, Valentine, it is I, and Iswear it, that shall pursue the assassin." And this time, asthough nature had at least taken compassion on the vigorousframe, nearly bursting with its own strength, the words ofMorrel were stifled in his throat; his breast heaved; thetears, so long rebellious, gushed from his eyes; and hethrew himself weeping on his knees by the side of the bed.

Then d'Avrigny spoke. "And I, too," he exclaimed in a lowvoice, "I unite with M. Morrel in demanding justice forcrime; my blood boils at the idea of having encouraged amurderer by my cowardly concession."

"Oh, merciful heavens!" murmured Villefort. Morrel raisedhis head, and reading the eyes of the old man, which gleamedwith unnatural lustre, - "Stay," he said, "M. Noirtierwishes to speak."

"Yes," indicated Noirtier, with an expression the moreterrible, from all his faculties being centred in hisglance.

"Do you know the assassin?" asked Morrel.

"Yes," replied Noirtier.

"And will you direct us?" exclaimed the young man. "Listen,M. d'Avrigny, listen!" Noirtier looked upon Morrel with oneof those melancholy smiles which had so often made Valentinehappy, and thus fixed his attention. Then, having rivetedthe eyes of his interlocutor on his own, he glanced towardsthe door.

"Do you wish me to leave?" said Morrel, sadly.

"Yes," replied Noirtier.

"Alas, alas, sir, have pity on me!"

The old man's eyes remained fixed on the door.

"May I, at least, return?" asked Morrel.

"Yes."

"Must I leave alone?"

"No."

"Whom am I to take with me? The procureur?"

"No."

"The doctor?"

"Yes."

"You wish to remain alone with M. de Villefort?"

"Yes."

"But can he understand you?"

"Yes."

"Oh," said Villefort, inexpressibly delighted to think thatthe inquiries were to be made by him alone, - "oh, besatisfied, I can understand my father." D'Avrigny took theyoung man's arm, and led him out of the room. A more thandeathlike silence then reigned in the house. At the end of aquarter of an hour a faltering footstep was heard, andVillefort appeared at the door of the apartment whered'Avrigny and Morrel had been staying, one absorbed inmeditation, the other in grief. "You can come," he said, andled them back to Noirtier. Morrel looked attentively onVillefort. His face was livid, large drops rolled down hisface, and in his fingers he held the fragments of a quillpen which he had torn to atoms.

"Gentlemen," he said in a hoarse voice, "give me your wordof honor that this horrible secret shall forever remainburied amongst ourselves!" The two men drew back.

"I entreat you." - continued Villefort.

"But," said Morrel, "the culprit - the murderer - theassassin."

"Do not alarm yourself, sir; justice will be done," saidVillefort. "My father has revealed the culprit's name; myfather thirsts for revenge as much as you do, yet even heconjures you as I do to keep this secret. Do you not,father?"

"Yes," resolutely replied Noirtier. Morrel suffered anexclamation of horror and surprise to escape him. "Oh, sir,"said Villefort, arresting Maximilian by the arm, "if myfather, the inflexible man, makes this request, it isbecause he knows, be assured, that Valentine will beterribly revenged. Is it not so, father?" The old man made asign in the affirmative. Villefort continued: "He knows me,and I have pledged my word to him. Rest assured, gentlemen,that within three days, in a less time than justice woulddemand, the revenge I shall have taken for the murder of mychild will be such as to make the boldest heart tremble;"and as he spoke these words he ground his teeth, and graspedthe old man's senseless hand.

"Will this promise be fulfilled, M. Noirtier?" asked Morrel,while d'Avrigny looked inquiringly.

"Yes," replied Noirtier with an expression of sinister joy.

"Swear, then," said Villefort, joining the hands of Morreland d'Avrigny, "swear that you will spare the honor of myhouse, and leave me to avenge my child." D'Avrigny turnedround and uttered a very feeble "Yes," but Morrel,disengaging his hand, rushed to the bed, and after havingpressed the cold lips of Valentine with his own, hurriedlyleft, uttering a long, deep groan of despair and anguish. Wehave before stated that all the servants had fled. M. deVillefort was therefore obliged to request M. d'Avrigny tosuperintend all the arrangements consequent upon a death ina large city, more especially a death under such suspiciouscircumstances.

It was something terrible to witness the silent agony, themute despair of Noirtier, whose tears silently rolled downhis cheeks. Villefort retired to his study, and d'Avrignyleft to summon the doctor of the mayoralty, whose office itis to examine bodies after decease, and who is expresslynamed "the doctor of the dead." M. Noirtier could not bepersuaded to quit his grandchild. At the end of a quarter ofan hour M. d'Avrigny returned with his associate; they foundthe outer gate closed, and not a servant remaining in thehouse; Villefort himself was obliged to open to them. But hestopped on the landing; he had not the courage to againvisit the death chamber. The two doctors, therefore, enteredthe room alone. Noirtier was near the bed, pale, motionless,and silent as the corpse. The district doctor approachedwith the indifference of a man accustomed to spend half histime amongst the dead; he then lifted the sheet which wasplaced over the face, and just unclosed the lips.

"Alas," said d'Avrigny, "she is indeed dead, poor child!"

"Yes," answered the doctor laconically, dropping the sheethe had raised. Noirtier uttered a kind of hoarse, rattlingsound; the old man's eyes sparkled, and the good doctorunderstood that he wished to behold his child. He thereforeapproached the bed, and while his companion was dipping thefingers with which he had touched the lips of the corpse inchloride of lime, he uncovered the calm and pale face, whichlooked like that of a sleeping angel. A tear, which appearedin the old man's eye, expressed his thanks to the doctor.The doctor of the dead then laid his permit on the corner ofthe table, and having fulfilled his duty, was conducted outby d'Avrigny. Villefort met them at the door of his study;having in a few words thanked the district doctor, he turnedto d'Avrigny, and said, - "And now the priest."

"Is there any particular priest you wish to pray withValentine?" asked d'Avrigny.

"No." said Villefort; "fetch the nearest."

"The nearest," said the district doctor, "is a good Italianabbe, who lives next door to you. Shall I call on him as Ipass?"

"D'Avrigny," said Villefort, "be so kind, I beseech you, asto accompany this gentleman. Here is the key of the door, sothat you can go in and out as you please; you will bring thepriest with you, and will oblige me by introducing him intomy child's room."

"Do you wish to see him?"

"I only wish to be alone. You will excuse me, will you not?A priest can understand a father's grief." And M. deVillefort, giving the key to d'Avrigny, again bade farewellto the strange doctor, and retired to his study, where hebegan to work. For some temperaments work is a remedy forall afflictions. As the doctors entered the street, they sawa man in a cassock standing on the threshold of the nextdoor. "This is the abbe of whom I spoke," said the doctor tod'Avrigny. D'Avrigny accosted the priest. "Sir," he said,"are you disposed to confer a great obligation on an unhappyfather who has just lost his daughter? I mean M. deVillefort, the king's attorney."

"Ah," said the priest, in a marked Italian accent; "yes, Ihave heard that death is in that house."

"Then I need not tell you what kind of service he requiresof you."

"I was about to offer myself, sir," said the priest; "it isour mission to forestall our duties."

"It is a young girl."

"I know it, sir; the servants who fled from the houseinformed me. I also know that her name is Valentine, and Ihave already prayed for her."

"Thank you, sir," said d'Avrigny; "since you have commencedyour sacred office, deign to continue it. Come and watch bythe dead, and all the wretched family will be grateful toyou."

"I am going, sir; and I do not hesitate to say that noprayers will be more fervent than mine." D'Avrigny took thepriest's hand, and without meeting Villefort, who wasengaged in his study, they reached Valentine's room, whichon the following night was to be occupied by theundertakers. On entering the room, Noirtier's eyes met thoseof the abbe, and no doubt he read some particular expressionin them, for he remained in the room. D'Avrigny recommendedthe attention of the priest to the living as well as to thedead, and the abbe promised to devote his prayers toValentine and his attentions to Noirtier. In order,doubtless, that he might not be disturbed while fulfillinghis sacred mission, the priest rose as soon as d'Avrignydeparted, and not only bolted the door through which thedoctor had just left, but also that leading to Madame deVillefort's room.