The scene of the previous night now came back to his mind with startling accuracy. The painful catastrophe appeared to have rent away the veil which the intoxication of the evening before had raised between himself and his memory.
"So! so!" said he, in a hoarse voice, to Danglars, "this, then, I suppose, is a part of the trick you were concerting yesterday? All I can say is, that if it be so, woe to him who has done it, for it is a foul one!"
"Nonsense!" returned Danglars. "You know very well that I tore the paper to pieces."
"No, you did not!" answered Caderousse, "you threw it in a corner. There's the whole matter."
"Hold your tongue, you fool! — what should you know about it? — why, you were drunk!"
"Where is Fernand?" inquired Caderousse.
"How do I know?" replied Danglars; "after his own affairs, most likely. Never mind where he is; let us try and help our poor friends in this their affliction."
During this conversation, Dantès, after having exchanged a shake of the hand with all his friends, had surrendered himself, merely saying, with a smile, "Make yourselves quite easy, there is some little mistake to clear up, and very likely I may not have to go so far as the prison."
"Oh, to be sure!" responded Danglars, who had now approached the group, "nothing more than a mistake."
Dantès descended the staircase, preceded by the principal officer of police, and followed by the soldiers. A carriage awaited him at the door; he got in, followed by two soldiers and the officer; the door was shut, and the vehicle drove off toward Marseilles.
"Adieu! adieu! dearest Edmond!" cried Mercédès, leaning forward from the balcony.
The prisoner heard her cry, as it were a sob from the lacerated heart of his beloved, thrust his head out of the carriage window and cried, "Good-bye — we shall soon meet again!" and disappeared round one of the turnings of Fort Saint Nicolas.
"Wait for me here!" cried M. Morrel; I will take the first conveyance I find, and hurry to Marseilles, whence I will bring you word how all is going on."
"Go!" exclaimed a multitude of voices; "go, and return as quickly as you can!"
This second departure was followed by a long and fearful state of terrified silence on the part of those who were left behind.
The old father and Mercédès remained for some time apart, each
