"Shall I see you again?" asked the countess.
"If you will permit me, at the next pause in the opera, I will do myself the honor of coming to inquire whether there is anything in which I can be useful to you in Paris?"
"Pray take notice," said the countess, "that my present residence is 22, Rue de Rivoli, and that I am at home to my friends every Saturday evening."
The young men bowed, and quitted the box. Upon reaching their stalls, they found the whole of the audience in the parterre standing up, and directing their gaze toward the box formerly possessed by the ambassador of Russia.
A man of from thirty-five to forty years of age, dressed in deep black, had just entered, accompanied by a lady dressed after the Eastern style; she was young and surpassingly beautiful, while the rich magnificence of her attire drew all eyes upon her.
"By heavens!" said Albert, "it is Monte-Cristo, with his Greek!"
The strangers were, indeed, no other than the count and Haydée. In an instant the lady was the object of the attention, not only of the stalls, but of the whole house; and even ladies leaned forward from the boxes to admire the superb diamonds glittering beneath the rays of the chandeliers.
The second act passed away during one continued buzz of voices intimating that some great and universally interesting event had occurred; this woman, so young, so fair, so dazzling, was the most remarkable spectacle to be seen.
Upon this occasion a sign from Madame Danglars intimated her desire to see Albert in her box, and the good taste of Morcerf would not permit his neglecting an invitation so unequivocally given. At the close of the act he, therefore, proceeded to the baroness's box.
Having bowed to the two ladies, he extended his hand to Debray. By the baroness he was most graciously welcomed, while Eugenie received him with her accustomed coldness.
"My dear fellow!" said Debray, "you have just come in the very nick of time to help a fellow-creature regularly at a standstill. There is madame overwhelming me with questions respecting the count; she insists upon it that I can tell her where he came from, and whither he is going. Being no Cagliostro, and by way of getting out of the scrape, I said, 'Ask Morcerf; he has got the whole history of Monte-Cristo at his fingers' ends. Whereupon the baroness made you a sign to come hither."
"Is it not almost incredible," said Madame Danglars, "that a person having at least half a million of secret-service money at his command
should possess so little information?"
