CHAPTER III.
THE CONFLAGRATION.
As the Count of Monte-Cristo, Esperance, Ali and the servants approachedthe palace on their return from the struggle with the bandits in thealmond grove, their ears were suddenly saluted by loud cries of terror.They came from the library and thither Monte-Cristo hurried, followed byhis son. On the floor in the centre of the apartment Haydee lay in aswoon, and bending over her mother was Zuleika, screaming and wringingher little hands. The Count raised his wife and placed her upon a divan,while Esperance brought a water-jar and bathed her temples with itscool, refreshing contents, Zuleika meanwhile holding her mother's handsand sobbing violently.
At last Haydee recovered consciousness, and opening her eyes gazedwildly around her; seeing her husband, Esperance and Zuleika safe besideher, she uttered a faint sigh of relief. It was several moments longerbefore she could speak; then she exclaimed in a tremulous voice:
"Oh! my lord, did you meet that terrible man?"
"What man, Haydee?" asked the Count. "Do you mean Benedetto?"
"I do not know his name; I never saw him before," answered Haydee; "buthis face was all battered and bleeding; on his uncovered head the lockswere matted and unkempt, and his garments were torn as if in wrenchinghis way through a thicket of tangled briers."
"Benedetto, it was Benedetto!" cried Monte-Cristo. "You do not mean tosay he was here, in this room?"
"He was here and only a short time ago," replied Haydee, with a shudder."I was standing at the window with Zuleika when he rushed by me like awhirlwind, and going to your secretary endeavored to open it, but invain; then with a cry of rage he ran to the window, leaped out into thedarkness and was gone! I know nothing further, for as he vanished I fellto the floor in a swoon."
Monte-Cristo touched a bell and almost immediately Ali stood bowingbefore him, as calm and unmoved as though nothing unusual had occurred.
"Ali," said the Count, "post all the servants within and without thepalace, and let the strictest watch be kept until dawn. The chief of thebandits, who is no other than the former Prince Cavalcanti, was here inour absence and must yet be hovering in the vicinity. See that he doesnot effect another entrance, as his purpose is robbery if not murder!"
Ali signified by his eloquent pantomime that he had already taken itupon himself to station the servants as his master directed, and that itwould be utterly impossible for any one to approach the palace withoutbeing seen and seized.
As the faithful Nubian turned to retire, Monte-Cristo noticed that hisright hand was bandaged as if wounded, and inquired whether he had beenhurt in the conflict with the bandits. Ali explained that a daggerthrust had cut his palm, but that the wound had been properly cared forand would soon heal.
When the Count and his family were once more alone together, Haydeethrew herself at her husband's feet and humbly demanded pardon.
"What have you done to require pardon?" asked Monte-Cristo, inastonishment. "Speak, but I forgive you beforehand.'
"Oh! my lord," said Haydee, still maintaining her kneeling posturedespite her husband's efforts to raise her, "oh! my lord, I have beenguilty of a despicable act, but my love for you and fears for yoursafety must be my excuse. You left the letter you received so strangelythis morning lying upon your secretary. I opened it and hurriedly mademyself acquainted with its contents, for I had a premonition that someterrible danger threatened you. Oh! my lord, pardon, pardon!"
Monte-Cristo raised her to her feet, and imprinted a kiss upon herpallid brow.
"So then, it is to you, Haydee, that I owe my timely rescue from thehands of Benedetto and his band of cut-throats! Had you committed even amuch more serious fault than peeping into my correspondence, that wouldbe more than sufficient to secure my full forgiveness. But do you knowthat Esperance shot and killed the miscreant who held his pistol to mytemple and was about to blow out my brains?"
"Esperance?" said Haydee in bewilderment. "Did he not remain behind withZuleika and myself?"
"No, mamma," said the boy, holding his head proudly erect. "I could notremain behind. I knew papa was in danger, and, taking a pistol that Ihad seen Ali load this morning from the cabinet of fire-arms, I followedthe servants, arriving at the almond grove just in time."
Haydee ran to her son, and, taking him in her arms, pressed him fondlyto her heart, kissing him again and again.
"Oh! Esperance," she cried, "had I known you were in the midst of thosebloodthirsty cut-throats I should have died of terror! But you havesaved your father's life, my son, and I bless you for it!"
"He is a little hero," said Monte-Cristo, impressively.
Zuleika had thrown herself upon the divan, and, utterly worn out by theexcitement through which she had passed, was already wrapped in a deepslumber. The Count, Haydee and Esperance, however, could not resignthemselves to sleep, and when the gray light of dawn appeared in theeastern sky, they were still in the library and still watching.
Benedetto had not been seen again, and a diligent search of the entireisland, made by Ali and the servants, failed to reveal even theslightest trace of him. He had evidently succeeded in finding somefisherman's skiff and in it had made his escape.
This view of the case was confirmed a few hours later, when old Alexiscame to the palace and informed Monte-Cristo that his smack had vanishedduring the night, having, in all probability, been carried off bythieves.
"I knew," said the fisherman, "that the Island of Kylo was infested bybandits, but I had no idea they would venture here. Now, however, Ithought I had better put you on your guard."
"I am much indebted to you, Alexis," said the Count; then, slipping apurse of money into his hand, he added: "Take that and provide yourselfwith a new boat."
Alexis touched his cap, bowed and was about to withdraw whenMonte-Cristo said to him, assuming a careless tone:
"By the way, my good fellow, have you ever chanced to meet any of thebandits you mentioned?"
"Often, Excellency," replied Alexis.
"What kind of men are they?"
"Bold, bad wretches, whose hands have been more than once stained withinnocent blood."
"What is their strength?"
"They number about fifty."
"Do any women dwell among them?"
"Yes, Excellency, their wives and sweethearts."
"Who is the leader of the band?"
"A strange, morose man, who has not been long in their midst."
"Is he a Greek?"
"No, Excellency, he is a foreigner."
"A Frenchman?"
"Quite likely, though I am not sure."
"What is his name?"
"He calls himself Demetrius."
"Did he ever question you about me?"
"Yes, Excellency."
"And what did you reply?"
"I told him you were the Count of Monte-Cristo."
"Ah! What did he say then?"
"He said he had heard of you before."
"That will do, Alexis; I have all the information I require."
The fisherman again touched his cap, and, making a low bow, took hisdeparture.
Under ordinary circumstances Monte-Cristo would not have been disturbedby the presence of bandits so near the Island of Salmis, but it becamean altogether different thing when those bandits were led by Benedetto.
A month passed, but in it nothing occurred calculated to break thetranquillity of the Count and his family. The bandits had not reappearedand Benedetto had given no sign of life. The faithful Ali no longerdeemed it necessary to maintain his precautions against surprise, andthe strict watch that had been kept up day and night ever since theconflict in the almond grove was abandoned. Haydee, Zuleika andEsperance resumed their usual mode of life, having apparently dismissedthe robbers from their minds, while even Monte-Cristo seemed free fromall uneasiness.
One night, while the Count was writing at a late hour in the library, heyielded to fatigue and fell asleep over his papers. His slumber wastroubled with a strange and vivid dream.<
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A man in the picturesque garb of a Greek peasant, and wearing a mask onhis face, suddenly stood before him, with his arms folded upon hisbreast. Monte-Cristo saw him distinctly, though unable to stir eitherhand or foot. The singular visitant surveyed the Count long andsteadily. There was something vaguely familiar about him, but as to hisidentity the sleeper could form no idea. At last he slowly removed themask, and recognition was instantaneous. The man was Danglars. He raisedhis right hand, and, pointing with his forefinger at the Count, saiddeliberately, with a hiss like some venomous serpent:
"Edmond Dantes, there is a bitter account open between us, and I am hereto force you to a bitter settlement!"
The light of the huge lamp, suspended from the ceiling, fell full uponDanglars' countenance; it was as bloodless as that of a corpse, and theeyes shone with a remorseless, vindictive glare. The banker continued inthe same hissing tone, his words penetrating to the very marrow of theslumberer's bones:
"Count of Monte-Cristo, for by that name it still pleases you to becalled, listen to me. By the most ingenious and fiendish combinationspossible for a human being to contrive, you wrecked my fortune and withit my hopes. You drove me ignominiously from Paris; in Rome you causedme to be starved and robbed by Luigi Vampa and his brigands; then withthe malevolent magnanimity of an arch-demon you sent me forth into theworld a fugitive and an outcast. Count of Monte-Cristo, Edmond Dantes,low-born sailor of Marseilles, modern Mephistopheles as you are, I willbe even with you! You have had your vengeance; now you shall feel mine!Here in the Grecian Archipelago, on the Island of Salmis, I will tortureyou through your dearest affections, and grind you to dust beneath myheel!"
As Danglars finished, his features changed and became those ofVillefort, while his Greek peasant's garb was transformed into thesombre habiliments of the Procureur du Roi. Villefort's face wore thelook of madness, but there was a freezing calmness in his voice as hesaid:
"Edmond Dantes, Count of Monte-Cristo, gaze upon the ruin you have made.Through you I was dragged down from my high position, exposed,humiliated and deprived of reason. But although the mere wreck of myformer self, I am not utterly powerless, as you shall learn to yourcost. You raised up my infamous son, Benedetto, to be the instrument ofmy destruction. Now, he shall work yours, and avenge his unhappyfather!"
The apparition paused, sighed deeply, and then resumed in a tone ofstill greater menace:
"Count of Monte-Cristo, look well to your beloved wife, Haydee, lookwell to your heroic son, Esperance, look well to your darling daughter,Zuleika, for this night they are in frightful danger! Look well to yourfabulous riches, for they are threatened; look well to your stately andmagnificent palace, for already the element that shall devour it isnoiselessly and stealthily at work! Count of Monte-Cristo, farewell!"
A heart-rending shriek rang in the sleeper's ears, a mighty flashdazzled his eyes, and, with a grim smile upon his pallid countenance,Villefort vanished.
Monte-Cristo awoke with a quick start and passed his hand across hisforehead, as if dazed; then he leaped to his feet and glancedbreathlessly about him. Danglars and Villefort had been only the idlecoinage of his brain, but the heart-rending shriek, the mighty flash,they were, indeed, stern realities--the shriek was Haydee's, and theflash was fire!
"My God!" cried Monte-Cristo, standing for an instant rooted to thespot, "can it be possible that this dream is the truth after all, andthat I am even now to feel the vengeance of those two men?"
He sprang into the spacious hall that was as light as day, and, as hedid so, the figure of a man rushed by him--it was Benedetto, and in hishand he held a long knife dripping with blood. The Count turned andpursued him, snatching a dagger from a table as he ran. At the doorleading to the lawn, he grasped him firmly by the shoulder and held him.
"Murderer!" he shouted, "whose blood is that upon your knife?"
"The blood of Haydee, the Greek slave!" hissed Benedetto, with a glareof ferocious triumph, "the blood of Haydee, your wife! Edmond Dantes, Iam even with you!"
Monte-Cristo struck at the assassin with his dagger, but Benedettoeluded the blow, and raising his own weapon inflicted a frightful gashupon the Count's cheek.
A terrible struggle ensued. Monte-Cristo was possessed of wonderfulstrength and activity, but in both these respects the two desperateantagonists seemed fairly matched. Three times did the Count bury hisdagger in Benedetto's body, but, though the assassin's blood gushedcopiously from his wounds, he continued to fight with the utmostdetermination. At length the men grappled in a supreme, deadly effort,but Monte-Cristo, making a false step, slipped on the blood-spatteredmarble floor, and Benedetto, with the quickness of thought, hurling himbackward, freed himself and bounding through the open doorway vanishedin the darkness beyond.
The Count uttered a groan of despair as he saw Haydee's self-confessedmurderer escape him, and staggered to his feet; the fierce conflict withBenedetto had exhausted him, and he stood for an instant panting andbreathless. The shrieks had now grown fainter and the hall was full ofsmoke. During all this time neither Ali nor any of the servants underhim had appeared, a circumstance that, to Monte-Cristo, seemedinexplicable. He, however, did not pause to give it thought, but dashedup the stairway and strove to reach his wife's apartment; blinding,stifling clouds of smoke, through which penetrated the glare of theconflagration, drove him back again and again, but he renewed hisattempts to force a passage with undaunted energy and courage. Finally,compressing his lips and holding his nostrils with the thumb andforefinger of his right hand, he gave a headlong plunge, and succeededin reaching Haydee's door; it was open, displaying a scene that causedthe Count's heart to sink within him; the whole chamber was one sea offlame; fiery tongues, like so many writhing and hissing serpents, werelicking and consuming the costly tapestry, the richly carved furnitureand the magnificent objects of art; the curtains of the bed wereblazing, and upon the couch lay the senseless form of the wife ofMonte-Cristo, the pallor of her faultless countenance contrastingpainfully with the ruddy glow of the devouring element. In Haydee'sbreast was a gaping wound, from which her life blood was slowly oozingin ruby drops.
Rendered utterly reckless by the terrible sight, the Count madly rushedto the couch, tore his beloved Haydee from it, and, clasping her tightlyagainst his bosom, staggered into the corridor with his preciousburden. There the smoke had increased in volume and density, but,summoning all his resolution and endurance to his aid, he plungedthrough it, and finally was successful in reaching the library.
Then, with the swiftness of a flash of lightning, the husband wasreplaced by the father, and Monte-Cristo, for the first time sinceHaydee's shrieks had awakened him from his dream, thought of hischildren. Where were they and what had happened to them? The Count felta cold perspiration break out upon his forehead, and a feeling ofunspeakable dread took entire possession of him. Haydee demandedimmediate attention, but Esperance and Zuleika must instantly be foundand rescued. At the top of his voice Monte-Cristo shouted for Ali, butno reply was returned. Fearing to leave Haydee for even a moment, theCount strode about the library like a caged wild animal, still holdingher in his arms. He shouted again and again until he was hoarse, callingdistractedly upon Esperance, Zuleika and all the servants in turn.
At last an answering shout came suddenly from the lawn, and old Alexis,followed by several fishermen, leaped into the library through an openwindow.
Resigning Haydee to Alexis, the Count, accompanied by the fishermen,fairly flew to the apartment of his children, situated on a corridor inanother portion of the palace. There Esperance and Zuleika werediscovered gagged and bound; they lay upon the floor of their chamber,while Ali, who had been treated in like manner, was extended near them.To release the prisoners was but the work of a moment, and then it waslearned that all the servants under Ali were confined in theirdormitory. They, as well as Monte-Cristo's children and the Nubian, hadbeen suddenly seized by a party of rough-looking Greeks, evidently aportion of Benedetto's band.
Meanwhile
the flames had spread from Haydee's chamber to the adjoiningquarters of the edifice, and the entire palace seemed doomed, for tocheck the conflagration appeared impossible, but so happy had the Countbeen made by the recovery of his son and daughter, unharmed, that hegave himself no concern about the probable destruction of hismagnificent property.
Seizing his children, he directed Ali and the fishermen to release thecaptive servants, and hastily returned to the library. As he entered theroom Haydee uttered a low groan and opened her eyes; she was lying on adivan, where old Alexis had placed her. Esperance and Zuleika sprang toher side; she took each by the hand, and as she did so they saw thewound in her breast. Zuleika burst into tears. Esperance compressed hislips and grew deadly pale.
"My loved ones," said Haydee, faintly, "I feel that I am about to leaveyou forever, perhaps in a few moments. Be good children and obey yourfather in all things. Esperance, Zuleika, stoop and kiss me."
They did as she desired; her lips were already purple and cold; thestamp of death was upon her features. Suddenly her frame was convulsedand her eyes assumed a glassy look.
"Monte-Cristo, my husband, where are you?" she said, in a broken voice.
"Here, Haydee," answered the Count, approaching.
He strove to appear calm, but could not control his emotion.
"Nearer, nearer, Edmond," said Haydee, growing weaker and weaker.
The Count sank on his knees beside his dying wife and put his arms abouther neck.
"Oh! Haydee, Haydee," he sobbed; "thrice accursed be the infamous wretchwho has done this!"
"Edmond, my children, farewell," gasped Haydee; "I am going to a betterland!"
The death rattle was in her throat; she raised herself with a mightyeffort, gazed lovingly at her husband and children, and strove to speakagain, but could not; then a flickering shade of violet passed over hercountenance, and she fell back dead.
Esperance and Zuleika stood as if stunned; Monte-Cristo was overwhelmedwith grief and despair.
"The whole palace is in flames! Save yourselves, save yourselves!"cried a fisherman, rushing into the library, followed by his companions,Ali and the servants.
Monte-Cristo leaped to his feet, seizing the corpse of Haydee andraising it in his arms. Ali grasped Esperance and Zuleika, and theentire party hastened from the burning edifice. They were not an instanttoo soon, for as they quitted the library the tempest of fire burst intoit, accompanied by torrents of smoke. The fishermen and servants,commanded by the Nubian, had made every effort to save the doomedmansion, but in vain.
Monte-Cristo and his children found refuge in the hut of Alexis, towhich Haydee's body was reverently borne.
The wife of Monte-Cristo was buried on the Island of Salmis, and overher remains her husband erected a massive monument.
Shortly afterwards the Count, Esperance and Zuleika, attended by thefaithful Ali, quitted the Island and took passage on a vessel bound forFrance.