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turned away; he seemed moved by this last remark.

β€œAh,” said he to Debray, who had thrown himself into an easy-chair at the farthest extremity of the salon, and who held a pencil in his right hand and an account book in his left, β€œwhat are you doing there? Are you making a sketch after Poussin?”

β€œOh, no,” was the tranquil response; β€œI am too fond of art to attempt anything of that sort. I am doing a little sum in arithmetic.”

β€œIn arithmetic?”

β€œYes; I am calculating⁠—by the way, Morcerf, that indirectly concerns you⁠—I am calculating what the house of Danglars must have gained by the last rise in Haiti bonds; from 206 they have risen to 409 in three days, and the prudent banker had purchased at 206; therefore he must have made 300,000 livres.”

β€œThat is not his biggest scoop,” said Morcerf; β€œdid he not make a million in Spaniards this last year?”

β€œMy dear fellow,” said Lucien, β€œhere is the Count of Monte Cristo, who will say to you, as the Italians do⁠—

β€œβ€Šβ€˜Denaro e santitΓ ,
MetΓ  della metΓ .’10

β€œWhen they tell me such things, I only shrug my shoulders and say nothing.”

β€œBut you were speaking of Haitians?” said Monte Cristo.

β€œAh, Haitians⁠—that is quite another thing! Haitians are the Γ©cartΓ© of French stock-jobbing. We may like bouillotte, delight in whist, be enraptured with boston, and yet grow tired of them all; but we always come back to Γ©carté⁠—it is not only a game, it is a hors-d’oeuvre! M. Danglars sold yesterday at 405, and pockets 300,000 francs. Had he but waited till today, the price would have fallen to 205, and instead of gaining 300,000 francs, he would have lost 20 or 25,000.”

β€œAnd what has caused the sudden fall from 409 to 206?” asked Monte Cristo. β€œI am profoundly ignorant of all these stock-jobbing intrigues.”

β€œBecause,” said Albert, laughing, β€œone piece of news follows another, and there is often great dissimilarity between them.”

β€œAh,” said the count, β€œI see that M. Danglars is accustomed to play at gaining or losing 300,000 francs in a day; he must be enormously rich.”

β€œIt is not he who plays!” exclaimed Lucien; β€œit is Madame Danglars; she is indeed daring.”

β€œBut you who are a reasonable being, Lucien, and who knows how little dependence is to be placed on the news, since you are at the fountainhead, surely you ought to prevent it,” said Morcerf, with a smile.

β€œHow can I, if her husband fails in controlling her?” asked Lucien; β€œyou know the character of the baroness⁠—no one has any influence with her, and she does precisely what she pleases.”

β€œAh, if I were in your place⁠—” said Albert.

β€œWell?”

β€œI would reform her; it would be rendering a service to her future son-in-law.”

β€œHow would you set about it?”

β€œAh, that would be easy enough⁠—I would give her a lesson.”

β€œA lesson?”

β€œYes. Your position as secretary to the minister renders your authority great on the subject of political news; you never open your mouth but the stockbrokers immediately stenograph your words. Cause her to lose a hundred thousand francs, and that would teach her prudence.”

β€œI do not understand,” stammered Lucien.

β€œIt is very clear, notwithstanding,” replied the young man, with an artlessness wholly free from affectation; β€œtell her some fine morning an unheard-of piece of intelligence⁠—some telegraphic despatch, of which you alone are in possession; for instance, that Henri IV was seen yesterday at Gabrielle’s. That would boom the market; she will buy heavily, and she will certainly lose when Beauchamp announces the following day, in his gazette, β€˜The report circulated by some usually well-informed persons that the king was seen yesterday at Gabrielle’s house, is totally without foundation. We can positively assert that his majesty did not quit the Pont-Neuf.β€™β€Šβ€

Lucien half smiled. Monte Cristo, although apparently indifferent, had not lost one word of this conversation, and his penetrating eye had even read a hidden secret in the embarrassed manner of the secretary. This embarrassment had completely escaped Albert, but it caused Lucien to shorten his visit; he was evidently ill at ease. The count, in taking leave of him, said something in a low voice, to which he answered, β€œWillingly, count; I accept.” The count returned to young Morcerf.

β€œDo you not think, on reflection,” said he to him, β€œthat you have done wrong in thus speaking of your mother-in-law in the presence of M. Debray?”

β€œMy dear count,” said Morcerf, β€œI beg of you not to apply that title so prematurely.”

β€œNow, speaking without any exaggeration, is your mother really so very much averse to this marriage?”

β€œSo much so that the baroness very rarely comes to the house, and my mother, has not, I think, visited Madame Danglars twice in her whole life.”

β€œThen,” said the count, β€œI am emboldened to speak openly to you. M. Danglars is my banker; M. de Villefort has overwhelmed me with politeness in return for a service which a casual piece of good fortune enabled me to render him. I predict from all this an avalanche of dinners and routs. Now, in order not to presume on this, and also to be beforehand with them, I have, if agreeable to you, thought of inviting M. and Madame Danglars, and M. and Madame de Villefort, to my country-house at Auteuil. If I were to invite you and the Count and Countess of Morcerf to this dinner, I should give it the appearance of being a matrimonial meeting, or at least Madame de Morcerf would look upon the affair in that light, especially if Baron Danglars did me the honor to bring his daughter. In that case your mother would hold me in aversion, and I do not at all wish that; on the contrary, I desire to stand high in her esteem.”

β€œIndeed, count,” said Morcerf, β€œI thank you sincerely for having used so much candor towards me, and I gratefully accept the exclusion which you propose. You say you desire my mother’s good opinion; I assure you it is already yours to a very unusual extent.”

β€œDo you think so?” said Monte

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