CHAPTER XXVII
FREEDOM
In a poor fisherman's cottage in Havre a young man was walking up anddown in feverish uneasiness. From time to time he looked through thewindow which opened on to the sea. The waves ran high, the windwhistled, while dark clouds rolled over the starless sky.
A slight knock was now heard at the door of the cottage.
"Who is there?" asked the young man, anxiously.
"We are looking for Fanfaro," came from the outside; and, when the manhastily shoved back the bolt, two slim female forms, enveloped in darkcloaks, crossed the threshold.
Before the young man had time to greet the strangers, another knock washeard, and upon the question, "Who is there?" the answer came this time,in a soft, trembling voice:
"We have been sent here to find Fanfaro."
"Come in," cried the young man, eagerly; and two more female formsentered the cottage. One of them was young and strong; the other, old,gray-haired and broken-down, clung to her companion, who almost carriedher.
They all looked silently at each other; finally, one of those who hadfirst entered let her cloak, the hood of which she wore over her head,sink down, and, turning to the young man, she vivaciously said:
"Arthur, have you sent me this invitation?"
With these words, she handed Arthur de Montferrand, for he was the youngman, the following note:
"Whoever wants to see Fanfaro once more should come to the fisherman's cottage of Antoine Michel, in Havre, on the 18th day of March."
"I received a similar invitation," said Arthur. "I was told, at the sametime, to come in the afternoon; to answer any inquiries that might bemade; and to see that no stranger be admitted. Who invited us here, I donot know; but I think we shall not be kept waiting long for anexplanation."
"As God pleases, this hope may be confirmed," replied Irene de Salves,and turning to her companion, who was softly sobbing, she whisperedconsolingly to her: "Courage, Louison, you will soon embrace yourbrother."
The two other women were Caillette and Louise; the latter lookedvacantly before her, and all of Louison's caresses were of no avail tocheer her.
"Jacques--where is Jacques?" she incessantly repeated, and the fact thatLouison was really her daughter seemed to have entirely escaped her.
Arthur de Montferrand never turned his eyes from the girl for whosehonor he had fought so bravely, and every time Louison looked up she metthe eyes of the young nobleman.
A skyrocket now shot up in the dark sky; it exploded aloft with a loudnoise, and a golden rain lighted up the horizon for a while.
"That was undoubtedly a good sign," thought Arthur, hastily opening thecottage door.
Loud oar-sounds were now heard, and a light boat struck for the shorewith the rapidity of an arrow.
The keel now struck the sand and a slim form sprang quickly out of thebark and hurried toward the cottage.
"Fanfaro!" joyously exclaimed the inmates of the cottage, and the youngman who had been rescued from the grave was soon surrounded on allsides. He, however, had eyes alone for the broken-down old woman whoclung to Caillette in great excitement and gently implored:
"Jacques--where is Jacques? I do not see him!"
"Here I am, my poor dear mother," sobbed Fanfaro, sinking on his kneesin front of the old lady.
With trembling hands she caressed his hair, pressed her lips upon herson's forehead, and then sank, with a smile, to the floor. Death hadreleased her from her sufferings after she had been permitted to enjoythe last, and, to her, highest earthly joy.
* * * * *
Here Fanfaro's story ended. Girdel knew something to add to it afterFanfaro had closed. He and Bobichel had succeeded in overtaking thefuneral cortege which the marquis and Pierre Labarre conducted to thefamily vault. In a few words Pierre was informed of the condition ofthings, and as the marquis had become thoroughly exhausted, the faithfulold servant had undertaken to bring Fanfaro's body to a place of safety.Girdel had been prudent enough to take along the physician who had givenhim the narcotic, and soon Fanfaro opened his eyes.
As soon as he had sufficiently recovered, Pierre told him, in shortoutlines, who he was. The young man listened with deep emotion to thestory, and then he swore a sacred oath that he would never call anotherman father than the one who had taken pity on him, the helpless child;the Marquis of Fougereuse had no right to him, and he would rather havedied than touch a penny of his money. No power on earth could induce himto have anything to do with the marquis. He would leave France, and tryto forget, in a foreign country, what he had suffered.
That very night Fanfaro travelled, in company with his sister, Girdel,Bobichel, and Caillette, to Algiers. Before the ship lifted anchor,Fanfaro had received from Irene's lips the promise that she would becomehis wife. Her mother's life hung on a thread, and as long as sheremained on earth the daughter could not think of leaving her.
The old countess died about six months afterward, and as soon as Irenehad arranged her affairs, she prepared herself for the journey toAfrica.
She was not surprised when Arthur offered to accompany her. She wasaware that a powerful magnet in the person of Louison attracted himacross the ocean, and when the young nobleman landed in France again,after the lapse of a few months, he was accompanied by a handsome youngwife, whom the old Marquis of Montferrand warmly welcomed to the home ofhis fathers--for was she not a scion of the house of Fougereuse, and thesole heiress of all the property of that family? Louison's uncle, theMarquis Jean de Fougereuse, had ended his dreary life shortly after theVicomte de Talizac's death, and it was not difficult for Arthur, withPierre Labarre's assistance, to maintain Louison's claims as thedaughter of Jules de Fougereuse and sole heiress of the legacy. Ofcourse, the Society of Jesus was much put out by the sudden apparitionof an heiress, for it had hoped to come into possession of the millionssome day.
Bobichel had become Caillette's husband; and though the handsome wifedid not conceal the fact from him that not he, but Fanfaro, had been herfirst love, the supremely happy clown was satisfied. He knew Caillettewas good to him and that he had no ground any more to be jealous ofIrene's husband.
The life which the colonists led in Africa was full of dangers, but hadalso its pleasures and joys, and through Louison and her husband theyremained in connection with their fatherland, whose children theyremained in spite of everything.
* * * * *
At the end of a week Spero had entirely recovered, and the countprepared to depart for France. Before he parted from his kind host, heturned to Fanfaro and begged him in a solemn tone to stand by his sonwith his assistance and advice, should he ever need them, and Fanfarocheerfully complied with his request.
"Rely on my word," he said, as the little caravan was about to start."The son of the Count of Monte-Cristo is under the protection of all ofus, and if he should ever call us to his assistance, whether by day ornight, we shall obey the call!"
The Son of Monte-Cristo, Volume II Page 27
