badly lodged at Rome?" said Monte Cristo smiling.

"Parbleu, at Rome you spent fifty thousand piastres in furnishing your
apartments, but I presume that you are not disposed to spend a similar
sum every day."

"It is not that which deterred me," replied Monte Cristo; "but as I
determined to have a house to myself, I sent on my valet de chambre, and
he ought by this time to have bought the house and furnished it."

"But you have, then, a valet de chambre who knows Paris?" said
Beauchamp.

"It is the first time he has ever been in Paris. He is black, and cannot
speak," returned Monte Cristo.

"It is Ali!" cried Albert, in the midst of the general surprise.

"Yes, Ali himself, my Nubian mute, whom you saw, I think, at Rome."

"Certainly," said Morcerf; "I recollect him perfectly. But how could you
charge a Nubian to purchase a house, and a mute to furnish it?--he will
do everything wrong."

"Undeceive yourself, monsieur," replied Monte Cristo; "I am quite sure,
that, on the contrary, he will choose everything as I wish. He knows
my tastes, my caprices, my wants. He has been here a week, with the
instinct of a hound, hunting by himself. He will arrange everything for
me. He knew, that I should arrive to-day at ten o'clock; he was waiting
for me at nine at the Barriere de Fontainebleau. He gave me this paper;
it contains the number of my new abode; read it yourself," and Monte
Cristo passed a paper to Albert. "Ah, that is really original," said
Beauchamp.

"And very princely," added Chateau-Renaud.

"What, do you not know your house?" asked Debray.

"No," said Monte Cristo; "I told you I did not wish to be behind my
time; I dressed myself in the carriage, and descended at the viscount's
door." The young men looked at each other; they did not know if it was
a comedy Monte Cristo was playing, but every word he uttered had such
an air of simplicity, that it was impossible to suppose what he said
was false--besides, why should he tell a falsehood? "We must content
ourselves, then," said Beauchamp, "with rendering the count all the
little services in our power. I, in my quality of journalist, open all
the theatres to him."

"Thanks, monsieur," returned Monte Cristo, "my steward has orders to
take a box at each theatre."

"Is your steward also a Nubian?" asked Debray.

"No, he is a countryman of yours, if a Corsican is a countryman of any
one's. But you know him, M. de Morcerf."

"Is it that excellent M. Bertucc