step. At that moment a hand touched his shoulder. The
young man turned round, thinking that Danglars or Monte Cristo had
forgotten something they wished to tell him, and had returned just as
they were starting. But instead of either of these, he saw nothing but a
strange face, sunburnt, and encircled by a beard, with eyes brilliant as
carbuncles, and a smile upon the mouth which displayed a perfect set
of white teeth, pointed and sharp as the wolf's or jackal's. A red
handkerchief encircled his gray head; torn and filthy garments covered
his large bony limbs, which seemed as though, like those of a skeleton,
they would rattle as he walked; and the hand with which he leaned upon
the young man's shoulder, and which was the first thing Andrea saw,
seemed of gigantic size. Did the young man recognize that face by the
light of the lantern in his tilbury, or was he merely struck with the
horrible appearance of his interrogator? We cannot say; but only relate
the fact that he shuddered and stepped back suddenly. "What do you want
of me?" he asked.

"Pardon me, my friend, if I disturb you," said the man with the red
handkerchief, "but I want to speak to you."

"You have no right to beg at night," said the groom, endeavoring to rid
his master of the troublesome intruder.

"I am not begging, my fine fellow," said the unknown to the servant,
with so ironical an expression of the eye, and so frightful a smile,
that he withdrew; "I only wish to say two or three words to your master,
who gave me a commission to execute about a fortnight ago."

"Come," said Andrea, with sufficient nerve for his servant not to
perceive his agitation, "what do you want? Speak quickly, friend."

The man said, in a low voice: "I wish--I wish you to spare me the walk
back to Paris. I am very tired, and as I have not eaten so good a dinner
as you, I can scarcely stand." The young man shuddered at this strange
familiarity. "Tell me," he said--"tell me what you want?"

"Well, then, I want you to take me up in your fine carriage, and carry
me back." Andrea turned pale, but said nothing.

"Yes," said the man, thrusting his hands into his pockets, and looking
impudently at the youth; "I have taken the whim into my head; do you
understand, Master Benedetto?"

At this name, no doubt, the young man reflected a little, for he went
towards his groom, saying, "This man is right; I did indeed charge him
with a commission, the result of which he must tell me; wa