hat the same night--the night of
the 20th of September--a child had been brought there, wrapped in part
of a fine linen napkin, purposely torn in half. This portion of the
napkin was marked with half a baron's crown, and the letter H."

"Truly, truly," said Madame Danglars, "all my linen is marked thus;
Monsieur de Nargonne was a baronet, and my name is Hermine. Thank God,
my child was not then dead!"

"No, it was not dead."

"And you can tell me so without fearing to make me die of joy? Where is
the child?" Villefort shrugged his shoulders. "Do I know?" said he; "and
do you believe that if I knew I would relate to you all its trials and
all its adventures as would a dramatist or a novel writer? Alas, no,
I know not. A woman, about six months after, came to claim it with the
other half of the napkin. This woman gave all the requisite particulars,
and it was intrusted to her."

"But you should have inquired for the woman; you should have traced
her."

"And what do you think I did? I feigned a criminal process, and employed
all the most acute bloodhounds and skilful agents in search of her. They
traced her to Chalons, and there they lost her."

"They lost her?"

"Yes, forever." Madame Danglars had listened to this recital with a
sigh, a tear, or a shriek for every detail. "And this is all?" said she;
"and you stopped there?"

"Oh, no," said Villefort; "I never ceased to search and to inquire.
However, the last two or three years I had allowed myself some respite.
But now I will begin with more perseverance and fury than ever, since
fear urges me, not my conscience."

"But," replied Madame Danglars, "the Count of Monte Cristo can know
nothing, or he would not seek our society as he does."

"Oh, the wickedness of man is very great," said Villefort, "since it
surpasses the goodness of God. Did you observe that man's eyes while he
was speaking to us?"

"No."

"But have you ever watched him carefully?"

"Doubtless he is capricious, but that is all; one thing alone struck
me,--of all the exquisite things he placed before us, he touched
nothing. I might have suspected he was poisoning us."

"And you see you would have been deceived."

"Yes, doubtless."

"But believe me, that man has other projects. For that reason I
wished to see you, to speak to you, to warn you against every one, but
especially against him. Tell me," cried Villefort, fixing his eyes more
steadfastly on her than he had ever done before, "d