emained in darkness,
and gave no indication that so important an event as the signature of a
marriage-contract was going on. Morrel looked at his watch, which wanted
a quarter to ten; but soon the same clock he had already heard strike
two or three times rectified the error by striking half-past nine.

This was already half an hour past the time Valentine had fixed. It
was a terrible moment for the young man. The slightest rustling of the
foliage, the least whistling of the wind, attracted his attention, and
drew the perspiration to his brow; then he tremblingly fixed his ladder,
and, not to lose a moment, placed his foot on the first step. Amidst
all these alternations of hope and fear, the clock struck ten. "It is
impossible," said Maximilian, "that the signing of a contract should
occupy so long a time without unexpected interruptions. I have weighed
all the chances, calculated the time required for all the forms;
something must have happened." And then he walked rapidly to and fro,
and pressed his burning forehead against the fence. Had Valentine
fainted? or had she been discovered and stopped in her flight? These
were the only obstacles which appeared possible to the young man.

The idea that her strength had failed her in attempting to escape,
and that she had fainted in one of the paths, was the one that most
impressed itself upon his mind. "In that case," said he, "I should lose
her, and by my own fault." He dwelt on this idea for a moment, then it
appeared reality. He even thought he could perceive something on the
ground at a distance; he ventured to call, and it seemed to him that
the wind wafted back an almost inarticulate sigh. At last the half-hour
struck. It was impossible to wait longer, his temples throbbed
violently, his eyes were growing dim; he passed one leg over the wall,
and in a moment leaped down on the other side. He was on Villefort's
premises--had arrived there by scaling the wall. What might be the
consequences? However, he had not ventured thus far to draw back. He
followed a short distance close under the wall, then crossed a path, hid
entered a clump of trees. In a moment he had passed through them, and
could see the house distinctly. Then Morrel saw that he had been right
in believing that the house was not illuminated. Instead of lights at
every window, as is customary on days of ceremony, he saw only a gray
mass, which was veiled also by a cloud, which at that moment obscured
the moon