e who had more than any contributed to the
death of my father," said Haidee, in a tone of chastened anger. "Then,"
said Albert, "you became the property of this man?"

"No," replied Haidee, "he did not dare to keep us, so we were sold to
some slave-merchants who were going to Constantinople. We traversed
Greece, and arrived half dead at the imperial gates. They were
surrounded by a crowd of people, who opened a way for us to pass,
when suddenly my mother, having looked closely at an object which was
attracting their attention, uttered a piercing cry and fell to the
ground, pointing as she did so to a head which was placed over the
gates, and beneath which were inscribed these words:

"'This is the head of Ali Tepelini Pasha of Yanina.' I cried bitterly,
and tried to raise my mother from the earth, but she was dead! I was
taken to the slave-market, and was purchased by a rich Armenian. He
caused me to be instructed, gave me masters, and when I was thirteen
years of age he sold me to the Sultan Mahmood."

"Of whom I bought her," said Monte Cristo, "as I told you, Albert, with
the emerald which formed a match to the one I had made into a box for
the purpose of holding my hashish pills."

"Oh, you are good, you are great, my lord!" said Haidee, kissing the
count's hand, "and I am very fortunate in belonging to such a master!"
Albert remained quite bewildered with all that he had seen and heard.
"Come, finish your cup of coffee," said Monte Cristo; "the history is
ended."

Chapter 78. We hear From Yanina.

If Valentine could have seen the trembling step and agitated countenance
of Franz when he quitted the chamber of M. Noirtier, even she would have
been constrained to pity him. Villefort had only just given utterance
to a few incoherent sentences, and then retired to his study, where he
received about two hours afterwards the following letter:--

"After all the disclosures which were made this morning, M. Noirtier de
Villefort must see the utter impossibility of any alliance being formed
between his family and that of M. Franz d'Epinay. M. d'Epinay must say
that he is shocked and astonished that M. de Villefort, who appeared to
be aware of all the circumstances detailed this morning, should not have
anticipated him in this announcement."

No one who had seen the magistrate at this moment, so thoroughly
unnerved by the recent inauspicious combination of circumstances, would
have supposed for an instant that he h