er twelve drops, and watched; the phial contained,
perhaps, twice as much more. He waited ten minutes, a quarter of an
hour, half an hour,--no change took place. Trembling, his hair erect,
his brow bathed with perspiration, he counted the seconds by the beating
of his heart. Then he thought it was time to make the last trial, and he
put the phial to the purple lips of Faria, and without having occasion
to force open his jaws, which had remained extended, he poured the whole
of the liquid down his throat.

The draught produced a galvanic effect, a violent trembling pervaded the
old man's limbs, his eyes opened until it was fearful to gaze upon them,
he heaved a sigh which resembled a shriek, and then his convulsed body
returned gradually to its former immobility, the eyes remaining open.

Half an hour, an hour, an hour and a half elapsed, and during this
period of anguish, Edmond leaned over his friend, his hand applied
to his heart, and felt the body gradually grow cold, and the heart's
pulsation become more and more deep and dull, until at length it
stopped; the last movement of the heart ceased, the face became livid,
the eyes remained open, but the eyeballs were glazed. It was six o'clock
in the morning, the dawn was just breaking, and its feeble ray came
into the dungeon, and paled the ineffectual light of the lamp. Strange
shadows passed over the countenance of the dead man, and at times gave
it the appearance of life. While the struggle between day and night
lasted, Dantes still doubted; but as soon as the daylight gained the
pre-eminence, he saw that he was alone with a corpse. Then an invincible
and extreme terror seized upon him, and he dared not again press the
hand that hung out of bed, he dared no longer to gaze on those fixed
and vacant eyes, which he tried many times to close, but in vain--they
opened again as soon as shut. He extinguished the lamp, carefully
concealed it, and then went away, closing as well as he could the
entrance to the secret passage by the large stone as he descended.

It was time, for the jailer was coming. On this occasion he began
his rounds at Dantes' cell, and on leaving him he went on to Faria's
dungeon, taking thither breakfast and some linen. Nothing betokened that
the man knew anything of what had occurred. He went on his way.

Dantes was then seized with an indescribable desire to know what was
going on in the dungeon of his unfortunate friend. He therefore
returned by th