re encircled with black hair, the
aristocratic beauty of the man of the north; the profound learning
he had acquired had besides diffused over his features a refined
intellectual expression; and he had also acquired, being naturally of
a goodly stature, that vigor which a frame possesses which has so long
concentrated all its force within itself.

To the elegance of a nervous and slight form had succeeded the solidity
of a rounded and muscular figure. As to his voice, prayers, sobs, and
imprecations had changed it so that at times it was of a singularly
penetrating sweetness, and at others rough and almost hoarse. Moreover,
from being so long in twilight or darkness, his eyes had acquired the
faculty of distinguishing objects in the night, common to the hyena and
the wolf. Edmond smiled when he beheld himself: it was impossible that
his best friend--if, indeed, he had any friend left--could recognize
him; he could not recognize himself.

The master of The Young Amelia, who was very desirous of retaining
amongst his crew a man of Edmond's value, had offered to advance him
funds out of his future profits, which Edmond had accepted. His next
care on leaving the barber's who had achieved his first metamorphosis
was to enter a shop and buy a complete sailor's suit--a garb, as we all
know, very simple, and consisting of white trousers, a striped shirt,
and a cap. It was in this costume, and bringing back to Jacopo the shirt
and trousers he had lent him, that Edmond reappeared before the captain
of the lugger, who had made him tell his story over and over again
before he could believe him, or recognize in the neat and trim sailor
the man with thick and matted beard, hair tangled with seaweed, and body
soaking in seabrine, whom he had picked up naked and nearly drowned.
Attracted by his prepossessing appearance, he renewed his offers of an
engagement to Dantes; but Dantes, who had his own projects, would not
agree for a longer time than three months.

The Young Amelia had a very active crew, very obedient to their captain,
who lost as little time as possible. He had scarcely been a week at
Leghorn before the hold of his vessel was filled with printed muslins,
contraband cottons, English powder, and tobacco on which the excise had
forgotten to put its mark. The master was to get all this out of Leghorn
free of duties, and land it on the shores of Corsica, where certain
speculators undertook to forward the cargo to France. They