is of him I wish to speak."

M. Dantes pushed his book from him, motioned his daughter to a seat and
prepared to listen as she did not begin at once, but seemed to
hesitate, he said, kindly:

"I am waiting, little one; proceed."

Thus encouraged, Zuleika summoned up all her strength and, with downcast
eyes, commenced:

"Papa," said she, "in the first place let me assure you that this is no
mere lovers' quarrel, but a matter of the utmost importance that demands
immediate action."

M. Dantes knitted his brows.

"Has the Viscount been guilty of any impropriety toward you?" he asked,
fiercely.

"No, papa, not toward me, but I fear he may have been guilty of
impropriety, or, at least, of indiscretion, with regard to another in
the past."

"A woman, no doubt."

"Yes, papa, a woman--a Roman peasant."

"I heard of some such thing while you were at the convent school in
Rome, but dismissed it as a slander."

"There may, however, be some truth in it."

"But, now I recollect, Giovanni's name was not associated with the
scandal; it was a mere inference on my part that connected him with the
youthful member of the Roman aristocracy mentioned by the gossips."

"Perhaps I am unjust, papa, in reviving your suspicions, but Giovanni's
strange behavior when I asked him the cause of his quarrel with
Esperance and of the continued coldness between them, forced me to think
there was something wrong."

"His quarrel with Esperance? Ah! now I remember, there was a quarrel,
but I imagined it was settled, and that their relations were altogether
friendly."

"They are enemies, papa, or seem to be, and that is not all--Esperance
accuses Giovanni of having been guilty of some infamous deed."

"You have spoken to Esperance then on the subject?"

"Yes, papa."

"And what did he say?"

"He dealt in vague denunciations, and positively refused to give me any
definite information."

"That is singular."

"But what is still more so is that both Giovanni and Esperance seem
bound by some fearful oath not to disclose the dread secret in their
possession."

"Bound by an oath?"

"Yes, papa; but why both of them should have been so bound, unless they
were accomplices, I cannot see; I even went so far as to accuse
Esperance of complicity, whereupon he grew as white as chalk and
protested his entire innocence, and in his confusion uttered the name of
Luigi Vampa."

"Zuleika, Zuleika, you certainly misunderstood your brother; he c