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He was in such haste to inform Goutran that he had successfully fulfilled his mission, that he forgot to disembarrass himself of his fancy costume, so that when he appeared before Madame Caraman, the good woman uttered a cry of terror. "It is only I Coucon." Madame protested against his selecting a time like this to indulge in a masquerade.
"My friends," she said, "where is Goutran?" "I do not know," was the reply. "I will tell you, then. He, with Monsieur Fanfar are prisoners in this house." "What did I tell you!" shouted Coucon. "And now, listen the noise has begun again." Seizing the hammer, Coucon struck three hard blows on the walls at regular intervals. He waited and listened. Three blows answered him.
I need your assistance, and I need some tapestries." Esperance listened attentively, and did not notice that Goutran had filled his glass with sherry again. "I want my studio to be magnificent on this occasion, and as we artists are not rich enough to buy oriental hangings, we are all going to our friends to borrow of them. You have treasures of this nature will you lend them to me?
"And you were right, for, Monsieur Goutran, I can never be your wife!" Goutran rose quickly. "Was it to break my heart that you summoned me here to-night?" he cried. "I can never be your wife," repeated Carmen, "because only an unstained woman should bear your name!" Goutran turned deadly pale. "And I," she continued, "am not such a woman!" "Ah! Mademoiselle, I cannot understand you."
Goutran was an excellent person, he had early learned indulgence to others. He at once saw that this handsome young fellow was a boy in reality, with plenty of theories, but no experience of life. He therefore received this apology frankly, and talked for some time to him as to a younger brother. Esperance listened without a word.
They had been guided by the light. "Goutran!" cried Carmen, running toward him. "What! is it you who has delivered us?" They went back all together, to find themselves prisoners? No, for Coucon had dropped the hammer, which accidentally fell in the aperture, thus preventing the door from closing entirely when the spring on the stair was touched. They were saved!
Carmen, after a few moments' consideration, said: "You are very fond of this young Monte-Cristo?" "Certainly I am. He is one of the noblest fellows I ever met. But why do you speak of him?" "Because it was to speak of him that I summoned you here to-night. Your friend, Goutran, is in great danger, as are you and myself, too." "Danger!" "We must find some means of avoiding it, but your enemies "
She told how Esperance and Goutran had come in late at night, and brought with them a young girl who had been wounded by a pistol shot, and who seemed to be dying. How she herself had watched over this girl night and day. She told how, in obedience to the Vicomte, she had gone to lie down, being very weary and sleepy. "I can't say how it happened," she sighed. "I had been greatly fatigued.
My friend stopped suddenly and got up, and from his writing-table he took an old paper, unfolded it, kissed it, and then continued: "This is the will of my beloved mother: "'I, the undersigned, Anne Catherine-Genevieve-Mathilde de Croixlure, the legitimate wife of Leopold-Joseph Goutran de Courcils, sound in body and mind, here express my last wishes.
He saw him borne in his father's arms from Maldar's Tower. And Goutran, too, thought of the last words that the Vicomte had said to him: "To love is to give one's self entirely, in life and in death!" The lamps burned dimly. The clock struck twelve. The two men started, for the door opened noiselessly and a man of tall stature entered. It was the Count of Monte-Cristo.
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