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Luigi Vampa had come and gone like a flash, and both bandits and danger had been dispelled by the wonderful magic of Monte-Cristo's name. The brigand chief had styled Giovanni and Espérance his friends, and as such they knew the entire country in the vicinity of Rome was free to them; they could travel it by day or by night without fear of molestation.
"You tell me," said Franz, at the moment Signor Pastrini was about to open his mouth, "that you knew Luigi Vampa when he was a child he is still a young man, then?" "A young man? he is only two and twenty; he will gain himself a reputation." "What do you think of that, Albert? at two and twenty to be thus famous?"
"'Do not talk so loud, master might hear you. "'I don't care. Who is your master? "'Luigi Vampa. "'Can I speak to him? "'Yes. "Peppino went away, and two minutes later a slimly built, fine-looking man, with dark hair and eyes, stood before me! "'You want to speak to me? he asked, politely. "'Are you the chief of the people who brought me here? I said. "'Yes.
He was spoken of as the most adroit, the strongest, and the most courageous contadino for ten leagues around; and although Teresa was universally allowed to be the most beautiful girl of the Sabines, no one had ever spoken to her of love, because it was known that she was beloved by Vampa.
"Rise," said the count, "your life is safe; the same good fortune has not happened to your accomplices one is mad, the other dead. Keep the 50,000 francs you have left I give them to you. The 5,000,000 you stole from the hospitals has been restored to them by an unknown hand. And now eat and drink; I will entertain you to-night. Vampa, when this man is satisfied, let him be free."
"Do you mean to assert that this wretched old man had base designs against his own daughter?" said the Count, his visage expressing all the horror he felt. "Exactly," answered Peppino, coolly. "Old Solara, miserable miser as he is, had for a very large sum of the gold he so ardently coveted sold his own child, his beautiful daughter Annunziata, to the bandit chief Luigi Vampa!"
Then he detailed the conversation overheard by him at the Colosseum, between the count and Vampa, in which the count had promised to obtain the release of the bandit Peppino, an engagement which, as our readers are aware, he most faithfully fulfilled.
"I am not angry with you, my child," replied the Deputy, in a milder tone, "for I know how deeply you have this affair at heart. I will write to Luigi Vampa as you desire, this very night, and in two weeks at the furthest his answer may be expected, but to-morrow I will talk with Espérance and then will question the Viscount. Rest assured that this matter shall be sifted to the bottom.
Shortly afterwards they encountered a large number of Vampa's band and narrowly escaped being hung to the nearest trees in revenge for the death of the man slain by your son. They were set free by Vampa himself as soon as he learned that Espérance was your son, Massetti having disclosed both his own identity and that of his comrade.
Franz gave him Albert's letter. "Read that," he said. The count read it. "Well, well!" said he. "Did you see the postscript?" "I did, indeed. "'Se alle sei della mattina le quattro mile piastre non sono nelle mie mani, alla sette il conte Alberto avra cessato di vivere. "'Luigi Vampa." "What think you of that?" inquired Franz. "Have you the money he demands?"
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