Beyond a bare, weather-worn wall, about a hundred paces fromthe spot where the two friends sat looking and listening asthey drank their wine, was the village of the Catalans. Longago this mysterious colony quitted Spain, and settled on thetongue of land on which it is to this day. Whence it came noone knew, and it spoke an unknown tongue. One of its chiefs,who understood Provencal, begged the commune of Marseillesto give them this bare and barren promontory, where, likethe sailors of old, they had run their boats ashore. Therequest was granted; and three months afterwards, around thetwelve or fifteen small vessels which had brought thesegypsies of the sea, a small village sprang up. This village,constructed in a singular and picturesque manner, halfMoorish, half Spanish, still remains, and is inhabited bydescendants of the first comers, who speak the language oftheir fathers. For three or four centuries they haveremained upon this small promontory, on which they hadsettled like a flight of seabirds, without mixing with theMarseillaise population, intermarrying, and preserving theiroriginal customs and the costume of their mother-country asthey have preserved its language.

Our readers will follow us along the only street of thislittle village, and enter with us one of the houses, whichis sunburned to the beautiful dead-leaf color peculiar tothe buildings of the country, and within coated withwhitewash, like a Spanish posada. A young and beautifulgirl, with hair as black as jet, her eyes as velvety as thegazelle's, was leaning with her back against the wainscot,rubbing in her slender delicately moulded fingers a bunch ofheath blossoms, the flowers of which she was picking off andstrewing on the floor; her arms, bare to the elbow, brown,and modelled after those of the Arlesian Venus, moved with akind of restless impatience, and she tapped the earth withher arched and supple foot, so as to display the pure andfull shape of her well-turned leg, in its red cotton, grayand blue clocked, stocking. At three paces from her, seatedin a chair which he balanced on two legs, leaning his elbowon an old worm-eaten table, was a tall young man of twenty,or two-and-twenty, who was looking at her with an air inwhich vexation and uneasiness were mingled. He questionedher with his eyes, but the firm and steady gaze of the younggirl controlled his look.

"You see, Mercedes," said the young man, "here is Eastercome round again; tell me, is this the moment for awedding?"

"I have answered you a hundred times, Fernand, and reallyyou must be very stupid to ask me again."

"Well, repeat it, - repeat it, I beg of you, that I may atlast believe it! Tell me for the hundredth time that yourefuse my love, which had your mother's sanction. Make meunderstand once for all that you are trifling with myhappiness, that my life or death are nothing to you. Ah, tohave dreamed for ten years of being your husband, Mercedes,and to lose that hope, which was the only stay of myexistence!"

"At least it was not I who ever encouraged you in that hope,Fernand," replied Mercedes; "you cannot reproach me with theslightest coquetry. I have always said to you, `I love youas a brother; but do not ask from me more than sisterlyaffection, for my heart is another's.' Is not this true,Fernand?"

"Yes, that is very true, Mercedes," replied the young man,"Yes, you have been cruelly frank with me; but do you forgetthat it is among the Catalans a sacred law to intermarry?"

"You mistake, Fernand; it is not a law, but merely a custom,and, I pray of you, do not cite this custom in your favor.You are included in the conscription, Fernand, and are onlyat liberty on sufferance, liable at any moment to be calledupon to take up arms. Once a soldier, what would you do withme, a poor orphan, forlorn, without fortune, with nothingbut a half-ruined hut and a few ragged nets, the miserableinheritance left by my father to my mother, and by my motherto me? She has been dead a year, and you know, Fernand, Ihave subsisted almost entirely on public charity. Sometimesyou pretend I am useful to you, and that is an excuse toshare with me the produce of your fishing, and I accept it,Fernand, because you are the son of my father's brother,because we were brought up together, and still more becauseit would give you so much pain if I refuse. But I feel verydeeply that this fish which I go and sell, and with theproduce of which I buy the flax I spin, - I feel verykeenly, Fernand, that this is charity."

"And if it were, Mercedes, poor and lone as you are, yousuit me as well as the daughter of the first shipowner orthe richest banker of Marseilles! What do such as we desirebut a good wife and careful housekeeper, and where can Ilook for these better than in you?"

"Fernand," answered Mercedes, shaking her head, "a womanbecomes a bad manager, and who shall say she will remain anhonest woman, when she loves another man better than herhusband? Rest content with my friendship, for I say oncemore that is all I can promise, and I will promise no morethan I can bestow."

"I understand," replied Fernand, "you can endure your ownwretchedness patiently, but you are afraid to share mine.Well, Mercedes, beloved by you, I would tempt fortune; youwould bring me good luck, and I should become rich. I couldextend my occupation as a fisherman, might get a place asclerk in a warehouse, and become in time a dealer myself."

"You could do no such thing, Fernand; you are a soldier, andif you remain at the Catalans it is because there is no war;so remain a fisherman, and contented with my friendship, asI cannot give you more."

"Well, I will do better, Mercedes. I will be a sailor;instead of the costume of our fathers, which you despise, Iwill wear a varnished hat, a striped shirt, and a bluejacket, with an anchor on the buttons. Would not that dressplease you?"

"What do you mean?" asked Mercedes, with an angry glance, - "what do you mean? I do not understand you?"

"I mean, Mercedes, that you are thus harsh and cruel withme, because you are expecting some one who is thus attired;but perhaps he whom you await is inconstant, or if he isnot, the sea is so to him."

"Fernand," cried Mercedes, "I believed you weregood-hearted, and I was mistaken! Fernand, you are wicked tocall to your aid jealousy and the anger of God! Yes, I willnot deny it, I do await, and I do love him of whom youspeak; and, if he does not return, instead of accusing himof the inconstancy which you insinuate, I will tell you thathe died loving me and me only." The young girl made agesture of rage. "I understand you, Fernand; you would berevenged on him because I do not love you; you would crossyour Catalan knife with his dirk. What end would thatanswer? To lose you my friendship if he were conquered, andsee that friendship changed into hate if you were victor.Believe me, to seek a quarrel with a man is a bad method ofpleasing the woman who loves that man. No, Fernand, you willnot thus give way to evil thoughts. Unable to have me foryour wife, you will content yourself with having me for yourfriend and sister; and besides," she added, her eyestroubled and moistened with tears, "wait, wait, Fernand; yousaid just now that the sea was treacherous, and he has beengone four months, and during these four months there havebeen some terrible storms."

Fernand made no reply, nor did he attempt to check the tearswhich flowed down the cheeks of Mercedes, although for eachof these tears he would have shed his heart's blood; butthese tears flowed for another. He arose, paced a while upand down the hut, and then, suddenly stopping beforeMercedes, with his eyes glowing and his hands clinched, - "Say, Mercedes," he said, "once for all, is this your finaldetermination?"

"I love Edmond Dantes," the young girl calmly replied, "andnone but Edmond shall ever be my husband."

"And you will always love him?"

"As long as I live."

Fernand let fall his head like a defeated man, heaved a sighthat was like a groan, and then suddenly looking her full inthe face, with clinched teeth and expanded nostrils, said,- "But if he is dead" -

"If he is dead, I shall die too."

"If he has forgotten you" -

"Mercedes!" called a joyous voice from without, - "Mercedes!"

"Ah," exclaimed the young girl, blushing with delight, andfairly leaping in excess of love, "you see he has notforgotten me, for here he is!" And rushing towards the door,she opened it, saying, "Here, Edmond, here I am!"

Fernand, pale and trembling, drew back, like a traveller atthe sight of a serpent, and fell into a chair beside him.Edmond and Mercedes were clasped in each other's arms. Theburning Marseilles sun, which shot into the room through theopen door, covered them with a flood of light. At first theysaw nothing around them. Their intense happiness isolatedthem from all the rest of the world, and they only spoke inbroken words, which are the tokens of a joy so extreme thatthey seem rather the expression of sorrow. Suddenly Edmondsaw the gloomy, pale, and threatening countenance ofFernand, as it was defined in the shadow. By a movement forwhich he could scarcely account to himself, the youngCatalan placed his hand on the knife at his belt.

"Ah, your pardon," said Dantes, frowning in his turn; "I didnot perceive that there were three of us." Then, turning toMercedes, he inquired, "Who is this gentleman?"

"One who will be your best friend, Dantes, for he is myfriend, my cousin, my brother; it is Fernand - the manwhom, after you, Edmond, I love the best in the world. Doyou not remember him?"

"Yes!" said Dantes, and without relinquishing Mercedes handclasped in one of his own, he extended the other to theCatalan with a cordial air. But Fernand, instead ofresponding to this amiable gesture, remained mute andtrembling. Edmond then cast his eyes scrutinizingly at theagitated and embarrassed Mercedes, and then again on thegloomy and menacing Fernand. This look told him all, and hisanger waxed hot.

"I did not know, when I came with such haste to you, that Iwas to meet an enemy here."

"An enemy!" cried Mercedes, with an angry look at hercousin. "An enemy in my house, do you say, Edmond! If Ibelieved that, I would place my arm under yours and go withyou to Marseilles, leaving the house to return to it nomore."

Fernand's eye darted lightning. "And should any misfortuneoccur to you, dear Edmond," she continued with the samecalmness which proved to Fernand that the young girl hadread the very innermost depths of his sinister thought, "ifmisfortune should occur to you, I would ascend the highestpoint of the Cape de Morgion and cast myself headlong fromit."

Fernand became deadly pale. "But you are deceived, Edmond,"she continued. "You have no enemy here - there is no onebut Fernand, my brother, who will grasp your hand as adevoted friend."

And at these words the young girl fixed her imperious lookon the Catalan, who, as if fascinated by it, came slowlytowards Edmond, and offered him his hand. His hatred, like apowerless though furious wave, was broken against the strongascendancy which Mercedes exercised over him. Scarcely,however, had he touched Edmond's hand than he felt he haddone all he could do, and rushed hastily out of the house.

"Oh," he exclaimed, running furiously and tearing his hair- "Oh, who will deliver me from this man? Wretched - wretched that I am!"

"Hallo, Catalan! Hallo, Fernand! where are you running to?"exclaimed a voice.

The young man stopped suddenly, looked around him, andperceived Caderousse sitting at table with Danglars, underan arbor.

"Well", said Caderousse, "why don't you come? Are you reallyin such a hurry that you have no time to pass the time ofday with your friends?"

"Particularly when they have still a full bottle beforethem," added Danglars. Fernand looked at them both with astupefied air, but did not say a word.

"He seems besotted," said Danglars, pushing Caderousse withhis knee. "Are we mistaken, and is Dantes triumphant inspite of all we have believed?"

"Why, we must inquire into that," was Caderousse's reply;and turning towards the young man, said, "Well, Catalan,can't you make up your mind?"

Fernand wiped away the perspiration steaming from his brow,and slowly entered the arbor, whose shade seemed to restoresomewhat of calmness to his senses, and whose coolnesssomewhat of refreshment to his exhausted body.

"Good-day," said he. "You called me, didn't you?" And hefell, rather than sat down, on one of the seats whichsurrounded the table.

"I called you because you were running like a madman, and Iwas afraid you would throw yourself into the sea," saidCaderousse, laughing. "Why, when a man has friends, they arenot only to offer him a glass of wine, but, moreover, toprevent his swallowing three or four pints of waterunnecessarily!"

Fernand gave a groan, which resembled a sob, and dropped hishead into his hands, his elbows leaning on the table.

"Well, Fernand, I must say," said Caderousse, beginning theconversation, with that brutality of the common people inwhich curiosity destroys all diplomacy, "you look uncommonlylike a rejected lover;" and he burst into a hoarse laugh.

"Bah!" said Danglars, "a lad of his make was not born to beunhappy in love. You are laughing at him, Caderousse."

"No," he replied, "only hark how he sighs! Come, come,Fernand," said Caderousse, "hold up your head, and answerus. It's not polite not to reply to friends who ask news ofyour health."

"My health is well enough," said Fernand, clinching hishands without raising his head.

"Ah, you see, Danglars," said Caderousse, winking at hisfriend, "this is how it is; Fernand, whom you see here, is agood and brave Catalan, one of the best fishermen inMarseilles, and he is in love with a very fine girl, namedMercedes; but it appears, unfortunately, that the fine girlis in love with the mate of the Pharaon; and as the Pharaonarrived to-day - why, you understand!"

"No; I do not understand," said Danglars.

"Poor Fernand has been dismissed," continued Caderousse.

"Well, and what then?" said Fernand, lifting up his head,and looking at Caderousse like a man who looks for some oneon whom to vent his anger; "Mercedes is not accountable toany person, is she? Is she not free to love whomsoever shewill?"

"Oh, if you take it in that sense," said Caderousse, "it isanother thing. But I thought you were a Catalan, and theytold me the Catalans were not men to allow themselves to besupplanted by a rival. It was even told me that Fernand,especially, was terrible in his vengeance."

Fernand smiled piteously. "A lover is never terrible," hesaid.

"Poor fellow!" remarked Danglars, affecting to pity theyoung man from the bottom of his heart. "Why, you see, hedid not expect to see Dantes return so suddenly - hethought he was dead, perhaps; or perchance faithless! Thesethings always come on us more severely when they comesuddenly."

"Ah, ma foi, under any circumstances," said Caderousse, whodrank as he spoke, and on whom the fumes of the wine beganto take effect, - "under any circumstances Fernand is notthe only person put out by the fortunate arrival of Dantes;is he, Danglars?"

"No, you are right - and I should say that would bring himill-luck."

"Well, never mind," answered Caderousse, pouring out a glassof wine for Fernand, and filling his own for the eighth orninth time, while Danglars had merely sipped his. "Nevermind - in the meantime he marries Mercedes - the lovelyMercedes - at least he returns to do that."

During this time Danglars fixed his piercing glance on theyoung man, on whose heart Caderousse's words fell likemolten lead.

"And when is the wedding to be?" he asked.

"Oh, it is not yet fixed!" murmured Fernand.

"No, but it will be," said Caderousse, "as surely as Danteswill be captain of the Pharaon - eh, Danglars?"

Danglars shuddered at this unexpected attack, and turned toCaderousse, whose countenance he scrutinized, to try anddetect whether the blow was premeditated; but he readnothing but envy in a countenance already rendered brutaland stupid by drunkenness.

"Well," said he, filling the glasses, "let us drink toCaptain Edmond Dantes, husband of the beautiful Catalane!"

Caderousse raised his glass to his mouth with unsteady hand,and swallowed the contents at a gulp. Fernand dashed his onthe ground.

"Eh, eh, eh!" stammered Caderousse. "What do I see downthere by the wall, in the direction of the Catalans? Look,Fernand, your eyes are better than mine. I believe I seedouble. You know wine is a deceiver; but I should say it wastwo lovers walking side by side, and hand in hand. Heavenforgive me, they do not know that we can see them, and theyare actually embracing!"

Danglars did not lose one pang that Fernand endured.

"Do you know them, Fernand?" he said.

"Yes," was the reply, in a low voice. "It is Edmond andMercedes!"

"Ah, see there, now!" said Caderousse; "and I did notrecognize them! Hallo, Dantes! hello, lovely damsel! Comethis way, and let us know when the wedding is to be, forFernand here is so obstinate he will not tell us."

"Hold your tongue, will you?" said Danglars, pretending torestrain Caderousse, who, with the tenacity of drunkards,leaned out of the arbor. "Try to stand upright, and let thelovers make love without interruption. See, look at Fernand,and follow his example; he is well-behaved!"

Fernand, probably excited beyond bearing, pricked byDanglars, as the bull is by the bandilleros, was about torush out; for he had risen from his seat, and seemed to becollecting himself to dash headlong upon his rival, whenMercedes, smiling and graceful, lifted up her lovely head,and looked at them with her clear and bright eyes. At thisFernand recollected her threat of dying if Edmond died, anddropped again heavily on his seat. Danglars looked at thetwo men, one after the other, the one brutalized by liquor,the other overwhelmed with love.

"I shall get nothing from these fools," he muttered; "and Iam very much afraid of being here between a drunkard and acoward. Here's an envious fellow making himself boozy onwine when he ought to be nursing his wrath, and here is afool who sees the woman he loves stolen from under his noseand takes on like a big baby. Yet this Catalan has eyes thatglisten like those of the vengeful Spaniards, Sicilians, andCalabrians, and the other has fists big enough to crush anox at one blow. Unquestionably, Edmond's star is in theascendant, and he will marry the splendid girl - he will becaptain, too, and laugh at us all, unless" - a sinistersmile passed over Danglars' lips - "unless I take a hand inthe affair," he added.

"Hallo!" continued Caderousse, half-rising, and with hisfist on the table, "hallo, Edmond! do you not see yourfriends, or are you too proud to speak to them?"

"No, my dear fellow!" replied Dantes, "I am not proud, but Iam happy, and happiness blinds, I think, more than pride."

"Ah, very well, that's an explanation!" said Caderousse."How do you do, Madame Dantes?"

Mercedes courtesied gravely, and said - "That is not myname, and in my country it bodes ill fortune, they say, tocall a young girl by the name of her betrothed before hebecomes her husband. So call me Mercedes, if you please."

"We must excuse our worthy neighbor, Caderousse," saidDantes, "he is so easily mistaken."

"So, then, the wedding is to take place immediately, M.Dantes," said Danglars, bowing to the young couple.

"As soon as possible, M. Danglars; to-day all preliminarieswill be arranged at my father's, and to-morrow, or next dayat latest, the wedding festival here at La Reserve. Myfriends will be there, I hope; that is to say, you areinvited, M. Danglars, and you, Caderousse."

"And Fernand," said Caderousse with a chuckle; "Fernand,too, is invited!"

"My wife's brother is my brother," said Edmond; "and we,Mercedes and I, should be very sorry if he were absent atsuch a time."

Fernand opened his mouth to reply, but his voice died on hislips, and he could not utter a word.

"To-day the preliminaries, to-morrow or next day theceremony! You are in a hurry, captain!"

"Danglars," said Edmond, smiling, "I will say to you asMercedes said just now to Caderousse, `Do not give me atitle which does not belong to me'; that may bring me badluck."

"Your pardon," replied Danglars, "I merely said you seemedin a hurry, and we have lots of time; the Pharaon cannot beunder weigh again in less than three months."

"We are always in a hurry to be happy, M. Danglars; for whenwe have suffered a long time, we have great difficulty inbelieving in good fortune. But it is not selfishness alonethat makes me thus in haste; I must go to Paris."

"Ah, really? - to Paris! and will it be the first time youhave ever been there, Dantes?"

"Yes."

"Have you business there?"

"Not of my own; the last commission of poor Captain Leclere;you know to what I allude, Danglars - it is sacred.Besides, I shall only take the time to go and return."

"Yes, yes, I understand," said Danglars, and then in a lowtone, he added, "To Paris, no doubt to deliver the letterwhich the grand marshal gave him. Ah, this letter gives mean idea - a capital idea! Ah; Dantes, my friend, you arenot yet registered number one on board the good shipPharaon;" then turning towards Edmond, who was walking away,"A pleasant journey," he cried.

"Thank you," said Edmond with a friendly nod, and the twolovers continued on their way, as calm and joyous as if theywere the very elect of heaven.