第120章

What passed in the mind of this man at the supreme moment of his agony cannot be told in words.He was still comparatively young, he was surrounded by the loving care of a devoted family, but he had convinced himself by a course of reasoning, illogical perhaps, yet certainly plausible, that he must separate himself from all he held dear in the world, even life itself.To form the slightest idea of his feelings, one must have seen his face with its expression of enforced resignation and its tear-moistened eyes raised to heaven.The minute hand moved on.The pistols were loaded;he stretched forth his hand, took one up, and murmured his daughter's name.Then he laid it down seized his pen, and wrote a few words.It seemed to him as if he had not taken a sufficient farewell of his beloved daughter.Then he turned again to the clock, counting time now not by minutes, but by seconds.He took up the deadly weapon again, his lips parted and his eyes fixed on the clock, and then shuddered at the click of the trigger as he cocked the pistol.At this moment of mortal anguish the cold sweat came forth upon his brow, a pang stronger than death clutched at his heart-strings.He heard the door of the staircase creak on its hinges -- the clock gave its warning to strike eleven -- the door of his study opened; Morrel did not turn round -- he expected these words of Cocles, "The agent of Thomson & French."He placed the muzzle of the pistol between his teeth.

Suddenly he heard a cry -- it was his daughter's voice.He turned and saw Julie.The pistol fell from his hands."My father!" cried the young girl, out of breath, and half dead with joy -- "saved, you are saved!" And she threw herself into his arms, holding in her extended hand a red, netted silk purse.

"Saved, my child!" said Morrel; "what do you mean?""Yes, saved -- saved! See, see!" said the young girl.

Morrel took the purse, and started as he did so, for a vague remembrance reminded him that it once belonged to himself.

At one end was the receipted bill for the 287,000 francs, and at the other was a diamond as large as a hazel-nut, with these words on a small slip of parchment: -- Julie's Dowry.

Morrel passed his hand over his brow; it seemed to him a dream.At this moment the clock struck eleven.He felt as if each stroke of the hammer fell upon his heart."Explain, my child," he said, "Explain, my child," he said, "explain --where did you find this purse?"

"In a house in the Allees de Meillan, No.15, on the corner of a mantelpiece in a small room on the fifth floor.""But," cried Morrel, "this purse is not yours!" Julie handed to her father the letter she had received in the morning.

"And did you go alone?" asked Morrel, after he had read it.

"Emmanuel accompanied me, father.He was to have waited for me at the corner of the Rue de Musee, but, strange to say, he was not there when I returned.""Monsieur Morrel!" exclaimed a voice on the stairs.--"Monsieur Morrel!"

"It is his voice!" said Julie.At this moment Emmanuel entered, his countenance full of animation and joy."The Pharaon!" he cried; "the Pharaon!""What -- what -- the Pharaon! Are you mad, Emmanuel? You know the vessel is lost.""The Pharaon, sir -- they signal the Pharaon! The Pharaon is entering the harbor!" Morrel fell back in his chair, his strength was failing him; his understanding weakened by such events, refused to comprehend such incredible, unheard-of, fabulous facts.But his son came in."Father," cried Maximilian, "how could you say the Pharaon was lost? The lookout has signalled her, and they say she is now coming into port.""My dear friends," said Morrel, "if this be so, it must be a miracle of heaven! Impossible, impossible!"But what was real and not less incredible was the purse he held in his hand, the acceptance receipted -- the splendid diamond.

"Ah, sir," exclaimed Cocles, "what can it mean? -- the Pharaon?""Come, dear ones," said Morrel, rising from his seat, "let us go and see, and heaven have pity upon us if it be false intelligence!" They all went out, and on the stairs met Madame Morrel, who had been afraid to go up into the study.

In a moment they were at the Cannebiere.There was a crowd on the pier.All the crowd gave way before Morrel."The Pharaon, the Pharaon!" said every voice.

And, wonderful to see, in front of the tower of Saint-Jean, was a ship bearing on her stern these words, printed in white letters, "The Pharaon, Morrel & Son, of Marseilles."She was the exact duplicate of the other Pharaon, and loaded, as that had been, with cochineal and indigo.She cast anchor, clued up sails, and on the deck was Captain Gaumard giving orders, and good old Penelon making signals to M.Morrel.To doubt any longer was impossible; there was the evidence of the senses, and ten thousand persons who came to corroborate the testimony.As Morrel and his son embraced on the pier-head, in the presence and amid the applause of the whole city witnessing this event, a man, with his face half-covered by a black beard, and who, concealed behind the sentry-box, watched the scene with delight, uttered these words in a low tone: "Be happy, noble heart, be blessed for all the good thou hast done and wilt do hereafter, and let my gratitude remain in obscurity like your good deeds."And with a smile expressive of supreme content, he left his hiding-place, and without being observed, descended one of the flights of steps provided for debarkation, and hailing three times, shouted "Jacopo, Jacopo, Jacopo!" Then a launch came to shore, took him on board, and conveyed him to a yacht splendidly fitted up, on whose deck he sprung with the activity of a sailor; thence he once again looked towards Morrel, who, weeping with joy, was shaking hands most cordially with all the crowd around him, and thanking with a look the unknown benefactor whom he seemed to be seeking in the skies."And now," said the unknown, "farewell kindness, humanity, and gratitude! Farewell to all the feelings that expand the heart! I have been heaven's substitute to recompense the good -- now the god of vengeance yields to me his power to punish the wicked!" At these words he gave a signal, and, as if only awaiting this signal, the yacht instantly put out to sea.