The Son of Monte-Cristo, Volume II
Page 43
CHAPTER XLII
THE TRAP
Madame Caraman and Coucou had not exaggerated when they said that thevicomte's condition after Jane's disappearance was terrible. He rushedabout madly, and when he could not find the young girl a deep despairtook hold of him.
The young man's love for Jane was very great, and when he saw the younggirl lying wounded, almost dying, in his arms the world faded from thesight of his intoxicated eyes. Either he must rescue her or go underhimself. There was no third road for him.
Madame Caraman's information that Jane had disappeared paralyzed him.She must be sought for and found at any price, even though the world betorn in pieces for it.
But the world did not tear, not an atom moved on his account; and deepnight settled about Spero. One night as the vicomte was sitting in theroom Jane had occupied, buried in thought, he saw the drapery moveslowly and a part of the wall glide slowly back.
In a moment he had sprung up and gone to the spot. A dark opening yawnedbefore him, and as he knew not what fear was, he walked into thecorridor which opened before him. Without hesitating, he walked downthe marble staircase; the door closed behind him, and he found himselfon strange ground.
After Spero had gone down twenty steps he found himself on level ground.He went further and further, and finally stood at the foot of astaircase which led toward the left. Without taking time to consider heascended it and soon stood before a door--he put his hand on the knoband it opened.
A room furnished in dark red silk lay before the vicomte.
On a black marble table Spero espied an open letter.
The Count of Monte-Cristo had always seen to it that his house wasconnected in a mysterious way with other buildings. It was only in thisway that he was enabled to play the part of a _deus ex machina_--asEdmond Dantes, Count of Monte-Cristo and Lord Wilmore.
Spero had never heard of this secret passage. Like a man in a dream hestrode toward the table, and seizing the note read the following:
"If the son of the Count of Monte-Cristo is not a coward, and wishes to find her whom he has lost, let him go at once to Courberode and hunt up a man named Malvernet, who lives at the so-called Path of Thorns. Here he will find out what he wants to know, and perhaps a little more."
There was no signature to the letter, and Spero cared very little forthat. Suddenly his glance happened to fall on a large mirror and he gavea cry of alarm.
Was the pale man with the deep blue rings about his eyes thetwenty-one-year-old son of the great count?
"One would think that the few days I have been away from my father hadaged me many years," he bitterly muttered. "But no," he added, flamingup; "the enemies of the great count shall not say that his son is not aworthy scion! I will crush them if they touch a hair of Jane's head. Myfather did not name me Spero for nothing. So long as I breathe I canhope. I will not despair, I will conquer!"
He pulled out his two pistols and examined them, and with a soft, tender"Father, help me," he left the secret chamber.