an buy a pretty little
house with two acres of land; the remaining twenty thousand will bring
you in a thousand francs a year."

"A garden with two acres of land!"

"And a thousand francs a year."

"Oh heavens!"

"Come, take them!" and Monte Cristo forced the bank-notes into his
hand.

"What am I to do?"

"Nothing very difficult."

"But what is it?"

"To repeat these signs;" Monte Cristo took a paper from his pocket,
upon which were drawn three signs, with numbers to indicate the order
in which they were to be worked.

"There, you see it will not take long."

"Yes; but--"

"Do this, and you will have nectarines and all the rest." The mark was
hit: red with fever, while the large drops fell from his brow, the man
executed, one after the other, the three signs given by the count;
notwithstanding the frightful contortions of the right-hand
correspondent, who, not understanding the change, began to think the
gardener had become mad. As to the left-hand one, he conscientiously
repeated the same signals, which were definitively carried to the
Minister of the Interior. "Now you are rich," said Monte Cristo.

"Yes," replied the man, "but at what a price!"

"Listen, friend," said Monte Cristo. "I do not wish to cause you any
remorse; believe me, then, when I swear to you that you have wronged
no man, but on the contrary have benefited mankind." The man looked at
the bank-notes, felt them, counted them; he turned pale, then red;
then rushed into his room to drink a glass of water, but he had no
time to reach the water-jug, and fainted in the midst of his dried
herbs. Five minutes after the new telegram reached the minister,
Debray had the horses put to his carriage, and drove to Danglars's.

"Has your husband any Spanish bonds?" he asked of the baroness.

"I think so, indeed! He has six millions' worth."

"He must sell them at whatever price."

"Why?"

"Because Don Carlos has fled from Bourges, and has returned to Spain."

"How do you know?"--Debray shrugged his shoulders. "The idea of asking
how I hear the news!" he said. The baroness did not wait for a
repetition; she ran to her husband, who immediately hastened to his
agent and ordered him to sell at any price. When it was seen that
Danglars sold, the Spanish funds fell directly. Danglars lost five
hundred thousand francs; but he rid himself of all his Spanish shares.
The same evening the following was read in Le Messager:--

"Telegraphic dispat