o slowly that it scarcely appeared to move at all.

Monte-Cristo and Haydee came on deck at dawn, but the young girl
displayed such terror at the unwonted aspect of the sun and the sea that
the Count speedily persuaded her to return with him to the cabin. There
she cowered upon a divan, hiding her face in her hands and moaning
piteously. Her fiance, distressed at her condition, endeavored to soothe
and comfort her, but utterly without avail; her fears could neither be
banished nor allayed. At length he threw himself on a rug at her feet,
and, disengaging her hands from her face, drew them about his neck;
Haydee clasped him frantically and clung to him as if she deemed that
embrace a final one.

As they were sitting thus, the Alcyon received a sudden and violent
shock that shook the noble yacht from stem to stern. Instantly there was
a sound of hurrying feet on deck, and the captain could be heard
shouting hoarsely to the sailors.

Monte-Cristo leaped up and caught Haydee in his arms. At that moment Ali
darted down the companion-way and stood trembling before his master.

"What was that shock?" demanded the Count, hurriedly.

The agitated Nubian made a sign signifying he did not know, but that all
was yet safe.

"Remain with your mistress, Ali," said Monte-Cristo. "I am going to see
what is the matter."

"Oh! no, no," cried Haydee, imploringly, as the Count placed her again
on the divan and was moving away. "Oh! no, no; do not leave me, my lord,
or I shall die!"

Ashy pale, Haydee arose from the divan, and cast herself on her knees at
Monte-Cristo's feet.

"Swear to me, at least, that you will not needlessly expose yourself to
danger," she uttered, in a pleading tone.

"I swear it," answered the Count. "Ali will faithfully guard you while I
am gone," he added, "and ere you can realize my absence, I shall be
again at your side."

With these words he tore himself away and hastened to the deck.

There a scene met his eye as unexpected as it was appalling. The entire
surface of the Mediterranean was aglow with phosphorescence, and the sun
was veiled completely by a heavy cloud that seemed to cover the whole
expanse of the sky. This cloud was not black, but of a bloody hue, and
the atmosphere was so densely charged with sulphur that it was almost
impossible to breathe. The sea was boiling more furiously than ever, and
the puffs of vapor that had before only occasionally filtered through
the waves now leaped up