Chapter 86 The Trial
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AT
EIGHT o'clock in the morning Albert had arrived at Beauchamp's door. The
valet de chambre had received orders to usher him in at once. Beauchamp
was in his bath. "Here I am," said Albert. "Well,
my poor friend," replied Beauchamp, "I expected you." "I
need not say I think you are too faithful and too kind to have spoken of
that painful circumstance. Your having sent for me is another proof of
your affection. So, without losing time, tell me, have you the slightest
idea whence this terrible blow proceeds?" "I
think I have some clew." "But
first tell me all the particulars of this shameful plot." Beauchamp
proceeded to relate to the young man, who was overwhelmed with shame and
grief, the following facts. Two days previously, the article had appeared
in another paper besides the Impartial, and, what was more serious, one
that was well known as a government paper. Beauchamp was breakfasting when
he read the paragraph. He sent immediately for a cabriolet, and hastened
to the publisher's office. Although professing diametrically opposite
principles from those of the editor of the other paper, Beauchamp--as it
sometimes, we may say often, happens--was his intimate friend. The editor
was reading, with apparent delight, a leading article in the same paper on
beet-sugar, probably a composition of his own. "Ah,
pardieu," said Beauchamp, "with the paper in your hand, my
friend, I need not tell you the cause of my visit." "Are
you interested in the sugar question?" asked the editor of the
ministerial paper. "No,"
replied Beauchamp, "I have not considered the question; a totally
different subject interests me." "What
is it?" "The
article relative to Morcerf." "Indeed?
Is it not a curious affair?" "So
curious, that I think you are running a great risk of a prosecution for
defamation of character." "Not
at all; we have received with the information all the requisite proofs,
and we are quite sure M. de Morcerf will not raise his voice against us;
besides, it is rendering a service to one's country to denounce these
wretched criminals who are unworthy of the honor bestowed on them."
Beauchamp was thunderstruck. "Who, then, has so correctly informed
you?" asked he; "for my paper, which gave the first information
on the subject, has been obliged to stop for want of proof; and yet we are
more interested than you in exposing M. de Morcerf, as he is a peer of
France, and we are of the opposition." "Oh,
that is very simple; we have not sought to scandalize. This news was
brought to us. A man arrived yesterday from Yanina, bringing a formidable
array of documents; and when we hesitated to publish the accusatory
article, he told us it should be inserted in some other paper." Beauchamp
understood that nothing remained but to submit, and left the office to
despatch a courier to Morcerf. But he had been unable to send to Albert
the following particulars, as the events had transpired after the
messenger's departure; namely, that the same day a great agitation was
manifest in the House of Peers among the usually calm members of that
dignified assembly. Every one had arrived almost before the usual hour,
and was conversing on the melancholy event which was to attract the
attention of the public towards one of their most illustrious colleagues.
Some were perusing the article, others making comments and recalling
circumstances which substantiated the charges still more. The Count of
Morcerf was no favorite with his colleagues. Like all upstarts, he had had
recourse to a great deal of haughtiness to maintain his position. The true
nobility laughed at him, the talented repelled him, and the honorable
instinctively despised him. He was, in fact, in the unhappy position of
the victim marked for sacrifice; the finger of God once pointed at him,
every one was prepared to raise the hue and cry. The
Count of Morcerf alone was ignorant of the news. He did not take in the
paper containing the defamatory article, and had passed the morning in
writing letters and in trying a horse. He arrived at his usual hour, with
a proud look and insolent demeanor; he alighted, passed through the
corridors, and entered the house without observing the hesitation of the
door-keepers or the coolness of his colleagues. Business had already been
going on for half an hour when he entered. Every one held the accusing
paper, but, as usual, no one liked to take upon himself the responsibility
of the attack. At length an honorable peer, Morcerf's acknowledged enemy,
ascended the tribune with that solemnity which announced that the expected
moment had arrived. There was an impressive silence; Morcerf alone knew
not why such profound attention was given to an orator who was not always
listened to with so much complacency. The count did not notice the
introduction, in which the speaker announced that his communication would
be of that vital importance that it demanded the undivided attention of
the House; but at the mention of Yanina and Colonel Fernand, he turned so
frightfully pale that every member shuddered and fixed his eyes upon him.
Moral wounds have this peculiarity,--they may be hidden, but they never
close; always painful, always ready to bleed when touched, they remain
fresh and open in the heart. The
article having been read during the painful hush that followed, a
universal shudder pervaded the assembly. and immediately the closest
attention was given to the orator as he resumed his remarks. He stated his
scruples and the difficulties of the case; it was the honor of M. de
Morcerf, and that of the whole House, he proposed to defend, by provoking
a debate on personal questions, which are always such painful themes of
discussion. He concluded by calling for an investigation, which might
dispose of the calumnious report before it had time to spread, and restore
M. de Morcerf to the position he had long held in public opinion. Morcerf
was so completely overwhelmed by this great and unexpected calamity that
he could scarcely stammer a few words as he looked around on the assembly.
This timidity, which might proceed from the astonishment of innocence as
well as the shame of guilt, conciliated some in his favor; for men who are
truly generous are always ready to compassionate when the misfortune of
their enemy surpasses the limits of their hatred. The
president put it to the vote, and it was decided that the investigation
should take place. The count was asked what time he required to prepare
his defence. Morcerf's courage had revived when he found himself alive
after this horrible blow. "My lords," answered he, "it is
not by time I could repel the attack made on me by enemies unknown to me,
and, doubtless, hidden in obscurity; it is immediately, and by a
thunderbolt, that I must repel the flash of lightning which, for a moment,
startled me. Oh, that I could, instead of taking up this defence, shed my
last drop of blood to prove to my noble colleagues that I am their equal
in worth." These words made a favorable impression on behalf of the
accused. "I demand, then, that the examination shall take place as
soon as possible, and I will furnish the house with all necessary
information." "What
day do you fix?" asked the president. "To-day
I am at your service," replied the count. The president rang the
bell. "Does the House approve that the examination should take place
to-day?" "Yes,"
was the unanimous answer. A
committee of twelve members was chosen to examine the proofs brought
forward by Morcerf. The investigation would begin at eight o'clock that
evening in the committee-room, and if postponement were necessary, the
proceedings would be resumed each evening at the same hour. Morcerf asked
leave to retire; he had to collect the documents he had long been
preparing against this storm, which his sagacity had foreseen. Albert
listened, trembling now with hope, then with anger, and then again with
shame, for from Beauchamp's confidence he knew his father was guilty, and
he asked himself how, since he was guilty, he could prove his innocence.
Beauchamp hesitated to continue his narrative. "What next?"
asked Albert. "What
next? My friend, you impose a painful task on me. Must you know all?"
"Absolutely;
and rather from your lips than another's." "Muster
up all your courage, then, for never have you required it more."
Albert passed his hand over his forehead, as if to try his strength, as a
man who is preparing to defend his life proves his shield and bends his
sword. He thought himself strong enough, for he mistook fever for energy.
"Go on," said he. "The
evening arrived; all Paris was in expectation. Many said your father had
only to show himself to crush the charge against him; many others said he
would not appear; while some asserted that they had seen him start for
Brussels; and others went to the police-office to inquire if he had taken
out a passport. I used all my influence with one of the committee, a young
peer of my acquaintance, to get admission to one of the galleries. He
called for me at seven o'clock, and, before any one had arrived, asked one
of the door-keepers to place me in a box. I was concealed by a column, and
might witness the whole of the terrible scene which was about to take
place. At eight o'clock all were in their places, and M. de Morcerf
entered at the last stroke. He held some papers in his hand; his
countenance was calm, and his step firm, and he was dressed with great
care in his military uniform, which was buttoned completely up to the
chin. His presence produced a good effect. The committee was made up of
Liberals, several of whom came forward to shake hands with him." Albert
felt his heart bursting at these particulars, but gratitude mingled with
his sorrow: he would gladly have embraced those who had given his father
this proof of esteem at a moment when his honor was so powerfully
attacked. "At this moment one of the door-keepers brought in a letter
for the president. 'You are at liberty to speak, M. de Morcerf,' said the
president, as he unsealed the letter; and the count began his defence, I
assure you, Albert, in a most eloquent and skilful manner. He produced
documents proving that the Vizier of Yanina had up to the last moment
honored him with his entire confidence, since he had interested him with a
negotiation of life and death with the emperor. He produced the ring, his
mark of authority, with which Ali Pasha generally sealed his letters, and
which the latter had given him, that he might, on his return at any hour
of the day or night, gain access to the presence, even in the harem.
Unfortunately, the negotiation failed, and when he returned to defend his
benefactor, he was dead. 'But,' said the count, 'so great was Ali Pasha's
confidence, that on his death-bed he resigned his favorite mistress and
her daughter to my care.'" Albert started on hearing these words; the
history of Haidижe
recurred to him, and he remembered what she had said of that message and
the ring, and the manner in which she had been sold and made a slave.
"And what effect did this discourse produce?" anxiously inquired
Albert. "I acknowledge it affected me, and, indeed, all the committee
also," said Beauchamp. "Meanwhile,
the president carelessly opened the letter which had been brought to him;
but the first lines aroused his attention; he read them again and again,
and fixing his eyes on M. de Morcerf, 'Count,' said he, 'you have said
that the Vizier of Yanina confided his wife and daughter to your
care?'--'Yes, sir,' replied Morcerf; 'but in that, like all the rest,
misfortune pursued me. On my return, Vasiliki and her daughter Haidижe
had disappeared.'--'Did you know them?'--'My intimacy with the pasha and
his unlimited confidence had gained me an introduction to them, and I had
seen them above twenty times.' "'Have
you any idea what became of them?'--'Yes, sir; I heard they had fallen
victims to their sorrow, and, perhaps, to their poverty. I was not rich;
my life was in constant danger; I could not seek them, to my great
regret.' The president frowned imperceptibly. 'Gentlemen,' said he, 'you
have heard the Comte de Morcerf's defence. Can you, sir, produce any
witnesses to the truth of what you have asserted?'--'Alas, no, monsieur,'
replied the count; 'all those who surrounded the vizier, or who knew me at
his court, are either dead or gone away, I know not where. I believe that
I alone, of all my countrymen, survived that dreadful war. I have only the
letters of Ali Tepelini, which I have placed before you; the ring, a token
of his good-will, which is here; and, lastly, the most convincing proof I
can offer, after an anonymous attack, and that is the absence of any
witness against my veracity and the purity of my military life.' A murmur
of approbation ran through the assembly; and at this moment, Albert, had
nothing more transpired, your father's cause had been gained. It only
remained to put it to the vote, when the president resumed: 'Gentlemen and
you, monsieur,--you will not be displeased, I presume, to listen to one
who calls himself a very important witness, and who has just presented
himself. He is, doubtless, come to prove the perfect innocence of our
colleague. Here is a letter I have just received on the subject; shall it
be read, or shall it be passed over? and shall we take no notice of this
incident?' M. de Morcerf turned pale, and clinched his hands on the papers
he held. The committee decided to hear the letter; the count was
thoughtful and silent. The president read:-- "'MR.
PRESIDENT,--I can furnish the committee of inquiry into the conduct of the
Lieutenant-General the Count of Morcerf in Epirus and in Macedonia with
important particulars.' "The
president paused, and the count turned pale. The president looked at his
auditors. 'Proceed,' was heard on all sides. The president resumed:-- "'I
was on the spot at the death of Ali Pasha. I was present during his last
moments. I know what is become of Vasiliki and Haidижe. I am at the command of the
committee, and even claim the honor of being heard. I shall be in the
lobby when this note is delivered to you.' "'And
who is this witness, or rather this enemy?' asked the count, in a tone in
which there was a visible alteration. 'We shall know, sir,' replied the
president. 'Is the committee willing to hear this witness?'--'Yes, yes,'
they all said at once. The door-keeper was called. 'Is there any one in
the lobby?' said the president. "'Yes,
sir.'--'Who is it?'--'A woman, accompanied by a servant.' Every one looked
at his neighbor. 'Bring her in,' said the president. Five minutes after
the door-keeper again appeared; all eyes were fixed on the door, and
I," said Beauchamp, "shared the general expectation and anxiety.
Behind the door-keeper walked a woman enveloped in a large veil, which
completely concealed her. It was evident, from her figure and the perfumes
she had about her, that she was young and fastidious in her tastes, but
that was all. The president requested her to throw aside her veil, and it
was then seen that she was dressed in the Grecian costume, and was
remarkably beautiful." "Ah,"
said Albert, "it was she." "Who?"
"Haidижe." "Who
told you that?" "Alas,
I guess it. But go on, Beauchamp. You see I am calm and strong. And yet we
must be drawing near the disclosure." "M.
de Morcerf," continued Beauchamp, "looked at this woman with
surprise and terror. Her lips were about to pass his sentence of life or
death. To the committee the adventure was so extraordinary and curious,
that the interest they had felt for the count's safety became now quite a
secondary matter. The president himself advanced to place a seat for the
young lady; but she declined availing herself of it. As for the count, he
had fallen on his chair; it was evident that his legs refused to support
him. "'Madame,'
said the president, 'you have engaged to furnish the committee with some
important particulars respecting the affair at Yanina, and you have stated
that you were an eyewitness of the event.'--'I was, indeed,' said the
stranger, with a tone of sweet melancholy, and with the sonorous voice
peculiar to the East. "'But
allow me to say that you must have been very young then.'--'I was four
years old; but as those events deeply concerned me, not a single detail
has escaped my memory.'--'In what manner could these events concern you?
and who are you, that they should have made so deep an impression on
you?'--'On them depended my father's life,' replied she. 'I am Haidижe, the daughter of Ali Tepelini, pasha of Yanina,
and of Vasiliki, his beloved wife.' "The
blush of mingled pride and modesty which suddenly suffused the cheeks of
the young woman, the brilliancy of her eye, and her highly important
communication, produced an indescribable effect on the assembly. As for
the count, he could not have been more overwhelmed if a thunderbolt had
fallen at his feet and opened an immense gulf before him. 'Madame,'
replied the president, bowing with profound respect, 'allow me to ask one
question; it shall be the last: Can you prove the authenticity of what you
have now stated?'--'I can, sir,' said Haidижe, drawing from under her veil a
satin satchel highly perfumed; 'for here is the register of my birth,
signed by my father and his principal officers, and that of my baptism, my
father having consented to my being brought up in my mother's faith,--this
latter has been sealed by the grand primate of Macedonia and Epirus; and
lastly (and perhaps the most important), the record of the sale of my
person and that of my mother to the Armenian merchant El-Kobbir, by the
French officer, who, in his infamous bargain with the Porte, had reserved
as his part of the booty the wife and daughter of his benefactor, whom he
sold for the sum of four hundred thousand francs.' A greenish pallor
spread over the count's cheeks, and his eyes became bloodshot at these
terrible imputations, which were listened to by the assembly with ominous
silence. "Haidижe, still calm, but with a
calmness more dreadful than the anger of another would have been, handed
to the president the record of her sale, written in Arabic. It had been
supposed some of the papers might be in the Arabian, Romaic, or Turkish
language, and the interpreter of the House was in attendance. One of the
noble peers, who was familiar with the Arabic language, having studied it
during the famous Egyptian campaign, followed with his eye as the
translator read aloud:-- "'I,
El-Kobbir, a slave-merchant, and purveyor of the harem of his highness,
acknowledge having received for transmission to the sublime emperor, from
the French lord, the Count of Monte Cristo, an emerald valued at eight
hundred thousand francs; as the ransom of a young Christian slave of
eleven years of age, named Haidижe,
the acknowledged daughter of the late lord Ali Tepelini, pasha of Yanina,
and of Vasiliki, his favorite; she having been sold to me seven years
previously, with her mother, who had died on arriving at Constantinople,
by a French colonel in the service of the Vizier Ali Tepelini, named
Fernand Mondego. The above-mentioned purchase was made on his highness's
account, whose mandate I had, for the sum of four hundred thousand francs.
"'Given
at Constantinople, by authority of his highness, in the year 1247 of the
Hegira. "'Signed
EL-KOBBIR.' "'That
this record should have all due authority, it shall bear the imperial
seal, which the vendor is bound to have affixed to it.' "Near
the merchant's signature there was, indeed, the seal of the sublime
emperor. A dreadful silence followed the reading of this document; the
count could only stare, and his gaze, fixed as if unconsciously on Haidижe, seemed one of fire and blood.
'Madame,' said the president, 'may reference be made to the Count of Monte
Cristo, who is now, I believe, in Paris?'--'Sir,' replied Haidижe, 'the Count of Monte Cristo, my
foster-father, has been in Normandy the last three days.' "'Who,
then, has counselled you to take this step, one for which the court is
deeply indebted to you, and which is perfectly natural, considering your
birth and your misfortunes?'--'Sir,' replied Haidижe, 'I have been led to take this step from a feeling
of respect and grief. Although a Christian, may God forgive me, I have
always sought to revenge my illustrious father. Since I set my foot in
France, and knew the traitor lived in Paris, I have watched carefully. I
live retired in the house of my noble protector, but I do it from choice.
I love retirement and silence, because I can live with my thoughts and
recollections of past days. But the Count of Monte Cristo surrounds me
with every paternal care, and I am ignorant of nothing which passes in the
world. I learn all in the silence of my apartments,--for instance, I see
all the newspapers, every periodical, as well as every new piece of music;
and by thus watching the course of the life of others, I learned what had
transpired this morning in the House of Peers, and what was to take place
this evening; then I wrote.' "'Then,'
remarked the president, 'the Count of Monte Cristo knows nothing of your
present proceedings?'--'He is quite unaware of them, and I have but one
fear, which is that he should disapprove of what I have done. But it is a
glorious day for me,' continued the young girl, raising her ardent gaze to
heaven, 'that on which I find at last an opportunity of avenging my
father!' "The
count had not uttered one word the whole of this time. His colleagues
looked at him, and doubtless pitied his prospects, blighted under the
perfumed breath of a woman. His misery was depicted in sinister lines on
his countenance. 'M. de Morcerf,' said the president, 'do you recognize
this lady as the daughter of Ali Tepelini, pasha of Yanina?'--'No,' said
Morcerf, attempting to rise, 'it is a base plot, contrived by my enemies.'
Haidижe, whose eyes had been fixed on the door, as if
expecting some one, turned hastily, and, seeing the count standing,
shrieked, 'You do not know me?' said she. 'Well, I fortunately recognize
you! You are Fernand Mondego, the French officer who led the troops of my
noble father! It is you who surrendered the castle of Yanina! It is you
who, sent by him to Constantinople, to treat with the emperor for the life
or death of your benefactor, brought back a false mandate granting full
pardon! It is you who, with that mandate, obtained the pasha's ring, which
gave you authority over Selim, the fire-keeper! It is you who stabbed
Selim. It is you who sold us, my mother and me, to the merchant, El-Kobbir!
Assassin, assassin, assassin, you have still on your brow your master's
blood! Look, gentlemen, all!' "These
words had been pronounced with such enthusiasm and evident truth, that
every eye was fixed on the count's forehead, and he himself passed his
hand across it, as if he felt Ali's blood still lingering there. 'You
positively recognize M. de Morcerf as the officer, Fernand Mondego?'--'Indeed
I do!' cried Haidижe. 'Oh, my mother, it was you who
said, "You were free, you had a beloved father, you were destined to
be almost a queen. Look well at that man; it is he who raised your
father's head on the point of a spear; it is he who sold us; it is he who
forsook us! Look well at his right hand, on which he has a large wound; if
you forgot his features, you would know him by that hand, into which fell,
one by one, the gold pieces of the merchant El-Kobbir!" I know him!
Ah, let him say now if he does not recognize me!' Each word fell like a
dagger on Morcerf, and deprived him of a portion of his energy; as she
uttered the last, he hid his mutilated hand hastily in his bosom, and fell
back on his seat, overwhelmed by wretchedness and despair. This scene
completely changed the opinion of the assembly respecting the accused
count. "'Count
of Morcerf,' said the president, 'do not allow yourself to be cast down;
answer. The justice of the court is supreme and impartial as that of God;
it will not suffer you to be trampled on by your enemies without giving
you an opportunity of defending yourself. Shall further inquiries be made?
Shall two members of the House be sent to Yanina? Speak!' Morcerf did not
reply. Then all the members looked at each other with terror. They knew
the count's energetic and violent temper; it must be, indeed, a dreadful
blow which would deprive him of courage to defend himself. They expected
that his stupefied silence would be followed by a fiery outburst. 'Well,'
asked the president, 'what is your decision?' "'I
have no reply to make,' said the count in a low tone. "'Has
the daughter of Ali Tepelini spoken the truth?' said the president. 'Is
she, then, the terrible witness to whose charge you dare not plead
"Not guilty"? Have you really committed the crimes of which you
are accused?' The count looked around him with an expression which might
have softened tigers, but which could not disarm his judges. Then he
raised his eyes towards the ceiling, but withdrew then, immediately, as if
he feared the roof would open and reveal to his distressed view that
second tribunal called heaven, and that other judge named God. Then, with
a hasty movement, he tore open his coat, which seemed to stifle him, and
flew from the room like a madman; his footstep was heard one moment in the
corridor, then the rattling of his carriage-wheels as he was driven
rapidly away. 'Gentlemen,' said the president, when silence was restored,
'is the Count of Morcerf convicted of felony, treason, and conduct
unbecoming a member of this House?'--'Yes,' replied all the members of the
committee of inquiry with a unanimous voice. "Haidижe had remained until the close of
the meeting. She heard the count's sentence pronounced without betraying
an expression of joy or pity; then drawing her veil over her face she
bowed majestically to the councillors, and left with that dignified step
which Virgil attributes to his goddesses." |
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