The Count of Monte Cristo

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"Well," said Morcerf, "for three days I believed myself the object of
the attentions of a masque, whom I took for a descendant of Tullia or
Poppoea, while I was simply the object of the attentions of a contadina,
and I say contadina to avoid saying peasant girl. What I know is, that,
like a fool, a greater fool than he of whom I spoke just now, I mistook
for this peasant girl a young bandit of fifteen or sixteen, with a
beardless chin and slim waist, and who, just as I was about to imprint
a chaste salute on his lips, placed a pistol to my head, and, aided by
seven or eight others, led, or rather dragged me, to the Catacombs of
St. Sebastian, where I found a highly educated brigand chief perusing
Caesar's 'Commentaries,' and who deigned to leave off reading to inform
me, that unless the next morning, before six o'clock, four thousand
piastres were paid into his account at his banker's, at a quarter past
six I should have ceased to exist. The letter is still to be seen,
for it is in Franz d'Epinay's possession, signed by me, and with a
postscript of M. Luigi Vampa. This is all I know, but I know not, count,
how you contrived to inspire so much respect in the bandits of Rome who