The Count of Monte Cristo

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her handkerchief, with which she appeared to be wiping her face, and in
the other a bottle of English smelling-salts. Her first look on entering
the room was at Noirtier, whose face, independent of the emotion which
such a scene could not fail of producing, proclaimed him to be in
possession of his usual health; her second glance was at the dying man.
She turned pale, and her eye passed quickly from the servant and rested
on the master.

"In the name of heaven, madame," said Villefort, "where is the doctor?
He was with you just now. You see this is a fit of apoplexy, and he
might be saved if he could but be bled!"

"Has he eaten anything lately?" asked Madame de Villefort, eluding
her husband's question. "Madame," replied Valentine, "he has not even
breakfasted. He has been running very fast on an errand with which my
grandfather charged him, and when he returned, took nothing but a glass
of lemonade."