The Count of Monte Cristo

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had more than half an hour to spare to go five hundred steps, but he
had hastened to take leave of Monte Cristo because he wished to be alone
with his thoughts. He knew his time well--the hour when Valentine was
giving Noirtier his breakfast, and was sure not to be disturbed in the
performance of this pious duty. Noirtier and Valentine had given him
leave to go twice a week, and he was now availing himself of that
permission. He had arrived; Valentine was expecting him. Uneasy and
almost crazed, she seized his hand and led him to her grandfather. This
uneasiness, amounting almost to frenzy, arose from the report Morcerf's
adventure had made in the world, for the affair at the opera was
generally known. No one at Villefort's doubted that a duel would ensue
from it. Valentine, with her woman's instinct, guessed that Morrel would
be Monte Cristo's second, and from the young man's well-known courage
and his great affection for the count, she feared that he would not
content himself with the passive part assigned to him. We may easily
understand how eagerly the particulars were asked for, given, and
received; and Morrel could read an indescribable joy in the eyes of his