The Count of Monte Cristo

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Chapter 102. Valentine.

The night-light continued to burn on the chimney-piece, exhausting the
last drops of oil which floated on the surface of the water. The globe
of the lamp appeared of a reddish hue, and the flame, brightening before
it expired, threw out the last flickerings which in an inanimate object
have been so often compared with the convulsions of a human creature in
its final agonies. A dull and dismal light was shed over the bedclothes
and curtains surrounding the young girl. All noise in the streets had
ceased, and the silence was frightful. It was then that the door of
Edward's room opened, and a head we have before noticed appeared in
the glass opposite; it was Madame de Villefort, who came to witness
the effects of the drink she had prepared. She stopped in the doorway,
listened for a moment to the flickering of the lamp, the only sound in
that deserted room, and then advanced to the table to see if Valentine's
glass were empty. It was still about a quarter full, as we before
stated. Madame de Villefort emptied the contents into the ashes, which