The Count of Monte Cristo

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grave? Are you still actuated by the regret which drags the living to
the pursuit of death; or are you only suffering from the prostration
of fatigue and the weariness of hope deferred? Has the loss of memory
rendered it impossible for you to weep? Oh, my dear friend, if this be
the case,--if you can no longer weep, if your frozen heart be dead, if
you put all your trust in God, then, Maximilian, you are consoled--do
not complain."

"Count," said Morrel, in a firm and at the same time soft voice, "listen
to me, as to a man whose thoughts are raised to heaven, though he
remains on earth; I come to die in the arms of a friend. Certainly,
there are people whom I love. I love my sister Julie,--I love her
husband Emmanuel; but I require a strong mind to smile on my last
moments. My sister would be bathed in tears and fainting; I could not
bear to see her suffer. Emmanuel would tear the weapon from my hand, and
alarm the house with his cries. You, count, who are more than mortal,
will, I am sure, lead me to death by a pleasant path, will you not?"