ond time to a handsome and refined lady, Monsieur de Villefort spent his leisure time in the society of his wife, a grown daughter by his first marriage, named Va

robbed him of the use of his limbs, but of his speech too. The old man could only make himself understood by his

house on a visit, had died suddenly one after the other, the doctors being unable to assign any other cause for their deaths than apoplexy. These facts would not have caused any talk, since the two persons who had died were both very old, had they not b

acity, to investigate his own household. After long observation, he had a terrible suspicion,

arge fortune which she had inherited from her dead mother; she was the sole heiress of the grandparents who had died so sud

me day on which the sensational case of Prince Cavalcanti, alias Benedetto, was before the Court of Special Sessions, and Monsieur de Villefort was forced to attend the sitt

impression that her husband would ask her to accompany him to the court-house. She

which you are in the habit of using?" asked

lefort turned

and what you mean

keep the poison with which you murdered my pare

ll to the floor; she no longer dared to deny the accus

for me as for you. Fate has left you to pay for your deeds by your own hand. You have, perhaps, still a few drops of poison left, which will save

sieur de Villefort, hardly able to collect his thoughts, le