Page:The Count of Monte-Cristo (1887 Volume 2).djvu/291

Rh fancies he hears low cries perpetually ringing in his ears. Two hours passed thus, during which I imagined I heard these moans repeated. Midnight struck, As the last stroke died away, I saw a faint light shine through the windows of the private staircase by which we have just

descended. The door opened, and the man in the mantle re-appeared.

"The terrible moment had come! but I had so long been prepared for it that my heart did not fail in the least; I drew my knife from my pocket again, opened it, and prepared myself to strike. The man in the