Page:The Count of Monte-Cristo (1887 Volume 2).djvu/66

 

OWARD the commencement of the year 1838, two young men belonging to the first society of Paris, the Viscount Albert de Morcerf, and the Baron Franz d'Epinay, were at Florence. They had agreed to see the Carnival at Rome that year, and that Franz, who for the last three or four years had inhabited Italy, should act as cicerone to Albert.

As it is no inconsiderable affair to spend the Carnival at Rome, especially when you have no great desire to sleep on the Piazza del Popolo or the Campo Vaccino, they wrote to Signor Pastrini, the proprietor of the Hôtel de Londres, Piazza d'Espagna, to reserve comfortable apartments for them. Host Pastrini replied that he had only two rooms and a cabinet al secondo piano, which he offered at the low charge of a louis per diem. They accepted his offer; but wishing to make the best use of the time that was left, Albert started for Naples. As for Franz, he remained at Florence.

After having passed several days here, when he had walked in the Eden called the Cascine, when he had passed two or three evenings at the houses of the nobles of Florence, he took a fancy into his head, having already visited Corsica, the cradle of Bonaparte, to visit Elba, the halting-place of Napoleon.

One evening then, he loosened a bark from the iron ring that secured it to the port of Leghorn, laid himself down, wrapped in his cloak, at the bottom, and said to the crew,—"To the isle of Elba!"

The bark shot out of the harbor like a bird, and the next morning Franz disembarked at Porto Ferrajo. He traversed the island, after having followed the traces which the footsteps of the giant have left, and reëmbarked at Marciana.

Two hours after, he again landed at Pianosa, where he was assured