Page:The Count of Monte-Cristo (1887 Volume 3).djvu/109

Rh "My dear fellow," said Lucien, "here is the Count of Monte-Cristo, who will say to you, as the Italians do:

When they tell me such things, I only shrug my shoulders and say nothing."

"But you were speaking of Hayti," said Monte-Cristo.

"Ah, Hayti!—that is quite another thing! Hayti is the écarté of French stock-jobbing. They may like la bouillotte, delight in whist, be enraptured with le boston, and yet grow tired of all; but they always come back to écarté—that is the game par excellence. M. Danglars sold yesterday at four hundred and five, and pockets three hundred thousand francs. Had he but waited till to-day, the stocks would have fallen to two hundred and five, and instead of gaining three hundred thousand francs, he would have lost twenty or twenty-five thousand."

"And what has caused the sudden fall from four hundred and nine to two hundred and six?" asked Monte-Cristo. "I am profoundly ignorant of all these stock-jobbing intrigues."

"Because," said Albert, laughing, "one piece of news follows another, and there is often great dissimilarity between them."

"Ah," said the count, "I see that M. Danglars is accustomed to play at gaining or losing three hundred thousand francs in a day; he must be enormously rich?"

"It is not he who plays," exclaimed Lucien, "it is Madame Danglars; she is indeed daring."

"But you who are a reasonable being, Lucien, and who know how little dependence is to be placed on the news, since you are at the fountain-head, surely you ought to prevent it," said Morcerf, with a smile.

"How can I, if her husband fails in controlling her?" asked Lucien; "you know the character of the baronne—no one has any influence with her, and she does precisely what she pleases."

"Ah, if I were in your place" said Albert.

"Well?"

"I would reform her; it would be rendering a service to her future son-in-law."

"How would you set about it?"

"Ah, that would be easy enough—I would give her a lesson."

"A lesson?"

"Yes. Your position as secretary to the minister renders your authority great on the subject of political news; you never open your mouth but the stock-brokers immediately stenograph your words.