Monte-Cristo's Daughter

Edmund Flagg

Description

pubOne.info thank you for your continued support and wish to present you this new edition. MONTE-CRISTO'S DAUGHTER, a wonderfully brilliant, original, exciting and absorbing novel, is the Sequel to The Count of Monte-Cristo, Alexander Dumas' masterwork, and the continuation and conclusion of that great romance, Edmond Dantes. It possesses rare power, unflagging interest and an intricate plot that for constructive skill and efficient development stands unrivalled. Zuleika, the beautiful daughter of Monte-Cristo and Haydee, is the heroine, and her suitor, the Viscount Giovanni Massetti, an ardent, impetuous young Roman, the hero. The latter, through a flirtation with a pretty flower-girl, Annunziata Solara, becomes involved in a maze of suspicion that points to him as an abductor and an assassin, causes his separation from Zuleika and converts him into a maniac. The straightening out of these tangled complications constitutes the main theme of the thrilling book. The novel abounds in ardent love scenes and stirring adventures. The Count of Monte-Cristo figures largely in it, and numerous Monte-Cristo characters are introduced

Sujets

• Historical fiction

Informations

• Publié par: Pub One Info
• Date de parution: 23 octobre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9782819913054
• Langue: English

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Introduction
"MONTE-CRISTO'S DAUGHTER," a wonderfully brilliant,original, exciting and absorbing novel, is the Sequel to "The Countof Monte-Cristo," Alexander Dumas' masterwork, and the continuationand conclusion of that great romance, "Edmond Dantès." It possessesrare power, unflagging interest and an intricate plot that forconstructive skill and efficient development stands unrivalled.Zuleika, the beautiful daughter of Monte-Cristo and Haydée, is theheroine, and her suitor, the Viscount Giovanni Massetti, an ardent,impetuous young Roman, the hero. The latter, through a flirtationwith a pretty flower-girl, Annunziata Solara, becomes involved in amaze of suspicion that points to him as an abductor and anassassin, causes his separation from Zuleika and converts him intoa maniac. The straightening out of these tangled complicationsconstitutes the main theme of the thrilling book. The novel aboundsin ardent love scenes and stirring adventures. The Count ofMonte-Cristo figures largely in it, and numerous Monte-Cristocharacters are introduced. "MONTE-CRISTO'S DAUGHTER" is the latestaddition to Petersons' famous series, consisting of "The Count ofMonte-Cristo," "Edmond Dantès," "The Countess of Monte-Cristo,""The Wife of Monte-Cristo," and "The Son of Monte-Cristo."
CHAPTER I.
MONTE-CRISTO AND THE PRIMA DONNA.
The Count of Monte-Cristo was in Rome. He had hiredone of the numerous private palaces, the Palazzo Costi, situated ona broad thoroughfare near the point where the Ponte St. Angeloconnects Rome proper with that transtiberine suburb known as theLeonine City or Trastavere. The impecunious Roman nobility wereever ready to let their palaces to titled foreigners of wealth, andAli, acting for the Count, had experienced no difficulty inprocuring for his master an abode that even a potentate might haveenvied him. It was a lofty, commodious edifice, built of whitemarble in antique architectural design, and commanded from itsample balconies a fine view of the Tiber and its western shore,upon which loomed up that vast prison and citadel, the Castle ofSt. Angelo, and the largest palace in the world, the Vatican.
The Count of Monte-Cristo had always liked Romebecause of its picturesque, mysterious antiquity, but his presentmission there had nothing whatever to do with his individualtastes. He had fixed himself for a time in the Eternal City thathis daughter Zuleika, Haydée's 1 child, might finish her education at a famousconvent school conducted under the auspices of the Sisterhood ofthe Sacred Heart.
Zuleika was fifteen years of age, but looked mucholder, having the early maturity of the Greeks, whose ardent blood,on her dead mother's side, flowed in her youthful veins. She hadattained her full height, and was tall and well-developed. Shestrongly resembled her mother, possessing brilliant beauty of thedreamy, voluptuous oriental type. Her hair was abundant and blackas night. She had dark, flashing eyes, pearly teeth, full ruby lipsand feet and hands that were of fairylike diminutiveness, as wellas miracles of grace and dainty shapeliness. In temperament she wasmore like Haydée than the Count, though she possessed her father'squick decision and firmness, with the addition of much of hisenthusiasm.
The Palazzo Costi was magnificently furnished, sothe Count had made no alterations in that respect, bringing withhim only the family wardrobe and a portion of his library,consisting mainly of oriental manuscripts written in weird,cabalistic characters and intelligible to no one but himself.
The household was made up solely of the Count, hisson Espérance, 2 his daughter Zuleika, the faithful Nubianmute Ali and five or six male and female domestics. Having no otherobject than his daughter's education, the Count wished to live inas thorough retirement as he could, but it was impossible for himto keep his presence a secret, and no sooner had it become knownthat he was in Rome than he was besieged by hosts of callersbelonging to the highest nobility, mingled with whom came numerouspatriots, disciples of the unfortunate Savonarola, distinguishedfor their firm devotion to the cause of Italian liberty.
At an early hour of the morning upon which thisnarrative opens the Count of Monte-Cristo sat alone in a smallapartment of the Palazzo Costi, which had been arranged as hisstudy and in which his precious manuscripts were stored in closelylocked cabinets. The Count had a copy of a Roman newspaper beforehim, and his eyes were fixed on a paragraph that seemed to havefascinated him as the serpent fascinates the bird. The paragraphread as follows: "Mlle. Louise d' Armilly, the famous prima donna,who will sing to-night at the Apollo Theatre her great rôle of Lucrezia Borgia , has, it appears, a deep impenetrablemystery surrounding her. She is French by birth, and is said to bethe daughter of a banker, who vanished under peculiarcircumstances, but, as she positively declines to speak of herhistory, we can only give the rumors concerning her for what theyare worth. M. Léon d' Armilly, brother of the prima donna, whosupports her in Donizetti's opera, also refuses to becommunicative. At any rate, the mere hint of the mystery hasalready caused quite a flutter of excitement in high societycircles and that is sufficient to insure a crowded house." "Louised' Armilly!" murmured the Count, half-audibly. "The name isfamiliar, certainly, though where I have seen or heard it before Icannot now recall. The lady is French by birth, the paper says, andthat fact, at least, is a sufficient pretext for me to visit her. Iwill call on her as a fellow countryman, and the interview willdemonstrate if she is known to me."
The Count arose, went to his desk and, seatinghimself there, wrote the following brief epistle: "EdmondDantès, 3 Countof Monte-Cristo, desires permission to call upon Mlle. Louise d'Armilly at ten o'clock this morning. In this desire M. Dantès isactuated solely by the wish to lay the homage of a Frenchman at thefeet of so distinguished an artiste of his own nation as Mlle. d'Armilly."
Having finished, sealed and addressed this note, theCount touched a bell which was immediately answered by theever-watchful Nubian. "Ali," said the Count, in the Arabic tongue,"take this letter to the Hôtel de France and wait for a reply."
The faithful servant bowed almost to the floor, tookthe missive and departed. When he had gone, the Count walked theapartment with the long strides habitual to him at such times as hewas engrossed by some all-powerful thought. "Surely," he muttered,"this artiste can in no way interest me personally, and yet I feela subtile premonition that it would be wise in me to see her."
He was still pacing the study when Ali returned. TheNubian's usually impassible face bore traces of excitement andhorror. He prostrated himself at his master's feet and, with hisvisage pressed against the floor, held up his hand, presenting tothe Count the identical letter of which he had been the bearer."Why, how is this, Ali?" asked the Count, frowning. "My letter sentback without an answer. The seal has been broken, too. It must havebeen read."
The mute slowly arose and began an eloquentpantomime which his master readily translated into words: "You wentto the Hôtel de France and sent up the letter. In ten minutes itwas returned to you by the lady's valet, who said all the answerthe Count of Monte-Cristo deserved from his mistress was written onthe back."
Ali nodded his head in confirmation of his master'stranslation, looking as if he expected to be severely reprimandedfor being the bearer of such an indignity. The Count, however,merely smiled. Curiosity rather than anger predominated in him. Heturned the letter over and read, scrawled in pencil in a woman'shand, the following brief and enigmatical but insultingcommunication: "Any Frenchman save the ignominious M. Dantès, theso-called Count of Monte-Cristo, would be welcome to Mlle. d'Armilly. That person she does not wish to see and will not."
The Count was perplexed and also amused. The fervorof the prima donna made him smile. He certainly did not know her,certainly had never seen her. Why then was she so bitter againsthim? He could make nothing out of it. Was it possible her name wasreally as familiar to him as it had seemed? The irate artiste hadsurely heard of the Count of Monte-Cristo and, therefore, could notbe mistaken in regard to his identity, but in what way could hehave injured her or incurred her anger? The more he thought of thematter the more perplexed he grew. As he was debating withinhimself what action he ought to take, there was a knock at the doorand a domestic entered, handing him a card upon which wasinscribed: "Captain Joliette." "Ha!" cried Monte-Cristo, "he comesin time. He will aid me in solving this mystery."
He motioned Ali from the study, and directed thevalet who had brought the card to show the visitor up at once. Inanother instant Captain Joliette entered the room. The Count sprangforward to greet him. "Welcome, Captain," said he. "I have not seenyou since our stirring adventures in Algeria. 4 I hope you arewell and happy. By the way, what are you doing, in Rome? I was notaware you were here." "I am here simply by chance," answered theyoung soldier, with a blush that belied his words. "I was in Italyon a little pleasure trip and naturally drifted to the EternalCity. I learned only this morning that you were installed at thePalazzo Costi and instantly hastened to pay my respects."
When their cordial greetings were over and they wereseated side by side upon a commodious sofa luxuriously upholsteredin crimson silk, the Count said, abruptly: "Captain, did you everhear of a French opera singer named Louise d' Armilly?"
Again the young man colored deeply, a circumstancethat did not escape the close observation of his companion, whoinstantly divined that the famous prima donna counted for more inthe reasons that had brought the Captain to Rome than that