whether touching the health of his crew, or the value of his
freight."

"What is the meaning of all this?" inquired Caderousse,
frowningly, of Danglars, who had assumed an air of utter
surprise.

"How can I tell you?" replied he; "I am, like yourself,
utterly bewildered at all that is going on, and cannot in
the least make out what it is about." Caderousse then looked
around for Fernand, but he had disappeared.

The scene of the previous night now came back to his mind
with startling clearness. The painful catastrophe he had
just witnessed appeared effectually to have rent away the
veil which the intoxication of the evening before had raised
between himself and his memory.

"So, so," said he, in a hoarse and choking voice, to
Danglars, "this, then, I suppose, is a part of the trick you
were concerting yesterday? All I can say is, that if it be
so, 'tis an ill turn, and well deserves to bring double evil
on those who have projected it."

"Nonsense," returned Danglars, "I tell you again I have
nothing whatever to do with it; besides, you know very well
that I tore the paper to pieces."

"No, you did not!" answered Caderousse, "you merely threw it
by -- I saw it lying in a corner."