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Fernand made no reply, nor did he attempt to check the tears which flowed down the cheeks of Mercedes, although for each of these tears he would have shed his heart's blood; but these tears flowed for another He arose, paced a while up and down the hut, and then, suddenly stopping before Mercedes, with his eyes glowing and his hands clinched,--"Say, Mercedes," he said, "once for all, is this your final deterirl calmly replied, "and none but Edmond shall ever beas I live"

Fernand let fall his head like a defeated roan, and then suddenly looking her full in the face, with clinched teeth and expanded nostrils, said,--"But if he is dead"-"If he is dead, I shall die too"

"If he has forgotten you"-"Mercedes!" called a joyous voice froirl, blushing with delight, and fairly leaping in excess of love, "you see he has not forgottentowards the door, she opened it, saying, "Here, Ed, drew back, like a traveller at the sight of a serpent, and fell into a chair beside him Edmond and Mercedes were clasped in each other's ar Marseilles sun, which shot into the rooht At first they saw nothing around them Their intense happiness isolated them from all the rest of the world, and they only spoke in broken words, which are the tokens of a joy so extreme that they seeloo countenance of Fernand, as it was defined in the shadow By a move Catalan placed his hand on the knife at his belt

"Ah, your pardon," said Dantes, frowning in his turn; "I did not perceive that there were three of us" Then, turning to Mercedes, he inquired, "Who is this gentleman?"

"One ill be your best friend, Dantes, for he is my friend, my cousin, my brother; it is Fernand--the man whom, after you, Edmond, I love the best in the world Do you not re Mercedes hand clasped in one of his own, he extended the other to the Catalan with a cordial air But Fernand, instead of responding to this a Editated and e Fernand This look told hier waxed hot