"You! oh, do not make fun of me—"
"What are you thinking of? Look here, Jacopo, do you see this yacht which is now riding on the waves?"
"I see her. She appears to me slender and beautiful—she is a pearl of a vessel."
"I am glad that the yacht is to your taste; she is my property, and I appoint you as captain, if you have no objection!"
Jacopo became almost wild with joy. During the next few months the elegant yacht, called the Ice Bird, moved her wings actively, crossing every sea, and the captain was delighted with her.
When the count came to Paris to investigate the fate of the families Villefort and Danglars, Jacopo received his dismissal, or rather his temporary freedom.
"Master," he asked, sorrowfully, "why do you send me away? Have you to complain of anything concerning me?"
"No, Jacopo; but at present I do not need the yacht any further; I intend for a time to remain in Paris."
"Well, at any rate, I will always be ready to obey your least hint," said the Corsican, with enthusiasm. "Command me, and I shall at once honor your call."