"She lives, and yearns to shake her old friend's hand," replied Morrel.
He then narrated to the astonished physician the extraordinary circumstance of Valentine's rescue from death. He told the dangers Monte-Cristo had undergone for her; how he had made the poisoned goblet of Madame de Villefort harmless, and how he had rescued him, too, from a suicide's death.
"And who is this Count of Monte-Cristo?" asked D'Avigny when Maximilian had ended.
"Doctor," said Morrel solemnly, "here my story ends. Who and what the Count of Monte-Cristo is I am not at liberty to tell. He has a mission to fulfil, rewards here and punishes there, and I myself have been at times moved to believe him a divine person. There is a mystery surrounding him, which he alone can clear up; but this I know, he is a noble man."
"Where is Valentine now?" asked D'Avigny after a short pause.
"Since the fall of the house of Villefort, Valentine has lived with her grandfather, Monsieur Noirtier, on his estate near Marseilles."
"That is the reason, then, why Monsieur Noirtier disappeared so suddenly from Paris?" said D'Avigny.
"Yes, the Count of Monte-Cristo informed the old man that Valentine lived, and was in need of his protection. Monsieur Noirtier immediately arranged his affairs, and up to five days ago they were both living quietly at Oliolles, near Marseilles."
"And since then?" asked the physician, uneasily.
"About five days ago Valentine received this note. Please read it and tell me what you think of it."