"Ah! who can say!" and Fanfar smiled. "I shall never forget my beloved France, and I am sometimes sick with longing to return."
"Then, some day if I need you for the protection of my son, and send for you," said Monte-Cristo, "you will come?"
"I swear that I will." And Fanfar laid his hand on the boy's head.
"We will all swear!" cried Iron Jaws. "The son of Monte-Cristo is sacred to us. Who ever touches a hair of his head shall suffer."
We have now to learn how Fanfar and his friends kept this promise.
CHAPTER XLIII.
A LETTER FROM MONTE-CRISTO.
"My Dear Child: