your excellency is right

　　"Philosophy, M. Bertuccio," interrupted the Count; "you havedone a little of everything in your life."

　　"Oh, excellency,"

　　"No, no; but philosophy at half-past ten at night issomewhat late; yet I have no other observation to make, forwhat you say is correct, which is more than can be said forall philosophy."

　　"My journeys became more and more extensive and moreproductive. Assunta took care of all, and our little fortuneincreased. One day as I was setting off on an expedition,`Go,' said she; `at your return I will give you a surprise.'I questioned her, but in vain; she would tell me nothing,and I departed. Our expedition lasted nearly six weeks; wehad been to Lucca to take in oil, to Leghorn for Englishcottons, and we ran our cargo without opposition, andreturned home full of joy. When I entered the house, thefirst thing I beheld in the middle of Assunta's chamber wasa cradle that might be called sumptuous compared with therest of the furniture, and in it a baby seven or eightmonths old. I uttered a cry of joy; the only moments ofsadness I had known since the assassination of the procureurwere caused by the recollection that I had abandoned thischild. For the assassination itself I had never felt anyremorse. Poor Assunta had guessed all. She had profited bymy absence, and furnished with the half of the linen, andhaving written down the day and hour at which I haddeposited the child at the asylum, had set off for Paris,and had reclaimed it. No objection was raised, and theinfant was given up to her. Ah, I confess, your excellency,when I saw this poor creature sleeping peacefully in itscradle, I felt my eyes filled with tears. `Ah, Assunta,'cried I, `you are an excellent woman, and heaven will blessyou.'"

　　"This," said Monte Cristo, "is less correct than yourphilosophy, -- it is only faith."

　　"Alas, your excellency is right," replied Bertuccio, "andGod made this infant the instrument of our punishment. Neverdid a perverse nature declare itself more prematurely, andyet it was not owing to any fault in his bringing up. He wasa most lovely child, with large blue eyes, of that deepcolor that harmonizes so well with the blond complexion;only his hair, which was too light, gave his face a mostsingular expression, and added to the vivacity of his look,and the malice of his smile. Unfortunately, there is aproverb which says that `red is either altogether good oraltogether bad.' The proverb was but too correct as regardedBenedetto, and even in his infancy he manifested the worstdisposition. It is true that the indulgence of hisfoster-mother encouraged him. This child, for whom my poorsister would go to the town, five or six leagues off, topurchase the earliest fruits and the most temptingsweetmeats, preferred to Palma grapes or Genoese preserves,the chestnuts stolen from a neighbor's orchard, or the driedapples in his loft, when he could eat as well of the nutsand apples that grew in my garden. One day, when Benedettowas about five or six, our neighbor Vasilio, who, accordingto the custom of the country, never locked up his purse orhis valuables -- for, as your excellency knows, there are nothieves in Corsica -- complained that he had lost a louisout of his purse; we thought he must have made a mistake incounting his money, but he persisted in the accuracy of hisstatement. One day, Benedetto, who had been gone from thehouse since morning, to our great anxiety, did not returnuntil late in the evening, dragging a monkey after him,which he said he had found chained to the foot of a tree.For more than a month past, the mischievous child, who knewnot what to wish for, had taken it into his head to have amonkey. A boatman, who had passed by Rogliano, and who hadseveral of these animals, whose tricks had greatly divertedhim, had, doubtless, suggested this idea to him. `Monkeysare not found in our woods chained to trees,' said I;`confess how you obtained this animal.' Benedetto maintainedthe truth of what he had said, and accompanied it withdetails that did more honor to his imagination than to hisveracity. I became angry; he began to laugh, I threatened tostrike him, and he made two steps backwards. `You cannotbeat me,' said he; `you have no right, for you are not myfather.'