“It is very ingenious,” said the count.

“You will see,” said the man proudly; “in five minutes he will speak.”

“ I have, then, five minutes ,” said Monte Cristo to himself; “ it is more time than I require. My dear sir, will you allow me to ask you a question?”

“What is it, sir?”

“You are fond of gardening?”

“Passionately.”

“And you would be pleased to have, instead of this terrace of twenty feet, an enclosure of two acres?”

“Sir, I should make a terrestrial paradise of it.”

“You live badly on your thousand francs?”