The day after Monte Cristo had called upon Danglars, the mysterious lodger entered at ten o’clock in the morning instead of four in the afternoon. Almost directly afterwards, without the usual interval of time, a cab arrived, and the veiled lady ran hastily upstairs. The door opened, but before it could be closed, the lady exclaimed:

“Oh, Lucien⁠—oh, my friend!”

The concierge therefore heard for the first time that the lodger’s name was Lucien; still, as he was the very perfection of a doorkeeper, he made up his mind not to tell his wife.

“Well, what is the matter, my dear?” asked the gentleman whose name the lady’s agitation revealed; “tell me what is the matter.”

“Oh, Lucien, can I confide in you?”