“We must excuse our worthy neighbor, Caderousse,” said Dantès, “he is so easily mistaken.”
“So, then, the wedding is to take place immediately, M. Dantès,” said Danglars, bowing to the young couple.
“As soon as possible, M. Danglars; today all preliminaries will be arranged at my father’s, and tomorrow, or next day at latest, the wedding festival here at La Réserve. My friends will be there, I hope; that is to say, you are invited, M. Danglars, and you, Caderousse.”
“And Fernand,” said Caderousse with a chuckle; “Fernand, too, is invited!”
“My wife’s brother is my brother,” said Edmond; “and we, Mercédès and I, should be very sorry if he were absent at such a time.”
Fernand opened his mouth to reply, but his voice died on his lips, and he could not utter a word.
“Today the preliminaries, tomorrow or next day the ceremony! You are in a hurry, captain!”
“Danglars,” said Edmond, smiling, “I will say to you as Mercédès said just now to Caderousse, ‘Do not give me a title which does not belong to me;’ that may bring me bad luck.”
“Your pardon,” replied Danglars, “I merely said you seemed in a hurry, and we have lots of time; the Pharaon cannot be underway again in less than three months.”
“We are always in a hurry to be happy, M. Danglars; for when we have suffered a long time, we have great difficulty in believing in good fortune. But it is not selfishness alone that makes me thus in haste; I must go to Paris.”