Accordingly, he asked Mademoiselle Marguerite for the paper upon
which the count had endeavored to pen his last wishes; and in
addition he requested her to write on a card the dying man's last
words in the order they had been uttered. But on combining the
written and the spoken words the only result obtained was as
follows:--"My entire fortune--give--friends--against--Marguerite--
despoiled--your mother--take care." These twelve incoherent words
revealed the count's absorbing and poignant anxiety concerning his
fortune and Marguerite's future, and also the fear and aversion
with which Marguerite's mother inspired him. But that was all;
the sense was not precise enough for any practical purpose.
Certainly the word "give" needed no explanation. It was plain
that the count had endeavored to write, "I give my entire
fortune." The meaning of the word "despoiled" was also clear. It
had evidently been wrung from the half-unconscious man by the
horrible thought that Marguerite--his own daughter,
unquestionably--would not have a penny of all the millions he had
intended for her. "Take care" also explained itself. But there
were two words which seemed absolutely incomprehensible to the
magistrate, and which he vainly strove to connect with the others
in an intelligible manner. These were the words "friends" and
"against," and they were the most legibly written of all. For the
thirtieth time the magistrate was repeating them in an undertone,
when a rap came at the door, and almost immediately Madame Leon
entered the room.
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