His thirst for vengeance was so blind, that, by preference, he directed his attacks against Languedoc and Provence, because Emilie’s seducer must have been a chevalier of Malta, born in that province. It is needless to say, if the love Pog felt for Emilie before her betrayal was strong and passionate, the rage, or rather the monomania, which seized his mind after he learned of the deception practised upon him, was in itself a terrible proof of his love and desperate grief. The portrait which hung above the coffin which served as a bed for the Commander des Anbiez, as a part of the expiation of his crime, was the portrait of the Count de Montreuil, or Pog,--obtained by Peyrou at the sale of the house near Lyons. Let us now return to Pog, in his chamber on the _Red Galleon_. After having read the letters which unveiled so many mysteries, he remained for a time in a sort of dazed state of mind. He closed his eyes. A thousand conflicting thoughts and ideas reached his brain. He feared he was losing his mind. By degrees he recovered his self-possession, and contemplated the new opportunities which this discovery offered his hatred with a calmness which was more dreadful than anger. CHAPTER XXXVI. PLANS Once enlightened on the subject of the birth of Erebus, Pog, in his diabolical joy, thanked the devil for having delivered the child into his hands. All the feelings of aversion which Erebus had inspired in him were now explained; all his impulses of tenderness for the unfortunate youth could now be easily understood. Erebus was the son of his mortal enemy; but he was also the son of the woman whom he had adored. Without the secret instinct of hatred and of vengeance which dominated his being unconsciously, he could never have taken such pleasure in corrupting and perverting a young and innocent soul. The most hardened hearts find a solace in the thought that their crimes are justifiable. From this moment, Pog saw into his hatred clearly, if it may be said; his only indecision now was how to satiate his revenge. He saw the necessity for prudence, that his vengeance might be sure and complete. The death of Erebus could not satisfy him; that death, however slow, however cruel it might be, would be only one day of torment,--that no longer sufficed him. The violence of his rage could not dissociate the innocent result of the crime from the crime itself, or from those who committed it, but Pog had long ceased to think or act with regard to justice. In his opinion, Erebus was justly devoted to his wrath. He felt, too, a sinister joy in learning that Pierre des Anbiez was the seducer of his wife. Now he knew where to direct his blows.