Orakel Classics
The Count of Monte Cristo
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, prepared as a public-domain Orakel edition with 117 chapter-aware companion links.
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Chapter 1. Marseilles—The Arrival
Chapter 1. Marseilles—The Arrival from The Count of Monte Cristo. On the 24th of February, 1815, the look-out at Notre-Dame de la Garde signalled the three-master, the Pharaon from Smyrna, Trieste, and
Open2Chapter 2. Father and Son
Chapter 2. Father and Son from The Count of Monte Cristo. We will leave Danglars struggling with the demon of hatred, and endeavoring to insinuate in the ear of the shipowner some evil suspicions against his comrade, and follow Dantès, who, after having traversed La Canebière, took the Rue de Noailles, and entering a small house, on the left of the Allées de Meilhan, rapidly ascended four flights of a dark staircase, holding the baluster with one hand, while with the other
Open3Chapter 3. The Catalans
Chapter 3. The Catalans from The Count of Monte Cristo. Beyond a bare, weather-worn wall, about a hundred paces from the spot where the two friends sat looking and listening as they drank their wine, was the village of the Catalans. Long ago this mysterious colony quitted Spain, and settled on the tongue of land on which it is to this day. Whence it came no one knew, and it spoke an unknown tongue. One of its chiefs, who understood Provençal, begged the commune of
Open4Chapter 4. Conspiracy
Chapter 4. Conspiracy from The Count of Monte Cristo. Danglars followed Edmond and Mercédès with his eyes until the two lovers disappeared behind one of the angles of Fort Saint Nicolas; then, turning round, he perceived Fernand, who had fallen, pale and trembling, into his chair, while Caderousse stammered out the words of a
Open5Chapter 5. The Marriage Feast
Chapter 5. The Marriage Feast from The Count of Monte Cristo. The morning’s sun rose clear and resplendent, touching the foamy waves into a network of ruby-tinted
Open6Chapter 6. The Deputy Procureur du Roi
Chapter 6. The Deputy Procureur du Roi from The Count of Monte Cristo. In one of the aristocratic mansions built by Puget in the Rue du Grand Cours opposite the Medusa fountain, a second marriage feast was being celebrated, almost at the same hour with the nuptial repast given by Dantès. In this case, however, although the occasion of the entertainment was similar, the company was strikingly dissimilar. Instead of a rude mixture of sailors, soldiers, and those belonging to the humblest
Open7Chapter 7. The Examination
Chapter 7. The Examination from The Count of Monte Cristo. No sooner had Villefort left the salon, than he assumed the grave air of a man who holds the balance of life and death in his hands. Now, in spite of the nobility of his countenance, the command of which, like a finished actor, he had carefully studied before the glass, it was by no means easy for him to assume an air of judicial severity. Except the recollection of the line of politics his father had adopted, and
Open8Chapter 8. The Château d’If
Chapter 8. The Château d’If from The Count of Monte Cristo. The commissary of police, as he traversed the antechamber, made a sign to two gendarmes, who placed themselves one on Dantès’ right and the other on his left. A door that communicated with the Palais de Justice was opened, and they went through a long range of gloomy corridors, whose appearance might have made even the boldest shudder. The Palais de Justice communicated with the prison,—a sombre edifice, that from
Open9Chapter 9. The Evening of the Betrothal
Chapter 9. The Evening of the Betrothal from The Count of Monte Cristo. Villefort had, as we have said, hastened back to Madame de Saint-Méran’s in the Place du Grand Cours, and on entering the house found that the guests whom he had left at table were taking coffee in the salon. Renée was, with all the rest of the company, anxiously awaiting him, and his entrance was followed by a general
Open10Chapter 10. The King’s Closet at the Tuileries
Chapter 10. The King’s Closet at the Tuileries from The Count of Monte Cristo. We will leave Villefort on the road to Paris, travelling—thanks to trebled fees—with all speed, and passing through two or three apartments, enter at the Tuileries the little room with the arched window, so well known as having been the favorite closet of Napoleon and Louis XVIII., and now of Louis
Open11Chapter 11. The Corsican Ogre
Chapter 11. The Corsican Ogre from The Count of Monte Cristo. At the sight of this agitation Louis XVIII. pushed from him violently the table at which he was
Open12Chapter 12. Father and Son
Chapter 12. Father and Son from The Count of Monte Cristo. M. Noirtier—for it was, indeed, he who entered—looked after the servant until the door was closed, and then, fearing, no doubt, that he might be overheard in the antechamber, he opened the door again, nor was the precaution useless, as appeared from the rapid retreat of Germain, who proved that he was not exempt from the sin which ruined our first parents. M. Noirtier then took the trouble to close and bolt the
Open13Chapter 13. The Hundred Days
Chapter 13. The Hundred Days from The Count of Monte Cristo. M. Noirtier was a true prophet, and things progressed rapidly, as he had predicted. Everyone knows the history of the famous return from Elba, a return which was unprecedented in the past, and will probably remain without a counterpart in the
Open14Chapter 14. The Two Prisoners
Chapter 14. The Two Prisoners from The Count of Monte Cristo. A year after Louis XVIII.’s restoration, a visit was made by the inspector-general of prisons. Dantès in his cell heard the noise of preparation,—sounds that at the depth where he lay would have been inaudible to any but the ear of a prisoner, who could hear the splash of the drop of water that every hour fell from the roof of his dungeon. He guessed something uncommon was passing among the living; but he had so
Open15Chapter 15. Number 34 and Number 27
Chapter 15. Number 34 and Number 27 from The Count of Monte Cristo. Dantès passed through all the stages of torture natural to prisoners in suspense. He was sustained at first by that pride of conscious innocence which is the sequence to hope; then he began to doubt his own innocence, which justified in some measure the governor’s belief in his mental alienation; and then, relaxing his sentiment of pride, he addressed his supplications, not to God, but to man. God is always the last
Open16Chapter 16. A Learned Italian
Chapter 16. A Learned Italian from The Count of Monte Cristo. Seizing in his arms the friend so long and ardently desired, Dantès almost carried him towards the window, in order to obtain a better view of his features by the aid of the imperfect light that struggled through the
Open17Chapter 17. The Abbé’s Chamber
Chapter 17. The Abbé’s Chamber from The Count of Monte Cristo. After having passed with tolerable ease through the subterranean passage, which, however, did not admit of their holding themselves erect, the two friends reached the further end of the corridor, into which the abbé’s cell opened; from that point the passage became much narrower, and barely permitted one to creep through on hands and knees. The floor of the abbé’s cell was paved, and it had been by raising one of
Open18Chapter 18. The Treasure
Chapter 18. The Treasure from The Count of Monte Cristo. When Dantès returned next morning to the chamber of his companion in captivity, he found Faria seated and looking composed. In the ray of light which entered by the narrow window of his cell, he held open in his left hand, of which alone, it will be recollected, he retained the use, a sheet of paper, which, from being constantly rolled into a small compass, had the form of a cylinder, and was not easily kept open.
Open19Chapter 19. The Third Attack
Chapter 19. The Third Attack from The Count of Monte Cristo. Now that this treasure, which had so long been the object of the abbé’s meditations, could insure the future happiness of him whom Faria really loved as a son, it had doubled its value in his eyes, and every day he expatiated on the amount, explaining to Dantès all the good which, with thirteen or fourteen millions of francs, a man could do in these days to his friends; and then Dantès’ countenance became gloomy,
Open20Chapter 20. The Cemetery of the Château d’If
Chapter 20. The Cemetery of the Château d’If from The Count of Monte Cristo. On the bed, at full length, and faintly illuminated by the pale light that came from the window, lay a sack of canvas, and under its rude folds was stretched a long and stiffened form; it was Faria’s last winding-sheet,—a winding-sheet which, as the turnkey said, cost so little. Everything was in readiness. A barrier had been placed between Dantès and his old friend. No longer could Edmond look into those wide-open
Open21Chapter 21. The Island of Tiboulen
Chapter 21. The Island of Tiboulen from The Count of Monte Cristo. Dantès, although stunned and almost suffocated, had sufficient presence of mind to hold his breath, and as his right hand (prepared as he was for every chance) held his knife open, he rapidly ripped up the sack, extricated his arm, and then his body; but in spite of all his efforts to free himself from the shot, he felt it dragging him down still lower. He then bent his body, and by a desperate effort severed the
Open22Chapter 22. The Smugglers
Chapter 22. The Smugglers from The Count of Monte Cristo. Dantès had not been a day on board before he had a very clear idea of the men with whom his lot had been cast. Without having been in the school of the Abbé Faria, the worthy master of La Jeune Amélie (the name of the Genoese tartan) knew a smattering of all the tongues spoken on the shores of that large lake called the Mediterranean, from the Arabic to the Provençal, and this, while it spared him interpreters,
Open23Chapter 23. The Island of Monte Cristo
Chapter 23. The Island of Monte Cristo from The Count of Monte Cristo. Thus, at length, by one of the unexpected strokes of fortune which sometimes befall those who have for a long time been the victims of an evil destiny, Dantès was about to secure the opportunity he wished for, by simple and natural means, and land on the island without incurring any suspicion. One night more and he would be on his
Open24Chapter 24. The Secret Cave
Chapter 24. The Secret Cave from The Count of Monte Cristo. The sun had nearly reached the meridian, and his scorching rays fell full on the rocks, which seemed themselves sensible of the heat. Thousands of grasshoppers, hidden in the bushes, chirped with a monotonous and dull note; the leaves of the myrtle and olive trees waved and rustled in the wind. At every step that Edmond took he disturbed the lizards glittering with the hues of the emerald; afar off he saw the wild
Open25Chapter 25. The Unknown
Chapter 25. The Unknown from The Count of Monte Cristo. Day, for which Dantès had so eagerly and impatiently waited with open eyes, again dawned. With the first light Dantès resumed his search. Again he climbed the rocky height he had ascended the previous evening, and strained his view to catch every peculiarity of the landscape; but it wore the same wild, barren aspect when seen by the rays of the morning sun which it had done when surveyed by the fading glimmer of
Open26Chapter 26. The Pont du Gard Inn
Chapter 26. The Pont du Gard Inn from The Count of Monte Cristo. Such of my readers as have made a pedestrian excursion to the south of France may perchance have noticed, about midway between the town of Beaucaire and the village of Bellegarde,—a little nearer to the former than to the latter,—a small roadside inn, from the front of which hung, creaking and flapping in the wind, a sheet of tin covered with a grotesque representation of the Pont du Gard. This modern place of
Open27Chapter 27. The Story
Chapter 27. The Story from The Count of Monte Cristo. “Why, if you ever make use of the details I am about to give you, that you will never let anyone know that it was I who supplied them; for the persons of whom I am about to talk are rich and powerful, and if they only laid the tips of their fingers on me, I should break to pieces like
Open28Chapter 28. The Prison Register
Chapter 28. The Prison Register from The Count of Monte Cristo. The day after that in which the scene we have just described had taken place on the road between Bellegarde and Beaucaire, a man of about thirty or two-and-thirty, dressed in a bright blue frock coat, nankeen trousers, and a white waistcoat, having the appearance and accent of an Englishman, presented himself before the mayor of
Open29Chapter 29. The House of Morrel & Son
Chapter 29. The House of Morrel & Son from The Count of Monte Cristo. Anyone who had quitted Marseilles a few years previously, well acquainted with the interior of Morrel’s warehouse, and had returned at this date, would have found a great change. Instead of that air of life, of comfort, and of happiness that permeates a flourishing and prosperous business establishment—instead of merry faces at the windows, busy clerks hurrying to and fro in the long corridors—instead of the court
Open30Chapter 30. The Fifth of September
Chapter 30. The Fifth of September from The Count of Monte Cristo. The extension provided for by the agent of Thomson & French, at the moment when Morrel expected it least, was to the poor shipowner so decided a stroke of good fortune that he almost dared to believe that fate was at length grown weary of wasting her spite upon him. The same day he told his wife, Emmanuel, and his daughter all that had occurred; and a ray of hope, if not of tranquillity, returned to the family.
Open31Chapter 31. Italy: Sinbad the Sailor
Chapter 31. Italy: Sinbad the Sailor from The Count of Monte Cristo. Towards the beginning of the year 1838, two young men belonging to the first society of Paris, the Viscount Albert de Morcerf and the Baron Franz d’Épinay, were at Florence. They had agreed to see the Carnival at Rome that year, and that Franz, who for the last three or four years had inhabited Italy, should act as cicerone to
Open32Chapter 32. The Waking
Chapter 32. The Waking from The Count of Monte Cristo. When Franz returned to himself, he seemed still to be in a dream. He thought himself in a sepulchre, into which a ray of sunlight in pity scarcely penetrated. He stretched forth his hand, and touched stone; he rose to his seat, and found himself lying on his bournous in a bed of dry heather, very soft and odoriferous. The vision had fled; and as if the statues had been but shadows from the tomb, they had vanished at
Open33Chapter 33. Roman Bandits
Chapter 33. Roman Bandits from The Count of Monte Cristo. The next morning Franz woke first, and instantly rang the bell. The sound had not yet died away when Signor Pastrini himself
Open34Chapter 34. The Colosseum
Chapter 34. The Colosseum from The Count of Monte Cristo. Franz had so managed his route, that during the ride to the Colosseum they passed not a single ancient ruin, so that no preliminary impression interfered to mitigate the colossal proportions of the gigantic building they came to admire. The road selected was a continuation of the Via Sistina; then by cutting off the right angle of the street in which stands Santa Maria Maggiore and proceeding by the Via Urbana and
Open35Chapter 35. La Mazzolata
Chapter 35. La Mazzolata from The Count of Monte Cristo. Gentlemen,” said the Count of Monte Cristo as he entered, “I pray you excuse me for suffering my visit to be anticipated; but I feared to disturb you by presenting myself earlier at your apartments; besides, you sent me word that you would come to me, and I have held myself at your
Open36Chapter 36. The Carnival at Rome
Chapter 36. The Carnival at Rome from The Count of Monte Cristo. When Franz recovered his senses, he saw Albert drinking a glass of water, of which, to judge from his pallor, he stood in great need; and the count, who was assuming his masquerade costume. He glanced mechanically towards the piazza—the scene was wholly changed; scaffold, executioners, victims, all had disappeared; only the people remained, full of noise and excitement. The bell of Monte Citorio, which only sounds
Open37Chapter 37. The Catacombs of Saint Sebastian
Chapter 37. The Catacombs of Saint Sebastian from The Count of Monte Cristo. In his whole life, perhaps, Franz had never before experienced so sudden an impression, so rapid a transition from gayety to sadness, as in this moment. It seemed as though Rome, under the magic breath of some demon of the night, had suddenly changed into a vast tomb. By a chance, which added yet more to the intensity of the darkness, the moon, which was on the wane, did not rise until eleven o’clock, and the
Open38Chapter 38. The Rendezvous
Chapter 38. The Rendezvous from The Count of Monte Cristo. The first words that Albert uttered to his friend, on the following morning, contained a request that Franz would accompany him on a visit to the count; true, the young man had warmly and energetically thanked the count on the previous evening; but services such as he had rendered could never be too often acknowledged. Franz, who seemed attracted by some invisible influence towards the count, in which terror was
Open39Chapter 39. The Guests
Chapter 39. The Guests from The Count of Monte Cristo. In the house in the Rue du Helder, where Albert had invited the Count of Monte Cristo, everything was being prepared on the morning of the 21st of May to do honor to the occasion. Albert de Morcerf inhabited a pavilion situated at the corner of a large court, and directly opposite another building, in which were the servants’ apartments. Two windows only of the pavilion faced the street; three other windows looked
Open40Chapter 40. The Breakfast
Chapter 40. The Breakfast from The Count of Monte Cristo. “Then we shall have to wait two hours for the gentleman, and three for the diplomatist. I shall come back to dessert; keep me some strawberries, coffee, and cigars. I shall take a cutlet on my way to the
Open41Chapter 41. The Presentation
Chapter 41. The Presentation from The Count of Monte Cristo. When Albert found himself alone with Monte Cristo, “My dear count,” said he, “allow me to commence my services as cicerone by showing you a specimen of a bachelor’s apartment. You, who are accustomed to the palaces of Italy, can amuse yourself by calculating in how many square feet a young man who is not the worst lodged in Paris can live. As we pass from one room to another, I will open the windows to let you
Open42Chapter 42. Monsieur Bertuccio
Chapter 42. Monsieur Bertuccio from The Count of Monte Cristo. Meanwhile the count had arrived at his house; it had taken him six minutes to perform the distance, but these six minutes were sufficient to induce twenty young men who knew the price of the equipage they had been unable to purchase themselves, to put their horses in a gallop in order to see the rich foreigner who could afford to give 20,000 francs apiece for his
Open43Chapter 43. The House at Auteuil
Chapter 43. The House at Auteuil from The Count of Monte Cristo. Monte Cristo noticed, as they descended the staircase, that Bertuccio signed himself in the Corsican manner; that is, had formed the sign of the cross in the air with his thumb, and as he seated himself in the carriage, muttered a short prayer. Anyone but a man of exhaustless thirst for knowledge would have had pity on seeing the steward’s extraordinary repugnance for the count’s projected drive without the walls;
Open44Chapter 44. The Vendetta
Chapter 44. The Vendetta from The Count of Monte Cristo. “Some particulars, doubtless, but that is seven or eight years ago, and I have forgotten
Open45Chapter 45. The Rain of Blood
Chapter 45. The Rain of Blood from The Count of Monte Cristo. As the jeweller returned to the apartment, he cast around him a scrutinizing glance—but there was nothing to excite suspicion, if it did not exist, or to confirm it, if it were already awakened. Caderousse’s hands still grasped the gold and bank-notes, and La Carconte called up her sweetest smiles while welcoming the reappearance of their
Open46Chapter 46. Unlimited Credit
Chapter 46. Unlimited Credit from The Count of Monte Cristo. About two o’clock the following day a calash, drawn by a pair of magnificent English horses, stopped at the door of Monte Cristo and a person, dressed in a blue coat, with buttons of a similar color, a white waistcoat, over which was displayed a massive gold chain, brown trousers, and a quantity of black hair descending so low over his eyebrows as to leave it doubtful whether it were not artificial so little did its
Open47Chapter 47. The Dappled Grays
Chapter 47. The Dappled Grays from The Count of Monte Cristo. The baron, followed by the count, traversed a long series of apartments, in which the prevailing characteristics were heavy magnificence and the gaudiness of ostentatious wealth, until he reached the boudoir of Madame Danglars—a small octagonal-shaped room, hung with pink satin, covered with white Indian muslin. The chairs were of ancient workmanship and materials; over the doors were painted sketches of shepherds
Open48Chapter 48. Ideology
Chapter 48. Ideology from The Count of Monte Cristo. If the Count of Monte Cristo had been for a long time familiar with the ways of Parisian society, he would have appreciated better the significance of the step which M. de Villefort had taken. Standing well at court, whether the king regnant was of the older or younger branch, whether the government was doctrinaire liberal, or conservative; looked upon by all as a man of talent, since those who have never
Open49Chapter 49. Haydée
Chapter 49. Haydée from The Count of Monte Cristo. It will be recollected that the new, or rather old, acquaintances of the Count of Monte Cristo, residing in the Rue Meslay, were no other than Maximilian, Julie, and
Open50Chapter 50. The Morrel Family
Chapter 50. The Morrel Family from The Count of Monte Cristo. In a very few minutes the count reached No. 7 in the Rue Meslay. The house was of white stone, and in a small court before it were two small beds full of beautiful flowers. In the concierge that opened the gate the count recognized Cocles; but as he had but one eye, and that eye had become somewhat dim in the course of nine years, Cocles did not recognize the
Open51Chapter 51. Pyramus and Thisbe
Chapter 51. Pyramus and Thisbe from The Count of Monte Cristo. About two-thirds of the way along the Faubourg Saint-Honoré, and in the rear of one of the most imposing mansions in this rich neighborhood, where the various houses vie with each other for elegance of design and magnificence of construction, extended a large garden, where the wide-spreading chestnut-trees raised their heads high above the walls in a solid rampart, and with the coming of every spring scattered a
Open52Chapter 52. Toxicology
Chapter 52. Toxicology from The Count of Monte Cristo. It was really the Count of Monte Cristo who had just arrived at Madame de Villefort’s for the purpose of returning the procureur’s visit, and at his name, as may be easily imagined, the whole house was in
Open53Chapter 53. Robert le Diable
Chapter 53. Robert le Diable from The Count of Monte Cristo. The pretext of an opera engagement was so much the more feasible, as there chanced to be on that very night a more than ordinary attraction at the Académie Royale. Levasseur, who had been suffering under severe illness, made his reappearance in the character of Bertram, and, as usual, the announcement of the most admired production of the favorite composer of the day had attracted a brilliant and fashionable
Open54Chapter 54. A Flurry in Stocks
Chapter 54. A Flurry in Stocks from The Count of Monte Cristo. Some days after this meeting, Albert de Morcerf visited the Count of Monte Cristo at his house in the Champs-Élysées, which had already assumed that palace-like appearance which the count’s princely fortune enabled him to give even to his most temporary residences. He came to renew the thanks of Madame Danglars which had been already conveyed to the count through the medium of a letter, signed “Baronne Danglars, née
Open55Chapter 55. Major Cavalcanti
Chapter 55. Major Cavalcanti from The Count of Monte Cristo. Both the count and Baptistin had told the truth when they announced to Morcerf the proposed visit of the major, which had served Monte Cristo as a pretext for declining Albert’s invitation. Seven o’clock had just struck, and M. Bertuccio, according to the command which had been given him, had two hours before left for Auteuil, when a cab stopped at the door, and after depositing its occupant at the gate, immediately
Open56Chapter 56. Andrea Cavalcanti
Chapter 56. Andrea Cavalcanti from The Count of Monte Cristo. The Count of Monte Cristo entered the adjoining room, which Baptistin had designated as the drawing-room, and found there a young man, of graceful demeanor and elegant appearance, who had arrived in a cab about half an hour previously. Baptistin had not found any difficulty in recognizing the person who presented himself at the door for admittance. He was certainly the tall young man with light hair, red beard,
Open57Chapter 57. In the Lucern Patch
Chapter 57. In the Lucern Patch from The Count of Monte Cristo. Our readers must now allow us to transport them again to the enclosure surrounding M. de Villefort’s house, and, behind the gate, half screened from view by the large chestnut-trees, which on all sides spread their luxuriant branches, we shall find some people of our acquaintance. This time Maximilian was the first to arrive. He was intently watching for a shadow to appear among the trees, and awaiting with anxiety
Open58Chapter 58. M. Noirtier de Villefort
Chapter 58. M. Noirtier de Villefort from The Count of Monte Cristo. We will now relate what was passing in the house of the king’s attorney after the departure of Madame Danglars and her daughter, and during the time of the conversation between Maximilian and Valentine, which we have just
Open59Chapter 59. The Will
Chapter 59. The Will from The Count of Monte Cristo. As soon as Barrois had left the room, Noirtier looked at Valentine with a malicious expression that said many things. The young girl perfectly understood the look, and so did Villefort, for his countenance became clouded, and he knitted his eyebrows angrily. He took a seat, and quietly awaited the arrival of the notary. Noirtier saw him seat himself with an appearance of perfect indifference, at the same time giving
Open60Chapter 60. The Telegraph
Chapter 60. The Telegraph from The Count of Monte Cristo. M. and Madame de Villefort found on their return that the Count of Monte Cristo, who had come to visit them in their absence, had been ushered into the drawing-room, and was still awaiting them there. Madame de Villefort, who had not yet sufficiently recovered from her late emotion to allow of her entertaining visitors so immediately, retired to her bedroom, while the procureur, who could better depend upon himself,
Open61Chapter 61. How a Gardener May Get Rid of the Dormice that Eat His
Chapter 61. How a Gardener May Get Rid of the Dormice that Eat His from The Count of Monte Cristo. Not on the same night as he had stated, but the next morning, the Count of Monte Cristo went out by the Barrière d’Enfer, taking the road to Orléans. Leaving the village of Linas, without stopping at the telegraph, which flourished its great bony arms as he passed, the count reached the tower of Montlhéry, situated, as everyone knows, upon the highest point of the plain of that name. At the foot of the hill the
Open62Chapter 62. Ghosts
Chapter 62. Ghosts from The Count of Monte Cristo. At first sight, the exterior of the house at Auteuil gave no indications of splendor, nothing one would expect from the destined residence of the magnificent Count of Monte Cristo; but this simplicity was according to the will of its master, who positively ordered nothing to be altered outside. The splendor was within. Indeed, almost before the door opened, the scene
Open63Chapter 63. The Dinner
Chapter 63. The Dinner from The Count of Monte Cristo. It was evident that one sentiment affected all the guests on entering the dining-room. Each one asked what strange influence had brought them to this house, and yet astonished, even uneasy though they were, they still felt that they would not like to be absent. The recent events, the solitary and eccentric position of the count, his enormous, nay, almost incredible fortune, should have made men cautious, and have
Open64Chapter 64. The Beggar
Chapter 64. The Beggar from The Count of Monte Cristo. The evening passed on; Madame de Villefort expressed a desire to return to Paris, which Madame Danglars had not dared to do, notwithstanding the uneasiness she experienced. On his wife’s request, M. de Villefort was the first to give the signal of departure. He offered a seat in his landau to Madame Danglars, that she might be under the care of his wife. As for M. Danglars, absorbed in an interesting conversation
Open65Chapter 65. A Conjugal Scene
Chapter 65. A Conjugal Scene from The Count of Monte Cristo. At the Place Louis XV. the three young people separated—that is to say, Morrel went to the Boulevards, Château-Renaud to the Pont de la Révolution, and Debray to the Quai. Most probably Morrel and Château-Renaud returned to their “domestic hearths,” as they say in the gallery of the Chamber in well-turned speeches, and in the theatre of the Rue Richelieu in well-written pieces; but it was not the case with Debray.
Open66Chapter 66. Matrimonial Projects
Chapter 66. Matrimonial Projects from The Count of Monte Cristo. The day following this scene, at the hour Debray usually chose to pay a visit to Madame Danglars on his way to his office, his coupé did not appear. At this time, that is, about half-past twelve, Madame Danglars ordered her carriage, and went out. Danglars, hidden behind a curtain, watched the departure he had been waiting for. He gave orders that he should be informed as soon as Madame Danglars appeared; but at two
Open67Chapter 67. The Office of the King’s Attorney
Chapter 67. The Office of the King’s Attorney from The Count of Monte Cristo. Let us leave the banker driving his horses at their fullest speed, and follow Madame Danglars in her morning excursion. We have said that at half-past twelve o’clock Madame Danglars had ordered her horses, and had left home in the carriage. She directed her course towards the Faubourg Saint Germain, went down the Rue Mazarine, and stopped at the Passage du Pont-Neuf. She descended, and went through the passage. She
Open68Chapter 68. A Summer Ball
Chapter 68. A Summer Ball from The Count of Monte Cristo. The same day during the interview between Madame Danglars and the procureur, a travelling-carriage entered the Rue du Helder, passed through the gateway of No. 27, and stopped in the yard. In a moment the door was opened, and Madame de Morcerf alighted, leaning on her son’s arm. Albert soon left her, ordered his horses, and having arranged his toilet, drove to the Champs-Élysées, to the house of Monte
Open69Chapter 69. The Inquiry
Chapter 69. The Inquiry from The Count of Monte Cristo. M. de Villefort kept the promise he had made to Madame Danglars, to endeavor to find out how the Count of Monte Cristo had discovered the history of the house at Auteuil. He wrote the same day for the required information to M. de Boville, who, from having been an inspector of prisons, was promoted to a high office in the police; and the latter begged for two days time to ascertain exactly who would be most likely
Open70Chapter 70. The Ball
Chapter 70. The Ball from The Count of Monte Cristo. It was in the warmest days of July, when in due course of time the Saturday arrived upon which the ball was to take place at M. de Morcerf’s. It was ten o’clock at night; the branches of the great trees in the garden of the count’s house stood out boldly against the azure canopy of heaven, which was studded with golden stars, but where the last fleeting clouds of a vanishing storm yet
Open71Chapter 71. Bread and Salt
Chapter 71. Bread and Salt from The Count of Monte Cristo. Madame de Morcerf entered an archway of trees with her companion. It led through a grove of lindens to a
Open72Chapter 72. Madame de Saint-Méran
Chapter 72. Madame de Saint-Méran from The Count of Monte Cristo. A gloomy scene had indeed just passed at the house of M. de Villefort. After the ladies had departed for the ball, whither all the entreaties of Madame de Villefort had failed in persuading him to accompany them, the procureur had shut himself up in his study, according to his custom, with a heap of papers calculated to alarm anyone else, but which generally scarcely satisfied his inordinate
Open73Chapter 73. The Promise
Chapter 73. The Promise from The Count of Monte Cristo. It was indeed Maximilian Morrel, who had passed a wretched existence since the previous day. With the instinct peculiar to lovers he had anticipated after the return of Madame de Saint-Méran and the death of the marquis, that something would occur at M. de Villefort’s in connection with his attachment for Valentine. His presentiments were realized, as we shall see, and his uneasy forebodings had goaded him pale and
Open74Chapter 74. The Villefort Family Vault
Chapter 74. The Villefort Family Vault from The Count of Monte Cristo. Two days after, a considerable crowd was assembled, towards ten o’clock in the morning, around the door of M. de Villefort’s house, and a long file of mourning-coaches and private carriages extended along the Faubourg Saint-Honoré and the Rue de la Pépinière. Among them was one of a very singular form, which appeared to have come from a distance. It was a kind of covered wagon, painted black, and was one of the
Open75Chapter 75. A Signed Statement
Chapter 75. A Signed Statement from The Count of Monte Cristo. Noirtier was prepared to receive them, dressed in black, and installed in his armchair. When the three persons he expected had entered, he looked at the door, which his valet immediately
Open76Chapter 76. Progress of Cavalcanti the Younger
Chapter 76. Progress of Cavalcanti the Younger from The Count of Monte Cristo. Meanwhile M. Cavalcanti the elder had returned to his service, not in the army of his majesty the Emperor of Austria, but at the gaming-table of the baths of Lucca, of which he was one of the most assiduous courtiers. He had spent every farthing that had been allowed for his journey as a reward for the majestic and solemn manner in which he had maintained his assumed character of
Open77Chapter 77. Haydée
Chapter 77. Haydée from The Count of Monte Cristo. Scarcely had the count’s horses cleared the angle of the boulevard, when Albert, turning towards the count, burst into a loud fit of laughter—much too loud in fact not to give the idea of its being rather forced and
Open78Chapter 78. We hear From Yanina
Chapter 78. We hear From Yanina from The Count of Monte Cristo. If Valentine could have seen the trembling step and agitated countenance of Franz when he quitted the chamber of M. Noirtier, even she would have been constrained to pity him. Villefort had only just given utterance to a few incoherent sentences, and then retired to his study, where he received about two hours afterwards the following
Open79Chapter 79. The Lemonade
Chapter 79. The Lemonade from The Count of Monte Cristo. Morrel was, in fact, very happy. M. Noirtier had just sent for him, and he was in such haste to know the reason of his doing so that he had not stopped to take a cab, placing infinitely more dependence on his own two legs than on the four legs of a cab-horse. He had therefore set off at a furious rate from the Rue Meslay, and was hastening with rapid strides in the direction of the Faubourg
Open80Chapter 80. The Accusation
Chapter 80. The Accusation from The Count of Monte Cristo. M. d’Avrigny soon restored the magistrate to consciousness, who had looked like a second corpse in that chamber of
Open81Chapter 81. The Room of the Retired Baker
Chapter 81. The Room of the Retired Baker from The Count of Monte Cristo. The evening of the day on which the Count of Morcerf had left Danglars’ house with feelings of shame and anger at the rejection of the projected alliance, M. Andrea Cavalcanti, with curled hair, moustaches in perfect order, and white gloves which fitted admirably, had entered the courtyard of the banker’s house in Rue de la Chaussée d’Antin. He had not been more than ten minutes in the drawing-room before he drew
Open82Chapter 82. The Burglary
Chapter 82. The Burglary from The Count of Monte Cristo. The day following that on which the conversation we have related took place, the Count of Monte Cristo set out for Auteuil, accompanied by Ali and several attendants, and also taking with him some horses whose qualities he was desirous of ascertaining. He was induced to undertake this journey, of which the day before he had not even thought and which had not occurred to Andrea either, by the arrival of Bertuccio
Open83Chapter 83. The Hand of God
Chapter 83. The Hand of God from The Count of Monte Cristo. “Ah, it’s all over! You are come too late—you are come to see me die. What blows, what
Open84Chapter 84. Beauchamp
Chapter 84. Beauchamp from The Count of Monte Cristo. The daring attempt to rob the count was the topic of conversation throughout Paris for the next fortnight. The dying man had signed a deposition declaring Benedetto to be the assassin. The police had orders to make the strictest search for the murderer. Caderousse’s knife, dark lantern, bunch of keys, and clothing, excepting the waistcoat, which could not be found, were deposited at the registry; the corpse was
Open85Chapter 85. The Journey
Chapter 85. The Journey from The Count of Monte Cristo. Monte Cristo uttered a joyful exclamation on seeing the young men together. “Ah, ha!” said he, “I hope all is over, explained and
Open86Chapter 86. The Trial
Chapter 86. The Trial from The Count of Monte Cristo. At eight o’clock in the morning Albert had arrived at Beauchamp’s door. The valet de chambre had received orders to usher him in at once. Beauchamp was in his
Open87Chapter 87. The Challenge
Chapter 87. The Challenge from The Count of Monte Cristo. Then,” continued Beauchamp, “I took advantage of the silence and the darkness to leave the house without being seen. The usher who had introduced me was waiting for me at the door, and he conducted me through the corridors to a private entrance opening into the Rue de Vaugirard. I left with mingled feelings of sorrow and delight. Excuse me, Albert,—sorrow on your account, and delight with that noble girl, thus
Open88Chapter 88. The Insult
Chapter 88. The Insult from The Count of Monte Cristo. “Listen,” said he; “just now I told you it was of M. de Monte Cristo you must demand an
Open89Chapter 89. The Night
Chapter 89. The Night from The Count of Monte Cristo. Monte Cristo waited, according to his usual custom, until Duprez had sung his famous “Suivez-moi!” then he rose and went out. Morrel took leave of him at the door, renewing his promise to be with him the next morning at seven o’clock, and to bring Emmanuel. Then he stepped into his coupé, calm and smiling, and was at home in five minutes. No one who knew the count could mistake his expression when, on entering, he
Open90Chapter 90. The Meeting
Chapter 90. The Meeting from The Count of Monte Cristo. After Mercédès had left Monte Cristo, he fell into profound gloom. Around him and within him the flight of thought seemed to have stopped; his energetic mind slumbered, as the body does after extreme
Open91Chapter 91. Mother and Son
Chapter 91. Mother and Son from The Count of Monte Cristo. The Count of Monte Cristo bowed to the five young men with a melancholy and dignified smile, and got into his carriage with Maximilian and Emmanuel. Albert, Beauchamp, and Château-Renaud remained alone. Albert looked at his two friends, not timidly, but in a way that appeared to ask their opinion of what he had just
Open92Chapter 92. The Suicide
Chapter 92. The Suicide from The Count of Monte Cristo. Meanwhile Monte Cristo had also returned to town with Emmanuel and Maximilian. Their return was cheerful. Emmanuel did not conceal his joy at the peaceful termination of the affair, and was loud in his expressions of delight. Morrel, in a corner of the carriage, allowed his brother-in-law’s gayety to expend itself in words, while he felt equal inward joy, which, however, betrayed itself only in his
Open93Chapter 93. Valentine
Chapter 93. Valentine from The Count of Monte Cristo. We may easily conceive where Morrel’s appointment was. On leaving Monte Cristo he walked slowly towards Villefort’s; we say slowly, for Morrel had more than half an hour to spare to go five hundred steps, but he had hastened to take leave of Monte Cristo because he wished to be alone with his thoughts. He knew his time well—the hour when Valentine was giving Noirtier his breakfast, and was sure not to be disturbed
Open94Chapter 94. Maximilian’s Avowal
Chapter 94. Maximilian’s Avowal from The Count of Monte Cristo. At the same moment M. de Villefort’s voice was heard calling from his study, “What is the
Open95Chapter 95. Father and Daughter
Chapter 95. Father and Daughter from The Count of Monte Cristo. We saw in a preceding chapter how Madame Danglars went formally to announce to Madame de Villefort the approaching marriage of Eugénie Danglars and M. Andrea Cavalcanti. This formal announcement, which implied or appeared to imply, the approval of all the persons concerned in this momentous affair, had been preceded by a scene to which our readers must be admitted. We beg them to take one step backward, and to
Open96Chapter 96. The Contract
Chapter 96. The Contract from The Count of Monte Cristo. Three days after the scene we have just described, namely towards five o’clock in the afternoon of the day fixed for the signature of the contract between Mademoiselle Eugénie Danglars and Andrea Cavalcanti, whom the banker persisted in calling prince, a fresh breeze was stirring the leaves in the little garden in front of the Count of Monte Cristo’s house, and the count was preparing to go out. While his horses
Open97Chapter 97. The Departure for Belgium
Chapter 97. The Departure for Belgium from The Count of Monte Cristo. A few minutes after the scene of confusion produced in the salons of M. Danglars by the unexpected appearance of the brigade of soldiers, and by the disclosure which had followed, the mansion was deserted with as much rapidity as if a case of plague or of cholera morbus had broken out among the
Open98Chapter 98. The Bell and Bottle Tavern
Chapter 98. The Bell and Bottle Tavern from The Count of Monte Cristo. And now let us leave Mademoiselle Danglars and her friend pursuing their way to Brussels, and return to poor Andrea Cavalcanti, so inopportunely interrupted in his rise to fortune. Notwithstanding his youth, Master Andrea was a very skilful and intelligent boy. We have seen that on the first rumor which reached the salon he had gradually approached the door, and crossing two or three rooms at last disappeared. But
Open99Chapter 99. The Law
Chapter 99. The Law from The Count of Monte Cristo. We have seen how quietly Mademoiselle Danglars and Mademoiselle d’Armilly accomplished their transformation and flight; the fact being that everyone was too much occupied in his or her own affairs to think of
Open100Chapter 100. The Apparition
Chapter 100. The Apparition from The Count of Monte Cristo. As the procureur had told Madame Danglars, Valentine was not yet recovered. Bowed down with fatigue, she was indeed confined to her bed; and it was in her own room, and from the lips of Madame de Villefort, that she heard all the strange events we have related; we mean the flight of Eugénie and the arrest of Andrea Cavalcanti, or rather Benedetto, together with the accusation of murder pronounced against him. But
Open101Chapter 101. Locusta
Chapter 101. Locusta from The Count of Monte Cristo. Valentine was alone; two other clocks, slower than that of Saint-Philippe-du-Roule, struck the hour of midnight from different directions, and excepting the rumbling of a few carriages all was silent. Then Valentine’s attention was engrossed by the clock in her room, which marked the seconds. She began counting them, remarking that they were much slower than the beatings of her heart; and still she doubted,—the
Open102Chapter 102. Valentine
Chapter 102. Valentine from The Count of Monte Cristo. The night-light continued to burn on the chimney-piece, exhausting the last drops of oil which floated on the surface of the water. The globe of the lamp appeared of a reddish hue, and the flame, brightening before it expired, threw out the last flickerings which in an inanimate object have been so often compared with the convulsions of a human creature in its final agonies. A dull and dismal light was shed over the
Open103Chapter 103. Maximilian
Chapter 103. Maximilian from The Count of Monte Cristo. Villefort rose, half-ashamed of being surprised in such a paroxysm of grief. The terrible office he had held for twenty-five years had succeeded in making him more or less than man. His glance, at first wandering, fixed itself upon Morrel. “Who are you, sir,” he asked, “that forget that this is not the manner to enter a house stricken with death? Go, sir,
Open104Chapter 104. Danglars’ Signature
Chapter 104. Danglars’ Signature from The Count of Monte Cristo. The next morning dawned dull and cloudy. During the night the undertakers had executed their melancholy office, and wrapped the corpse in the winding-sheet, which, whatever may be said about the equality of death, is at least a last proof of the luxury so pleasing in life. This winding-sheet was nothing more than a beautiful piece of cambric, which the young girl had bought a fortnight
Open105Chapter 105. The Cemetery of Père-Lachaise
Chapter 105. The Cemetery of Père-Lachaise from The Count of Monte Cristo. M. de Boville had indeed met the funeral procession which was taking Valentine to her last home on earth. The weather was dull and stormy, a cold wind shook the few remaining yellow leaves from the boughs of the trees, and scattered them among the crowd which filled the boulevards. M. de Villefort, a true Parisian, considered the cemetery of Père-Lachaise alone worthy of receiving the mortal remains of a Parisian
Open106Chapter 106. Dividing the Proceeds
Chapter 106. Dividing the Proceeds from The Count of Monte Cristo. The apartment on the first floor of the house in the Rue Saint-Germain-des-Prés, where Albert de Morcerf had selected a home for his mother, was let to a very mysterious person. This was a man whose face the concierge himself had never seen, for in the winter his chin was buried in one of the large red handkerchiefs worn by gentlemen’s coachmen on a cold night, and in the summer he made a point of always blowing his
Open107Chapter 107. The Lions’ Den
Chapter 107. The Lions’ Den from The Count of Monte Cristo. One division of La Force, in which the most dangerous and desperate prisoners are confined, is called the court of Saint-Bernard. The prisoners, in their expressive language, have named it the “Lions’ Den,” probably because the captives possess teeth which frequently gnaw the bars, and sometimes the keepers also. It is a prison within a prison; the walls are double the thickness of the rest. The gratings are every
Open108Chapter 108. The Judge
Chapter 108. The Judge from The Count of Monte Cristo. We remember that the Abbé Busoni remained alone with Noirtier in the chamber of death, and that the old man and the priest were the sole guardians of the young girl’s body. Perhaps it was the Christian exhortations of the abbé, perhaps his kind charity, perhaps his persuasive words, which had restored the courage of Noirtier, for ever since he had conversed with the priest his violent despair had yielded to a calm
Open109Chapter 109. The Assizes
Chapter 109. The Assizes from The Count of Monte Cristo. The Benedetto affair, as it was called at the Palais, and by people in general, had produced a tremendous sensation. Frequenting the Café de Paris, the Boulevard de Gand, and the Bois de Boulogne, during his brief career of splendor, the false Cavalcanti had formed a host of acquaintances. The papers had related his various adventures, both as the man of fashion and the galley-slave; and as everyone who had been
Open110Chapter 110. The Indictment
Chapter 110. The Indictment from The Count of Monte Cristo. The judges took their places in the midst of the most profound silence; the jury took their seats; M. de Villefort, the object of unusual attention, and we had almost said of general admiration, sat in the armchair and cast a tranquil glance around him. Everyone looked with astonishment on that grave and severe face, whose calm expression personal griefs had been unable to disturb, and the aspect of a man who was a
Open111Chapter 111. Expiation
Chapter 111. Expiation from The Count of Monte Cristo. Notwithstanding the density of the crowd, M. de Villefort saw it open before him. There is something so awe-inspiring in great afflictions that even in the worst times the first emotion of a crowd has generally been to sympathize with the sufferer in a great catastrophe. Many people have been assassinated in a tumult, but even criminals have rarely been insulted during trial. Thus Villefort passed through the mass
Open112Chapter 112. The Departure
Chapter 112. The Departure from The Count of Monte Cristo. The recent events formed the theme of conversation throughout all Paris. Emmanuel and his wife conversed with natural astonishment in their little apartment in the Rue Meslay upon the three successive, sudden, and most unexpected catastrophes of Morcerf, Danglars, and Villefort. Maximilian, who was paying them a visit, listened to their conversation, or rather was present at it, plunged in his accustomed state of
Open113Chapter 113. The Past
Chapter 113. The Past from The Count of Monte Cristo. The count departed with a sad heart from the house in which he had left Mercédès, probably never to behold her again. Since the death of little Edward a great change had taken place in Monte Cristo. Having reached the summit of his vengeance by a long and tortuous path, he saw an abyss of doubt yawning before him. More than this, the conversation which had just taken place between Mercédès and himself had awakened
Open114Chapter 114. Peppino
Chapter 114. Peppino from The Count of Monte Cristo. At the same time that the steamer disappeared behind Cape Morgiou, a man travelling post on the road from Florence to Rome had just passed the little town of Aquapendente. He was travelling fast enough to cover a great deal of ground without exciting suspicion. This man was dressed in a greatcoat, or rather a surtout, a little worse for the journey, but which exhibited the ribbon of the Legion of Honor still fresh
Open115Chapter 115. Luigi Vampa’s Bill of Fare
Chapter 115. Luigi Vampa’s Bill of Fare from The Count of Monte Cristo. We awake from every sleep except the one dreaded by Danglars. He awoke. To a Parisian accustomed to silken curtains, walls hung with velvet drapery, and the soft perfume of burning wood, the white smoke of which diffuses itself in graceful curves around the room, the appearance of the whitewashed cell which greeted his eyes on awakening seemed like the continuation of some disagreeable dream. But in such a situation
Open116Chapter 116. The Pardon
Chapter 116. The Pardon from The Count of Monte Cristo. The next day Danglars was again hungry; certainly the air of that dungeon was very provocative of appetite. The prisoner expected that he would be at no expense that day, for like an economical man he had concealed half of his fowl and a piece of the bread in the corner of his cell. But he had no sooner eaten than he felt thirsty; he had forgotten that. He struggled against his thirst till his tongue clave to the
Open117Chapter 117. The Fifth of October
Chapter 117. The Fifth of October from The Count of Monte Cristo. It was about six o’clock in the evening; an opal-colored light, through which an autumnal sun shed its golden rays, descended on the blue ocean. The heat of the day had gradually decreased, and a light breeze arose, seeming like the respiration of nature on awakening from the burning siesta of the south. A delicious zephyr played along the coasts of the Mediterranean, and wafted from shore to shore the sweet perfume
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