THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO (CHAPS 109-110) THE ASSIZES and THE INDICTMENT
1001 Stories For The Road
CHAP 109 THE ASSIZES Chateau-Renaud, Debray, and Beauchamp are in court to see the beginning of the famous Benedetto Affair. They discuss the rumor that the murderer in the house of Villefort is young Edouard, who has become increasingly jealous of his stepsister and her grandparents. But others in the group dismiss this as nonsense and wait for the excitement of the case to begin, with Villefort drawing up evidence against the accused “Prince,” Cavalcanti. CHAP110 THE INDICTMENT Villefort is called as the crown prosecutor before the court, and the judges...
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THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO (CHAPS 107-108) THE LIONS DEN and THE JUDGE
1001 Stories For The Road
The scene shifts to the prison, called the Lion’s Pit, where violent criminals are kept awaiting trial. This includes Andrea, who still insists to the other prisoners that he is of royal birth, although they make fun of him, harry him, and threaten him. Late one day, Bertuccio pays off the guards to visit his adoptive son, telling him he has information related to Benedetto’s real father. Bertuccio promises to return with this information in due course, and Andrea says he awaits it with great eagerness. This important interstitial chapter shows that Andrea is once again in prison, a place...
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THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO (CHAPS 105-106) DIVIDING THE PROCEEDS and CEMETERY PERE-LA-CHAISE
1001 Stories For The Road
The Count heads to Pere Lachaise where the funeral is taking place, and finds Maximilien off to the side of the funeral ceremony itself, overcome with grief. The Count then follows Morrel back to the home of Julie and Emmanuel, and his fears are justified, for as he walks into Morrel’s room unannounced, he finds the young soldier drafting a suicide note. The Count begs Morrel not to do this, but Morrel insists that without Valentine, life is no longer worth living. The Count realizes the effect that his ruse with Valentine will have on Young Morrel. And though he wants to tell Morrel the...
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THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO (CHAPS 103-104) MAXIMILIAN and DANGLERS SIGNATURE
1001 Stories For The Road
CHAPTER 103 MAXIMILIAN Analysis Maximilien flies into a hysterical rage on hearing the news that his intended, Valentine, is dead. He does this in the presence of Villefort, the doctor, and Noirtier. When Villefort and the doctor ask who Morrel is, and why he has been admitted to the house in which the murder has taken place, Morrel asks Noirtier to confirm that he, Morrel, was engaged to Valentine before her death, and that he loved her dearly. Young Morrel is finally able to reveal to Villefort that he has been in love with Valentine all along, and that the two were to be married....
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THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO (CHAPS 101-102) LOCUSTA and VALENTINE
1001 Stories For The Road
In 101 and 102 the effort to kill Valentine continues....and that'sall I can say here. EXCEPT:PLEASE SEND REVIEWS AND SHARE WITH YOUR PALS !
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THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO (CHAPS 99-100) THE LAW and THE APPARARITION
1001 Stories For The Road
CHAP 99-THE LAW The Baroness Danglars, unsure what to do with herself and believing that Eugenie and Danglars are both locked in their rooms, first goes to visit Debray. But she finds him out at the club, and so later that day she goes instead to the Villefort home, where she is greeted with suspicion by the servants before finally being allowed into Villefort’s study. There, the two old friends and former lovers speak to each other about Benedetto, though they do not know the truth of that man’s identity and relation to them. CHAP100 THE APPARITION The narrator moves to...
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THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO (CHAPS 97-98) THE DEPARTURE FOR BELGIUM and THE BELL & BOTTLE TAVERN
1001 Stories For The Road
CHAP 97 THE DEPARTURE FOR BELGIUM Eugenie shears her hair and says she will dress as a man and accompany Louise to Belgium with what money they can grab. They will live together as partners and musicians, thus earning money to survive. Eugenie's relationship with Louise has, over the course of the novel, seemed like a particularly intense friendship. CHAP 98 THE BELL & BOTTLE TAVERN Analysis Andrea heads away from Paris in a mail coach as fast as he can, and winds up at an inn called the Bell and Bottle. There, he orders a room in the dress of a common bourgeois and makes a...
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THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO (CHAPS 95-96) FATHER AND DAUGHTER, THE CONTRACT
1001 Stories For The Road
CHAP 95 FATHER AND DAUGHTER Eugenie requests a formal meeting with Danglars, in whom she confides that she no longer wishes to marry anyone, especially Andrea Cavalcanti, who seems fine enough to her but has no charm beyond his bare good looks. Danglars, for his part, says that he largely respects Eugenie’s wishes, but says that he is ruined financially, and that he needs the capital Andrea can provide in order to guarantee his current loans and speculate on a railway with other investors. He asks Eugenie to go through the motions of signing the contract and marrying Andrea so that...
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THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO (CHAPS 93-94)
1001 Stories For The Road
CHAP 93 VALENTINE Maximilien Morrel, fresh from the aborted duel, goes to visit Valentine at the Villefort home, where she announces that she has decided that finally she and Noirtier will move out together into their own quarters. Mme Danglars and Eugenie visit Mme de Villefort to announce that Eugenie will be marrying Andrea Cavalcanti, and though Eugenie says she does not wish to marry at all, she says it is at least better that she marry Andrea than a man disgraced. This is another instance of dramatic irony, for the reader understands that Andrea himself is an imposter, and as...
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THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO (CHAPS 91-92) MOTHER & SON and THE SUICIDE
1001 Stories For The Road
SPOILER CAUTION Chapter 91: The Meeting Monte Cristo confides to Maximilian and Emmanuel that he plans to let himself be killed. He then demonstrates his almost superhuman skill with the pistol so that there will be no doubt as to whether he lost the duel on purpose. Albert finally arrives at the site of the duel, but rather than pick up his pistol he apologizes to Monte Cristo, telling him that he was right to avenge Fernand for wronging him. Monte Cristo realizes that Mercédès has told her son the entire story. Chapter 92: The Mother and Son Albert and Mercédès both plan to leave...
info_outlineBeauchamp visits Albert after their agreed-upon three weeks have passed, and reveals that he has spent these three weeks traveling out to Janina and back, to see whether there is any truth in the story touching on the reputation of his friend’s family. Albert is anxious to hear the news, and Beauchamp breaks it as gently as he can, and as a friend: that it is in fact true that Fernand betrayed the Ali Pasha to the Turks for “two thousand purses” and took that money to buy his title in Paris and establish his initial fortune.
Beauchamp has done the work that is necessary to verify his information. He is a punctilious man, and not unlike the Count in this regard, although Beauchamp is motivated only by a desire for knowledge of the truth, and not for vengeance. Nevertheless, Beauchamp understands that this information will come as a great blow to Albert, who is proud of his father and his family name.
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Albert is dumbstruck at this news and does what he can to control himself as he thinks of a next step. Beauchamp implies that perhaps the Danglars family has been involved in this, hoping to discredit the marriage between Albert and Eugenie, and Albert does in fact relay that Eugenie and Andrea appear to be more or less officially engaged. Beauchamp suggests that the two go for a walk and check in on the Count, who is so good, Beauchamp says, at raising the spirits of those who are in need of help.
It is to Albert’s credit that he does not immediately lose his temper at Beauchamp, despite the latter being the bearer of truly horrible news. Both Beauchamp and Albert seem inherently to trust the Count, whom they believe to be a wise and fair judge of all things. Thus Albert, perhaps without even acknowledging it, believes the Count to be his ally in this affair.