The Count of Monte Cristo

Monte Cristo Questions the Gardener

Monte Cristo speaks with the gardener, who is harvesting ripe strawberries onto grape leaves during his break, learning the man understands none of the telegraph signals he repeats, values the lack of responsibility the job affords him, and complains that dormice have been stealing his ripe fruit, including nectarines and strawberries.

The Temptation of Bank Notes

Monte Cristo offers the gardener 15,000 francs to alter a single telegraph signal, explaining the sum would let him purchase a 2-acre garden and earn 1,000 francs a year in passive income. When the gardener hesitates, Monte Cristo adds another 10,000 francs, for a total of 25,000 francs, and presses him to accept the offer.

The Gardener’s Betrayal

Overcome by the prospect of owning a large, productive garden and financial security, the gardener accepts the 25,000 francs and agrees to send the false telegraph signal Monte Cristo has prepared, despite the risk of being fined, fired, and losing his pension.

The False Telegram

The gardener executes the three altered telegraph signals provided by Monte Cristo, ignoring the frantic signals from his right-hand correspondent, who believes the gardener has gone mad. The left-hand correspondent conscientiously repeats the false signals, which are ultimately transmitted to the Minister of the Interior.

Debray Warns the Baroness

Five minutes after the false telegram is sent, Debray rushes to Danglars’ house to warn the baroness that Danglars must sell all his Spanish bonds immediately, claiming Don Carlos has fled his guardians at Bourges and returned to Spain. The baroness does not question the source of the news and immediately alerts her husband.

Danglars Sells His Spanish Bonds

Danglars instructs his agent to sell all 6 million francs worth of his Spanish bonds at any price. The large sale triggers a sharp drop in Spanish fund values, and Danglars loses 500,000 francs, though he successfully offloads all his Spanish shares.

The False News Spreads

That evening, Le Messager publishes the false report of Don Carlos’ escape and the Barcelona uprising in his favor. The public praises Danglars’ foresight, and people who held or purchased Danglars’ sold Spanish bonds believe they are ruined, spending a distressed evening.

The Truth Revealed

The next morning, Le Moniteur publishes an official correction stating the Don Carlos report was entirely unfounded: Don Carlos has not left Bourges, and the Spanish peninsula is in a state of profound peace. The error is attributed to a fog-interfered, misinterpreted telegraph signal.

Danglars’s Loss

Spanish fund values rebound to 1% above their pre-drop level. Accounting for both the 500,000 franc loss from his forced sale and the 1 million francs in missed gains he would have earned if he had held his bonds, Danglars’ total loss from the scheme comes to 1 million francs.

Chapter 62. Ghosts

The Count of Monte Cristo hosts a dinner party at his house in Auteuil, where guests arrive throughout the evening and steward Bertuccio discovers disturbing connections between the visitors—particularly recognizing a woman from his past and confronting the ghost of a murder he believed he had committed.

The House at Auteuil

The exterior of the house at Auteuil appears modest and unremarkable, contrasting sharply with the magnificence within. Monte Cristo had specifically ordered no external alterations, preserving the appearance of an ordinary residence while concealing the extraordinary luxury within its walls.

Bertuccio’s Transformations

The steward Bertuccio has worked with remarkable speed and taste to transform the house, rivaling the famous feat of the Duc d’Antin who removed an entire avenue of trees overnight for Louis XIV. In three days, Bertuccio planted poplars and sycamores around a newly laid lawn while filling the interior with flowers. The house, once sad and gloomy with the smell of time, now lives, sings, and blooms like a cherished home where one’s soul resides.

The Library and Conservatory

The library contains over two thousand volumes, with one section devoted entirely to novels including the volume published the previous day. Matching the library on the opposite side of the house is a conservatory filled with rare flowers blooming in china jars. At its center stands a billiard-table that appears as though players had just abandoned it an hour before.