The Count of Monte Cristo

Valentine Shares Her Distrust of the Count of Monte Cristo

Valentine guesses that the friend is the Count of Monte Cristo, the man who saved Madame de Villefort and Edward from death. She confirms his identity, then expresses her profound distrust of the Count: she feels he avoids her rather than favoring her, and she suspects he may use his mysterious influence over the entire Villefort household—including Madame de Villefort, her father, and Edward—against her. She doubts his generosity and fears he may persecute her to please her parents. Despite Maximilian’s defense of the Count’s sweetness and miraculous influence, Valentine maintains that with her the Count has been a source of evil rather than good, and she asks him to reveal what the Count of Monte Cristo has actually done for him.

CAPÍTULO 57. In the Lucern Patch

Chapter 57, titled “In the Lucern Patch,” is set in a garden where Maximilian Morrel and Valentine meet secretly at a grating. Their conversation centers on Maximilian’s deep, almost mystical trust in the Count of Monte Cristo, whom he credits for the good fortune in his life. He recounts his belief that the Count deliberately arranged his introduction to the Villeforts and covertly enabled him to purchase a magnificent horse named Médéah through card winnings. Valentine gently counters his fantastical interpretations with rational explanations, though she shares his emotional connection. The chapter concludes with a tender exchange through the garden grating, sealing their affection before Valentine hurries back to the house.

Maximilian’s Instinctive Trust in the Count

Maximilian confesses to Valentine that he cannot point to any specific service the Count has rendered him, yet he feels an instinctive, almost inexplicable affection for the man. He compares this bond to the sun’s warmth or a pleasant perfume—present and beneficial but defying rational explanation. He describes a “secret voice” suggesting their friendship is more than chance, and that all his recent good fortune seems to originate from the Count.

Maximilian’s Claim the Count Secretly Arranged His Meeting with the Villeforts

Maximilian reveals his suspicion that the Count purposely arranged for him to meet Monsieur and Madame de Villefort at a dinner. Although he cannot prove it, he perceives a “hidden plot” in the circumstance, believing the Count—who seems to fathom everyone’s motives—deliberately engineered the encounter. Maximilian admits he has even tried to read the Count’s eyes for confirmation. Valentine counters that her father’s reluctance to socialize and her mother’s burning curiosity about the Count fully account for the invitation.

Maximilian’s Account of Winning at Cards to Purchase Horse Médéah as Covert Countly Aid

Maximilian describes how he came to own Médéah, a beautiful and valuable horse. Unable to afford the 4,500-franc price, he gave up the animal reluctantly. That same evening, friends including Château-Renaud and Debray visited and proposed a game of bouillotte. The Count unexpectedly joined them, and Maximilian won 5,000 francs. He immediately drove to the dealer, purchased Médéah, and rode through the Champs-Élysées. Passing the Count’s house, he saw a light and a shadow behind a curtain, convincing him the Count knew of his desire and lost deliberately to provide the means.

Valentine and Maximilian’s Tender Exchange at the Garden Grating

Valentine gently chides Maximilian for being too fanciful, warning that a man who lives in such an imaginative world may find ordinary love unsatisfying. When she is called away, Maximilian begs for a single finger through the grating to kiss. Valentine reminds him of their agreement to be “two voices, two shadows,” but ultimately relents, passing her whole hand through the opening. Maximilian kisses it fervently, and Valentine hurries toward the house, seemingly frightened by the intensity of her own feelings.

CAPÍTULO 58. M. Noirtier de Villefort

M. de Villefort and his wife visit M. Noirtier, Villefort’s elderly and completely paralytic father, to announce their plan to marry Valentine, Noirtier’s beloved granddaughter, to Franz d’Épinay. Noirtier, who can only communicate through eye movements and who retains only his sight and hearing, reacts with visible agitation to this news, and Villefort recognizes that his father remembers the political hatred which formerly existed between himself and Franz’s father, who was assassinated in 1815. When Valentine later comes to her grandfather’s room, she discerns his distress and discovers through their established system of communication by alphabet and dictionary that he wishes to send for a notary, indicating his determination to oppose the marriage by whatever legal means remain available to him.