The Count of Monte Cristo

Haydée Presents the Arabic Sale Record

Haydée, maintaining a calm more dreadful than anger, hands the president an Arabic record of her sale. Because some documents were expected in foreign languages, an interpreter and a noble peer versed in Arabic (from the Egyptian campaign) are present to follow the translation as it is read aloud.

El-Kobbir’s Sale Document Is Read in Court

The translator reads El-Kobbir’s sworn record: he acknowledges receiving, for transmission to the sublime emperor, an emerald worth 800,000 francs from the Count of Monte Cristo as ransom for an eleven-year-old Christian slave named Haydée, the acknowledged daughter of the late Ali Tepelini, pasha of Yanina, and his favorite Vasiliki. Haydée and her mother—who died upon reaching Constantinople—had been sold by a French colonel named Fernand Mondego, in the service of the Vizier, for 400,000 francs. The document bears the imperial seal, lending it full authority. A dreadful silence follows; the count stares at Haydée with a gaze of fire and blood.

Haydée States Her Vengeance Motive

When the president asks who counseled her, Haydée explains that she has long wished to avenge her illustrious father. Since arriving in France she has lived in retirement at her noble protector’s home, keeping up with the world through newspapers, periodicals, and music. Learning of that morning’s proceedings in the House of Peers and the evening’s session, she wrote to the court of her own accord. The Count of Monte Cristo, currently in Normandy, is entirely unaware of her actions, and she fears only his disapproval.

Haydée Accuses Fernand Mondego of Betrayal

Asked if she recognizes the accused, Haydée turns and identifies Morcerf as Fernand Mondego, the French officer who led her father’s troops, surrendered the castle of Yanina, brought back a false mandate of pardon, obtained the pasha’s ring to command Selim the fire-keeper, stabbed Selim, and sold her and her mother to El-Kobbir. She cries that he still bears his master’s blood on his brow, and invokes her mother’s words—describing how the man sold them, forsook them, and counted El-Kobbir’s gold pieces with a large-wounded right hand. Morcerf instinctively hides his mutilated hand in his bosom and collapses, overwhelmed.

Morcerf Flees After Failing to Defend Himself

When pressed to answer, Morcerf at first calls the accusations a base plot by his enemies, but he cannot sustain any defense. He offers no reply, no plea of “not guilty,” and no decision on further inquiries. His gaze, meant to soften, fails to disarm his judges. He glances toward the ceiling as if afraid to face the heavenly tribunal, then tears open his coat and flees the room like a madman, his footsteps echoing down the corridor and his carriage rattling away into the night.

Count de Morcerf Is Unanimously Convicted

With Morcerf gone, the president asks the committee whether the Count of Morcerf is convicted of felony, treason, and conduct unbecoming a member of the House. Every member of the committee of inquiry answers in unison: “Yes.” Haydée remains to hear the sentence, showing neither joy nor pity, then draws her veil, bows majestically to the councillors, and departs with the dignified step of a goddess.

CAPÍTULO 87. The Challenge

Beauchamp recounts his departure from a house following a tense confrontation, expressing mixed sorrow for Albert and admiration for a noble girl pursuing paternal vengeance. Albert, devastated by what appears to be his father’s disgrace, declares his life is over and insists on discovering and confronting whoever exposed the Morcerf family’s secrets, demanding that Beauchamp assist him in this quest. Beauchamp reveals that when he investigated in Yanina, he learned that Danglars had also made inquiries about Albert’s father, prompting Albert and Beauchamp to immediately confront the banker at his mansion, where they find Andrea Cavalcanti present. During the confrontation, Albert demands a duel, but Danglars reveals that Monte Cristo specifically advised him to write to Yanina for information about Morcerf’s past, a fact confirmed by the banker’s correspondence. Albert and Beauchamp realize that Monte Cristo, who knew the true identity of Morcerf’s father as Fernand Mondego and had purchased the Pasha’s daughter, orchestrated the entire affair and may be the true architect of the family’s destruction, so they leave to confront the Count directly.