The Count of Monte Cristo

Presenting the Count of Monte Cristo

Baron Danglars formally introduces the Count of Monte Cristo to his wife, boastfully noting that the count plans to spend 6 million francs in Paris over the coming year, and will host endless balls, dinners, and lawn parties. The group exchanges light pleasantries: Madame Danglars laments that Paris has few amusements in summer, and teases the count for placing women second to horses when describing the values of his Eastern travels. Lucien Debray exchanges distant, formal recognition with the count, and a casual, friendly nod with Danglars, before the count and baroness greet each other with formal courtesy. The interaction is abruptly interrupted when Madame Danglars’s maid enters the boudoir with urgent news.

The Dappled Grays Disappear

Madame Danglars’s maid informs her that her pair of prized dappled gray horses, which she had promised to lend to Madame de Villefort for a trip to the Bois the next day, have been removed from the stables without her knowledge or her coachman’s awareness. Enraged, Madame Danglars immediately accuses her husband of selling the horses for personal profit. Danglars claims the young, spirited horses were too unsafe for his wife to ride, and promises to replace them with calmer, steadier animals, but Madame Danglars responds with undisguised contempt.

The Secret Sale Revealed

Danglars privately explains to his wife that he sold the horses for an enormous profit of 16,000 francs to a buyer willing to pay any price, and offers her 4,000 francs and their daughter Eugénie 2,000 francs as compensation for the loss. As he speaks, Lucien Debray notices the exact pair of missing dappled grays harnessed to Monte Cristo’s carriage outside the window. Danglars is left stunned and speechless, while Madame Danglars confirms the horses are indeed hers. Monte Cristo feigns surprise, and tells Debray to relay to the baroness that he paid roughly 30,000 francs for the horses via his steward, without realizing they belonged to the Danglars family. Realizing he has been thoroughly outmaneuvered, Danglars is left crestfallen as Debray quickly leaves to avoid witnessing Madame Danglars’s rage, and Monte Cristo departs, satisfied with the leverage he has gained over the family.

Monte Cristo’s Master Stroke

After leaving the Danglars home, Monte Cristo reflects that the horse incident has placed the domestic peace of the Danglars family firmly in his control, and he plans to use this leverage to win the favor of both Baron and Baroness Danglars. He notes that he has not yet had the chance to meet their daughter Eugénie, but decides he has plenty of time in Paris to do so later. He then returns to his own residence.

Ali Stops the Runaway Carriage

The following afternoon, Monte Cristo tasks his Nubian servant Ali, a highly skilled lasso thrower who has previously hunted and captured lions, with stopping a runaway carriage drawn by the pair of dappled gray horses when it passes their home. Ali marks a straight line on the pavement directly in front of the house to mark his intended stopping point, then sits on a nearby stone smoking a chibouque while Monte Cristo anxiously watches from inside, waiting for the carriage to arrive.

Saving the Woman and Child

A carriage drawn by the wild, ungovernable dappled grays comes speeding down the street, with a terrified coachman unable to control the horses’ furious pace. Inside the carriage, a young woman and her 7 or 8 year old child clutch each other in terror, too frightened to even cry out. The carriage rattles over rough stones, with even a small obstacle under the wheels likely to cause fatal disaster. Ali throws his lasso skillfully to catch the forelegs of the near horse, lets himself be dragged a few steps by the force of the impact, then pulls the horse down, causing the carriage pole to snap and stopping the second horse from continuing forward. Ali then seizes the second horse’s nostrils to hold it in place. Servants from a nearby house rush to assist, and Monte Cristo carries the unconscious child and distraught woman into his salon, reassuring them the child is only unconscious from fear and not physically injured. The desperate woman begs Monte Cristo to send for a physician, offering all her fortune to save her son.