The Count of Monte Cristo

Madame Danglars Seeks Debray

The baroness, heavily veiled and dressed in black, visits Debray’s apartments seeking his counsel regarding the family crisis. She discovers him absent, attending his club where lively discussions about the scandal consume Parisian society. Madame Danglars waits patiently in Debray’s green parlor, surrounded by flowers she herself had sent that morning—flowers the absent Debray had carefully arranged. Growing weary after nearly two hours of waiting, she departs before midnight, returning home with precautions similar to those Eugénie had used in her own departure. Upon arriving, the baroness finds her daughter’s door bolted and, reassured by the maid that both young women had retired for the evening, retires to her own chambers—unaware that Eugénie has already fled.

The Baroness Visits Villefort

The following morning, Madame Danglars travels to M. de Villefort’s residence—a mansion presenting the gloomy aspect of a plague-stricken lazaretto, with apartments sealed and windows opened only briefly to admit air. The strict security measures baffle and unsettle the baroness; the concierge refuses admission without authorization from Dr. d’Avrigny or direct communication with the procureur. Upon identifying herself as Baroness Danglars, she is eventually admitted to Villefort’s study. The magistrate, bowed down by grief yet maintaining his characteristic composure, receives her with a sad smile that silences her complaints about the insulting treatment from his servants. When she asks if he too is unhappy, Villefort confirms his misery and demonstrates how, given his recent tragedies, her troubles appear as mere mishaps in comparison.

A Plea for Mercy

Madame Danglars explains her purpose: she has come to inquire what action will be taken against the impostor who had been presented as her future son-in-law. When Villefort corrects her terminology—declaring Andrea Cavalcanti, aka Benedetto, to be nothing less than an assassin—she attempts to plead for clemency, suggesting the young man be allowed to flee rather than face prosecution. The baroness invokes their friendship, imploring Villefort to consider her daughter’s ruined reputation and her family’s disgrace. She argues that the disgraced man might escape to Italy, where his former associates might shelter him. When the magistrate reveals that orders have already been issued and the trial cannot be delayed, Madame Danglars escalates her plea, suggesting at minimum that Benedetto remain imprisoned until after Eugénie’s eventual marriage to another suitor—though she acknowledges such a marriage seems increasingly unlikely given the scandal’s magnitude.

The Law Strikes

Villefort responds with fierce determination, declaring himself the embodiment of law itself—a living code rather than a compassionate man. He acknowledges his own moral failings and past transgressions, yet argues this makes him more vigilant in exposing the weaknesses of others. The magistrate reflects bitterly on his own suffering, questioning whether humanity has shown him any mercy despite his relentless pursuit of criminals. He invokes divine authority, swearing that whoever the culprits may be, they shall face justice upon discovery. When Madame Danglars attempts one final appeal—framing Benedetto as an abandoned orphan trampled upon by the powerful—Villefort dismisses this as the weakness of a murderer. He sternly rebukes her for asking mercy for a guilty wretch, asking pointedly whether the law possesses eyes to witness her grief or ears moved by her voice. The baroness then delivers her warning: those who show no mercy to others will find none shown to them in return. Villefort accepts this fate stoically, affirming that he also seeks forgetfulness through his relentless work.

Benedetto Arrested

As their conversation concludes, a dragoon arrives bearing an urgent dispatch from the Minister of the Interior. Villefort seizes the telegram with evident excitement, confirming that Benedetto has been arrested at Compiègne and that justice will now proceed. The chapter ends with Villefort’s grim satisfaction as he contemplates the comprehensive case before him: a forgery, three robberies, two arsons, and now a murder—a combination he views with vindictive pleasure as material for a memorable court session.

CHAPITRE 100. The Apparition

Valentine remained confined to her bed, weakened by nervous excitement, as she learned from Madame de Villefort of Eugénie’s flight and Benedetto’s arrest. Monte Cristo revealed to her that he had secretly rented the adjoining house and entered through a hidden passage in her library to replace the nightly draught prepared by Dr. d’Avrigny with a beneficial medicine, thereby saving her from poison that had been killing the Saint-Mérans, Barrois, and nearly Noirtier himself. The count warned her that midnight was the hour murderers chose, then disappeared back through the library door, instructing her to feign sleep so she might witness her would-be assassin enter her room.