The Mysteries of Udolpho

Emily Visits Dying Madame Montoni

Stunned by Montoni’s cruel revelation that her aunt lies unburied in the castle’s east turret, Emily resolves to visit her one final time. After convincing a reluctant Annette to accompany her partway, Emily proceeds alone up the stairs to the turret chamber, finding the door unlocked. Inside the dark, silent room, a weak voice calls out, and Emily discovers Madame Montoni still alive but gravely ill, her face so emaciated she is barely recognizable, before the chapter ends.

CHAPITRE III.

This chapter centers on Emily’s reunion with her gravely ill aunt Madame Montoni, who has been secretly imprisoned in a castle turret by Montoni. It details Montoni’s cruel motives for the imprisonment, Emily’s desperate pleas for her aunt’s care, Montoni’s reluctant agreement to move Madame Montoni to her own apartment, Emily’s overnight vigil over her dying aunt, and Emily’s encounter with a mysterious, silent figure on the castle terrace, followed by sentinels sharing accounts of prior sightings of the same unsettling figure.

Emily Reunites with Dying Madame Montoni

Emily locates Madame Montoni in a secluded, unguarded turret room, where her aunt has been left to suffer from a raging fever without care after being imprisoned by Montoni. The pair share an emotional reunion, with Madame Montoni weak and convinced she is near death, and Emily horrified by her aunt’s forlorn, neglected state.

Montoni’s Motives for Imprisoning Madame Montoni

The text explains Montoni imprisoned Madame Montoni under the unfounded suspicion that she had plotted to kill him, with two core motives: to deny her the comfort of Emily’s visits, and to create an opportunity to secretly murder her if his suspicions were confirmed. Despite no evidence of her involvement in any such plot, Montoni kept her confined under strict guard, allowing her to lie neglected with an untreated fever until she was left on the brink of death.

Emily Pleads with Montoni for Her Aunt’s Care

Grief-stricken by her aunt’s condition, Emily confronts Montoni to beg him to move Madame Montoni from the squalid turret to her own apartment with necessary comforts. Montoni reacts with cold indifference, dismissively asking what use care would be if she is dying, and when Emily rebukes him for his cruelty, he angrily orders her to leave. Emily then sets aside her resentment and pleads with him compassionately, prioritizing her aunt’s needs over her own safety.

Montoni Reluctantly Approves Madame Montoni’s Move

Montoni resists Emily’s appeals for a long time, but the desperate pity in Emily’s eyes eventually softens his resolve. He half-sullenly, half-reluctantly agrees to let Madame Montoni be moved to her own apartment, and permits Emily to attend to her. Fearing Montoni will retract his permission, Emily rushes to prepare her aunt’s bed and administer a strengthening cordial for the move, and informs Montoni that a second relocation would be fatal, securing Madame Montoni’s place in the apartment.

Emily Attends to Madame Montoni Overnight

Emily remains at her aunt’s side for the rest of the day, preparing small, nourishing items for her, and putting aside her memory of Madame Montoni’s former imperious nature to care for her as her late father’s sister in need of compassion. When night falls, Madame Montoni insists Emily rest, allowing only Annette to stay with her, and Emily agrees to leave only after midnight, the time physicians deemed critical for her aunt’s survival. After midnight, Emily sorrowfully bids her aunt goodnight and retires to her own chamber, weighed down by worry for Madame Montoni and the hopelessness of her own entrapment in the remote castle.

Emily Spots a Mysterious Figure on the Castle Terrace

Unable to sleep, Emily leans by her open casement looking out at the moonlit landscape when she spots the same eerie, silent figure she had seen previously standing on the terrace below her window. Terrified at first, she eventually compels herself to watch, and the figure waves its arm as if beckoning her, then emits a faint groan. Emily tries to speak, but the figure suddenly flees down the terrace just as a sentinel walks past her window, who asks if she saw anything pass. Emily tells him she did, and he walks away to investigate, leaving Emily waiting for his return.