The Count of Monte Cristo

The Fire at Villa San-Felice

A fire breaks out at the Villa San-Felice, sparked by a servant’s negligence, and spreads into the rooms adjoining Carmela’s chamber. The corridor is already engulfed when she flees back to her room, twenty feet above the ground, and calls for help.

The Mysterious Rescue

A young peasant suddenly opens Carmela’s window, leaps into the chamber, and carries her down to the grass with superhuman skill and strength, where she faints. By the time she revives, her rescuer has vanished and cannot be found or identified.

The Gift in the Grotto

The next day, Luigi leads Teresa to the grotto, which he has converted into a dressing-room lit by wax candles around a mirror. The pearl necklace, diamond pins, and the rest of Carmela’s costume lie displayed on a rustic table; Teresa darts inside in a cry of joy.

The Traveller on the Road

As Teresa dresses, Luigi spots a horseman on a nearby hill, lost between Palestrina and Tivoli. He guides the traveller to the cross-roads, refuses wages, accepts two Venetian sequins as a gift for his bride, and trades a hand-carved poniard whose worth he dismisses.

Sinbad the Sailor

The traveller names himself Sinbad the Sailor. Franz d’Épinay starts at the name, recalling past associations, while Albert amusedly remembers childhood adventures. The name, like that of the Count of Monte Cristo, stirs a host of memories in Franz.

The Abduction of Teresa

Approaching the grotto on his return, Vampa hears cries and sees a man carrying Teresa toward the forest, like Nessus bearing Deianira. The abductor already leads him by three-quarters of the distance, leaving no hope of pursuit.