The Count of Monte Cristo

Lord Ruthven’s Gift

The countess, intent on the races, is more than willing to be told, and proceeds to relate how she had felt so interested in the splendid roan horse and his elegant little jockey in a pink satin jacket and cap that she prayed for their success as earnestly as though half her fortune were at stake, clapping her hands with joy when they won in gallant style. Imagine her surprise when, upon returning home, the first object she met on the staircase was the identical jockey in the pink jacket, and upon entering her apartments she beheld the very gold cup awarded as the prize. Inside the cup was a small piece of paper bearing the words “From Lord Ruthven to Countess G——.” Morcerf exclaims that he was sure of it, declaring that the owner of the horse was Lord Ruthven himself—the Vampire of the Salle Argentina—and that the count is here in Paris, is his most intimate friend, and has the honor of Château-Renaud’s acquaintance as well. The connection is made through Vampa, the name of the celebrated bandit from whom the count extricated Albert in Italy, plainly the source of the horse’s entry name. The countess is both alarmed and charmed, fearing the count may owe her a grudge yet recognizing his action as that of a friend, and the conversation continues to establish the Count of Monte Cristo as the talk of Paris.

The Count of Monte Cristo in Paris

Château-Renaud, addressing the countess, insists that the count is Morcerf’s friend and is to be treated accordingly, refusing to believe Albert’s claim that the Parisian sensation caused by the Count of Monte Cristo has abated. He declares that the interest is as strong as ever, citing the count’s first astounding act upon arriving—presenting a pair of horses worth 32,000 francs to Madame Danglars—his second, the almost miraculous preservation of Madame de Villefort’s life, and now the carrying off of the Jockey Club prize. He maintains that not only is the count the object of interest at the present moment, but that he will continue to be so for a month longer if he pleases to exhibit an eccentricity of conduct which, after all, may be his ordinary mode of existence. Albert allows that perhaps Château-Renaud is right.