Andrea Receives 80,000 Francs from Danglars
Andrea turns directly to the banker for an immediate accommodation: he will need to draw upon Danglars for about 4,000 francs the day after tomorrow, but Monte Cristo’s 20,000-franc draft, bearing his signature, is all-sufficient security. Danglars pockets the draft with delight, exclaiming he would be pleased to receive a million such notes, and offers Andrea a check for 80,000 francs to be delivered by his cashier the next morning at ten o’clock at the Hôtel des Princes. Andrea, who is planning a country trip, accepts eagerly. The following morning the 80,000 francs are placed in his hands as he is about to depart, though he leaves only 200 francs behind for Caderousse, chiefly to avoid the dangerous man, and returns as late as possible in the evening.
Caderousse Refuses His Monthly Stipend
Upon returning to the Hôtel des Princes late that evening, Andrea is met by the porter with a parcel. The man informs him that Caderousse has come, and although Andrea feigns carelessness, pretending to forget whom the porter means, he pales at the news. When told that Caderousse refused the 200 francs he had left for him and insisted on speaking to Andrea in person, Andrea is visibly shaken. He can only force out, “What? he would not take them?” with slight emotion. The porter explains that Caderousse ultimately departed, leaving behind a sealed letter addressed to Andrea.
Caderousse Leaves a Summons for Andrea
Andrea takes the letter to the light of his carriage-lamp and reads its brief, threatening contents: “You know where I live; I expect you tomorrow morning at nine o’clock.” He examines the letter carefully, checking for tampering, opened seals, or indiscreet eyes, but the folding is so tight and the seal so perfect that no one could have read it. Affecting indifference in front of the porter, he remarks, “Very well. Poor man, he is a worthy creature,” and leaves the porter to puzzle over the meaning. Once alone, Andrea quickly burns the letter in his room.
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