The Count of Monte Cristo

Franz Discusses the Count with Albert

Returning to the hotel, Franz finds Albert in his dressing-gown and slippers, smoking a cigar. Their conversation turns to Italian women and the countess, who Albert notes was genuinely alarmed at the sight of the stranger. Albert reveals that he met the count and the Greek girl in the lobby after the performance, and dismisses Franz’s fears, describing the man as a “deuced fine-looking fellow—admirably dressed” whose pallor merely bespeaks aristocratic breeding. However, Albert confirms that the stranger spoke in the Romaic dialect with a mixture of Greek words—information he possesses from his days at college. This detail convinces Franz beyond any doubt of the man’s identity. Albert then announces that he has been arranging a little surprise for Franz.

Albert’s Cart and Oxen Disguise Plan

Unable to procure a carriage or horses in Rome, Albert proposes dressing themselves as Neapolitan reapers and traveling in a cart drawn by a pair of oxen, in imitation of a painting by Léopold Robert. He envisions the countess joining them in the costume of a peasant from Puzzoli or Sorrento, making their group complete with herself as a Madonna. Albert has already communicated the plan to their host, Signor Pastrini, who has assured him that a cart and oxen can readily be supplied; the only regret is that the oxen’s horns cannot be gilded, as that would require three days. The host has gone out in search of the equipage and is expected to return shortly.

Count of Monte Cristo Sends a Formal Invitation

Signor Pastrini arrives and announces that he has arranged something even better than a cart: the Count of Monte Cristo, who lives on the same floor, has heard of their dilemma and offers them seats in his carriage and two places at his windows in the Palazzo Rospoli. The friends are astounded. Franz, speaking quietly to Albert, notes that if the count truly merited the landlord’s high praise, he would have conveyed such an offer through a more proper channel rather than in this unceremonious manner. At that moment, a knock sounds at the door, and a servant in a rich and stylish livery enters with two cards—one for Vicomte Albert de Morcerf and one for M. Franz d’Épinay. The servant conveys the Count of Monte Cristo’s request for permission to call upon his neighbors and requests an intimation of when they will be pleased to receive him.