The Count of Monte Cristo

第十章 The King’s Closet at the Tuileries

This chapter opens in the royal closet at the Tuileries Palace, a room known for its arched window and having served as the favorite chamber of Napoleon, Louis XVIII, and now Louis Philippe. King Louis XVIII sits before a walnut table he brought from Hartwell, annotating a volume of Horace while listening to the Duc de Blacas express deep concerns about unrest brewing in the south of France. The king responds with his characteristic wit and classical references, quoting Latin phrases as he continues his scholarly annotations. Blacas insists that a trusted informant has arrived from the south warning of great peril to the king, but Louis XVIII remains unconvinced, suggesting his minister is merely alarmist. The scene establishes the tension between Blacas’s genuine worry and the monarch’s apparent complacency.

Tuileries Closet Opening: Blacas Raises Unrest Concerns, Dandré Enters

M. de Blacas has come to the king with urgent warnings about a storm brewing in the south of France. He begs Louis XVIII to send trustworthy men to Languedoc, Provence, and Dauphiné to report on the true feelings in these provinces. The king, however, dismisses these concerns with his characteristic dry humor, suggesting the weather is fine in that direction. Blacas presses on, mentioning a serious-minded man charged to watch over the south has arrived by post with alarming intelligence. At this point, M. Dandré, the Minister of Police, is announced and enters the closet. Louis XVIII greets him with a witty remark about wanting the latest news of M. de Bonaparte, noting that “the Island of Elba is a volcano.”