The Count of Monte Cristo

第七十七章 Haydée

Chapter 77 centers on Haydée’s recounting of her traumatic early life to Albert de Morcerf, with the Count of Monte Cristo present and setting terms for her story: she may share the fate of her father, but is forbidden from naming the traitor or the act of treason that upended her family.

Request for Haydée’s Tale

Albert privately asks the Count of Monte Cristo to permit Haydée to share her personal history, expressing hope she will reference his father unprompted. Monte Cristo relays the request to Haydée in Greek, instructing her to tell the group the fate of her father while omitting the name of the traitor and the details of the treason. Haydée responds with a deep, sorrowful sigh. When Albert asks Monte Cristo what he said to her, the count replies he reminded Haydée that Albert is a trusted friend, so she need not conceal anything from him.

The Sycamore Recollection

Albert asks Haydée about her earliest memories beyond her first recollection of a pious pilgrimage for prisoners. Haydée describes sitting under sycamore trees on the edge of a lake as a small child, playing with her father’s long white beard and jeweled scimitar while he reclined on cushions with her mother at his feet. She notes a regular Albanian messenger would approach her father, who only ever responded to his reports with either “Kill” or “Pardon.” Albert remarks the account feels vivid and real, not like fictional performance, and asks how France appears to Haydée, who says she sees France as it truly is, while her memories of her homeland are tinted by the joy or sadness of her childhood experiences. When Albert asks if she has ever known suffering beyond the concept, Monte Cristo prompts her to speak, and Haydée observes that early childhood memories are the most indelible, with all her earliest recollections outside the two scenes she just described filled with deep sorrow.