The Count of Monte Cristo

Summoning the Italian Abbé

D’Avrigny and the district doctor encounter the Italian abbé standing at his threshold. D’Avrigny explains the service required for M. de Villefort, whose daughter has died. The priest reveals he has already heard of the death and knows the deceased is named Valentine. He offers his prayers and agrees to watch by the dead. D’Avrigny introduces him to the room where Noirtier remains with the body.

The Priest is Left Alone

After d’Avrigny departs, the priest rises to secure the room—bolting not only the door through which d’Avrigny left, but also the one leading to Madame de Villefort’s chamber. Thus left alone with the corpse of Valentine and the paralytic Noirtier, the mysterious Italian abbé prepares to fulfill his sacred mission, with Noirtier’s eyes meeting his in an expression suggesting some particular understanding between them.

第一百零四章 Danglars’ Signature

This chapter covers the immediate aftermath of Valentine de Villefort’s death, including funeral preparations, the varied grief responses of her family and Parisian social acquaintances, and the Count of Monte Cristo’s successful scheme to claim five million francs from the banker Danglars by calling in a pre-existing credit line, alongside Danglars’ subsequent deception of a charity official to hide the missing funds. This chapter centers on banker Danglars’ dealings with bank receiver M. de Boville, his secret plans to flee Paris amid reputational and financial complications from the Benedetto affair, and the personal impact of the scandal on his family, including his daughter Eugénie’s decision to enter a strict convent.