An excerpt from the original text.(complete · 1969 words)
he Benedetto affair, as it was called at the Palais, and by people in
general, had produced a tremendous sensation. Frequenting the Café de
Paris, the Boulevard de Gand, and the Bois de Boulogne, during his
brief career of splendor, the false Cavalcanti had formed a host of
acquaintances. The papers had related his various adventures, both as
the man of fashion and the galley-slave; and as everyone who had been
personally acquainted with Prince Andrea Cavalcanti experienced a
lively curiosity in his fate, they all determined to spare no trouble
in endeavoring to witness the trial of M. Benedetto for the murder of
his comrade in chains.
In the eyes of many, Benedetto appeared, if not a victim to, at least
an instance of, the fallibility of the law. M. Cavalcanti, his father,
had been seen in Paris, and it was expected that he would re-appear to
claim the illustrious outcast. Many, also, who were not aware of the
circumstances attending his withdrawal from Paris, were struck with the
worthy appearance, the gentlemanly bearing, and the knowledge of the
world displayed by the old patrician, who certainly played the nobleman
very well, so long as he said nothing, and made no arithmetical
calculations.
As for the accused himself, many remembered him as being so amiable, so
handsome, and so liberal, that they chose to think him the victim of
some conspiracy, since in this world large fortunes frequently excite
the malevolence and jealousy of some unknown enemy.
Everyone, therefore, ran to the court; some to witness the sight,
others to comment upon it. From seven o’clock in the morning a crowd
was stationed at the iron gates, and an hour before the trial commenced
the hall was full of the privileged. Before the entrance of the
magistrates, and indeed frequently afterwards, a court of justice, on
days when some especial trial is to take place, resembles a
drawing-room where many persons recognize each other and converse if
they can do so without losing their seats; or, if they are separated by
too great a number of lawyers, communicate by signs.
It was one of the magnificent autumn days which make amends for a short
summer; the clouds which M. de Villefort had perceived at sunrise had
all disappeared as if by magic, and one of the softest and most
brilliant days of September shone forth in all its splendor.
Beauchamp, one of the kings of the press, and therefore claiming the
right of a throne everywhere, was eying everybody through his monocle.
He perceived Château-Renaud and Debray, who had just gained the good
graces of a sergeant-at-arms, and who had persuaded the latter to let
them stand before, instead of behind him, as they ought to have done.
The worthy sergeant had recognized the minister’s secretary and the
millionnaire, and, by way of paying extra attention to his noble
neighbors, promised to keep their places while they paid a visit to
Beauchamp.
“Well,” said Beauchamp, “we shall see our friend!”
“Yes, indeed!” replied Debray. “That worthy prince. Deuce take those
Italian princes!”
“A man, too, who could boast of Dante for a genealogist, and could
reckon back to the Divina Comedia.”
“A nobility of the rope!” said Château-Renaud phlegmatically.
“He will be condemned, will he not?” asked Debray of Beauchamp.
“My dear fellow, I think we should ask you that question; you know such
news much better than we do. Did you see the president at the
minister’s last night?”
“Yes.”
“What did he say?”
“Something which will surprise you.”
“Oh, make haste and tell me, then; it is a long time since that has
happened.”
“Well, he told me that Benedetto, who is considered a serpent of
subtlety and a giant of cunning, is really but a very commonplace,
silly rascal, and altogether unworthy of the experiments that will be
made on his phrenological organs after his death.”
“Bah,” said Beauchamp, “he played the prince very well.”
“Yes, for you who detest those unhappy princes, Beauchamp, and are
always delighted to find fault with them; but not for me, who discover
a gentleman by instinct, and who scent out an aristocratic family like
a very bloodhound of heraldry.”
“Then you never believed in the principality?”
“Yes.—in the principality, but not in the prince.”
“Not so bad,” said Beauchamp; “still, I assure you, he passed very well
with many people; I saw him at the ministers’ houses.”
“Ah, yes,” said Château-Renaud. “The idea of thinking ministers
understand anything about princes!”
“There is something in what you have just said,” said Beauchamp,
laughing.
“But,” said Debray to Beauchamp, “if I spoke to the president, you
must have been with the procureur.”
“It was an impossibility; for the last week M. de Villefort has
secluded himself. It is natural enough; this strange chain of domestic
afflictions, followed by the no less strange death of his daughter——”
“Strange? What do you mean, Beauchamp?”
“Oh, yes; do you pretend that all this has been unobserved at the
minister’s?” said Beauchamp, placing his eye-glass in his eye, where he
tried to make it remain.
“My dear sir,” said Château-Renaud, “allow me to tell you that you do
not understand that manœuvre with the eye-glass half so well as Debray.
Give him a lesson, Debray.”
“Stay,” said Beauchamp, “surely I am not deceived.”
“What is it?”
“It is she!”
“Whom do you mean?”
“They said she had left.”
“Mademoiselle Eugénie?” said Château-Renaud; “has she returned?”
“No, but her mother.”
“Madame Danglars? Nonsense! Impossible!” said Château-Renaud; “only ten
days after the flight of her daughter, and three days from the
bankruptcy of her husband?”
Debray colored slightly, and followed with his eyes the direction of
Beauchamp’s glance.
“Come,” he said, “it is only a veiled lady, some foreign princess,
perhaps the mother of Cavalcanti. But you were just speaking on a very
interesting topic, Beauchamp.”
“I?”
“Yes; you were telling us about the extraordinary death of Valentine.”
“Ah, yes, so I was. But how is it that Madame de Villefort is not
here?”
“Poor, dear woman,” said Debray, “she is no doubt occupied in
distilling balm for the hospitals, or in making cosmetics for herself
or friends. Do you know she spends two or three thousand crowns a year
in this amusement? But I wonder she is not here. I should have been
pleased to see her, for I like her very much.”
“And I hate her,” said Château-Renaud.
“Why?”
“I do not know. Why do we love? Why do we hate? I detest her, from
antipathy.”
“Or, rather, by instinct.”
“Perhaps so. But to return to what you were saying, Beauchamp.”
“Well, do you know why they die so multitudinously at M. de
Villefort’s?”
“‘Multitudinously’ is good,” said Château-Renaud.
“My good fellow, you’ll find the word in Saint-Simon.”
“But the thing itself is at M. de Villefort’s; but let’s get back to
the subject.”
“Talking of that,” said Debray, “Madame was making inquiries about that
house, which for the last three months has been hung with black.”
“Who is Madame?” asked Château-Renaud.
“The minister’s wife, pardieu!”
“Oh, your pardon! I never visit ministers; I leave that to the
princes.”
“Really, you were only before sparkling, but now you are brilliant;
take compassion on us, or, like Jupiter, you will wither us up.”
“I will not speak again,” said Château-Renaud; “pray have compassion
upon me, and do not take up every word I say.”
“Come, let us endeavor to get to the end of our story, Beauchamp; I
told you that yesterday Madame made inquiries of me upon the subject;
enlighten me, and I will then communicate my information to her.”
“Well, gentlemen, the reason people die so multitudinously (I like the
word) at M. de Villefort’s is that there is an assassin in the house!”
The two young men shuddered, for the same idea had more than once
occurred to them.
“And who is the assassin;” they asked together.
“Young Edward!” A burst of laughter from the auditors did not in the
least disconcert the speaker, who continued,—“Yes, gentlemen; Edward,
the infant phenomenon, who is quite an adept in the art of killing.”
“You are jesting.”
“Not at all. I yesterday engaged a servant, who had just left M. de
Villefort—I intend sending him away tomorrow, for he eats so
enormously, to make up for the fast imposed upon him by his terror in
that house. Well, now listen.”
“We are listening.”
“It appears the dear child has obtained possession of a bottle
containing some drug, which he every now and then uses against those
who have displeased him. First, M. and Madame de Saint-Méran incurred
his displeasure, so he poured out three drops of his elixir—three drops
were sufficient; then followed Barrois, the old servant of M. Noirtier,
who sometimes rebuffed this little wretch—he therefore received the
same quantity of the elixir; the same happened to Valentine, of whom he
was jealous; he gave her the same dose as the others, and all was over
for her as well as the rest.”
“Why, what nonsense are you telling us?” said Château-Renaud.
“Yes, it is an extraordinary story,” said Beauchamp; “is it not?”
“It is absurd,” said Debray.
“Ah,” said Beauchamp, “you doubt me? Well, you can ask my servant, or
rather him who will no longer be my servant tomorrow, it was the talk
of the house.”
“And this elixir, where is it? what is it?”
“The child conceals it.”
“But where did he find it?”
“In his mother’s laboratory.”
“Does his mother then, keep poisons in her laboratory?”
“How can I tell? You are questioning me like a king’s attorney. I only
repeat what I have been told, and like my informant I can do no more.
The poor devil would eat nothing, from fear.”
“It is incredible!”
“No, my dear fellow, it is not at all incredible. You saw the child
pass through the Rue Richelieu last year, who amused himself with
killing his brothers and sisters by sticking pins in their ears while
they slept. The generation who follow us are very precocious.”
“Come, Beauchamp,” said Château-Renaud, “I will bet anything you do not
believe a word of all you have been telling us. But I do not see the
Count of Monte Cristo here.”
“He is worn out,” said Debray; “besides, he could not well appear in
public, since he has been the dupe of the Cavalcanti, who, it appears,
presented themselves to him with false letters of credit, and cheated
him out of 100,000 francs upon the hypothesis of this principality.”
“By the way, M. de Château-Renaud,” asked Beauchamp, “how is Morrel?”
“Ma foi, I have called three times without once seeing him. Still,
his sister did not seem uneasy, and told me that though she had not
seen him for two or three days, she was sure he was well.”
“Ah, now I think of it, the Count of Monte Cristo cannot appear in the
hall,” said Beauchamp.
“Why not?”
“Because he is an actor in the drama.”
“Has he assassinated anyone, then?”
“No, on the contrary, they wished to assassinate him. You know that it
was in leaving his house that M. de Caderousse was murdered by his
friend Benedetto. You know that the famous waistcoat was found in his
house, containing the letter which stopped the signature of the
marriage-contract. Do you see the waistcoat? There it is, all
blood-stained, on the desk, as a testimony of the crime.”
“Ah, very good.”
“Hush, gentlemen, here is the court; let us go back to our places.”
A noise was heard in the hall; the sergeant called his two patrons with
an energetic “hem!” and the door-keeper appearing, called out with that
shrill voice peculiar to his order, ever since the days of
Beaumarchais:
“The court, gentlemen!”
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Let's Analyse the Pattern
When justified anger escalates beyond accountability into total obliteration, destroying innocent lives alongside the guilty.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to identify when our justified actions start harming innocent people around our target.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when your anger at one person starts affecting their family, coworkers, or friends - and ask yourself if that's really the justice you want.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"God's justice has strange instruments."
Context: The Count reflects on how he has become the tool of divine vengeance against Villefort.
This shows the Count still believes his revenge is justified as God's will, but there's growing uncertainty in his voice. He's starting to question whether he's truly serving justice or just his own anger.
In Today's Words:
Sometimes karma works in weird ways.
"I am no longer a man, I am the shadow of my former self."
Context: Villefort describes his mental state after losing everything he once valued.
This captures how completely broken he has become. The man who once controlled life and death through the law is now powerless and destroyed by circumstances beyond his control.
In Today's Words:
I'm not even myself anymore - I'm just a shell of who I used to be.
"The innocent must not suffer for the guilty."
Context: The Count realizes too late that his revenge has harmed people who didn't deserve it.
This marks a turning point where the Count acknowledges that his pursuit of justice has become destructive. He's finally seeing that revenge often hurts the wrong people.
In Today's Words:
Good people shouldn't have to pay for what the bad ones did.
Thematic Threads
Justice
In This Chapter
The Count's carefully planned revenge achieves its goal but reveals the terrible cost of absolute justice
Development
Evolved from earlier themes of deserved punishment to questioning whether perfect justice is worth the collateral damage
In Your Life:
You might recognize this when your desire to 'make things right' starts hurting people who weren't part of the original wrong
Power
In This Chapter
Villefort's complete mental breakdown shows how even the most powerful can be utterly destroyed when their foundation crumbles
Development
Built from earlier chapters showing Villefort's authority and control, now revealing how fragile that power actually was
In Your Life:
You see this when someone who seemed untouchable at work suddenly falls apart under pressure
Identity
In This Chapter
The Count confronts what he has become - not a seeker of justice, but an agent of destruction
Development
Climax of his transformation from Edmond Dantès to the Count, now questioning if this identity serves him
In Your Life:
This appears when you realize you've become someone you don't recognize in pursuit of a goal
Consequences
In This Chapter
The innocent suffer alongside the guilty as the Count's revenge destroys an entire family
Development
Escalated from earlier hints that revenge has unintended victims to showing the full scope of collateral damage
In Your Life:
You experience this when your actions to hurt someone end up hurting their children, spouse, or other innocent people
Control
In This Chapter
The Count's perfect plan succeeds but spirals beyond his intentions, showing the limits of human control
Development
Contradiction of earlier chapters where the Count seemed to control every outcome
In Your Life:
This happens when your carefully laid plans achieve exactly what you wanted but create problems you never anticipated
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What specific losses did Villefort suffer in this chapter, and how did each one affect him differently?
analysis • surface - 2
Why do you think the Count's revenge went beyond just punishing Villefort himself to destroying his entire family?
analysis • medium - 3
Where have you seen someone's justified anger spiral into something that hurt innocent people? What warning signs appeared along the way?
application • medium - 4
If you were advising someone consumed by righteous anger, what specific steps would you suggest to keep their pursuit of justice from becoming destructive?
application • deep - 5
What does Villefort's complete breakdown teach us about how trauma affects even people who seem powerful and untouchable?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Design Your Justice Endpoint
Think of a situation where someone wronged you and you wanted payback. Write down exactly what outcome would actually satisfy you - not what would hurt them most, but what would genuinely resolve the issue. Then identify three specific warning signs that would tell you if your response was escalating beyond that endpoint.
Consider:
- •Distinguish between wanting behavior change versus wanting total destruction
- •Consider who else might be affected by your actions
- •Ask whether your desired outcome would actually heal the original wound
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you or someone you know pursued justice but it went too far. What could have been done differently to achieve accountability without causing additional harm?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 110: The Indictment
As the Count surveys the destruction his revenge has wrought, he must confront whether his quest for justice has gone too far. The final pieces of his elaborate plan are falling into place, but at what cost to his own soul?
