Contents
Chapter 115.
Overview
Danglars, imprisoned by Vampa’s band, faces starvation pricing for basic food. Peppino coerces him into drawing a massive draft on Thomson & French before serving a simple meal, revealing a calculated plan to exhaust Danglars’ fortune.
This marks the beginning of his financial undoing and karmic retribution.
Summary
Danglars awakens in a whitewashed cell, realizing he is captive of the Roman brigands Albert had once mentioned. He checks his pockets and finds his cash and letter of credit intact, confirming the captors intend ransom rather than robbery.
Guard rotations pass as Danglars grows hungry. A brutish sentinel eats coarse food before him, refusing requests. Later, Peppino takes over, laying out an appetizing meal and engaging in polite, calculated exchanges that highlight the captors' control.
When Danglars orders a fowl, Peppino demands prepayment. After Danglars tosses two louis, Peppino explains each provision costs 100,000 francs, fixed regardless of portion, and that Danglars’ 5,050,000-franc credit will cover many such meals. The ruse reveals the true scheme: to strip his fortune by pricing necessities astronomically.
Peppino instructs Danglars to draw on Thomson & French in Rome. Desperate to eat, Danglars signs a draft for 4,998 louis. Only then does Peppino return the fowl, while pocketing the draft—an initial, formalized step in systematically draining Danglars’ wealth.
Who Appears
- undefinedCaptured banker; awakens imprisoned, starved, and coerced into signing exorbitant drafts for food.
- PeppinoVampa’s lieutenant; coolly enforces extortionate prices and secures Danglars’ draft to Thomson & French.
- undefinedOgre-like guard who eats before Danglars and denies him food, heightening his hunger.
- undefinedDelivers the fowl and removes it on Peppino’s signal, reinforcing the payment-before-food pressure.