Contents
Chapter 75.
Overview
Noirtier orchestrates a revelation: a concealed, signed account proves General d’Epinay died in a duel after refusing a Bonapartist oath. Pressed to identify the duelist, Noirtier declares himself the killer.
Franz’s hopes collapse, Valentine is devastated, and Villefort panics and withdraws, imperiling the arranged marriage.
Summary
Villefort brings Franz d’Epinay and Valentine to Noirtier to remove objections to their marriage. Noirtier directs Valentine to a long-neglected secretary with a hidden compartment, which Barrois opens. He has the packet delivered to Franz and insists it be read immediately.
Franz reads a signed statement from Bonapartist conspirators describing February 5, 1815: General d’Epinay, invited blindfolded to a secret meeting, refuses to support Napoleon and swears secrecy under threat. After he insults the group, the president demands satisfaction.
The document details a nocturnal duel on the Quai des Ormes. Despite his skill, General d’Epinay is wounded and dies. The witnesses throw his body into the Seine, and the signatories attest the death occurred in a fair duel, not an ambush.
Shocked, Franz begs to know the president’s name. Villefort claims it is unknowable, but Noirtier signals through the dictionary. Spelling out “MYSELF,” Noirtier reveals he was the president and duelist who killed General d’Epinay.
Franz collapses in horror; Valentine is stricken; and Villefort, terrified of the consequences, slips away. The revelation destroys the proposed marriage and exposes Noirtier’s past with pride and defiance.
Who Appears
- Noirtier de VillefortParalyzed patriarch; reveals a hidden dossier and confesses to dueling and killing General d’Epinay.
- undefinedReads the document about his father’s death; learns Noirtier killed him; collapses, marriage hopes ruined.
- Valentine de VillefortInterprets Noirtier’s signals, retrieves the papers; devastated as the revelation shatters her arranged marriage.
- Gérard de VillefortProcureur who orchestrates the meeting; panics at Noirtier’s confession and hastily withdraws.
- BarroisLoyal servant; opens the secretary’s secret spring to produce the crucial packet.