Contents
Chapter 106.
Overview
Danglars absconds, leaving a bitter letter. Debray coldly dissolves his clandestine partnership with Madame Danglars, handing over a fortune and advising her to disappear. Above them, Mercedes and Albert confront poverty; Albert sells possessions and enlists as a Spahi substitute to support her. Mercedes departs for Marseilles as Monte Cristo secretly witnesses and questions his vengeance.
Summary
At a discreet apartment where a veiled lady meets a concealed gentleman, Madame Danglars rushes to Lucien Debray with news: Baron Danglars fled Paris overnight. She shows Debray a scathing letter in which Danglars blames her for their ruin, renounces her, and asserts she is personally enriched.
Debray, cool and methodical, advises Madame Danglars to leave Paris and appear destitute. He produces accounts of their six-month speculation, divides 2.4 million francs, and hands her 1,340,000 francs in notes, a bond, and a check, then offers loans if needed. Hurt by his detachment, she departs; Debray erases the entries and muses on lost prospects.
Upstairs, Mercedes and Albert endure stark poverty. To fund a fresh start, Albert calculates a frugal route to Marseilles, sells his watch and trinkets, and reveals 3,000 francs hidden in Marseilles. He further confesses he has enlisted as a substitute in the Spahis for 2,000 francs so Mercedes can live modestly while he seeks honor in Africa.
They agree to part: Mercedes will go to Marseilles, Albert will remain briefly to prepare for Algeria. On the stairs they encounter Debray; Albert pointedly declines help, revealing they will manage with a few thousand francs, which unsettles Debray.
The next day, Mercedes boards the diligence. Hidden in Lafitte’s bank, the Count of Monte Cristo watches her departure and, moved by their suffering, wonders how to restore the happiness his vengeance has taken.
Who Appears
- Lucien DebrayGovernment secretary; secretly meets Madame Danglars, divides speculative profits, advises her to vanish, and coldly ends their association.
- undefinedReceives Danglars’ accusatory farewell, collects 1,340,000 francs from Debray, and leaves, humiliated and abandoned.
- undefinedDignified yet impoverished, agrees to live in Marseilles while her son seeks his future; departs Paris by diligence.
- Albert de MorcerfCalculates travel costs, sells belongings, and enlists as a Spahi substitute to support Mercedes and reclaim honor.
- Baron DanglarsFlees Paris; his harsh letter blames his wife and severs their marriage, triggering the dissolution of her liaison.
- undefinedSecretly witnesses Mercedes’ departure from Lafitte’s bank and momentarily questions the righteousness of his vengeance.