Chapter 12.

Noirtier arrives secretly at Villefort’s rooms, secures privacy, and greets his son with sardonic calm. He admits he is vice-president of a Bonapartist club on Rue Saint-Jacques. Villefort explains he rushed from Marseilles to save Noirtier after intercepting and burning a letter from Elba that could have condemned him.

They argue over General Quesnel’s death: Villefort calls it murder; Noirtier reduces it to political necessity and recounts Quesnel’s visit to the club and uneasy oath. They clash over Napoleon’s prospects: Villefort predicts defeat, while Noirtier forecasts a triumphant march through Grenoble, Lyons, and into Paris.

Villefort reveals the police have a description of the suspect who visited Quesnel—matching Noirtier. Unfazed, Noirtier changes his appearance by shaving his whiskers and swapping clothes and accessories with Villefort’s items, confident he will evade capture. He asks Villefort to remove incriminating objects.

Noirtier advises Villefort to keep silent at court, return quietly to Marseilles, and remain prudent, predicting that power may shift again. Noirtier departs coolly, passing men who might have been waiting for the original description.

Villefort hides or destroys the telltale items, settles his bill, and sets out at once. En route he learns Napoleon has entered Grenoble, confirming Noirtier’s forecast, and he reaches Marseilles shaken but driven by ambition and anxiety.