The Count of Monte Cristo, Part One. Александр Дюма
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Borgo Press Translations by Frank J. Morlock
Plays by Alexandre Dumas
Anthony
The Count of Monte Cristo, Part One: The Betrayal of Edmond Dantès
The Count of Monte Cristo, Part Two
The Count of Monte Cristo, Part Three
The Count of Monte Cristo, Part Four
The Last of the Three Musketeers; or, The Prisoner of the Bastille (#3)
The Three Musketeers—Twenty Years Later (#2)
Napoléon Bonaparte
Richard Darlington
The San Felice
The Three Musketeers (#1)
Urbain Grandier and the Devils of Loudon
The Whites and the Blues
Related Dramas:
The Son of Porthos the Musketeer, by Émile Blavet (#4)
COPYRIGHT INFO
Copyright © 2011 by Frank J. Morlock
Published by Wildside Press LLC
www.wildsidebooks.com
DEDICATION
To Conrad Cady—yet another project that would never have come to fruition without your encouragement and support.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Edmond Dantès
Danglars
Dantès, the elder
Morel
Penelon
Caderousse
Villefort
Noirtier, Villefort’s father
Fernand Mondego
Antoine, jailer
De Baville
The Governor
Bertuccio
A Policeman
Baptiste
Chief of Customs
A Sailor
Pamphile
Germain
Mercédès
La Carconte
Gringole
Renée de Saint-Méran, wife of Villefort
Madam Distel
Madame Morel
Maid
ACT I, SCENE 1
The bridge of the ship Pharaoh, the port of Marseille in the background.
EDMOND
Each to his post for the anchoring! Fine—it looks good to me.
PENELON
Tell me, Mr. Dantès, without being forced—
EDMOND
What is it, my good Penelon?
PENELON
Look who’s coming to us, down there in a punt—
EDMOND
Oh—oh—it’s Mr. Morel, our owner.
PENELON
The boss doesn’t lose any time! He’s coming with the Health Inspector.
EDMOND
Damn, you understand—it’s worth the trouble. I am sure that he wouldn’t miss his share in this voyage of 500,000 francs.
PENELON
Five hundred thousand francs! Plague! That’s a pretty figure.
GRINGOLE
I bet my share on the voyage won’t reach that figure, right, Master Penelon?
PENELON
Shut up, Gringole.
EDMOND
(command)
Start to haul in the top sails, the jib and the spanker—Act shipshape! What is it Gringole?
GRINGOLE
Lieutenant, the Health Officer.
HEALTH OFFICER
Ahoy, ship—where are you from?
EDMOND
From Smyrna, Naples, and the isle of Elba.
HEALTH OFFICER
Have you been in quarantine?
EDMOND
At Smyrna.
HEALTH OFFICER
Let’s see your papers.
EDMOND
Here they are.
(he hands them with tongs)
Good day, Mr. Morel, a visit shortly, right?
MOREL
Yes, yes, good day, my good friend.
HEALTH OFFICER
It’s fine—everything in order. You can go aboard, gentlemen of the customs.
MOREL
And I—?
HEALTH OFFICER
You, too, Mr. Morel. And be first. To the gentlemen, all honor.
MOREL
(coming aboard)
Good day, Edmond. Good day my friends. Where is Captain Leclere? But what’s wrong? The ship has an air of sadness which makes me uneasy?
EDMOND
Oh—we suffered a great misfortune, Mr. Morel.
MOREL
A great misfortune. You frighten me. What happened?
EDMOND
At Civita Vecchia we lost Captain Leclere.
MOREL
Our poor captain. And how did this misfortune occur, Edmond? Did he fall into the sea?
EDMOND
No, sir. After three days of horrible suffering, a brain fever carried him off.
MOREL
And how did this happen to him?
EDMOND
My God, sir, in the most unforeseen manner. After a long conversation with the Harbor Master, Captain Leclere left Naples in a state of great agitation. Within twenty-four hours, the fever took him—three days later, he was dead.
MOREL
Truly it’s strange.
EDMOND
This misfortune threw us in consternation. Death is terrible anywhere, yet more so, when one is lost in the immensity and tossed between the sea and the sky.
MOREL
You gave him a proper funeral?
EDMOND
Yes, Mr. Morel—he resides softly, wrapped in his hammock off the isle of Giglio with 36 cannon balls at his head and his feet. We bring back to his widow his cross and his sword. It was worthwhile to spend ten years fighting the English and make 3 voyages around the world—to die in his bed!
MOREL
What do you want my dear Edmond! It’s sad, I am well aware. But still, we are all