The Count of Monte Cristo, Part Three. 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 Resurrection of Edmond Dantès
The Count of Monte Cristo, Part Three: The Rise of Monte Cristo
The Count of Monte Cristo, Part Four: The Revenge of Monte Cristo
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—
Yet another project that would never have come to fruition without your encouragement and support.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Edmond Dantès, The Count of Monte Cristo
Fernand, Comte de Morcerf
Albert
Beauchamp
Danglars
Lucien Debray
Bertuccio
The President
Châteaubrun
Frantz
A door lady
Baptistin
Ali
Germain
An usher
Haidée
Mercédès
Madame Danglars
Madame de Valgeneuse
ACT I, SCENE 1
A young man’s room in the Morcerf residence, arms, pipes, canes. A portrait of Mercédès in her Catalan costume. A portrait of the Count dressed as a Palikar.
(Albert de Morcerf in a Turkish robe lying on a sofa. A little groom lights his long Turkish pipe, Germain enters, carrying letters and newspapers on a plate of porcelain.)
ALBERT
What’s this, Germain?
GERMAIN
The letters and the newspapers, Monsieur le Vicomte.
ALBERT
Have a look.
(taking two letters)
How were these two letters delivered?
GERMAIN
One by the post, the other by Madame Danglars’ valet de chambre.
ALBERT
Tell Madame Danglars that I accept the place that she’s so kind as to offer me in her box—then you can go to Rosa’s yourself. Tell her I will dine with her after leaving the Opera—and that I’ll probably bring a friend with me. You will take her six assorted bottles of wine: Cypress, Sherry, Malaga, and a barrel of oysters from Ostend. Take the oysters to Philippe’s and say they’re for me.
GERMAIN
Monsieur le Vicomte has ordered lunch for this morning?
ALBERT
Yes.
GERMAIN
For what time?
ALBERT
For 10:30.
GERMAIN
How many places?
ALBERT
Six or seven—put on two more rather than two less. By the way, go to Madame, the Countess, and tell her that it is likely that this morning I will have the honor of presenting the Count of Monte Cristo to her. But it seems to me, someone’s there. Go see.
DEBRAY
Can I come in?
ALBERT
What! You Debray, you that I never expect till the last? Do you know you frighten me with your punctuality? Why do I say punctuality? You arrive at 9:55 when the meeting was for 10:30. It’s miraculous! The ministry was overthrown, perhaps?
DEBRAY
My very dear friend, relax. We always totter but we never fall. I spent the night expediting some letters, twenty-five diplomatic dispatches. I went home this morning. I wanted to sleep, but a headache took me when I was relieving myself by riding horseback for an hour. At Boulogne, boredom and hunger swept over me, then I remembered there was a party at your place this morning and here I am. I am hungry—feed me; I am bored; amuse me.
ALBERT
It’s my duty as Amphitryon, dear friend. Germain—a glass of sherry and a bun! While waiting, my dear friend, here are some contraband cigars I invite you to taste them and to challenge your minister to sell us the like.
DEBRAY
This does not concern my minister. Address your complaint to the Revenue Office. Rue de Rivoli, section of indirect imposts. Consider A # 26.
ALBERT
Truly, my dear Lucien, you astonish me by the extent of your acquaintances, but have a cigar.
(The groom presents Lucien with a red candle burning in a little vermillion candle-holder.)
DEBRAY
(lighting a cigar and stretching on the divan)
Ah, dear Vicomte, may you be happy in having nothing to do. In truth, you don’t know your luck.
ALBERT
Eh, what will you be doing then my dear fellow, if you are not doing anything? How’s that? Private secretary to the ministry, thrown into the great European cable and into the petty intrigues of Paris, having kings and better still queens to protect, partners to reunite, elections to control, doing more from your office and with your pen and your telegraph, than Napoleon did with his battlefield, with his sword and his victims—possessing 25,000 pounds of income, outside your official salary, a horse that Châteaubrun has offered you four hundred crowns for, and which you didn’t want to give him, a tailor that never fails you; having the Opera, the Varieties and the Jockey Club—you find nothing in all that to distract you? Then I will try to.
DEBRAY
How’s that?
ALBERT
(rising)
In making you meet a new acquaintance.
DEBRAY
A man or a woman?
ALBERT
A man.
DEBRAY
The devil. I know enough of them already.
ALBERT
But you don’t know the one of whom I am speaking.
DEBRAY
Where’s he come