The Count of Monte Cristo

Monte Cristo visits Danglars, who tells him that Eugénie has left Paris accompanied by “a relative.” Monte Cristo then asks Danglars to advance him the 5,000,000 pounds remaining on Monte Cristo’s line of credit. Monte Cristo takes a number of checks, which total £5,000,000, from Danglars, sending Danglars into a panic, as the money is for the commissioner of hospitals.

When the commissioner arrives, Danglars persuades him to give him another day to pay. The commissioner mentions in passing that Mercédès and Albert have donated the entire Morcerf fortune to the hospitals. Danglars notes that his daughter Eugénie has left Paris to become a nun, hoping to find “some very severe convent in Italy or Spain” (442). As soon as the commissioner has left, Danglars gathers what cash he has on hand, destroys some of his papers, finds his passport, writes a letter to his wife, and prepares to flee.

Meanwhile, Monte Cristo joins the funeral procession, taking Valentine to be buried in the Père Lachaise cemetery. He sees Maximilien watching the ceremony from a distance. A conversation with Maximilien convinces Monte Cristo that the young man is contemplating suicide. He goes to the Morrel house and confronts Maximilien as he is writing a suicide note.