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Summer Ball and Secrets

17:07 recording · EN · 3 speakers

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Brief overview

Albert begs off marrying Eugenie Danglars and invites the unreadable Count Monte Cristo to his mother's summer ball.

  1. Albert wants out of the Danglars matchHe calls Eugenie a charming mistress but an awful wife, and would pay a hundred thousand francs to be free.
  2. Monte Cristo says Danglars wants out too"Monsieur Dunglaw would give double that sum to attain the same end," the Count tells him, hinting Danglars is enchanted with another suitor.
  3. The Count accepts only for the CountessHe refuses invitations and declines to present Cavalcanti, but yields the moment Albert says his mother begs him to come.
Executive Summary AI
  • A reading of Chapter 68, "A Summer Ball", from The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandra Dumas, recorded in Ontario, September 2006.
  • Madame de Morcef returns to No. 27, Rue de Helder after four days at Trepour, and Albert drives straight to Monte Cristo's house on the Champs-Élysées, where the Count's friendly smile still leaves an impassable barrier.
  • Albert learns that M. d'Anglard dined at the Count's with the Cavalcantis, the Vifours, Monsieur de Bray, Maximilien Morel and Monsieur de Chateau-Renaud, and that nobody said a word about him.
  • Albert declares Mlle. d'Anglard would make a charming mistress but an awful wife, says he wants the sort of wife his father found, and admits he would give a hundred thousand francs to break the engagement; Monte Cristo answers that Danglars would give double.
  • Albert secures the Count's promise to come to Saturday's ball at his mother's request, and once he has gone Bertuccio reports that she spent an hour and a half at the Palais, after which the Count sends him to Normandy that same evening.
Key Quote
“In a word, Mlle. d'Anglard would make a charming mistress, but a wife? Diable!”
— Albert
Key Quote
“You are difficult to please, Viscount.”
— Monte Cristo
Key Quote
“I love everyone as God commands us to love our neighbor, as Christians, but I thoroughly hate but a few.”
— Monte Cristo

Transcript

0:00 THE COUNT OF MONTECRISTO Ontario, September 2006. The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandra Dumas. Chapter 68. A Summer Ball.
0:36 The same day, during the interview between Madame d'Angla and the procurer, a travelling carriage entered the Rue de Helder, passed through the gateway
0:47 of No. 27, and stopped in the yard. In a moment the door was opened, and Madame de Morcef alighted,
0:56 leaning on her son's arm. Albert soon left her, ordered his horses, and having arranged his toilette, drove to the Champs-Élysées,
1:07 to the house of Monte Cristo. The Count received him with his habitual smile. It was a strange
1:15 thing that no one ever appeared to advance a step in that man's favor. Those who would,
1:22 as it were, force a passage to his heart, found an impassable barrier.
1:29 Morcef, who ran towards him with open arms, was chilled as he drew near, in spite of the friendly smile, and simply held out his hand.
1:41 Monte Cristo shook it coldly, according to his invariable practice here i am dear count welcome home again i arrived an hour since from dieppe no from trepour indeed see you. That is extremely kind of you, said Monte Cristo, with a tone of perfect indifference.
2:09 And what is the news? You should not ask a stranger, a foreigner, for news. I know it,
2:16 but in asking for news, I mean, have you done anything for me? Had you commissioned me said monte cristo feigning uneasiness come come said albert do not assume so much indifference it is said sympathy travels rapidly and when at trepore i felt the electric shock you have either been working for me or thinking of me. Possibly, said Monte Cristo. I have indeed thought of you, but the magnetic wire
2:49 I was guiding acted, indeed, without my knowledge. Indeed? Pray, tell me how it happened.
2:57 Willingly. M. d'Angla dined with me. I know it. To avoid meeting him, my mother and I left town. But he met here
3:08 M. Andrea Cavalcanti. Your Italian prince? Not so fast. M. Andrea only calls himself
3:17 count. Calls himself, do you say? Yes, calls himself. Is he not a count? What can I know of him? He calls himself so.
3:29 I, of course, give him the same title, and everyone else does likewise.
3:35 What a strange man you are! What next? You say M. d'Anglard dined here?
3:41 Yes, with Count Cavalcanti, the Marquis, his father, Madame d'Anglard, Monsieur and Madame
3:49 de Vifour, charming people, Monsieur de Bray, Maximilien Morel, and Monsieur de Chateau-Renaud.
3:58 Did they speak of me? Not a word. So much the worse. Why so? I thought you wished them to forget you. If they did not speak
4:08 of me, I am sure they thought about me, and I am in despair. How will that affect you, since
4:15 Mlle. d'Angla was not among the number here who thought of you? Truly she might have thought of
4:21 you at home. I have no fear of that, or, if she did, it was only in the same way in which I think
4:28 of her.'
4:29 "'Touching sympathy. So you hate each other?' said the Count.
4:34 "'Listen,' said Morcef, "'if Mlle. d'Anglard were disposed to take pity on my supposed
4:40 martyrdom on her account, and would dispense with all matrimonial formalities between our
4:46 two families, I am ready to agree to the arrangement. In a word, Mlle. d'Anglard would make a charming
4:54 mistress, but a wife? Diable!
4:58 And this, said Monte Cristo, is your opinion of your intended spouse? Yes. It is rather unkind, I acknowledge, but it is true.
5:10 But as this dream cannot be realized, since Mlle. d'Angla must become my lawful wife,
5:16 live perpetually with me, sing to me, compose verses and music within ten paces of me,
5:23 and that for my whole life it frightens me. One may forsake
5:28 a mistress, but a wife? Good heavens! There she must always be, and to marry Mlle. d'Anglard
5:36 would be awful. You are difficult to please, Viscount. Yes, for I often wish for what is impossible. What is that? To find such a wife
5:49 as my father found. Monte Cristo turned pale and looked at Albert, while playing with some
5:57 magnificent pistols. Your father was fortunate, then, said he "'You know my opinion of my mother, Count. "'Look at her, still beautiful, witty, more charming than ever.
6:10 "'For any other son to have stayed with his mother for four days at Trepour,
6:15 "'it would have been a condescension, or a martyrdom,
6:19 "'while I return more contented, more peaceful,

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