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The Dappled Greys

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Brief overview

Monte Cristo buys the Danglars' dappled greys, returns them with diamonds, then stages a rescue to charm Paris.

  1. The horses were bought to be given backMonte Cristo paid about thirty thousand francs for horses Danglars sold for sixteen thousand, then returned them with diamonds in their rosettes.
  2. A domestic quarrel becomes leverageLeaving, the Count tells himself the domestic peace of the Danglars family is henceforth in his hands.
  3. The rescue was arranged in advanceThe Count questioned Ali about his lasso the day before and stationed him in the street, waiting anxiously as five o'clock approached.
Executive Summary AI
  • Danglars brings the Count of Monte Cristo into his wife's pink satin boudoir and presents him to the Baroness, boasting that the Count has come to live in Paris for a year and proposes to spend six millions.
  • The Baroness interrupts the visit to accuse her husband before her guests: of the ten horses in the Baron's stables, the two dappled greys are exclusively hers, and they were sold out of the stable without her knowledge just as she had promised Madame de Villefort the loan of her carriage for the Bois.
  • Danglars tells his wife privately that an enormous price was offered that morning by a steward sent to buy them at any cost, that he gained sixteen thousand francs, and that she may have four thousand of it and Eugénie two thousand — moments before Debray spots the same greys harnessed to the Count's carriage, bought for about thirty thousand francs.
  • Two hours after leaving, Monte Cristo writes Madame Danglars a flattering letter begging her to take back her favourite greys, and sends them home in the same harness with a large diamond fastened in the centre of each rosette.
  • The next day at Auteuil, Ali stops the runaway greys with his lasso, saving Madame Heloise de Villefort and her son Edward, whom the Count revives with a single drop of a blood-coloured elixir — and by that night the adventure is told at the jockey-club, in the minister's salons and in twenty lines of Beauchamp's journal.
Key Quote
“Come, don't look so angry.”
— Danglars
Key Quote
“My dappled greys!”
— The Baroness
Key Quote
“How very singular!”
— Monte Cristo

Transcript

0:00 CHAPTER XLVII.
0:24 THE DAPPLED GRAZE. Chapter 47. The Dappled Greys.
0:27 The Baron, followed by the Count, traversed a long series of apartments in which the prevailing
0:33 characteristics were heavy magnificence and the gaudiness of ostentatious wealth, until he reached
0:40 the boudoir of Madame Denglars, a small octagonal-shaped room, hung with pink satin, covered with white
0:48 Indian muslin. The chairs were of ancient workmanship and materials. Over the doors
0:54 were painted sketches of shepherds and shepherdesses, after the style and manner of Boucher, and
1:00 at each side pretty medallions and crayonsons harmonizing well with the furnishings of this charming apartment the only one throughout the great work of improvement solely because he was
1:26 the most fashionable and celebrated decorator of the day. The decorations of the boudoir had then
1:33 been left entirely to Madame d'Anglars and Lucien de Bray. Monsieur d'Anglars, however, while
1:39 possessing a great admiration for the antique, as it was understood during the time of the directory,
1:51 entertained the most sovereign contempt for the simple elegance of his wife's favourite sitting-room,
1:58 where, by the way, he was never permitted to intrude, unless, indeed, he excused his own appearance by ushering in some more agreeable visitor than himself. and even then he had rather the air and manner of a person
2:06 who was himself introduced than that of being the presenter of another, his reception being
2:13 cordial and frigid, in proportion as the person who accompanied him chanced to please or displease
2:20 the Baroness. Madame d'Anglars, who, although past the first bloom of youth was still strikingly handsome was now seated at the piano a most elaborate piece of cabinet and inlaid work while lucien de bray standing before a small count's arrival to relate many particulars respecting him to madame danglars it will be remembered that monte-cristo had made a lively impression on the minds of all the party assembled at. He had never been able to shake off the powerful
3:05 influence excited in his mind by the impressive look and manner of the Count. Consequently,
3:11 the description given by Lucien to the Baroness bore the highly coloured tinge of his own heated
3:17 imagination. Already excited by the wonderful stories related of the Count by de Morsurf,
3:23 it is no wonder that Madame Denglars
3:26 eagerly listened to, and fully credited, all the additional circumstances detailed by de Bray.
3:32 This posing at the piano and over the album was only a little ruse adopted by way of precaution.
3:39 A most gracious welcome and unusual smile were bestowed on Monsieur Denglars. The Count,
3:45 in return for
3:46 his gentlemanly bow, received a formal though graceful courtesy, while Lucienne exchanged
3:52 with the Count a sort of distant recognition, and with Danglars a free and easy nod.
3:58 "'Baroness,' said Danglars, "'give me leave to present to you the Count of Monte Cristo,
4:04 who has been most warmly recommended to me by my correspondents at rome i need but mention one fact to make all the ladies in paris court his notice and that is that he has come to take up his abode in paris for a year proposes to spend six millions of money. That means balls, dinners, and lawn-parties without end,
4:28 in all of which I trust the Count will remember us, as he may depend upon it we shall him,
4:33 in our own humble entertainments. In spite of the gross flattery and coarseness of this address,
4:41 Madame d'Anglars could not forbear gazing with considerable interest on a
4:46 man capable of expending six millions in twelve months, and who had selected Paris for the scene
4:53 of his princely extravagance. "'And when did you arrive here?' inquired she.
5:00 "'Yesterday morning, madam.' "'Coming as usual, I presume, from the extreme end of the globe pardon me at least such i have heard is your custom nay madam this time i have merely come from cadiz is a horrible place in the summer balls parties and fetes are over the italian opera is in london the french opera everywhere except at paris madam if i have the good fortune to find some one who will initiate me into the prevalent ideas of amusement are you fond of horses count
5:56 i have passed a considerable part of my life in the east madam and you are doubtless aware that the orientals value only two things, the fine breeding of their horses,
6:06 and the beauty of their women. Nay, count, said the Baroness, it would have been somewhat more
6:12 gallant to have placed the ladies first. You see, madam, how rightly I spoke when I said I required
6:19 a preceptor to guide me in all my sayings and doings here. At this instant the favourite attendant of
6:26 Madame d'Anglars entered the boudoir, approached her mistress, and spoke some words in an undertone.
6:32 Madame d'Anglars turned very pale, then exclaimed,

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