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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

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