1. Do you think Dumas is introducing a side story from left field (brand new characters, no obvious connection to the main story) to make us feel as mystified by the count as the Parisians around him?

2. Why does the count toy with Major Cavalcanti, pressing him for documents and answers already in his possession?

3. Do colors seem to have particular significance in TCoMC? (E.g., the damask wall hanging in the previous chapter is specifically red; the room in which Andrea Cavalcanti waits in this chapter is specifically blue.)

Final sentence of chapter:

“At which, giving a delightful bow to the Luccan, enchanted, ecstatic, Monte Cristo disappeared behind the hangings.”

previous chapter discussion