1. In a way that was another chapter that could have appeared in any story: a husband and wife discuss her affair. I thought it fascinating to see the dynamic between them and find it strange how open they are about the affair. It also means Debray might be an innocent victim of the count’s revenge because he might not be able to pay the money.

1. Danglars is sure that the false message on the telegraph was meant to hurt him specifically, which is really amazing. It makes him seem paranoid, except of course that he’s right. So instead it makes him a more cunning target for the count.

2. I just love that he throws the dog across the room. It reminded me of an expression in screenwriting that to establish someone is a bad guy in the first five pages of a screenplay you need to have them (metaphorically) kick a cat. It made me smile to see Dumas use the same tactic, literally, on a character we already know is evil.

Last line:

He opened the bedroom door without a further word and went back to his own apartments, so that Mme Danglars, recovering from her half-unconscious state, might even have thought she had suffered a nightmare.

Link for last discussion.

The next discussion will be up on Monday