The House at Auteuil — The Count of Monte Cristo

Bertuccio drives the Count to Auteuil in the evening, and fear grows with every mile. He crosses himself like a Corsican and mutters a prayer. When the Count orders the coachman to stop at Rue de la Fontaine, number 28, Bertuccio's face is soaked with sweat.

The concierge says the house belonged to the Marquis de Saint-Méran. He explains that the marquis's daughter married Monsieur de Villefort, the king's attorney. Bertuccio turns even paler. The Count tours the rooms by lantern light. In the garden Bertuccio stops at a plane-tree and refuses to go one step farther. He cries that a man was killed and buried on that very spot.

The Count does not comfort him. He threatens to fire Bertuccio and even send him to an asylum if he will not explain. He mentions Abbé Busoni and the confession Bertuccio once made in prison at Nîmes. At last Bertuccio breaks down and names Villefort, the respected magistrate, as a villain hiding behind a spotless name.

The Count sits on a garden bench and hums an opera tune. He tells Bertuccio to tell the whole story from the beginning. The steward stands before him, gathering his courage, while night closes over the house where the crime took place.