Welcome back, everyone to 1001 Stories for the Road, where we continue the exciting story of the Count of Mardi Cristo by Alexandra Dumas.

Just to remind you, in the last chapter, chapter 54, the Count had taken Haiti to the opera,

dressed out to the nines in diamonds, but the evening did not end well for her.

When the Count had left the box during one of the breaks, he went to the box of some other people,

and one of those persons was Fernand Mondego, the main antagonist in this entire story in the Count of

Monte Cristo, because it was he who had stolen Mercedes and he, as we find out, who

sabotaged Hades' father while he was in his employ, giving him away to his enemies and stealing

his riches, a bad, bad character, and the one toward which, all the mayhem that the

count is creating, is directed. So Fernand Mondego, also known as Fernand Morsef, is the ultimate

target. Today, Chapter 55, Major Cavalcante. Both the Count and Baptistein had told the truth when they announced to Morseur the proposed visit of the Major, which had served Monte Cristo as a pretext for declining Albert's invitation.

Seven o'clock had just struck, and Monsieur Bertuccio, according to the command which had been given him, had two hours before left for Oteal, when a cab stopped at the door, and after depositing its occupant at the gate, immediately hurried away as if ashamed of its employment.

The visitor was about 52 years of age, dressed in one of the green shirtouts, ornamented with black frogs,

which have so long maintained their popularity all over Europe.

He wore trousers of blue cloth, boots tolerably clean, but not of the brightest polish,

and a little too thick in the soles, buckskin gloves, a hat somewhat resembling in shape

those usually worn by the gendarmes, and a black cravat striped with white which if the proprietor had not worn it of his own free will might have passed for a halter so much did it resemble one

such was the picturesque costume of the person who rang at the gate and demanded if it was not at number

30 in the avenue to Champ de Lisztay that the Count of Monte Cristo lived, and who,

being answered by the porter in the affirmative, entered, closed the gate after him, and began to

ascend the steps. The small and angular head of this man, his white hair and thick gray

mustaches,

"'caused him to be easily recognized by Baptistean,

...