The Countdown of Monte Cristo

The Calm Before the Fifth of September (The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 30 – Part 3)

As Morrel leaves Captain Gaumard, he encounters Penelon on the stairs — newly dressed, awkward, and clearly uneasy. The sailor can barely meet his former employer’s eyes. Morrel assumes the reason is simple: Penelon must have found work aboard another vessel and feels guilty for moving on. Morrel blesses him silently as he departs, wishing the crew the good fortune he himself has lacked.
August brings relentless labor for Morrel, who exhausts every avenue to restore or renew his credit. On August 20th he disappears from Marseilles by mail coach, triggering rumors that he has abandoned his business entirely and left Emmanuel and Cocles to face the ruin he can no longer delay. Predictably, the prophets of misfortune insist that the inevitable collapse will arrive at the end of the month.
Yet when August 31st arrives, the house of Morrel & Son opens like any other business day. Cocles, calm and methodical as ever, takes his place at the counter and pays every bill presented to him — without hesitation, without difficulty. Even the drafts Morrel had been anxiously awaiting come in precisely as expected and are honored in full.
The commercial world of Marseilles reels. Morrel’s survival contradicts every prediction, yet the pessimists merely push the date of his downfall forward. If ruin did not come in August, they say, it will surely come at the end of September.
 
The clock continues its march toward the Fifth.
 
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The Countdown of Monte Cristo — a daily, unabridged reading of Dumas, one page per day.

A Reprieve Without Rescue (The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 30 – Part 2)

Despite universal expectations of collapse, Morrel astonishingly meets all his obligations at the end of the month. Commercial Marseilles is stunned — but not convinced. Most believe that this sudden solvency is temporary, that the real ruin has merely been delayed until the end of the next cycle. Confidence, once lost, is not so easily reclaimed.
Through July, Morrel fights desperately to assemble every franc he can. His credit, once impeccable, now evaporates: banks refuse his paper even at short terms, and the reputation that once made his name sought-after now works against him. Fortunately, he still has a few incoming payments he can rely on, and by marshalling these with painstaking care, he manages — just barely — to meet his next round of obligations.
Meanwhile, the mysterious agent of Thomson & French vanishes from Marseilles without further contact. He leaves no footprint except in the memories of the mayor, the prison inspector, and Morrel himself. Likewise, the sailors of the Pharaon disappear into new positions elsewhere, their loyalty to their ruined employer expressed only in their final refusal of wages.
Captain Gaumard, now recovered, returns from Palma. He avoids Morrel at first, ashamed to face the man whose ship was lost under his command. But Morrel seeks him out, offering consolation rather than blame. He thanks the captain for his courage during the storm and presses into his hands the wages Gaumard had not dared to request. In this mutual exchange of dignity and sorrow, both men carry the weight of the Pharaon’s loss in different ways.
 
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A Reprieve That Isn’t Enough (The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 30 – Part 1)

The unexpected extension granted by the representative of Thomson & French transforms the Morrel household overnight. What had felt like the final blow now appears as a gift from Providence, and for the first time in months, hope softens the family’s despair. Morrel shares the news with his wife, his daughter Julie, and Emmanuel, and all begin to breathe again.
But beneath that fragile relief lies a cruel truth: Morrel’s debts extend far beyond the considerate grace shown by Thomson & French. Other creditors — less patient, less farsighted — continue to press him. The bills they present arrive with mechanical precision, and thanks to the extension he has been granted, Cocles pays them with the same exacting punctuality as always. The loyal cashier remains tranquil, convinced the business still stands.
Only Morrel understands the math of his downfall. Even with the three-month grace period, the debts looming on the 15th and 30th — 50,000 francs to M. de Boville and 32,500 francs to other firms — will destroy him if the funds cannot be found. The reprieve has bought time, not salvation, and the closer the Fifth of September draws, the more Morrel feels doom tightening around him.
 
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The Countdown of Monte Cristo is a daily podcast reading one page a day from Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel — every day, for four years. Whether you’re starting from the beginning or joining mid-journey, each episode brings you deeper into the story.

The Promise and the Pseudonym (The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 29 – Part 14)

With solemn precision, the Englishman renews M. Morrel’s bills, extending the deadline for payment until September 5th. The merchant, though grateful beyond words, mutters under his breath that he will either repay the debt or die trying. His reprieve is measured not in hope but in time — three months to rebuild what fate has destroyed.
The Englishman accepts Morrel’s gratitude with the calm reserve of his assumed nationality, then allows himself to be escorted to the door. On the staircase, he encounters Julie, who has been waiting anxiously. She stops him, desperate to express her thanks. But instead of accepting her words, the stranger gives her a cryptic instruction: one day she will receive a letter signed Sinbad the Sailor, and she must follow its instructions exactly, no matter how strange they seem. Julie, trembling with trust and confusion, swears that she will obey.
Before leaving, the stranger adds one final, tender prophecy — that Heaven will reward her goodness by giving her Emmanuel for a husband. Blushing, she can only whisper his name as he departs.
 
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The Countdown of Monte Cristo is a daily podcast reading one page at a time from Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel — every day, for four years. Whether you’re starting from the beginning or joining mid-journey, each episode brings you deeper into the story of The Count of Monte Cristo.

The Stranger’s Mercy (The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 29 – Part 13)

Exhausted by grief and gratitude, M. Morrel dismisses his loyal sailors, unable to bear their devotion any longer. He promises they will meet again in better days, though the words ring hollow. Emmanuel escorts the men out, leaving the merchant alone with the Englishman from Thomson & French — the quiet observer who has watched the collapse of a man’s fortunes without a word.
Morrel’s wife and daughter withdraw as well, though Julie pauses to give the stranger a pleading glance. To her surprise, he answers with a faint, compassionate smile — a warmth momentarily breaking through his otherwise severe composure.
When the two men are alone, Morrel resigns himself to ruin. Yet instead of delivering the final demand, the Englishman offers an unexpected kindness. He acknowledges the debt owed to his firm but grants Morrel additional time — more than the merchant dared hope for. What began as an act of accounting turns into an act of grace: three months’ reprieve, freely given.
For the first time in weeks, Morrel feels the fragile return of hope. His honor, for now, has been spared.
 
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Join us daily as we read The Count of Monte Cristo one page at a time — unabridged, immersive, and spoiler-free.
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The Countdown of Monte Cristo is a daily podcast reading one page at a time from Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel — every day, for four years. Whether you’re starting from the beginning or joining mid-journey, each episode brings you deeper into the story of The Count of Monte Cristo.

The Loyalty of the Lost Crew (The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 29 – Part 12)

In the wake of his ruin, M. Morrel meets despair with dignity. Accepting the loss of the Pharaon as the will of God, he turns to his rescued sailors to settle their wages — the last act of a man determined to remain honorable even in bankruptcy. Though he insists on paying each of them two hundred francs for their service, his voice falters as he admits that what little remains in his coffers no longer belongs to him.
The sailors, moved by his honesty, refuse to take what they are owed. Penelon, speaking for them all, says they will accept only a fraction now and wait for the rest — if it ever comes. When Morrel releases them from service, telling them they are free to find other work, they react not with relief but heartbreak. 
But Morrel, with quiet sorrow, explains that he has no money to build again. At that, the old sailor replies simply that they will not be paid at all.
 
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Join us daily as we read The Count of Monte Cristo one page at a time — unabridged, immersive, and spoiler-free.
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The Countdown of Monte Cristo is a daily podcast reading one page at a time from Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel — every day, for four years. Whether you’re starting from the beginning or joining mid-journey, each episode brings you deeper into the story of The Count of Monte Cristo.

The End of the Pharaon (The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 29 – Part 11)

Penelon’s voice softens as he reaches the end of his tale. The gale had passed, the sea calmed, but the Pharaon was doomed — water creeping up inch by inch, the slow arithmetic of disaster.
Captain Gaumard, resolute to the last, gave the final order: abandon ship. The sailors obeyed reluctantly, torn between loyalty and survival. When the captain refused to leave, Penelon wrapped his arms around him and hurled him bodily into the lifeboat — just as the deck gave way with a thunderous crack. Moments later, the Pharaon spun, pitched, and vanished beneath the sea.
For three days the survivors drifted, starving, half-mad, ready to draw lots for their lives — until La Gironde appeared on the horizon like salvation. They were hauled aboard, half-dead but alive, their ship gone forever.
 
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The Countdown of Monte Cristo is a daily podcast reading one page at a time from Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel — every day, for four years. Whether you’re starting from the beginning or joining mid-journey, each episode brings you deeper into the story of The Count of Monte Cristo.

The Storm and the Captain’s Defiance (The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 29 – Part 10)

The old seaman continues: they had done more than reef the topsails — they had run before the tempest, stripped bare, and fought through twelve hours of fury before the Pharaon sprung a leak. Down in the hold, the water rose faster than the pumps could fight it. “Since we are sinking,” Penelon had cried, “let us sink!” But Captain Gaumard, defiant to the last, emerged with pistols in hand. “I’ll blow out the brains of the first man who leaves the pump!”
The Englishman leans forward slightly, his voice cool and approving. “Well done,” he says. And in those two words lies something fierce — the recognition of courage, endurance, and a command he understands all too well.
 
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The Countdown of Monte Cristo is a daily podcast reading one page at a time from Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel — every day, for four years. Whether you’re starting from the beginning or joining mid-journey, each episode brings you deeper into the story of The Count of Monte Cristo.

The Tempest (The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 29 – Part 9)

The old sailor, Penelon, shifts his tobacco and begins his tale — rough, vivid, and steady as the sea itself.
Even now, the room seems to tighten with his words. The sailors nod; they remember. The storm had come fast — a wall of black rolling across the horizon, the wind rising like cannon fire. Orders flew: take in the studding-sails, stow the flying jib, lower the mainsail. Within minutes, the Pharaon was straining under a sky turned violent.
But the captain knew his work, and the crew obeyed, reefing sails and bracing for the storm. The memory fills the silent room — thunder in the walls, salt in the air — as the Pharaon’s last voyage comes to life once more.
 
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Catching up? Explore every chapter, character, and twist on our website: countdownofmontecristo.com
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The Countdown of Monte Cristo is a daily podcast reading one page at a time from Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel — every day, for four years. Whether you’re starting from the beginning or joining mid-journey, each episode brings you deeper into the story of The Count of Monte Cristo.

The Loss of the Pharaon (The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 29 – Part 8)

Julie’s trembling voice confirms what her father already fears — the Pharaon is gone. Morrel’s face collapses under the weight of the words.
Moments later, the room fills with sorrow and salt air. Madame Morrel enters weeping; Emmanuel follows; and behind them stand the Pharaon’s sailors, rough and sunburned, their faces lined with fatigue and loss. The Englishman, startled by their sudden presence, retreats into the shadows of the room.
At Morrel’s bidding, the old sailor Penelon steps forward — a man bronzed by years of sun and sea, his hat crushed in his hands, his manner humble yet familiar. 
The old merchant nods, his voice soft but steady. “Then tell me everything, Penelon.”
 
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Catching up? Explore every chapter, character, and twist on our website: countdownofmontecristo.com
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The Countdown of Monte Cristo is a daily podcast reading one page at a time from Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel — every day, for four years. Whether you’re starting from the beginning or joining mid-journey, each episode brings you deeper into the story of The Count of Monte Cristo.