3 Arrest

Chapter 3 Arrest! The following night, at the same taver where Fernand and Danglars wrote their letter, excited guests gathered for Edmond and Mercedes' wedding feast. Edmond wore his best suit and his biggest smile, while Mercedes' eyes sparkled with joy. Everyone agreed that they had never seen such a happy couple. The tavern rang so loudly with laughter that no one heard the miserable moan from the back of the room.

Fernand sat with his head hung in despair. "I cannot bear to watch," he told Danglars. "You said that our letter would solve everything. But still Mercedes is about to be married." "Have faith," Danglars said. "I think I hear our plan working now..." Just then, five soldiers marched into the tavern, armed with rifles. Their captain stormed up to Edmond. "Edmond Dantes?" he said. "I arrest you in the name of the law."

Mercedes reached to hold Edmond back, but the young sailor simply smiled and stepped forward. "You must be mistaken," he said. "I have never committed a crime in my life." The captain waggled a sheet of paper in Edmond's face. "This letter says otherwise." "Dear sir, it is my duty to inform you that Edmond Dantes, mate of the ship Pharon, recently docked at the island of Elba carrying a letter for the traitor Napoleon Bonaparte." "Who wrote this?" Edmond asked. "Do you deny that it is true?" "I do not, but—" "Then you must come with us." Before Edmond could reply, the soldiers grabbed his arm and yanked him away. As they dragged him from the room, he saw the startled faces on all of his guests- except for two. Fernand and Danglars were smiling.

Dark clouds gathered over the docks as the soldiers marched Edmond from the tavern. One of the men thrust him into a boat and the others climbed in beside him. They began rowing from the dock. "Please," Edmond begged, "where are you taking me?" "See for yourself," one of the men grunted. And then Edmond did. They were headed for a craggy island beyond the bay, from which a stone fortress rose to the soot-black sky. That fortress was Chateau D'If, a grim prison for traitors.

Suddenly, Edmond flung himself across the boat. But before he could escape over the side, one of the guards clubbed him on the head with his rifle. Edmond slumped to the watery deck. He lay groaning, too dazed to fight, as the boat bashed against another dock. The guards lifted him from the deck and up some stone steps. Lightning blazed across the sky. Chateau D'If loomed over Edmond in ghastly silhouette. Thunder roared around the old prison's crumbling walls.

Edmond was hurled into a dingy cell. One of the guards leaned over him, his face ghostly white in the glare of his lantern. "Welcome to your new home," he said. The door slammed shut. Edmond was left alone in the dark.