The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 61 summary

What happens

1. Monte Cristo visits the Montlhéry telegraph tower and discovers that its poorly paid operator cares passionately about gardening.
2. He offers twenty-five thousand francs for three false signals, enough to purchase a larger garden and provide an income.
3. The operator transmits the signals, which reach the Minister of the Interior, then faints after accepting the money.
4. Debray warns the baroness that Don Carlos has escaped, and Danglars sells his Spanish bonds at a substantial loss.
5. A newspaper correction restores bond prices, leaving Danglars worse off through both his losses and his missed gains.
6. Monte Cristo tells Morrel that his expensive discovery concerns protecting a gardener’s fruit from dormice.

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