"Gentlemen," the Count of Monte Cristo said as he walked into the room, "please forgive me for arriving before you could visit me. I didn't want to disturb you too early at your hotel, and besides, you said you'd come to see me anyway. I've been waiting for you."
"Count, Franz and I can't thank you enough," Albert replied with a warm smile. "You saved us from a real mess. We were about to come up with some ridiculous plan when your invitation arrived."
"Really?" the count said, gesturing for the two young men to sit down. "That fool Pastrini should have told me about your problem sooner. He didn't say a word about your situation, even though he knows I'm always looking to meet new people here. I'm pretty isolated, you know. The moment I heard I could help, I jumped at the chance."
