Beauchamp visits Albert after their agreed-upon three weeks have passed, and reveals that he has spent these three weeks traveling out to Janina and back, to see whether there is any truth in the story touching on the reputation of his friend's family. Albert is anxious to hear the news, and Beauchamp breaks it as gently as he can, and as a friend: that it is in fact true that Fernand betrayed the Ali Pasha to the Turks for "two thousand purses" and took that money to buy his title in Paris and establish his initial fortune.
Beauchamp has done the work that is necessary to verify his information. He is a punctilious man, and not unlike the Count in this regard, although Beauchamp is motivated only by a desire for knowledge of the truth, and not for vengeance. Nevertheless, Beauchamp understands that this information will come as a great blow to Albert, who is proud of his father and his family name.
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Albert is dumbstruck at this news and does what he can to control himself as he thinks of a next step. Beauchamp implies that perhaps the Danglars family has been involved in this, hoping to discredit the marriage between Albert and Eugenie, and Albert does in fact relay that Eugenie and Andrea appear to be more or less officially engaged. Beauchamp suggests that the two go for a walk and check in on the Count, who is so good, Beauchamp says, at raising the spirits of those who are in need of help.
It is to Albert's credit that he does not immediately lose his temper at Beauchamp, despite the latter being the bearer of truly horrible news. Both Beauchamp and Albert seem inherently to trust the Count, whom they believe to be a wise and fair judge of all things. Thus Albert, perhaps without even acknowledging it, believes the Count to be his ally in this affair.

CHAP 82 SUMMARY

Monte Cristo does indeed go to Auteuil to try out some horses. There, however, Baptistin informs him that an anonymous letter has arrived saying that the Count's house in Paris is to be burgled that night. The Count wonders if this note isn't a trap designed to murder him instead. Despite this fear, he tells his servants he will be off in the woods, and goes to Paris straightaway that evening, meeting Ali at the door and then changing into the clothes of Abbe Busoni. Upstairs, he meets Caderousse, who with an accomplice waiting outside has tried his best to steal from his former "friend"—although he does not recognize the Count, but instead thinks it is the Abbe from ten years ago.
This is the first time have actually seen the Count transform into the Abbe Busoni. Previously, the novel has strongly implied that they are the same person, but it is with a certain coyness that the narrator shifts between the identities of the Count and the Abbe, as though leaving open the possibility that they might in fact be two separate people. Caderousse, of course, has met the Abbe before, receiving the diamond from him long ago at the inn, and the Count appears to be setting a particular kind of trap for the man he believes to be breaking into his home.

CHAP83 SUMMARY

While Ali goes out in search of a doctor, the Abbe Busoni tends to the mortally wounded Caderousse. Caderousse asks why the Abbe didn't tell him he could see his accomplice outside, lying in wait to kill him. The Abbe replies that he was waiting for the will of God to be done, and though Caderousse denies that there is anything like God in the world, the Abbe insists that there is, and that it was the Hand of God that resulted in Caderousse's murder. Caderousse then signs another paper, saying he has been hurt by Benedetto while attempting to burgle the Count, and Caderousse says that this Benedetto would indeed have come to murder the Count if given the opportunity.
The Count, disguised here as the Abbe, learns that both Caderousse and Benedetto (or Andrea) had only blood and spoils on their minds. The Abbe makes sure here, as Dantes/the Count has done throughout the novel, to acquire written proof of a statement, which he can then use against the assailant at a later time. This proof helps the Count to build the moral justification for his revenge, which, he believes, carries out the divine will for vengeance against the aggressor, Caderousse.

CHAPTER 81 THE ROOM OF THE RETIRED BAKER Andrea receives his monthly installment from his "father," via the Count, who is managing the income for him by drawing on Danglars' bank. Danglars is convinced that Andrea comes from not one but two rich families, maternal and paternal fortunes both, and so he is growing increasingly willing to marry Eugenie to Andrea. Although the Count appears to be in favor of this match for obscure reasons, he does not wish actually to broker it between Danglars and Andrea.
This is another important yet nearly unnoticeable feature of the Count's behavior during his revenge plot. He does not wish to be the active agent who causes the marriage between Danglars's daughter and Andrea. It's not immediately clear why this is, but as we have seen in the Count's behavior toward Mercedes, it must have something to do with his desire to appear as merely an observer rather than an agent in the vengeance that falls upon the plotters.

Andrea gets word back home that Caderousse has refused his monthly "stipend" of 200 francs. Andrea goes to visit him in his little hut, where he is living as a "retired baker." There, Caderousse says that he has known Danglars and Fernand for many years, although Andrea cannot believe this is true. He says that he wishes to leave Paris, and to do this he needs a nest egg. He asks Andrea to draw a plan of the Count's house for him, which he does—it seems Caderousse is resolved to rob the Count while the Count is at Auteuil. Before Andrea leaves, Caderousse also asks that his monthly allowance be raised to 500 francs, and Andrea grudgingly agrees.
Caderousse has turned from a passive participant in the villainy of others – as during the initial plot against Dantes – to an active plotter himself. He believes that the Count possesses enormous wealth, and he wants some of that wealth. He is willing to do anything he can to grab some of it, even if it means manipulating Andrea into being his accomplice. It seems that a life of crime suits Caderousse after all, and that in Paris he is willing to live out-and-out as a criminal.