In Chapter Seventy-Eight of The Count of Monte Cristo Albert shows Monte Cristo the following article from the newspaper:
A correspondent at Yanina informs us of a fact of which until now we had remained in ignorance. The castle which formed the protection of the town was given up to the Turks by a French officer named Fernand, in whom the grand vizier, Ali Tepelini, had reposed the greatest confidence.
Albert is offended by this because he thinks it is a reference to his father. As he tells Monte Cristo:
"It signifies to my father, the Count of Morcerf, whose Christian name is Fernand!"
Monte Cristo tries to convince Albert that no one will make the connection:
"Now, just tell me who the devil should know in France that the officer Fernand and the Count of Morcerf are one and the same person? and who cares now about Yanina, which was taken as long ago as the year 1822 or 1823?"
Yet Albert is unconvinced, and he goes to demand that Beauchamp issue a retraction of the article. At one point in the conversation Beauchamp says:
Do you insist on this retractation so far as to kill me if I do not make it, although I have repeated more than once, and affirmed on my honor, that I was ignorant of the thing with which you charge me, and although I still declare that it is impossible for anyone but you to recognize the Count of Morcerf under the name of Fernand?”
To me this seems to be essentially the same argument given by Monte Cristo – while Albert's father the Count of Morcerf is indeed named Fernand, that is not enough to make people think that the Fernand spoken of in the newspaper is in fact Albert's father.
However, in the edition containing notes by Keith Wren of Kent University, the following note appears on the last sentence above:
Fernand clearly incorrect: Dumas means Albert
I am having trouble understanding this. The sentence seems to make perfect sense using the name Fernand, as Beauchamp is saying that no one will recognize the Count of Morcerf under the name of Fernand (despite Fernand being his actual given name). To replace Fernand with Albert would seem to make no sense – Beauchamp would be saying that no one would recognize the Count of Morcerf under the name Albert, which has nothing to do with what was written in the newspaper.
Am I missing something here, or is this note just wrong?