Fortunato had hurt me a thousand times and i had suffered quietly. But then i learned that he had laughed at my proud name, montresor, the name of an old and honored family. i promised myself that i would make him pay for this - that i would have revenge. you must not suppose, however, that i spoke of this to anyone. i would make him pay,yes; but i would act only with the greatest care. i must not suffer as a result of taking my revenge. A wrong is not made right in that manner. And also the wrong would not be made right unless Fortunato knew that he was paying and knew who was forcing him to pay.
i gave Fortunato no cause to doubt me. I continued to smile in his face, and he did not understand that i was now smiling at the thought of what I planned for him, at the thought of my revenge.
Fortunato was a strong man, a man to be feared. But he had one great weakness: he liked to drink good wine, and indeed he drank much of it. So he knew a lot about fine wines, and proudly believed that he was a trained judge of them. I, too, knew old wines well, and I bought the best I could find. And wine, i thought, wine would give me me revenge