The next-to-last sentence of "The Cask of Amontillado" ("For the half of a century no mortal has disturbed them") is an example of denouement, but...

The next-to-last sentence of Edgar Allan Poe's
classic "The Cask of Amontillado" does indeed serve as the denouement (the resolution)
of the short story.

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For the half of a century no mortal has disturbed
them.

The simple line sums up
Montresor's act of revenge against Fortunato, revealing that the murder that Montresor
committed had been a perfect crime: Fortunato's body was never found, and Montresor was
never punished for his act. These were two of Montresor's goals as stated early in the
story, that

I
must not only punish but punish with impunity. A wrong is unredressed when retribution
overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make
himself felt as such to him who has done the
wrong.

Montresor's careful
planning succeeded in luring Fortunato into a final resting place in which his body
would never be discovered. Montresor's revenge was complete. The line in question shows
that 50 years have passed and that Montresor must now be an old man, perhaps confessing
his sin to a priest or close family member.