The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (best book club books .TXT) 📕

eaten, my head dropped on my hands, and I fell asleep about three o’clock in the afternoon.

“I awoke as the clock was striking six. I raised my head; I was in utter darkness. I rang for a light, but, as no one came, I determined to find one for myself. It was indeed but anticipating the simple manners which I should soon be under the necessity of adopting. I took a wax-candle in one hand, and with the other groped about for a piece of paper (my matchbox being empty), with which I proposed to get a light from the small flame still playing on the embers. Fearing, however, to make use of any valuable piece of paper, I hesitated for a moment, then recollected that I had seen in the famous breviary, which was on the table beside me, an old paper quite yellow with age, and which had served as a marker for centuries, kept there by the request of the heirs. I felt for it, found it, twisted it up together, and putting it into the expiring flame, set light to it.

“But beneath my fingers, as if by magic, in proportion as the fire ascended, I saw yellowish characters appear on the paper. I grasped it in my hand, put out the flame as quickly as I could, lighted my taper in the fire itself, and opened the crumpled paper with inexpressible emotion, recognizing, when I had done so, that these characters had been traced in mysterious and sympathetic ink, only appearing when exposed to the fire; nearly one-third of the paper had been consumed by the flame. It was that paper you read this morning; read it again, Dantès, and then I will complete for you the incomplete words and unconnected sense.”

Faria, with an air of triumph, offered the paper to Dantès, who this time read the following words, traced with an ink of a reddish color resembling rust:

This 25th day of April, 1498, be⁠ ⁠…

Alexander VI, and fearing that not⁠ ⁠…

he may desire to become my heir, and re⁠ ⁠…

and Bentivoglio, who were poisoned,⁠ ⁠…

my sole heir, that I have bu⁠ ⁠…

and has visited with me, that is, in⁠ ⁠…

Island of Monte Cristo, all I poss⁠ ⁠…

jewels, diamonds, gems; that I alone⁠ ⁠…

may amount to nearly two mil⁠ ⁠…

will find on raising the twentieth ro⁠ ⁠…

creek to the east in a right line. Two open⁠ ⁠…

in these caves; the treasure is in the furthest a⁠ ⁠…

which treasure I bequeath and leave en⁠ ⁠…

as my sole heir.

25th April, 1498.

Caes⁠ ⁠…

“And now,” said the abbé, “read this other paper”; and he presented to Dantès a second leaf with fragments of lines written on it, which Edmond read as follows:

… ing invited to dine by his Holiness

… content with making me pay for my hat,

… serves for me the fate of Cardinals Caprara

… I declare to my nephew, Guido Spada

… ried in a place he knows

… the caves of the small

… essed of ingots, gold, money,

… know of the existence of this treasure, which

… lions of Roman crowns, and which he

… ck from the small

… ings have been made

… ngle in the second;

… tire to him

… ar † Spada.

Faria followed him with an excited look.

“And now,” he said, when he saw that Dantès had read the last line, “put the two fragments together, and judge for yourself.” Dantès obeyed, and the conjoined pieces gave the following:

This 25th day of April, 1498, be⁠ ⁠… ing invited to dine by his Holiness Alexander VI, and fearing that not⁠ ⁠… content with making me pay for my hat, he may desire to become my heir, and re⁠ ⁠… serves for me the fate of Cardinals Caprara and Bentivoglio, who were poisoned,⁠ ⁠… I declare to my nephew, Guido Spada, my sole heir, that I have bu⁠ ⁠… ried in a place he knows and has visited with me, that is, in⁠ ⁠… the caves of the small Island of Monte Cristo, all I poss⁠ ⁠… essed of ingots, gold, money, jewels, diamonds, gems; that I alone⁠ ⁠… know of the existence of this treasure, which may amount to nearly two mil⁠ ⁠… lions of Roman crowns, and which he will find on raising the twentieth ro⁠ ⁠… ck from the small creek to the east in a right line. Two open⁠ ⁠… ings have been made in these caves; the treasure is in the furthest a⁠ ⁠… ngle in the second; which treasure I bequeath and leave en⁠ ⁠… tire to him as my sole heir.

25th April, 1498.

Caes⁠ ⁠… ar † Spada.

“Well, do you comprehend now?” inquired Faria.

“It is the declaration of Cardinal Spada, and the will so long sought for,” replied Edmond, still incredulous.

“Yes; a thousand times, yes!”

“And who completed it as it now is?”

“I did. Aided by the remaining fragment, I guessed the rest; measuring the length of the lines by those of the paper, and divining the hidden meaning by means of what was in part revealed, as we are guided in a cavern by the small ray of light above us.”

“And what did you do when you arrived at this conclusion?”

“I resolved to set out, and did set out at that very instant, carrying with me the beginning of my great work, the unity of the Italian kingdom; but for some time the imperial police (who at this period, quite contrary to what Napoleon desired so soon as he had a son born to him, wished for a partition of provinces) had their eyes on me; and my hasty departure, the cause of which they were unable to guess, having aroused their suspicions, I was arrested at the very moment I was leaving Piombino.

“Now,” continued Faria, addressing Dantès with an almost paternal expression, “now, my dear fellow, you know as much as I do myself. If we ever escape together, half this treasure is yours; if I die here, and you escape alone, the whole belongs to you.”

“But,” inquired Dantès hesitating, “has this treasure no more legitimate possessor in the world than ourselves?”

“No, no, be easy on that score; the family is