The Count of Monte Cristo

Inspection of Abbé Faria’s Cell and Treasure Offer

Next, the inspector visits the cell of Abbé Faria, a former secretary to Cardinal Spada who has been imprisoned since 1811 and is noted for his erratic, mad behavior. The inspector finds Faria absorbed in complex geometric calculations in the center of his cell. Faria reveals he has discovered a vast hidden treasure, and offers the government millions of francs in exchange for his freedom, even proposing he remain imprisoned while officials retrieve the treasure to confirm its existence. The governor and inspector dismiss his claims as the ravings of a madman, and Faria, frustrated by their refusal, resumes his calculations, his offer ignored entirely.

Post-Visit Aftermath for Dantès

In the wake of the inspector’s visit, Dantès regains his sense of time, marking the date of the visit (July 30, 1816) on his cell wall with a piece of plaster and tracking each passing day to avoid losing track of his confinement again. He initially expects release within a fortnight, then extends his expectation to three months, then six, and finally waits ten and a half months with no word from the inspector, coming to believe the inspector’s promise was only a dream. A year after the visit, the Château d’If’s governor is transferred to the fortress at Ham, taking Dantès’s jailer with him. A new governor arrives who does not bother to learn prisoners’ names, only their cell numbers, reducing Dantès from a named man to simply “number 34”.

CAPÍTULO 15. Number 34 and Number 27

Imprisoned as Number 34, Dantès gradually loses hope, moving from pride in his innocence to doubt, then to pleas for a change of cell, fresh air, or even a companion such as the mad abbé, all of which are denied by the suspicious governor. With human resources exhausted, he turns to prayer and then to rage, brooding on the letter that sealed his fate and entertaining thoughts of suicide until he resolves to starve himself to death on the very eve of an unexpected scratching at his prison wall. The mysterious noise from the neighboring dungeon revives his spirit, and after days of cautious listening he strikes back with a stone and is answered, confirming that Number 27—an unknown fellow prisoner—is laboring to tunnel toward freedom. Chapter 15, “Number 34 and Number 27,” continues Edmond Dantès’ efforts to escape from the Château d’If. After realizing he had been attacking stone rather than removing the surrounding plaster, Dantès adapts his approach, cleverly obtains a saucepan handle to use as a lever, and makes significant progress excavating his cell wall. His work is interrupted when he encounters a blocking beam, leading to a moment of despair. The chapter’s pivotal event occurs when Dantès hears a voice from beneath the earth—Prisoner No. 27, an older inmate who has been digging his own tunnel. After exchanging information and pledging mutual trust, No. 27 reveals he took a wrong angle in his excavation, coming up fifteen feet short of the outer wall. Despite this setback, the two prisoners agree to collaborate, and No. 27 finally enters Dantès’ cell, ending the young man’s years of solitary confinement.

CAPÍTULO 15. Number 34 and Number 27

Imprisoned as Number 34, Dantès gradually loses hope, moving from pride in his innocence to doubt, then to pleas for a change of cell, fresh air, or even a companion such as the mad abbé, all of which are denied by the suspicious governor. With human resources exhausted, he turns to prayer and then to rage, brooding on the letter that sealed his fate and entertaining thoughts of suicide until he resolves to starve himself to death on the very eve of an unexpected scratching at his prison wall. The mysterious noise from the neighboring dungeon revives his spirit, and after days of cautious listening he strikes back with a stone and is answered, confirming that Number 27—an unknown fellow prisoner—is laboring to tunnel toward freedom.