The Count of Monte Cristo

Opening the Chest

Dantès attempts to lift the coffer but finds it immovable. He tries to open it, but the lock and two padlocks are firmly fastened. Inserting the sharp edge of his pickaxe between the coffer and lid, he applies all his force. The fastenings burst open, the hinges yield, and the chest lies revealed. Overwhelmed with vertigo, Dantès closes his eyes like a child wishing to see more stars, then reopens them to find the chest divided into three compartments. The first contains piles of golden coin; the second holds bars of unpolished gold; the third overflows with diamonds, pearls, and rubies that clatter like hail against glass as he grasps them.

The Spada Treasure

Dantès rushes through the caverns in a frenzy, leaping onto rocks to gaze at the sea and his solitude with this incomprehensible fortune. He oscillates between wild joy and disbelief, running among the rocks, then returning to the grotto to verify the treasure’s reality. Finally, he kneels and clasps his hands in silent prayer. When he regains composure, he begins counting: there are a thousand gold ingots weighing two to three pounds each, twenty-five thousand crowns bearing the effigies of Alexander VI and his predecessors, and ten double handfuls of pearls, diamonds, and gems, many mounted by famous craftsmen and valuable beyond their intrinsic worth. He estimates the complement is not even half empty.

Guarding the Cave

As darkness approaches, Dantès fears being surprised in the cavern and leaves with his gun. He eats a piece of biscuit, drinks rum, and lies down to sleep across the mouth of the cave. It becomes a night of alternating joy and terror, reminiscent of previous emotional upheavals he has experienced—experiences that have prepared him for this moment when his destiny will be forever transformed.

CHAPITRE 25. The Unknown

Following fourteen years of wrongful imprisonment, Edmond Dantès has returned to Monte Cristo island and discovered an immense treasure left by the Abbé Faria. After concealing the wealth and waiting for the smugglers’ return, Dantès sets in motion a careful plan to reclaim his place among humanity while pursuing his dual purposes: to reward those who aided him and to exact retribution upon those who wronged him.

Dantès Conceals the Island Treasure Cave

Dantès spends the morning meticulously erasing all traces of his treasure removal. He refills the stone box with sand, covers the disturbed earth, and plants rapidly growing vegetation to disguise the entrance. His careful attention to detail ensures the cave appears as wild and untrodden as before. Having secured his fortune, he awaits the smugglers with impatience, longing to return to civilization and the power that wealth commands.

Smugglers Return to Monte Cristo

On the sixth day, the smugglers return aboard La Jeune Amélie, having narrowly escaped a pursuing guard-ship from Toulon. The crew expresses regret that Dantès missed the profitable voyage, during which each sailor earned fifty piastres. Dantès maintains perfect composure, concealing any reaction to this information. That same evening, he departs the island with the captain, bound for Leghorn.

Dantès Sells Diamonds in Leghorn

In Leghorn, Dantès approaches a Jewish dealer in precious stones and sells four of his smallest diamonds for five thousand francs each. Though he fears his humble appearance as a sailor might arouse suspicion, the shrewd purchaser asks no questions, having secured a profit of at least eighty percent on the transaction.

Dantès Gifts Jacopo a New Ship

To reward the loyal Jacopo for his faithful service, Dantès gifts him an entirely new vessel along with one hundred piastres for outfitting a crew. He charges Jacopo with a special mission: to sail to Marseilles and inquire after two people—an old man named Louis Dantès in the Allées de Meilhan, and a young woman called Mercédès from the Catalan village. Dantès explains his sudden wealth as an inheritance from a deceased uncle, a story made plausible by his superior education and bearing.