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.
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