The Count of Monte Cristo

第三十四章 The Colosseum

Chapter 34. The Colosseum Franz and Albert travel to the Colosseum by a deliberately circuitous route that avoids all other ancient ruins, allowing Franz to reflect on Pastrini’s story. Upon arrival, they engage guides, and Albert is awed by his first sight of the monument by moonlight. Franz separates from the group to sit in solitude behind a column, where he witnesses a clandestine meeting between a cloaked stranger and a Transteverine accomplice. The two conspire to save Peppino, a condemned prisoner, with the stranger offering a plan involving bribery and a window-signal arrangement using draperies at the Café Rospoli. After the conspirators depart, Franz rejoins Albert and they leave the Colosseum.

Route to the Colosseum

Route to the Colosseum Franz plans a route that bypasses all other ancient ruins so that the Colosseum’s grandeur will not be diminished by prior impressions. The path follows the Via Sistina, cuts the corner near Santa Maria Maggiore, and proceeds via the Via Urbana and San Pietro in Vincoli, ending directly opposite the Colosseum.

Franz’s Reflections on Pastrini’s Story

Franz’s Reflections on Pastrini’s Story The chosen itinerary gives Franz freedom to brood over Pastrini’s tale and the strange involvement of his mysterious host from Monte Cristo. Seated with folded arms in the carriage, he turns the story’s details over in his mind without arriving at any satisfactory conclusion.

Franz’s Recollection of the Host’s Extensive Connections

Franz’s Recollection of the Host’s Extensive Connections Franz recalls the odd intimacy between brigands and sailors, reminded of Vampa finding refuge on smuggling vessels and of the two Corsican bandits he found supping with the crew of a yacht at Porto-Vecchio. The repeated name “Sinbad the Sailor” confirms that his host operates a wide philanthropic network along the coasts of Piombino, Civita Vecchia, Ostia, and Gaëta, and that the man also has acquaintances in Tunis and Palermo.