Monte Cristo’s Paternity
Andrea confides in Caderousse that he has discovered the identity of his true father: Monte Cristo himself. Andrea explains that the Count cannot acknowledge him openly and so uses Cavalcanti as a front, paying him fifty thousand francs for the deception. More importantly, Andrea claims Monte Cristo has made a will in his favor for five hundred thousand livres, and that a codicil openly acknowledges him as son. Andrea can only inherit, however, by waiting for Monte Cristo’s death. Caderousse feigns amazement, crying out that such a father must be “good, brave, and very honest.”
The Count’s Fortune
Caderousse, overwhelmed with curiosity about Andrea’s protector’s wealth, asks whether the Count is rich. Andrea confirms that Monte Cristo himself does not know the extent of his fortune, citing as evidence a banker’s clerk who recently brought fifty thousand francs in a portfolio and the previous day’s delivery of one hundred thousand francs in gold. The sums sound to Caderousse like rushing cascades of louis, and he eagerly asks whether Andrea can arrange a visit to such a magnificent house.
The Champs-Élysées Mansion
Andrea identifies Monte Cristo’s residence as No. 30 on the Champs-Élysées: a fine house standing alone, situated between a courtyard and a garden. Caderousse fixes on the address with the repetition “No. 30,” and Andrea confirms that Andrea knows the property well. Caderousse, however, insists that it is the interior he longs to see, not the exterior, and laments the beautiful furniture he can only imagine, declaring he must find some way to gain entry.
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