The Count of Monte Cristo

The First Grotto

Overwhelmed with joy and trembling, Dantès inserts his lever and lifts the flagstone, revealing descending steps lost in darkness. Though tempted to rush forward, he pauses to reflect on his situation. He considers the possibility that Cæsar Borgia may have discovered Cardinal Spada’s secret, pursued the same trail, and already taken the treasure, leaving him nothing. Despite these doubts, he descends with a smile, murmuring “Perhaps!”—the last word of human philosophy. Rather than the darkness and foul air he expected, he finds a dim bluish light filtering through crevices in the rock, through which he can see blue sky and waving oak branches. His eyes, accustomed to darkness from his prison years, pierce even to the remotest angles of the granite cavern, which sparkles like diamonds. Remembering the will’s words about “the farthest angle of the second opening,” Dantès realizes he has only found the first grotto and must seek the second.

The Painted Wall

Dantès examines the walls of the first grotto, searching for the second cavern. His pickaxe strikes one section of the wall and produces a hollow, deeper echo. To avoid fruitless labor, he sounds all other walls before returning to the suspicious spot. Striking with greater force, he watches as stucco—similar to arabesque ground work—breaks away, exposing a white stone beneath. The opening had been sealed with stones, then covered with painted stucco imitating granite. As the evidence that Faria was not deceived grows stronger, Dantès paradoxically loses courage. He pauses, climbs the stairs to check if anyone is watching (though he is actually close to fainting), drinks rum, and returns. He discovers the stones are merely stacked, not cemented. Using his pickaxe as a lever, he makes the stones turn on an invisible hinge until the passage to the second grotto opens before him.