The Count of Monte Cristo

The Journey to Montlhéry

The Count of Monte Cristo travels via the Barrière d’Enfer on the road to Orléans, passes through the village of Linas without stopping at the local telegraph, and arrives at the Montlhéry tower situated on the highest point of the local plain. He dismounts at the foot of the hill and ascends the 18-inch wide winding path to the tower’s summit.

A Garden at the Telegraph Tower

At the summit, Monte Cristo finds a small, immaculately maintained 20x12 foot garden enclosed by a hedge, bordered on one side by an ivy-covered, flower-studded old tower. The garden features a red gravel path shaped like a figure 8 that creates a 60-foot walk, a sun-dial, a rose parterre with no signs of slug or aphid damage, and no weeds or grass in its beds or paths, tended with exceptional care.

The Telegraph Operator-Gardener

Monte Cristo encounters the telegraph tower’s operator, a 55-year-old man who has worked at the tower for 10 years (5 prior as a supernumerary), and who tends the small garden as a passionate hobby. The gardener notes his pay is 1,000 francs per year with free lodging, and he will earn a 100-crown annual pension after 25 years of service; he values the job because he does not understand the signals he repeats, so he bears no responsibility for their content. He tends the garden during his rest breaks and fog-related “holidays”, when telegraph work is suspended.

Monte Cristo Questions the Gardener

Monte Cristo speaks with the gardener, who is harvesting ripe strawberries onto grape leaves during his break, learning the man understands none of the telegraph signals he repeats, values the lack of responsibility the job affords him, and complains that dormice have been stealing his ripe fruit, including nectarines and strawberries.