第十七章 The Abbé’s Chamber
Dantès reaches the Abbé Faria’s chamber through a narrow subterranean passage and is shown the remarkable tools, writings, and resources the Abbé has created during his long imprisonment. After examining these hidden treasures, Dantès recounts his own story of unjust arrest, prompting the Abbé to begin investigating the true motives behind his imprisonment through systematic questioning.
Arrival at the Abbé’s Chamber
Dantès and the Abbé navigate the subterranean passage from Dantès’s cell to the Abbé’s chamber, the floor of which is paved. The Abbé had lifted a stone in the most obscure corner to begin a laborious excavation, the completion of which Dantès is about to witness. Upon entering, Dantès eagerly scans the room for marvels but sees nothing more than common furnishings.
The Abbé’s Sunlight Timekeeping Method
When Dantès questions how the Abbé can tell the time so precisely—indicating it is a quarter past twelve—the Abbé explains his method of tracing lines on the wall that correspond to the earth’s double motion and its elliptical orbit around the sun. He notes that a watch could break, but the sun and earth never vary in their appointed paths. Dantès, who believed the sun moved around the earth, finds the explanation bewildering but senses the mysteries of science within the Abbé’s words.
Opening the Hidden Treasure Cavity
Eager to see the Abbé’s treasures, Dantès is led to a disused fireplace, where the Abbé uses his chisel to raise a long stone that had served as the hearth. Beneath it lies a cavity of considerable depth that functions as a safe depository for the items the Abbé has described to Dantès.
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