grasped it in my hand, put out the flame as quickly as I could,
lighted my taper in the fire itself, and opened the crumpled paper
with inexpressible emotion, recognizing, when I had done so, that
these characters had been traced in mysterious and sympathetic ink,
only appearing when exposed to the fire; nearly one-third of the
paper had been consumed by the flame. It was that paper you read
this morning; read it again, Dantes, and then I will complete for
you the incomplete words and unconnected sense."
Faria, with an air of triumph, offered the paper to Dantes, who
this time read the following words, traced with an ink of a reddish
color resembling rust: —
"This 25th day of April, 1498, be… Alexander VI., and fearing
that not… he may desire to become my heir, and re… and Bentivoglio,
who were poisoned,… my sole heir, that I have bu… and has visited
with me, that is, in… Island of Monte Cristo, all I poss… jewels,
diamonds, gems; that I alone… may amount to nearly two mil… will
find on raising the twentieth ro… creek to the east in a right
line. Two open… in these caves; the treasure is in the furthest a…
which treasure I bequeath and leave en… as my sole heir. "25th
April, 1498. "Caes…
"And now," said the abbe, "read this other paper;" and he
presented to Dantes a second leaf with fragments of lines written
on it, which Edmond read as follows: —
"… ing invited to dine by his Holiness … content with
making me pay for my hat, … serves for me the fate of
Cardinals Caprara … I declare to my nephew, Guido Spada …
ried in a place he knows … the caves of the small … essed
of ingots, gold, money, … know of the existence of this
treasure, which … lions of Roman crowns, and which he …
ck from the small … ings have been made … ngle in the
second; … tire to him … ar Spada."
Faria followed him with an excited look. "and now," he said,
when he saw that Dantes had read the last line, "put the two
fragments together, and judge for yourself." Dantes obeyed, and the
conjointed pieces gave the following: —conjointed pieces gave the following: —
"This 25th day of April, 1498, be… ing invited to dine by his
Holiness Alexander VI., and fearing that not… content with making
me pay for my hat, he may desire to become my heir, and re… serves
for me the fate of Cardinals Caprara and Bentivoglio, who were
poisoned… I declare to my nephew, Guido Spada, my sole heir, that I
have bu… ried in a place he knows and has visited with me, that is,
in… the caves of the small Island of Monte Cristo all I poss… ssed
of ingots, gold, money, jewels, diamonds, gems; that I alone… know
of the existence of this treasure, which may amount to nearly two
mil… lions of Roman crowns, and which he will find on raising the
twentieth ro… ck from the small creek to the east in a right line.
Two open… ings have been made in these caves; the treasure is in
the furthest a… ngle in the second; which treasure I bequeath and
leave en… tire to him as my sole heir. "25th April, 1498. "Caes… ar
Spada."
"Well, do you comprehend now?" inquired Faria.
"It is the declaration of Cardinal Spada, and the will so long
sought for," replied Edmond, still incredulous.
"Yes; a thousand times, yes!"
"And who completed it as it now is?"
"I did. Aided by the remaining fragment, I guessed the rest;
measuring the length of the lines by those of the paper, and
divining the hidden meaning by means of what was in part revealed,
as we are guided in a cavern by the small ray of light above
us."
"And what did you do when you arrived at this conclusion?"
"I resolved to set out, and did set out at that very instant,
carrying with me the beginning of my great work, the unity of the
Italian kingdom; but for some time the imperial police (who at this
period, quite contrary to what Napoleon desired so soon as he had a
son born to him, wished for a partition of provinces) had their
eyes on me; and my hasty departure, the cause of which they were
unable to guess, having aroused their suspicions, I was arrested at
the very moment I was leaving Piombino.the very moment I was leaving Piombino.
"Now," continued Faria, addressing Dantes with an almost
paternal expression, "now, my dear fellow, you know as much as I do
myself. If we ever escape together, half this treasure is yours; if
I die here, and you escape alone, the whole belongs to you."
"But," inquired Dantes hesitating, "has this treasure no more
legitimate possessor in the world than ourselves?"
"No, no, be easy on that score; the family is extinct. The last
Count of Spada, moreover, made me his heir, bequeathing to me this
symbolic breviary, he bequeathed to me all it contained; no, no,
make your mind satisfied on that point. If we lay hands on this
fortune, we may enjoy it without remorse."
"And you say this treasure amounts to" —
"Two millions of Roman crowns; nearly thirteen millions of our
money."*
(* $2,600,000 in 1894.)
"Impossible!" said Dantes, staggered at the enormous amount.
"Impossible? and why?" asked the old man. "The Spada family was
one of the oldest and most powerful families of the fifteenth
century; and in those times, when other opportunities for
investment were wanting, such accumulations of gold and jewels were
by no means rare; there are at this day Roman families perishing of
hunger, though possessed of nearly a million in diamonds and
jewels, handed down by entail, and which they cannot touch." Edmond
thought he was in a dream — he wavered between incredulity and
joy.
"I have only kept this secret so long from you," continued
Faria, "that I might test your character, and then surprise you.
Had we escaped before my attack of catalepsy, I should have
conducted you to Monte Cristo; now," he added, with a sigh, "it is
you who will conduct me thither. Well, Dantes, you do not thank
me?"
"This treasure belongs to you, my dear friend," replied Dantes,
"and to you only. I have no right to it. I am no relation of
yours."
"You are my son, Dantes," exclaimed the old man. "You are the
child of my captivity. My profession condemns me to celibacy. Godchild of my captivity. My profession condemns me to celibacy. God
has sent you to me to console, at one and the same time, the man
who could not be a father, and the prisoner who could not get
free." And Faria extended the arm of which alone the use remained
to him to the young man who threw himself upon his neck and
wept.