The Count of Monte Cristo. Alexandre Dumas

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СКАЧАТЬ bequeath and leave en…

      as my sole heir.

      “CÆS…

      “25th April, 1498.”

      “And now,” said the abbé, “read this other paper;” and he presented to Dantès a second leaf with fragments of lines written on it which Edmond read as follows:—

      …ing invited to dine with 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 excited look.

      “And now,” he said, when he saw Dantès had read the last line, “put the two fragments together, and judge for yourself.”

      Dantès obeyed, and the conjoined pieces gave the following:—

      “This 25th day of April, 1498, be . . ing invited to dine with 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 . . essed 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.

      “CÆS . . AR † SPADA”

      “25th April, 1498.”

      “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.

      “Of course; what else could it be?”

      “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 that very instant, carrying with me the beginning of my great work on forming Italy into one kingdom; but for some time the infernal 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.

      “Now,” continued Faria, addressing Dantès 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 Dantès, hesitating, “has this treasure no more legitimate possessor in this world than ourselves?”

      “No, no, be easy on that score; the family is extinct. The last Comte de 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.”

      “Impossible!” said Dantès, 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 these times, when all speculation and occupation were wanting, those 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 as heirlooms, 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 prove you, 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! Dantès, you do not thank me?”

      “This treasure belongs to you, my dear friend,” replied Dantès, “and to you only. I have no right to it. I am no relation of yours.”

      “You are my son, Dantès,” exclaimed the old man. “You are the child 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 bitterly.

       19 The Death of the Abbé

      NOW THAT THIS treasure which had so long been the object of the abbé’s meditations could ensure the future happiness of him whom Faria really loved as a son, it had doubled its value in his eyes, and every day he expatiated on the amount, explaining to Dantès all the good which with thirteen or fourteen millions of francs a man could do in these days to his friends; and then Dantès’ countenance became gloomy, for the oath of vengeance he had taken recurred to his memory, and he reflected how much ill in these times a man with thirteen or fourteen millions could do to his enemies.

      The abbé did not know the Isle of Monte Cristo, but Dantès knew it, and had often passed it, situated twenty-five miles from Pianosa, between Corsica and the Isle of Elba, and had once touched at it. This island was, always had been, and still is, completely deserted. It is a rock of almost conical form, which seems as though produced by some volcanic effort from the depth to the surface of the ocean.

      Dantès СКАЧАТЬ