018 - The Count of Monte Cristo - The Treasure

Episode Transcript

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Chapter eighteen of the Count of MonteCristo by Alexandre Duma. This LibriVox recording
is in the public domain. Chaptereighteen, The Treasure. When Dantes returned
next morning to the chamber of hiscompanion in captivity, he found Faria seated

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and looking composed in the ray oflight which entered by the narrow window of
his cell. He held open inhis left hand, of which alone it
will be recollected. He retained theuse a sheet of paper, which,
from being constantly rolled into a smallcompass, had the form of a cylinder
and was not easily kept open.He did not speak, but showed the

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paper to Dantes. What is that, he inquired, Look at tite,
said the abbe, with a smile. I have looked at it with all
possible attenchon, said Dantes, andI only see half burnt paper, on
which are traces of Gothic characters inscribedwith a peculiar cannavink. This paper,

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my friend, said Faria, Imay now avow to you, since I
have the proof of your fidelity,this paper is my treasure, of which
from this day forth one half ofbelongs to you. The sweat started forth
on Dante's brow until this day,and for how long a time he had

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refrained from talking of the treasure whichhe had brought upon the abbe the accusation
of madness. With his instinctive delicacy, Edmond had preferred avoiding any touch on
this painful cord, and Faria hadbeen equally silent. He'd taken the silence
of the old man for a returnto reason. And now these few words

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uttered by Pharia, after so painfula crisis, seemed to indicate a serious
relapse into mental alienation. Your treasure, stammered Dantes. Farier smiled, Yes,
said he, You have indeed anoble nature, redmander, and I
see by your paleness and agitation whatis passing in your heart at this moment.

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No, be assured, I amnot mad. This treasure exists,
Dante, and if I have notbeen allowed to possess it, you will,
yes, you. No one willlisten or believe me, because everyone
thought me mad. But you,who must know that I am not,

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listen to me and believe me soafterwards, if you will, alas murmured
Edmund to himself, this is aterrible relapse. There was only this blow
wanting. Then he said aloud,my dear friend, your attack has perhaps
fatigued you, had you not betterrepose a while to morrow, if you

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will, I will hear your narrative. But to day I wish to nurse
you carefully. Besides, he said, a treasure is not a thing we
need hurry about. On the contrary, it is a matter of the utmost
important. Edmond replied the old manwho knows if to morrow or the next
day after the third attack may notcome on, and then must not all

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be over? Yes, indeed,I have often thought, with a bitter
joy, that these riches, whichwould make the wealth of a dozen families,
will be forever lost to those menwho persecute me. This idea was
one of vengeance to me, andI tasted it slowly in the night of
my dungeon and the despair of mycaptivity. But now I have forgiven the

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world for the love of you.Now that I see you young and with
a promising future, Now that Ithink of all that may result to you
in the good fortune of such adisclosure, I shudder at any delay,
and tremble lest I should not assureto one as worthy as yourself the possession
of so vast an amount of hiddenwealth. Edmond turned away his head with

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a sigh. You persist in yourincredulity, Edmond continued, farier, My
words have not convinced you. Isee you require proofs. Well, then
read this paper, which I havenever shown to any one. To morrow,
my dear friend, said Edmond,desirous of not yielding to the old

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man's madness. I thought it wasunderstood that we should not talk of that
until to morrow. Then we willnot talk of it until to morrow.
But read this paper to day.I will not irritate him, thought Edmond,
and taking the paper of which halfwas wanting, having been burnt no

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doubt by some accident, he readthis treasure, which may amount to two
of Roman crowns in the most distantah of the second opening, declare to
belong to him a loh heir.Twenty fifth April fourteen ninety well, said
Faria, when the young man hadfinished reading it, Why, replied Dantes,

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I see nothing but broken lines andunconnected words, which are rendered illegible
by fire. Yes to you,my friend, who read them for the
first time, but not for me, who have grown pale over them by
many nights study and have reconstructed everyphrase, completed every thought. And do

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you believe you have discovered the hiddenmeaning? I am sure I have,
and you shall judge for yourself.But first to listen to the history of
this paper, Cilance exclaimed, Dantessteps approach, I go adieu. And
Dantes, happy to escape the historyand explanation, which will be sure to

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confirm his belief in his friend's mentalinstability, glided like a snake along the
narrow passage, while Paria, restoredby his alarm to a certain amount of
activity, pushed the stone into placewith his foot and covered it with a
mat in order the more effectually toavoid discovery. It was the governor who,

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hearing of Paria's illness from the jailer, had come in person to see
him. Pharia sat up to receivehim, avoiding all gestures in orders he
might conceal from the governor the paralysisthat had already half stricken him with his
death. His fear was lest thegovernor, touched with pity, might order
him to be removed to better quartersand thus separate him from his young companion.

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But fortunately this was not the case, and the governor left him,
convinced that the poor madman, forwhom in his heart he felt a kind
of infection, was only troubled witha slight indisposition. During this time,
Edmond, seated on his bed withhis head in his hands, tried to
collect his scattered thoughts Faria, sincetheir first acquaintance had been on all points,

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so rational and logical, so wonderfullysagacious, in fact, that he
couldn't understand how so much wisdom onall points could be allied with madness?
Was Faria deceived as to his treasure? Or was all the world deceived as
to Faria? Dante remained in hiscell all day, not daring to return

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to his friend, thinking thus todefer the moment when he should be convinced
once for all that the Abbe wasmad. Such conviction would be so terrible.
But towards the evening, after thehour for the customary visit had gone
by, Faria, not seeing theyoung man appear, tried to move and
get over the distance which separated them. Edmond shuddered when he heard the painful

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efforts which the old man made todrag himself along. His leg was inert
and he could no longer make useof one arm. Edmond was obliged to
assist him, for otherwise he wouldnot have been able to enter by the
small apperture which led to dantes chamber. Here I am pursuing you remorselessly,
he said, with a benignant smile. You thought to escape my munificence,

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but it is in vain. Listento me, edmondsux. There was no
escape, and placing the old manon his bed, he seated himself on
the stool beside him. You know, said the abbe, that I was
the secretary and intimate friend of Cardinal'sfather, the last of the princes of

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that name. I owe to thisworthy lord all the happiness I have ever
knew. He was not rich,although the wealth of his family had passed
into a proverb, and I heardthe phrase very often, as rich as
a spider. But he, likepublic rumor, lived on his reputation for
wealth. His palace was my paradise. I was tutor to his nephews,

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who are dead, and when hewas alone in the world, I tried,
by absolute devotion to his will,to make up to him all he
had done for me during ten yearsof unre meeting kindness. The cardinal's house
had no secrets on me. Ihad often seen my noble patron annotating ancient
volumes and eagerly searching amongst dusty familymanuscripts. One day, when I was

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reproaching him for his unavailing searches anddeploring the prostration of mine that followed them,
he looked at me and smiling Bitalyopened a volume relating to the history
of the city of Rome. Therein the twentieth chapter of the life of
Pope Alexandra sixth were the following lines, which I can never forget. The

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great Wars of Romagna had ended.Caesar Borgia, who had completed his conquest,
had need of money to purchase allItaly. The Pope had also need
of money to bring martyrs to anend with Louis twelfth, King of France,
who was formidable still in spite ofhis recent reverses. And it was
necessary therefore to have recourse to someprofitable scheme, which was a matter of

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great difficulty in the impoverished conditions ofexhausted Italy. His Holiness had an idea.
He determined to make two cardinals bychoosing two of the greatest personages of
Rome as specially rich men. Thiswas the return the Holy Father looked for.
In the first place, he couldsell the great appointments and splendid offices

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which the cardinals already held, andthen he had the two hats to sell.
Besides, there was a third pointin view, which will appear Hereafter
the Pope and Caesar Borgia first foundthe two future cardinals. They were Giovanni
Rospagiliozzi, who held four of thehighest dignities of the Holy See, and

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Caesar's Spada, one of the noblestand riches of the Roman nobility. Both
felt the high honor of such afavor from the Pope. They were ambitious,
and Caesar Borgia soon found purchases forher appointments. The result was that
Rospiliosi and Spada paid for being cardinals, and eight other persons paid for the

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offices the cardinals held before their elevation, and thus eight hundred thousand crowns entered
into the coffers of the speculators.It is time now to proceed to the
last part of the speculation. ThePope heaped at tensions upon Rospiliotzi and Spada,

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conferred upon them the insignia of theCardinal eight, and induced them to
arrange their affairs and take up theirresidence at Rome. Then the Pope and
Caesar Borgia invited the two cardinals todinner. This was a matter of dispute
between the Holy Father and his son. Caesar thought they could make use of

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one of the means which he alwayshad ready for his friends, that is
to say, in the first place, the famous key, which was given
to certain persons with a request thatthey go and open a designated cupboard.
This key was furnished with a smalliron point, a negligence on the part

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of the locksmith. When this waspressed to effect the opening of the cupboard,
of which the lock was difficult,the person was pricked by this small
point and died next day. Thenthere was the ring with the lion's head,
which Cesar wore. When he wantedto greet his friends with a clasp
of the hand. The lion bitthe hand thus favored, and at the

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end of twenty four hours the bitewas mortal. Caesar proposed to his father
that they should either ask the cardinalsto open the cab but or shake hands
with him. But Alexander six replied, Now as to the worthy cardinals Spada
and Rospiliozzi, let us ask bothof them to dinner. Something tells me

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that we should get that money back. Besides, you forget Cesar. An
indigestion declares itself immediately, while aprick or a bite occasions a delay of
a day or two. Caesar gaveway before such cogent reasoning, and the
cardinals were consequently invited to dinner.The table was laid in a vignyard belonging

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to the Pope, near San PierreDarena, a charming retreat which the cardinals
knew very well. By report,Rospigliozzi, quite set up with his new
dignities, went with a good appetiteand his most ingratiating manner. Spada,
a prudent man and greatly attached tohis only nephew, a young cat of

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the highest promise, took paper andpen and made his will. He then
sent word to his nephew to waitfor him near the vineyard, but it
appeared a servant did not find him. Spada knew what these invitations meant.
Since Christianity, so eminently civilizing,had made progress in Rome, it was

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no longer a centurion who came fromthe tyrant with a message, Caesar wills
that you die. But it wasa legite at a lattery who came with
a smile on his lips, tosay, from the Pope, his holiness
requests you to dine with him.Spara set about two o'clock to San Piedrina.

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The Pope awaited him. The firstsight that attracted the eyes of Spara
was that of his nephew, infull costume, and Cesar Borgia, paying
him most marked attentions. Spara turnedpale, as Cesa looked at him with
an ironical air, which proved thathe had anticipated all and that the snare

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was well spread. They began thatdinner, and Spara was only able to
inquire of his nephew if he hadreceived his message. The nephew replied no,
perfectly comprehending the meaning of the question. It was too late, for
he had already drunk a glass ofexcellent wine placed for him expressly by the

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Pope's butler. Spara, at thesame moment saw another bottle approach him,
which he was pressed to taste.An hour afterwards, a physician declared they
were both poisoned through eating mushrooms.Spara died on the threshold of the vineyard.

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The nephew expired at his own door, making signs which his wife could
not comprehend. Then Cesare and thePope hastened to lay hands on their heritage,
under the presence of seeking for papersof the dead man. But the
inheritance consisted in this only a scrapof paper on which Spada had written,

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I bequeathed to my beloved nephew,my coughers, my books, and amongst
others, my breviary, with thegold corners, which I beg he would
preserve in remembrance of his affectionate uncle. The heirs are sought everywhere, admired
the breviary, laid hands on thefurniture, and were greatly astonished at Spada,

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the rich man was really the mostmiserable of uncles. No treasures,
unless they were those of science containedin the library and laboratories. That was
all Cesarre and his father searched,examined, scrutinized, but found nothing,
or at least very little, notexceeding a few thousand crowns in plate and

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about the same in ready money.But the nephew had time to say to
his wife before he expect look,well, among my uncle's papers, there
is a will. They saw iteven more thoroughly than the august heirs had
done, but it was fruitless.There were two palaces and a vineyard behind

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the Palatine hill, but in thesedays landed property had not much value,
and the two palaces and the vineyardremained to the family, since they were
beneath the rapacity of the pope andhis son. Months and years rolled on.
Alexander six died poisoned. You knowby what mistake? Cesar poisoned at

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the same time escaped by shedding hisskin like a snake, but the new
skin was spotted by the poison tillit looked like a tiger's. Then,
compelled to quit Rome, he wentand got himself obscurely killed in a night
skirmish scarcely noticed in history. Afterthe Pope's death and his son's exile,

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it was supposed that that Sparda familywould resume the splendid position I had held
before the cardinal's time. But thiswas not the case. The Spadas remained
in doubtful ease. A mystery hungover this dark affair, and the public
rumor was that Cesar, a betterpolitician than his father, had carried off

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from the Pope the fortune of thetwo cardinals. I say the too,
because Cardinal Rospigliotti, who had nottaken any precaution, was completely despoiled up
to this point, said Faria,interrupting the thread of his narrative. This
seems to you very meaningless, nodoubt, eh o, my friend,

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cried Dantes. On the contrary,it seems as if I were reading a
most interesting narrative. Go on,I beg of you, I will.
The family began to get accustomed totheir obscurity. Ye is rode on.
And amongst the descendants, some weresoldiers, brothers, diplomatists, some churchmen,

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some bankers, some good rich,and some were ruined. I come
now to the last of the family, whose secretary I was the Count of
Spada. I had often heard himcomplain of the disproportion of his rank with
his fortune, and I advised himto invest all he had in an annuity.

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He did so, and thus doubledhis income. The celebrated bravery remained
in the family and was in theCount's possession. It had been handed down
from father to son for the singularclause of the only will that had been
found and caused it to be regardedas a genuine relic, preserved in the

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family with superstitious veneration. It wasan illuminated book, with beautiful Gothic characters,
and so weighty with gold that aservant always carried it before the Cardi
on days of great solemnity. Atthe sight of papers of all sorts,
titles, contracts, parchments, whichwere kept in the archives of the family,

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all descending from the poisoned cardinal,I in my turn, examined the
immense bundles of documents, like twentyservitors, stewards secretaries before me. But
in spite of the most exhaustive researches, I found nothing. Yet I had
read, I had even written aprecise history of the Borgia family for the

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sole purpose of assuring myself whether anyincrease of fortune had occurred to them on
the death of the Cardinal Caesar Spada, but could only trace the acquisition of
the property of the Cardinal Rospigliosi,his companion in misfortune. I was then
almost assured that the inheritance had neitherprofited the Borges nor the family, but

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had remained unpossessedlike the treasures of theArabian Nights, which slept in the bosom
of the earth under the eyes ofthe Genie. I searched, ransacked,
counted, calculated a thousand and athousand times the income and expenditure of the
family for three hundred years. Itwas useless. I remained in my ignorance,

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and the Count of Spada in hispoverty. My patron died. He
had reserved from his annuity his familypapers, his library composed of five thousand
volumes, and his famous bravery.All these he bequeathed to me with a
thousand Roman crowns, which he hadin ready money, on condition that I

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would have anniversary masses set for thepurpose of his soul, and that I
would draw up a genealogical tree andhistory of his house. All this I
did scrupulously. Be easy, mydear Maunder, we are near their conclusion
in eighteen o seven, a monthbefore I was arrested, and a fortnight

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after the death of the Count ofSpada, on the twenty fifth of December.
You will see presently how the datebecame fixed in my memory. I
was reading for the thousandth time.The papers I was arranging for the palace
was sold to a stranger, andI was going to leave Rome and settle
at Florence, intending to take withme twelve thousand francs. I possessed my

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library and the famous Breviary. Whentired with my own constant labor at the
very same thing, and overcome bya heavy dinner, I had eaten.
My head dropped on my hands,and I fell asleep. About three o'clock
in the afternoon, I awoke asthe clock was striking six. I raised
my head. I was in utterdarkness. I rang for a light,

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but as no one can, Idetermined to find one for myself. It
was, indeed, but anticipating thesimple manners which I should soon be under
the necessity of adopting. I tooka wax candle in one hand, and
with the other groped about for apiece of paper, my match box being
empty, with which I proposed toget a light from the small flame still

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playing on the embers. Fearing,however, to make use of any valuable
piece of paper, I hesitated fora moment, then recollected that I had
seen in the famous Bravery, whichwas on the table beside me, an
old paper, quite yellow with age, and which had served as a marker
for centuries, kept there by therequest of the heirs. I felt for

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it, found it, twisted ittogether, and put it into the expiring
flame. Set a light to it, but beneath my fingers, as if
by magic in proportion. As thefire ascended, I saw yellowish characters appear
on the paper. I grasped itin my hand, put out the flames

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as quickly as I could, lightedmy taper in the fire itself, and
opened the crumpled paper with inexpressible emotion, recognizing when I had done so,
that these are characters had been tracedin mysterious and sympathetic ink, only appearing
when exposed to the fire. Nearlyone third of the paper had been consumed

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by the flame. It was thatpaper you read this morning. Read it
again, Dantes, and then Iwill complete for you the incomplete words and
unconnected sense. Pharia, with anair of triumph, offered the paper to
Dante, who this time read thefollowing words, traced with an ink of

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a red dish color resembling rust.This twenty fifth day of April fourteen ninety
eight b Alexander sixth and fearing thatnot he may desire to become my heir,
and read and Bentivoglio, who werepoisoned my sole heir that I have,

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but and has visited with me,that is in island of Monte Cristo.
All I post jewels, diamonds,gems that I alone may amount to
nearly the two MILLI will find onraising the twentieth row creek to the east
in a right line to open inthese caves, the treasure is in the

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furthest at which treasure I bequeath andleave end as my sole heir, twenty
fifth April fourteen ninety eight says andthe now said the abbe read this other
paper, and he presented to Dantea second leaf with fragments of lines written
on it, which Edmond readers follows. Ing invited to dine by his holiness,

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content with making me pay for myhat, serves for me the fate
of Cardinal's caprara, I declare tomy nephew Guido Spada read in a place
he knows the caves of the smallest of Ingot's gold money, know of
the existence of this treasure, whichlions of Roman crowns, and which he

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from the small ings have been madeingel in the second tied to him are
Spada. Faria followed him with anexcited look. And now he said,
when he saw that Dantes had readthe last line, put the two fragments

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together and judge for yourself. Dantesobeyed, and the conjointed pieces gave the
following this twenty fifth day of Aprilfourteen nine eight. Being invited to dine
by His Holiness Alexander six, andfearing that not content with making me pay
for my hat, he may desireto become my heir and reserves for me

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the fate of Cardinals Caprara and Bentivoglio, who were poisoned. I declare to
my nephew Guidospada, my sole heir, that I have buried in a place
he knows and has visited with me, that is, in the caves of
the small island of Monte Cristo.All I possessed of ingots, gold,

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money, jewels, diamonds, gems, that I alone know of the existence
of this treasure, which may amountto nearly two millions of Roman crowns,
and which he will find on raisingthe twentieth rock from the small creek to
the east in a right line.Two openings have been made in these caves.
The treasure is in the furthest anglein the second, which treasure I

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bequeath and leave entire to him asmy sole heir. Twenty fifth April fourteen
ninety eight, says our Spada,Well do you comprehend, now, inquired
Faria. It is the declaration ofCardinal Spada, and the will so long

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sought for, replied Edmond, stillincredulous, Yes, a thousand times yes.
And who completed it? As itis now? I did, aided
by the remaining fragment, I guessedthe rest, measuring the length of the
lines by those of the paper,and divining the hidden meaning by means of

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what was in part revealed, aswe 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 toset out, and did set out at
that very instant, carrying with methe beginning of my great work, the
unity of the Italian Kingdom. Butfor some time the Imperial Police, who

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at this period, quite contrary towhat Napoleon desired so soon as he had
sunborn to him, wished for apartition of provinces. Had their eyes on
me and my hasty departure, thecause of which they were unable to guess.
Having aroused their suspicions, I wasarrested at the very moment I was
leaving Piombino. Now continued Faria,addressing Dantes with an almost paternal expression.

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Now, my dear fellow, youknow as much as I do myself,
if we ever escape together, halfthis treasure is yours. If I die
here and you escape alone, thewhole belongs to you. But inquired Dantes,
hesitating, as this treasure no morelegitimate possessor in the world than ourselves.

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No, no, be easy onthat score. The family extinct,
The last Count of Spider moreover mademe his heir, bequeathing to me this
symbolic bravery. He bequeathed to meall it contained. No no making your
mind the satisfied on that point.If we lay hands on this fortune,

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we may enjoy it without remorse.And you say, this treasure amounts to
two millions of Roman crowns, nearlythirteen millions of our money, ampossible,
said Dantes, staggered at the enormousamount impossible, and why, asked the

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old man. The Spider family wasone of the oldest and most powerful families
of the fifteenth century, and inthose times, when other opportunities for investment
were wanting, such accumulations of goldand jewels were by no means rare.
There are at this day Roman familiesperishing of hunger, though possessed of nearly

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a million in diamonds and jewels handeddown by entail, and which they cannot
touch. Edmond thought he was ina dream. He wavered between incredulity and
joy. I have only kept thissecret so long from you, continued Faria,
that I might test to your character, and then surprise you had we

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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
theither. Well, Dantes, youdo not thank me. This treasure belongs
to you, my dear friend,replied Dantes, and to you only.

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I have no right to it.I am no relation of yours. You
are my son, Dantes, exclaimedthe old man. You are the child
of my captivity, my profession condemnsme to celibacy. God has sent you
to me to console At and thesame time the man who could not be
a father, and the prisoner whocould not get free. And Faria extended

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the arm of which alone the youthremained to him, to the young man
who threw himself upon his neck andwept. End of Chapter eighteen.