When Dantes returned next morning to the chamber of hiscompanion in captivity, he found Faria seated and lookingcomposed. In the ray of light which entered by the narrowwindow of his cell, he held open in his left hand, of whichalone, it will be recollected, he retained the use, a sheetof paper, which, from being constantly rolled into a smallcompass, had the form of a cylinder, and was not easily keptopen. He did not speak, but showed the paper to Dantes.

"What is that?" he inquired.

"Look at it," said the abbe with a smile.

"I have looked at it with all possible attention," saidDantes, "and I only see a half-burnt paper, on which aretraces of Gothic characters inscribed with a peculiar kindof ink."

"This paper, my friend," said Faria, "I may now avow to you,since I have the proof of your fidelity - this paper is mytreasure, of which, from this day forth, one-half belongs toyou."

The sweat started forth on Dantes brow. Until this day andfor how long a time! - he had refrained from talking of thetreasure, which had brought upon the abbe the accusation ofmadness. With his instinctive delicacy Edmond had preferredavoiding any touch on this painful chord, and Faria had beenequally silent. He had taken the silence of the old man fora return to reason; and now these few words uttered byFaria, after so painful a crisis, seemed to indicate aserious relapse into mental alienation.

"Your treasure?" stammered Dantes. Faria smiled.

"Yes," said he. "You have, indeed, a noble nature, Edmond,and I see by your paleness and agitation what is passing inyour heart at this moment. No, be assured, I am not mad.This treasure exists, Dantes, and if I have not been allowedto possess it, you will. Yes - you. No one would listen orbelieve me, because everyone thought me mad; but you, whomust know that I am not, listen to me, and believe me soafterwards if you will."

"Alas," murmured Edmond to himself, "this is a terriblerelapse! There was only this blow wanting." Then he saidaloud, "My dear friend, your attack has, perhaps, fatiguedyou; had you not better repose awhile? To-morrow, if youwill, I will hear your narrative; but to-day I wish to nurseyou carefully. Besides," he said, "a treasure is not a thingwe need hurry about."

"On the contrary, it is a matter of the utmost importance,Edmond!" replied the old man. "Who knows if to-morrow, orthe next day after, the third attack may not come on? andthen must not all be over? Yes, indeed, I have often thoughtwith a bitter joy that these riches, which would make thewealth of a dozen families, will be forever lost to thosemen who persecute me. This idea was one of vengeance to me,and I tasted it slowly in the night of my dungeon and thedespair of my captivity. But now I have forgiven the worldfor the love of you; now that I see you, young and with apromising future, - now that I think of all that may resultto you in the good fortune of such a disclosure, I shudderat any delay, and tremble lest I should not assure to one asworthy as yourself the possession of so vast an amount ofhidden wealth." Edmond turned away his head with a sigh.

"You persist in your incredulity, Edmond," continued Faria."My words have not convinced you. I see you require proofs.Well, then, read this paper, which I have never shown to anyone."

"To-morrow, my dear friend," said Edmond, desirous of notyielding to the old man's madness. "I thought it wasunderstood that we should not talk of that until to-morrow."

"Then we will not talk of it until to-morrow; but read thispaper to-day."

"I will not irritate him," thought Edmond, and taking thepaper, of which half was wanting, - having been burnt, nodoubt, by some accident, - he read: -

"This treasure, which may amount to two...of Roman crowns in the most distant a...of the second opening wh...declare to belong to him alo...heir."25th April, l49"

"Well!" said Faria, when the young man had finished readingit.

"Why," replied Dantes, "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 manynights' study, and have reconstructed every phrase,completed every thought."

"And do you believe you have discovered the hidden meaning?"

"I am sure I have, and you shall judge for yourself; butfirst listen to the history of this paper."

"Silence!" exclaimed Dantes. "Steps approach - I go - adieu."

And Dantes, happy to escape the history and explanationwhich would be sure to confirm his belief in his friend'smental instability, glided like a snake along the narrowpassage; while Faria, restored by his alarm to a certainamount of activity, pushed the stone into place with hisfoot, and covered it with a mat in order the moreeffectually to avoid discovery.

It was the governor, who, hearing of Faria's illness fromthe jailer, had come in person to see him.

Faria sat up to receive him, avoiding all gestures in orderthat he might conceal from the governor the paralysis thathad already half stricken him with death. His fear was lestthe governor, touched with pity, might order him to beremoved to better quarters, and thus separate him from hisyoung companion. But fortunately this was not the case, andthe governor left him, convinced that the poor madman, forwhom in his heart he felt a kind of affection, was onlytroubled with a slight indisposition.

During this time, Edmond, seated on his bed with his head inhis hands, tried to collect his scattered thoughts. Faria,since their first acquaintance, had been on all points sorational and logical, so wonderfully sagacious, in fact,that he could not understand how so much wisdom on allpoints could be allied with madness. Was Faria deceived asto his treasure, or was all the world deceived as to Faria?

Dantes remained in his cell all day, not daring to return tohis friend, thinking thus to defer the moment when he shouldbe convinced, once for all, that the abbe was mad - such aconviction would be so terrible!

But, towards the evening after the hour for the customaryvisit had gone by, Faria, not seeing the young man appear,tried to move and get over the distance which separatedthem. Edmond shuddered when he heard the painful effortswhich the old man made to drag himself along; his leg wasinert, and he could no longer make use of one arm. Edmondwas obliged to assist him, for otherwise he would not havebeen able to enter by the small aperture which led toDantes' chamber.

"Here I am, pursuing you remorselessly," he said with abenignant smile. "You thought to escape my munificence, butit is in vain. Listen to me."

Edmond saw there was no escape, and placing the old man onhis bed, he seated himself on the stool beside him.

"You know," said the abbe, "that I was the secretary andintimate friend of Cardinal Spada, the last of the princesof that name. I owe to this worthy lord all the happiness Iever knew. He was not rich, although the wealth of hisfamily had passed into a proverb, and I heard the phrasevery often, `As rich as a Spada.' But he, like public rumor,lived on this reputation for wealth; his palace was myparadise. I was tutor to his nephews, who are dead; and whenhe was alone in the world, I tried by absolute devotion tohis will, to make up to him all he had done for me duringten years of unremitting kindness. The cardinal's house hadno secrets for me. I had often seen my noble patronannotating ancient volumes, and eagerly searching amongstdusty family manuscripts. One day when I was reproaching himfor his unavailing searches, and deploring the prostrationof mind that followed them, he looked at me, and, smilingbitterly, opened a volume relating to the History of theCity of Rome. There, in the twentieth chapter of the Life ofPope Alexander VI., were the following lines, which I cannever forget: -

"`The great wars of Romagna had ended; Caesar Borgia, whohad completed his conquest, had need of money to purchaseall Italy. The pope had also need of money to bring mattersto an end with Louis XII. King of France, who was formidablestill in spite of his recent reverses; and it was necessary,therefore, to have recourse to some profitable scheme, whichwas a matter of great difficulty in the impoverishedcondition of exhausted Italy. His holiness had an idea. Hedetermined to make two cardinals.'

"By choosing two of the greatest personages of Rome,especially rich men - this was the return the holy fatherlooked for. In the first place, he could sell the greatappointments and splendid offices which the cardinalsalready held; and then he had the two hats to sell besides.There was a third point in view, which will appearhereafter. The pope and Caesar Borgia first found the twofuture cardinals; they were Giovanni Rospigliosi, who heldfour of the highest dignities of the Holy See, and CaesarSpada, one of the noblest and richest of the Roman nobility;both felt the high honor of such a favor from the pope. Theywere ambitious, and Caesar Borgia soon found purchasers fortheir appointments. The result was, that Rospigliosi andSpada paid for being cardinals, and eight other persons paidfor the offices the cardinals held before their elevation,and thus eight hundred thousand crowns entered into thecoffers of the speculators.

"It is time now to proceed to the last part of thespeculation. The pope heaped attentions upon Rospigliosi andSpada, conferred upon them the insignia of the cardinalate,and induced them to arrange their affairs and take up theirresidence at Rome. Then the pope and Caesar Borgia invitedthe two cardinals to dinner. This was a matter of disputebetween the holy father and his son. Caesar thought theycould make use of one of the means which he always had readyfor his friends, that is to say, in the first place, thefamous key which was given to certain persons with therequest that they go and open a designated cupboard. Thiskey was furnished with a small iron point, - a negligenceon the part of the locksmith. When this was pressed toeffect the opening of the cupboard, of which the lock wasdifficult, the person was pricked by this small point, anddied next day. Then there was the ring with the lion's head,which Caesar wore when he wanted to greet his friends with aclasp of the hand. The lion bit the hand thus favored, andat the end of twenty-four hours, the bite was mortal. Caesarproposed to his father, that they should either ask thecardinals to open the cupboard, or shake hands with them;but Alexander VI., replied: `Now as to the worthy cardinals,Spada and Rospigliosi, let us ask both of them to dinner,something tells me that we shall get that money back.Besides, you forget, Caesar, an indigestion declares itselfimmediately, while a prick or a bite occasions a delay of aday or two.' Caesar gave way before such cogent reasoning,and the cardinals were consequently invited to dinner.

"The table was laid in a vineyard belonging to the pope,near San Pierdarena, a charming retreat which the cardinalsknew very well by report. Rospigliosi, quite set up with hisnew dignities, went with a good appetite and his mostingratiating manner. Spada, a prudent man, and greatlyattached to his only nephew, a young captain of the highestpromise, took paper and pen, and made his will. He then sentword to his nephew to wait for him near the vineyard; but itappeared the servant did not find him.

"Spada knew what these invitations meant; sinceChristianity, so eminently civilizing, had made progress inRome, it was no longer a centurion who came from the tyrantwith a message, `Caesar wills that you die.' but it was alegate a latere, who came with a smile on his lips to sayfrom the pope, `His holiness requests you to dine with him.'

"Spada set out about two o'clock to San Pierdarena. The popeawaited him. The first sight that attracted the eyes ofSpada was that of his nephew, in full costume, and CaesarBorgia paying him most marked attentions. Spada turned pale,as Caesar looked at him with an ironical air, which provedthat he had anticipated all, and that the snare was wellspread. They began dinner and Spada was only able to inquireof his nephew if he had received his message. The nephewreplied no; perfectly comprehending the meaning of thequestion. It was too late, for he had already drunk a glassof excellent wine, placed for him expressly by the pope'sbutler. Spada at the same moment saw another bottle approachhim, which he was pressed to taste. An hour afterwards aphysician declared they were both poisoned through eatingmushrooms. Spada died on the threshold of the vineyard; thenephew expired at his own door, making signs which his wifecould not comprehend.

"Then Caesar and the pope hastened to lay hands on theheritage, under presence of seeking for the papers of thedead man. But the inheritance consisted in this only, ascrap of paper on which Spada had written: - `I bequeath tomy beloved nephew my coffers, my books, and, amongst others,my breviary with the gold corners, which I beg he willpreserve in remembrance of his affectionate uncle.'

"The heirs sought everywhere, admired the breviary, laidhands on the furniture, and were greatly astonished thatSpada, the rich man, was really the most miserable of uncles- no treasures - unless they were those of science,contained in the library and laboratories. That was all.Caesar and his father searched, examined, scrutinized, butfound nothing, or at least very little; not exceeding a fewthousand crowns in plate, and about the same in ready money;but the nephew had time to say to his wife before heexpired: `Look well among my uncle's papers; there is awill.'

"They sought even more thoroughly than the august heirs haddone, but it was fruitless. There were two palaces and avineyard behind the Palatine Hill; but in these days landedproperty had not much value, and the two palaces and thevineyard remained to the family since they were beneath therapacity of the pope and his son. Months and years rolledon. Alexander VI. died, poisoned, - you know by whatmistake. Caesar, poisoned at the same time, escaped byshedding his skin like a snake; but the new skin was spottedby the poison till it looked like a tiger's. Then, compelledto quit Rome, he went and got himself obscurely killed in anight skirmish, scarcely noticed in history. After thepope's death and his son's exile, it was supposed that theSpada family would resume the splendid position they hadheld before the cardinal's time; but this was not the case.The Spadas remained in doubtful ease, a mystery hung overthis dark affair, and the public rumor was, that Caesar, abetter politician than his father, had carried off from thepope the fortune of the two cardinals. I say the two,because Cardinal Rospigliosi, who had not taken anyprecaution, was completely despoiled.

"Up to this point," said Faria, interrupting the thread ofhis narrative, "this seems to you very meaningless, nodoubt, eh?"

"Oh, my friend," cried Dantes, "on the contrary, it seems asif I were reading a most interesting narrative; go on, I begof you."

"I will."

"The family began to get accustomed to their obscurity.Years rolled on, and amongst the descendants some weresoldiers, others diplomatists; some churchmen, some bankers;some grew rich, and some were ruined. I come now to the lastof the family, whose secretary I was - the Count of Spada.I had often heard him complain of the disproportion of hisrank with his fortune; and I advised him to invest all hehad in an annuity. He did so, and thus doubled his income.The celebrated breviary remained in the family, and was inthe count's possession. It had been handed down from fatherto son; for the singular clause of the only will that hadbeen found, had caused it to be regarded as a genuine relic,preserved in the family with superstitious veneration. Itwas an illuminated book, with beautiful Gothic characters,and so weighty with gold, that a servant always carried itbefore the cardinal on days of great solemnity.

"At the sight of papers of all sorts, - titles, contracts,parchments, which were kept in the archives of the family,all descending from the poisoned cardinal, I in my turnexamined the immense bundles of documents, like twentyservitors, stewards, secretaries before me; but in spite ofthe most exhaustive researches, I found - nothing. Yet Ihad read, I had even written a precise history of the Borgiafamily, for the sole purpose of assuring myself whether anyincrease of fortune had occurred to them on the death of theCardinal Caesar Spada; but could only trace the acquisitionof the property of the Cardinal Rospigliosi, his companionin misfortune.

" I was then almost assured that the inheritance had neitherprofited the Borgias nor the family, but had remainedunpossessed like the treasures of the Arabian Nights, whichslept in the bosom of the earth under the eyes of the genie.I searched, ransacked, counted, calculated a thousand and athousand times the income and expenditure of the family forthree hundred years. It was useless. I remained in myignorance, and the Count of Spada in his poverty. My patrondied. He had reserved from his annuity his family papers,his library, composed of five thousand volumes, and hisfamous breviary. All these he bequeathed to me, with athousand Roman crowns, which he had in ready money, oncondition that I would have anniversary masses said for therepose of his soul, and that I would draw up a genealogicaltree and history of his house. All this I did scrupulously.Be easy, my dear Edmond, we are near the conclusion.

"In 1807, a month before I was arrested, and a fortnightafter the death of the Count of Spada, on the 25th ofDecember (you will see presently how the date became fixedin my memory), I was reading, for the thousandth time, thepapers I was arranging, for the palace was sold to astranger, and I was going to leave Rome and settle atFlorence, intending to take with me twelve thousand francs Ipossessed, my library, and the famous breviary, when, tiredwith my constant labor at the same thing, and overcome by aheavy dinner I had eaten, my head dropped on my hands, and Ifell 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, but as no one came, Idetermined to find one for myself. It was indeed butanticipating the simple manners which I should soon be underthe necessity of adopting. I took a wax-candle in one hand,and with the other groped about for a piece of paper (mymatch-box being empty), with which I proposed to get a lightfrom the small flame still playing on the embers. Fearing,however, to make use of any valuable piece of paper, Ihesitated for a moment, then recollected that I had seen inthe famous breviary, which was on the table beside me, anold paper quite yellow with age, and which had served as amarker for centuries, kept there by the request of theheirs. I felt for it, found it, twisted it up together, andputting it into the expiring flame, set light to it.

"But beneath my fingers, as if by magic, in proportion asthe fire ascended, I saw yellowish characters appear on thepaper. I grasped it in my hand, put out the flame as quicklyas I could, lighted my taper in the fire itself, and openedthe crumpled paper with inexpressible emotion, recognizing,when I had done so, that these characters had been traced inmysterious and sympathetic ink, only appearing when exposedto the fire; nearly one-third of the paper had been consumedby the flame. It was that paper you read this morning; readit again, Dantes, and then I will complete for you theincomplete 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 inkof 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 hepresented to Dantes a second leaf with fragments of lineswritten on it, which Edmond read as follows: -

Faria followed him with an excited look. "and now," he said,when he saw that Dantes had read the last line, "put the twofragments together, and judge for yourself." Dantes obeyed,and the conjointed pieces gave the following: -

"This 25th day of April, 1498, be...ing invited to dine byhis Holiness Alexander VI., and fearing that not...contentwith making me pay for my hat, he may desire to become myheir, and re...serves for me the fate of Cardinals Capraraand Bentivoglio, who were poisoned...I declare to my nephew,Guido Spada, my sole heir, that I have bu...ried in a placehe knows and has visited with me, that is, in...the caves ofthe small Island of Monte Cristo all I poss...ssed ofingots, gold, money, jewels, diamonds, gems; that Ialone...know of the existence of this treasure, which mayamount to nearly two mil...lions of Roman crowns, and whichhe will find on raising the twentieth ro...ck from the smallcreek to the east in a right line. Two open...ings have beenmade in these caves; the treasure is in the furthesta...ngle in the second; which treasure I bequeath and leaveen...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 solong 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, anddivining the hidden meaning by means of what was in partrevealed, as we are guided in a cavern by the small ray oflight above us."

"And what did you do when you arrived at this conclusion?"

"I resolved to set out, and did set out at that veryinstant, carrying with me the beginning of my great work,the unity of the Italian kingdom; but for some time theimperial police (who at this period, quite contrary to whatNapoleon desired so soon as he had a son born to him, wishedfor a partition of provinces) had their eyes on me; and myhasty departure, the cause of which they were unable toguess, having aroused their suspicions, I was arrested atthe very moment I was leaving Piombino.

"Now," continued Faria, addressing Dantes with an almostpaternal expression, "now, my dear fellow, you know as muchas I do myself. If we ever escape together, half thistreasure is yours; if I die here, and you escape alone, thewhole belongs to you."

"But," inquired Dantes hesitating, "has this treasure nomore legitimate possessor in the world than ourselves?"

"No, no, be easy on that score; the family is extinct. Thelast Count of Spada, moreover, made me his heir, bequeathingto me this symbolic breviary, he bequeathed to me all itcontained; no, no, make your mind satisfied on that point.If we lay hands on this fortune, we may enjoy it withoutremorse."

"And you say this treasure amounts to" -

"Two millions of Roman crowns; nearly thirteen millions ofour money."*

$2,600,000 in 1894.

"Impossible!" said Dantes, staggered at the enormous amount.

"Impossible? and why?" asked the old man. "The Spada familywas one of the oldest and most powerful families of thefifteenth century; and in those times, when otheropportunities for investment were wanting, suchaccumulations 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." Edmondthought he was in a dream - he wavered between incredulityand joy.

"I have only kept this secret so long from you," continuedFaria, "that I might test your character, and then surpriseyou. Had we escaped before my attack of catalepsy, I shouldhave conducted you to Monte Cristo; now," he added, with asigh, "it is you who will conduct me thither. Well, Dantes,you do not thank me?"

"This treasure belongs to you, my dear friend," repliedDantes, "and to you only. I have no right to it. I am norelation of yours."

"You are my son, Dantes," exclaimed the old man. "You arethe child of my captivity. My profession condemns me tocelibacy. God has sent you to me to console, at one and thesame time, the man who could not be a father, and theprisoner who could not get free." And Faria extended the armof which alone the use remained to him to the young man whothrew himself upon his neck and wept.