"You have not seen all yet," continued Faria, "for I did not think it wise to trust all my treasures in the same hiding-place.Let us shut this one up." They put the stone back in its place; the abbe sprinkled a little dust over it to conceal the traces of its having been removed, rubbed his foot well on it to make it assume the same appearance as the other, and then, going towards his bed, he removed it from the spot it stood in.Behind the head of the bed, and concealed by a stone fitting in so closely as to defy all suspicion, was a hollow space, and in this space a ladder of cords between twenty-five and thirty feet in length.Dantes closely and eagerly examined it; he found it firm, solid, and compact enough to bear any weight.
"Who supplied you with the materials for making this wonderful work?""I tore up several of my shirts, and ripped out the seams in the sheets of my bed, during my three years' imprisonment at Fenestrelle; and when I was removed to the Chateau d'If, Imanaged to bring the ravellings with me, so that I have been able to finish my work here.""And was it not discovered that your sheets were unhemmed?""Oh, no, for when I had taken out the thread I required, Ihemmed the edges over again."
"With what?"
"With this needle," said the abbe, as, opening his ragged vestments, he showed Dantes a long, sharp fish-bone, with a small perforated eye for the thread, a small portion of which still remained in it."I once thought," continued Faria, "of removing these iron bars, and letting myself down from the window, which, as you see, is somewhat wider than yours, although I should have enlarged it still more preparatory to my flight; however, I discovered that Ishould merely have dropped into a sort of inner court, and Itherefore renounced the project altogether as too full of risk and danger.Nevertheless, I carefully preserved my ladder against one of those unforeseen opportunities of which I spoke just now, and which sudden chance frequently brings about." While affecting to be deeply engaged in examining the ladder, the mind of Dantes was, in fact, busily occupied by the idea that a person so intelligent, ingenious, and clear-sighted as the abbe might probably be able to solve the dark mystery of his own misfortunes, where he himself could see nothing.
"What are you thinking of?" asked the abbe smilingly, imputing the deep abstraction in which his visitor was plunged to the excess of his awe and wonder.
"I was reflecting, in the first place," replied Dantes, "upon the enormous degree of intelligence and ability you must have employed to reach the high perfection to which you have attained.What would you not have accomplished if you had been free?""Possibly nothing at all; the overflow of my brain would probably, in a state of freedom, have evaporated in a thousand follies; misfortune is needed to bring to light the treasures of the human intellect.Compression is needed to explode gunpowder.Captivity has brought my mental faculties to a focus; and you are well aware that from the collision of clouds electricity is produced -- from electricity, lightning, from lightning, illumination.""No," replied Dantes."I know nothing.Some of your words are to me quite empty of meaning.You must be blessed indeed to possess the knowledge you have."The abbe smiled."Well," said he, "but you had another subject for your thoughts; did you not say so just now?""I did!"
"You have told me as yet but one of them -- let me hear the other.""It was this, -- that while you had related to me all the particulars of your past life, you were perfectly unacquainted with mine.""Your life, my young friend, has not been of sufficient length to admit of your having passed through any very important events.""It has been long enough to inflict on me a great and undeserved misfortune.I would fain fix the source of it on man that I may no longer vent reproaches upon heaven.""Then you profess ignorance of the crime with which you are charged?""I do, indeed; and this I swear by the two beings most dear to me upon earth, -- my father and Mercedes.""Come," said the abbe, closing his hiding-place, and pushing the bed back to its original situation, "let me hear your story."Dantes obeyed, and commenced what he called his history, but which consisted only of the account of a voyage to India, and two or three voyages to the Levant until he arrived at the recital of his last cruise, with the death of Captain Leclere, and the receipt of a packet to be delivered by himself to the grand marshal; his interview with that personage, and his receiving, in place of the packet brought, a letter addressed to a Monsieur Noirtier -- his arrival at Marseilles, and interview with his father -- his affection for Mercedes, and their nuptual feast -- his arrest and subsequent examination, his temporary detention at the Palais de Justice, and his final imprisonment in the Chateau d'If.From this point everything was a blank to Dantes -- he knew nothing more, not even the length of time he had been imprisoned.His recital finished, the abbe reflected long and earnestly.
