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Edmond thanks Caderousse for the information, paying him with a large diamond that he said had come into Edmond's possession while in prison. He also learns that those who had remained loyal to him had suffered greatly, while those who had betrayed him had prospered.
#Edmond dantes the count of monte cristo trial#
Caderousse tells him that Morrel had tried to obtain a fair trial for Edmond, and how Mercédès pleaded for his release. His old neighbour Gaspard Caderousse is still alive, and-under the guise of the Abbé Busoni-Edmond visits him to learn more.
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Upon returning to Marseille, Edmond learns that his father had died of hunger and that Mercédès had married Fernand 8 months after he was supposedly executed for treason. On this and subsequent visits, Edmond becomes wealthy. Edmond soon suggests a stopover and trading of goods at the small island of Monte Cristo, during which he confirms that Faria's treasure exists. The next day, he swims out to sea as a smuggling ship passes by and is rescued under the pretense of being a shipwreck victim. Edmond swims to a small island nearby to seek refuge from the storm for the night. Using a knife made from a sharpened crucifix, Edmond frees himself and reaches the surface. The jailers, rather than burying prisoners, toss them over the fortress' wall into the sea, weighted with an iron ball chained around the legs. That night, Edmond exchanges himself for his mentor in the priest's bodybag, and escapes from the prison. With his dying words, he bequeaths to Edmond a secret treasure, hidden on the island of Monte Cristo. The two spend years digging a tunnel to freedom, but Faria dies before they can escape. Together, they determine who betrayed Edmond, and although Faria disapproves, Edmond plans vengeance against his betrayers. The two prisoners become very close, with the learned priest teaching Dantès all he knows about reading, mathematics, science, languages, philosophy, history, sword fighting, and economics. Dantès eventually breaks through enough of the wall that he is able to exchange a brief greeting with an old Italian abbé named Faria, sometimes called the "Mad Priest", who had indeed been attempting to dig to freedom. He then uses the saucepan on which his food is served to begin digging where he heard the scratching before in hopes that it was another prisoner digging his way to freedom. He taps on his wall several times, and when the scratching stops, he concludes that it is a prisoner trying to escape. Curiosity about the source of the noise inspires him to begin eating again. After nearly six months, he hears scratching against the wall of his cell. Fearing he will be forced to eat, he throws out his food in secrecy. De Villefort has renounced his father, a staunch Bonapartist, and destroyed the letter to protect himself, not Edmond to further protect his name, de Villefort sentences Edmond to imprisonment in the dreaded Chateau d'If, an island fortress from which no prisoner had ever escaped, and to which the most dangerous political prisoners are sent.Īfter six long years in solitary confinement in the dungeons of the Chateau, Edmond decides to commit suicide by starving himself. Once again he promises Edmond's speedy release. De Villefort throws the letter on the fire for the letter is addressed to his father. Edmond hands over the letter, which he received in the name of Captain Leclère, and of which the contents are unknown to Edmond. The letter claims that on Edmond's last voyage, he made a stopover at the island of Elba, and received a letter from the deposed Emperor Napoléon. He then asks for a piece of evidence cited in a letter denouncing Edmond to the authorities. Prosecutor De Villefort concludes that Edmond is innocent, and assures him that he will be released. Edmond had been anonymously and falsely denounced by Danglars, Edmond's shipmate over whom he was promoted, and Fernand Mondego, a rival suitor for Mercédès' hand. On the very night of their nuptial feast, Dantès is arrested as a suspected Bonapartist, a helper to Napoléon, and taken to see the public prosecutor, Gérard de Villefort. Dantès rushes off to see his father and then his beloved, the young Catalan woman Mercédès, and the two agree to be married immediately. Morrel, who tells Dantès that he will try to have him named captain. Dantès relays these events to his patron, M. Although the trip was successful, the former Captain, Leclère, has fallen ill and died. At only 19 years old, the young Dantès seems destined for success. When the reader is first introduced to Edmond Dantès, he arrives in Marseille as first mate aboard the merchant ship Le Pharaon (The Pharaoh).
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