With triumph in his eyes, Faria handed the paper to Dantès, who read the reddish, rust-colored writing:
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...
"Now," Faria said, "read this other piece." He handed Dantès a second fragment:
...ing invited to dine by 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
...ings have been made
...ngle in the second;
Faria watched with excitement as Dantès read. "Now put both fragments together and see for yourself!"
Dantès obeyed, and the combined pieces revealed:
This 25th day of April, 1498, being invited to dine by his Holiness Alexander VI., and fearing that not content with making me pay for my hat, he may desire to become my heir, and reserves 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 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, money, jewels, diamonds, gems; that I alone know of the existence of this treasure, which may amount to nearly two millions of Roman crowns, and which he will find on raising the 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 angle in the second; which treasure I bequeath and leave entire to him as my sole heir.
"Well, do you understand now?" Faria asked breathlessly. Fresh chapters posted on Nove1Fire.net
"It’s Cardinal Spada’s declaration and the long-lost will," Dantès replied, still struggling to believe it.
"Yes! A thousand times, yes!"
"But who completed the missing parts?"
"I did. Using the remaining fragment as a guide, I deduced the rest by measuring the line lengths against the paper and figuring out the hidden meaning from what was partially revealed, like following a ray of light through a dark cave."
"And what did you do when you reached this conclusion?"
"I decided to leave immediately and did so that very instant, taking with me the beginning of my great work on Italian unification. But the imperial police had been watching me for some time, and my sudden departure, the reason for which they couldn’t understand, aroused their suspicions. I was arrested just as I was leaving the port city."
Faria looked at Dantès with an almost fatherly expression, his weary face softened by warmth. "Now, my dear friend, you know everything I know. If we ever escape together, half this treasure is yours. If I die here and you escape alone, then it all belongs to you, and I shall die content knowing it serves your happiness."
"But," Dantès hesitated, troubled by doubt, "doesn’t this treasure have a more rightful owner somewhere in the world?"
"No, don’t worry about that," Faria said firmly. "The family line is extinct, its name forgotten by history. The last Count of Spada made me his heir, leaving me this symbolic prayer book and everything it contained. We can enjoy this fortune without guilt, if only we manage to claim it with courage."
"And you said this treasure is worth...?"
"Two million Roman crowns, nearly thirteen million in today’s money."
"Impossible!" Dantès gasped at the enormous sum.
"Impossible? Why?" the old man asked. "The Spada family was one of the oldest and most powerful families of the fifteenth century. In those times, when other investment opportunities were scarce, such accumulations of gold and jewels were common. Even today, there are Roman families dying of hunger while possessing nearly a million in diamonds and jewels passed down through inheritance, wealth they can’t touch."
Dantès felt like he was in a dream, wavering between disbelief and joy. His mind swirled with visions of freedom, of riches beyond imagination, yet his heart trembled at the thought that such fortune might truly be destined for him.
"I’ve kept this secret from you until now," Faria continued, his weary eyes shining with a mixture of pride and tenderness, "because I wanted to test your character and then surprise you. If we had escaped before my stroke, I would have taken you to Monte Cristo myself. Now," he sighed, the weight of regret in his breath, "you’ll have to take me there. Well, Dantès, aren’t you going to thank me?"
"This treasure belongs to you, my dear friend," Dantès replied, his voice quivering. "It’s yours and yours alone. I have no right to it, I’m not related to you, and my conscience would burn if I claimed it unjustly."
"You are my son, Dantès!" the old man exclaimed with sudden fervor. "You are the child of my captivity. My religious vows condemn me to celibacy, but God sent you to console both the man who could never be a father and the prisoner who could never be free. You are bound to me not by blood, but by providence."
Faria extended his one working arm to the young man, who threw himself upon the old man’s neck, his tears falling freely, a torrent of gratitude, love, and grief mingled together.