The abbé departs into the fading light, leaving Caderousse overflowing with gratitude and disbelief. “May this money profit you,” the priest says, mounting his horse and riding away — back down the same lonely road that brought him to the Pont du Gard inn. Behind him, his calm words linger like a benediction, or a warning.

Inside, Caderousse’s joy meets the cold suspicion of La Carconte. Pale and trembling, she eyes the diamond with dread. “Suppose it’s false?” she whispers. The thought strikes him like a curse. Could the priest — that solemn man of God — have tricked them?

Driven by greed and fear, Caderousse seizes his hat. The fair at Beaucaire is open, and there he will learn the gem’s true worth. As he runs into the distance, his wife stares after him and mutters darkly, “Fifty thousand francs — it is a large sum, but not a fortune.” Her voice trails into the emptiness, the first chill of what is to come.

⸻

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The Countdown of Monte Cristo is a daily podcast reading one page at a time from Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel — every day, for four years. Whether you’re starting from the beginning or joining mid-journey, each episode brings you deeper into the story of The Count of Monte Cristo.