years; but a
certain briskness and appearance of vigor in his movements made it
probable that he was aged more from captivity than the course of time.
He received the enthusiastic greeting of his young acquaintance with
evident pleasure, as though his chilled affections were rekindled and
invigorated by his contact with one so warm and ardent. He thanked him
with grateful cordiality for his kindly welcome, although he must at
that moment have been suffering bitterly to find another dungeon where
he had fondly reckoned on discovering a means of regaining his liberty.

"Let us first see," said he, "whether it is possible to remove the
traces of my entrance here--our future tranquillity depends upon our
jailers being entirely ignorant of it." Advancing to the opening,
he stooped and raised the stone easily in spite of its weight; then,
fitting it into its place, he said,--

"You removed this stone very carelessly; but I suppose you had no tools
to aid you."

"Why," exclaimed Dantes, with astonishment, "do you possess any?"

"I made myself some; and with the exception of a file, I have all that
are necessary,--a chisel, pincers, and lever."

"Oh, how I should like to see these products of your industry and
patience."

"Well, in the first place, here is my chisel." So saying, he displayed a
sharp strong blade, with a handle made of beechwood.

"And with what did you contrive to make that?" inquired Dantes.

"With one of the clamps of my bedstead; and this very tool has sufficed
me to hollow out the road by which I came hither, a distance of about
fifty feet."

"Fifty feet!" responded Dantes, almost terrified.

"Do not speak so loud, young man--don't speak so loud. It frequently
occurs in a state prison like this, that persons are stationed outside
the doors of the cells purposely to overhear the conversation of the
prisoners."

"But they believe I am shut up alone here."

"That makes no difference."

"And you say that you dug your way a distance of fifty feet to get
here?"

"I do; that is about the distance that separates your chamber from mine;
only, unfortunately, I did not curve aright; for want of the necessary
geometrical instruments to calculate my scale of proportion, instead of
taking an ellipsis of forty feet, I made it fifty. I expected, as I told
you, to reach the outer wall, pierce through it, and throw myself into
the sea; I have, however, kept along the corridor on which your chamber
opens,