The Two Prisoners — The Count of Monte Cristo

A year after Louis XVIII. returns to the throne, the prison inspector visits the Château d'If. Edmond Dantès hears the noise deep in his dungeon and knows something rare is happening. He drops his anger, begs on his knees for a trial, and names Villefort as the man who arrested him. He says he was taken on his wedding day and has lost Mercédès and his father. For a moment he believes help has finally come.

The inspector is moved and asks to see the papers. But the register calls Edmond a violent Bonapartist who helped Napoleon return from Elba. Someone added that note after Edmond arrived. Villefort is now in Toulouse and cannot speak for him. The inspector writes that nothing can be done. Hope leaves the cell as fast as it entered. Edmond marks days on the wall with plaster while months drag into a year.

The inspector also meets Abbé Faria, who offers millions for his freedom and is laughed off as mad. Faria goes back to drawing geometry on the floor while officials joke about treasure. When the governor is transferred, prisoners lose their names. Edmond Dantès becomes number 34. Two men remain in nearby cells: one called dangerous, one called insane, both forgotten by the world above.