The road leads Edmond to a lonely inn by the Rhône.

In The Count of Monte Cristo, Chapter 26, Dumas paints a vivid picture of the Pont du Gard Inn, a shabby outpost between Beaucaire and Bellegarde. Its tin sign creaks in the wind, its garden is little more than a patch of garlic and dying fig-trees, and its setting lies under the constant scourge of the mistral. Around it, the plain resembles a dusty lake, where even the sparse wheat struggles to grow, each stalk a perch for rasping grasshoppers. This bleak landscape sets the stage for what Edmond will soon encounter within.

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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.