"Those born to wealth, who can gratify every wish," Emmanuel said, "don't know what real happiness is, just as only those who have been tossed on stormy seas can truly appreciate fair weather."
Monte Cristo stood and walked slowly up and down the room without answering, afraid his trembling voice would betray his emotion.
"Does our modest home make you smile, Count?" Maximilian asked, watching him.
"No, no," Monte Cristo replied, pale as death. He pressed one hand to his heart to still its racing while pointing with the other to a crystal case containing a silk purse resting on a black velvet cushion. "I was wondering about the significance of this purse, with a paper at one end and a large diamond at the other."
"Count," Maximilian replied gravely, "those are our most precious family treasures."
"The diamond appears quite brilliant," the Count observed.
