什么是常春藤学校？
“I am a very rich man.” 这是《基督山伯爵》中伯爵被囚禁时，对一个老乞丐所说的台词。那时伯爵还不知自己的财富究竟有多么庞大。 “How can you be so sure of your wealth when you do not know what it is made up of！ ” 老乞丐反问他。 “You are right there； but in my position I have to judge by the things which come into my hands. A diamond that has been placed in our hands appears to us as gold because we know that all metals are valued at their weight and that we can convert one metal into another according to fixed laws. My possession consists entirely of money， for I cannot exchange any part of it; consequently I value it only as money. Now money is merely the symbol of value， and if you give me sufficient money， I will give you anything； you will find out its value for yourself， but I shall never tell you how much any particular item weighs， whether an ounce， or a gramme，for I do not know．因此我可以随便支配我的财产而不用担心会亏空。”
这句话里，伯爵自称为“rich man”，而不是“a man with many possessions”或“a person with great fortune”。在伯爵心中，他的财富就是钱，而他也是以钱来衡量他所能拥有的任何东西的价值的——哪怕只是借用来打一场猎，或者送一个朋友一瓶他最喜爱的酒。如果别人送给他一件礼物，他只会用钱来估价。例如，他用五千克朗买下了伊夫堡监狱的一间牢房（The Prison Cell）。
虽然伯爵的钱多得花不完，但他总是把钱放在口袋里，甚至当他在跳蚤市场买了一个玩具时，也会先数出几枚金币放在摊主手里。