Your notes should include some of these (and perhaps other) details:
Edmond Dantès—the name of the main character
tasted nothing—He has not eaten. Why?
at such a moment—What is the significance of the moment?
hastily swallowed—Why is he in a hurry?
cavern—He enters a cave.
pickaxe—Does he have to break something?
pickaxe like a feather—Simile. Does this indicate the lightness of the pickaxe? The strength of the protagonist?
attacked the wall—must be something important
by waiting, he could cling to hope—This sounds contradictory.
second grotto—gloomy, dark setting
mephitic—Look up this word. Foul? Disgusting?
dark and deep angle—Is it a dark, gloomy setting?
Dantès’ fate would be decided—Whatever he finds will be life-changing.
never did funeral knell nor alarm-bell—Again, this text hints at something life-changing for Dantès.
shadow, wild goat—Are these symbols of Dantès’s fear?
sprang through the opening—Seems to indicate being in a hurry again.
Spada family—Is the treasure theirs or connected to them?
Faria—Another character. He draws the Spada family shield to show Dantès. Maybe he told him about the treasure?
in an instant—The phrase is repeated twice. What’s the significance?
art rendered commonest metals precious—imagery?
lock and padlock—personification; faithful guardians who wouldn’t break trust
childlike disbelief—Because of the magnificence of the treasure?
like hail against glass—simile
rushed through the cavern, like a man seized with frenzy, leaped on a rock—strong emotional outbursts used to describe Dantès’s state
was it but a dream?—His disbelief?
rushed madly, uttered wild cries and gestures—His state of mind? Agitation?
rushed into the grotto—another indication of being in a hurry
starts counting—He needs to know the value of the treasure; maybe he has some plans.
a night of joy and terror—contradictory emotions together
already experienced twice or thrice in his lifetime—The incidents of such magnitude have happened to him already. He must have gone through a lot in life.
