World Literature Classics Library: The Count of Monte Cristo

Chapter 103 Andra Cavallecanti (1)
The Count of Monte Cristo entered the adjoining drawing room, the blue drawing room of which Baptistan had just mentioned.A young man of unhurried manner and smart attire arrived a little earlier than the count, who had been delivered to the gate of the apartment half an hour before in a cab.Baptistan recognized him immediately. This young man was tall and tall, with blond hair, reddish-brown beard, dark eyes, ruddy complexion, and translucent white skin. At first glance, Batistein had the features his master had described.When the count entered the living room, the young man was lying nonchalantly on a sofa, playing casually with a small gold-headed cane on his boots.Seeing the count, he hastily rose to his feet. "Monsieur is the Count of Monte Cristo?" said he.

"Yes, monsieur," replied Monte Cristo, "I suppose it is the Vicomte Andra Cavallecanti who I have the honor of meeting?"

"Viscount Andra Cavallecanti." The young man repeated his title and saluted casually.

"You ought to have a letter of recommendation when you come to see me?" said Monte Cristo.

"I didn't mention the letter because I thought the signature on it was too bizarre."

"Sailor Samba, eh?"

"That's right, because I only know that there is a sailor Samba in "One Thousand and One Nights", and I have never seen anyone else with this name..."

"Oh, this is the offspring of Samba, a friend of mine. He's very rich. He's an Englishman, very queer, almost mad. His real name is Lord Weymar."

"Ah, now I understand perfectly," said Andra, "then it's all very well. It was the Englishman I saw, at ... yes, very well! . . . At your command."

"I have the honor to say that, if what is said is true," said the Count, smiling, "I shall be obliged to give you an account of yourself and your household."

"Of course, Monsieur Count." The young man began to speak eloquently, and it seems that he has an excellent memory, "As you said just now, I am Viscount Andra Cavallecanti, and my father is Bartolo Major Mayo Cavaletti, descendant of the Cavalle Conti family listed in the register of the nobles of Florence. My family is still rich, because my father has an annuity of 50 yuan, but the family is very unfortunate. And I, sir, are five or six years old At that time, I was abducted by an ignorant tutor, and my biological father had been separated for 15 years. I have been looking for my biological father since I reached the sensible age and can be independent, but there is always no result. Finally, Your friend Samba wrote to tell me that my father is in Paris, and that I should come to you for news of him."

"Indeed, sir, the things you say to me deserve our attention," said the count, looking with a sort of melancholy satisfaction at the young man's face, which had a dissolute expression and a A kind of handsomeness similar to that of a rebellious god, "You are very right. You should do exactly what my friend Samba said, because your father is really here and looking for you."

Since the count came into the drawing room, he has been studying the young man with his eyes.The young man looked calm and spoke calmly, which made the count admire him.However, as soon as the count finished saying, "Your father is really here and is looking for you," which made perfect sense, the young Andra jumped up and shouted: "My father! My father! here!"

"Your father, of course," said Monte Cristo, "Colonel Bartolomeo Cavallecanti."

The terror on the young man's face disappeared immediately. "Ah, yes, that's true," he said, "Colonel Bartolomeo Cavallecanti. Monsieur Count, you just said that my dear father was in here?"

"Yes, sir, I will even tell you that he was with me just now, and told me about the loss of his beloved son. I was very moved by it. Indeed, the sadness, bewilderment, and confusion it caused him I hope that I can write sad and moving poems. Finally one day he got the news that the people who kidnapped his son promised to return them, or tell them where they were, but he had to pay a huge sum of money first. But nothing The kind father was stopped, the demanded money was sent to the frontier of Piedmont, and a passport was sent, and a visa to Italy was also obtained. I suppose you were in the south of France at the time?"

"Yes, sir," Andra replied awkwardly, "yes, I was in the south of France."

"Isn't there a carriage waiting for you in Nice?"

"That's how it is, sir. I took this train from Nice to Genoa, from Genoa to Turin, from Turin to Chambery, from Chambery to Ponte de Boisin, and finally from Ponte de Boisin to Paris."

"Great. Your father has been looking forward to seeing you all the way. He also took this path, so he set such a route for you."

"However," Andra said, "even if my dear father meets me, I think he may not be able to recognize me. Since we were separated, I have always changed to some extent."

"Oh, this is fraternity!" said Monte Cristo.

"Ah, yes, it's true," the young man went on, "I didn't think about this fraternal bond."

"There is only one thing that disturbs the Marquis of Cavalle-Conti," said Monte Cristo. "He doesn't know how you came here during the years you were separated, and how those who killed you treated you. He doesn't know. Did those people understand your birth and maintain due respect for you? In addition, the torture you suffered mentally is a thousand times more terrible than the pain you suffered physically, so I don’t know what kind of talents you were originally gifted with? ill effects, and don't know if you feel you can recover and maintain your rightful place in high society."

"Sir," murmured the bewildered young man, "I hope there will be no gossip..."

"Myself, the first time I ever heard of you was from my friend Weymar, who is a philanthropist. I know you weren't in a good place when he first found you, but I don't I knew exactly what was the matter, and I didn't ask him anything, I don't like to ask questions. Since he sympathized with your misfortune, you are worthy of concern. He said to me that he would help you restore your life in high society. Lost position, he tried to find your father, and he said he would find it. So it seemed that he did, and he found it. Because your father is already here. Finally, Weimar notified me yesterday that you Come, and he gave me some advice about your property. That's the way it is. My friend Weymar is eccentric, I know, but he's reliable and rich as a gold mine, so he can let his eccentricity go. I promise to do as I please, as my temper will do as I please without ruining my fortune. I have a question for you, sir, and please don't mind that your misfortune is not your own will, so it will not affect my respect for you in the slightest. It's just that I have to help you a little bit, so I'd like to know whether, after your misfortunes, you are somewhat at a loss about the high society, which you can achieve with your wealth and family. "

"Sir," the young man replied, taking advantage of the earl's words, and he gradually calmed down, "you can rest assured that the reason why the kidnappers took me away from my father is obviously to use me as a bargaining chip in the future. My father asked for money, and they did. It occurred to them that in order to take advantage of me, I must protect my own talents and, if possible, increase my talents, so I was quite well educated. The kidnapper's treatment of me is a bit similar to that of Asia Minor. The slave owners of Asia Minor trained their slaves to be grammar teachers, doctors or philosophers in order to make their slaves sell well in the Roman slave market." Monte Cristo smiled with satisfaction, It seems that he did not have much hope for Andra Cavallecanti. "And," went on the young man, "if I have any defects in education, or rather in social manners, I think everyone will also think of the misfortunes I suffered in my childhood and youth, and forgive me. .”

"Very well!" said Monte Cristo absent-mindedly, "you may do as you please, vicomte, because you can make your own decisions, and this is all your own business. But I can swear that for such adventures I will never reveal a word, your life experience is simply a legend, but society loves to hear old stories with yellowed covers. , they too will be suspicious for no reason. I cannot help pointing out this difficulty to you, Monsieur Viscount, that as soon as you have told someone this touching story of your life, the whole world is aroused, and it is not recognizable. At that time you had to be like the character in Antoine Dumas' play of the same name. That's it, but Antoine's time is somewhat outdated. You may succeed in arousing curiosity, but not everyone likes to do the staring A target for the center to gossip with everyone because it wears you out."

"I think you are right, Monsieur the Count," said the young man, who grew pale under the intense gaze of Monte Cristo, "that is indeed very inappropriate."

"Oh, don't take the matter too seriously," said Monte Cristo, "for it is quite possible to avoid a mistake and to make a foolish thing elsewhere. No, it is only behavioral that is to be ascertained now." It's just a matter of consideration. For someone as smart as you, things are all for your own good, and this kind of consideration is easy to do. Be a good character yourself, and have decent friends, which can offset the shadows that your past experience may bring .” Apparently, Andra was already worried. "Of course I will vouch for you," continued Monte Cristo, "but I have never been credulous in ethics, even with my best friends, and I never ask for credulity. So, in the words of an actor, the role I want to play is going out of my way, and I may be booed by others, so it would be superfluous.”

"But, Mr. Earl," Andra said boldly, "I was introduced to you by Lord Waymar, for his sake..."

"Yes, of course," said Monte Cristo, "but Lord Wilmar has not concealed it from me, my dear Monsieur Andra, so I am not ignorant of the fact that your youth has had a rough and tumultuous life. Oh. ’” the count continued, seeing Andra swaying, “I don’t ask you to come and make any confession. Besides, in order to save you from begging, I specially invited your father, the Marquis Cavalle-Conti, from Lucca. You can see him right away, sir. He's a bit rigid, a little reserved. But that's because of the uniform, and once you know he's been serving Austria for 18 years, everything will be forgiven. Generally speaking, we treat Austrians Not demanding. In short, I can tell you that this is a very pretentious father."

"Oh, you've reassured me, sir. I've been away from him so long that I can't remember him at all."

"And, you know, a lot of things get wiped out when you have a big family fortune."

"So my father was really very rich, sir?"

"A millionaire . . . half a million livres a year."

"Then," the young man asked anxiously, "my situation must be... very comfortable?"

"Of the most agreeable kind, my dear Monsieur. He gave you fifty thousand livres a year while you were in Paris."

"In that case, I will stay here."

"Uh, who can guarantee the future situation, my dear sir? It's up to man to plan, and God to make things happen."

(End of this chapter)