World Literature Classics Library: The Count of Monte Cristo

Chapter 166 Night (1)
Monsieur Monte Cristo, as usual, until Dupree finished singing his famous song "Follow me!" " just got up and left.Morrel parted with Monte Cristo at the door of the theatre, and assured him again that he and Emmanuel must be at the count's apartment at seven o'clock the next morning.Then Monte Cristo climbed into the two-seater carriage, always with the same serene expression, and always with a smile on his lips. Five minutes later, he returned to the apartment, but when he entered the door, his facial expression was completely different from the earl he usually saw. He only heard him say to Ali: "Ali, take my pair of ivory. Bring the pistol with the handle!"

Ali brought the pistols in their case, and Monte Cristo immediately began to examine the two pistols carefully.It is reasonable for a person to entrust his life to such a small iron guy and a few grains of lead.These two pistols are very special, custom-made by Monte Cristo, specially used for target practice in his own suite.With a slight pull of the trigger, the bullet was fired quietly. Even the people in the next room never expected that the earl was "practicing his craft" in the jargon of the shooting range.He was holding the gun in one hand, aiming for the bull's-eye on a small iron plate used as a target board, when the door of the study opened suddenly and Batistein walked in.But before Battistan could speak, the Count himself saw through the half-open door a woman in a veil standing in the half-darkness of the next room, and it seemed that this woman had come in after Battistan.The woman saw the count holding a gun in his hand, and saw two sharp swords on the table, so she hurried in.Baptistan asked his master what to do with his eyes, the count gestured to him, and Batistein turned around and retreated, closing the door behind him.

"Which one are you, madam?" the count asked the veiled woman.

The woman looked around and saw that there was indeed no one else but her, then she bent down deeply as if she was going to kneel, put her hands together, and said in despair: "Edmond, please don't kill me." son!"

The count couldn't help but took a step back, snorted softly, and dropped the gun in his hand. "Whose name are you speaking of, Mrs. Merserf?" he said.

"Your name!" she said, taking off her veil. "Perhaps I am the only one who has not forgotten your name. Edmond, it is not Madame Mercerf who is looking for you, but Mercedes."

"Mercedes is dead, Madame," said Monte Cristo; "I no longer know anyone by that name."

"Mercedes is alive, sir, Mercedes always remembers the past, because when she sees you, she doesn't even see you, but only hears your voice, Edmond, only hears you. She recognized you at once by the sound of your voice. Since then she has followed you every step of the way, and has been watching you, and she knows without asking whose hand Mr. Mocerf's blows came from."

"You mean Fernand, Madame?" said Monte Cristo, with sarcasm and a hint of bitterness in his voice, "Now that we are recalling our old names, let us recall all the names. "When Monte Cristo mentioned the name of Fernand, hatred immediately appeared on his face, and Mercedes only felt that her heart was torn apart and her hair stood on end.

"You see, Edmond, I am not mistaken," cried Mercedes; "I have reason to say: 'Spare my son!'"

"But who told you, Madame, that I hate your son?"

"Nobody said that, my God! But a mother has two sets of eyes. I expected it all, and I followed him to the Opera tonight, and I hid in a box on the first floor, and all I've seen everything."

"Then, since you have seen everything, Madame, have you seen Fernand's son humiliating me in public?" said Monte Cristo with the utmost calmness.

"Oh! have mercy!"

"You will also see," continued the count, "that he nearly threw his glove in my face, but my friend M. Morrel was just in time to stop his arm."

"Listen to me. My son also guessed your intentions, and he blamed you for his father's misfortune."

"Madame," said Monte Cristo, "you've said it wrong. It's not a misfortune at all, it's a punishment, and it's not I who beat M. Mocerf, but God who punishes him."

"What reason do you have to replace God?" Mercedes cried. "God has forgotten the past, why do you still worry about it? What have Ioannina and its governors have to do with you? Fernand How did Mondego's betrayal of Ali-Tuberan hurt you?"

"That is why, Madame," replied Monte Cristo, "it is all a matter between the European officer and the daughter of Vasiliki. It has nothing to do with me, you are right. I swear I want revenge, but I want revenge, neither the European officer, nor the Count of Mecerf, but the fisherman Fernand, the husband of the Catalan named Mercedes. "

"Ah, sir!" cried the countess, "how terrible is the vengeance at last for the fault which fortune has driven me to commit! I am the guilty, Edmond, and if you want revenge on anyone, it is I, Because I am too weak, I can't bear that you go away like that, and I can't bear that I am always alone."

"But," cried Monte Cristo, "why have I never returned? Why are you alone?"

"Because you are under arrest, Edmond, because you are a prisoner."

"And why am I arrested? And why am I a prisoner?"

"I don't know," said Mercedes.

"No, you don't know, Madame, at least I hope you don't. Oh! I told you. I was arrested and I was a prisoner because the day before I was going to marry you , under the arbor of the Reserve Hotel, a man named Tangla wrote a letter, and Fernand, a fisherman, threw the letter into the mailbox."

Monte Cristo went to a writing-table, opened a drawer, and took out a sheet of paper.The paper had turned yellow, and the words written in ink were as black as rust.Monte Cristo showed Mercedes the paper.This is the letter Tangra wrote to the prosecutor. Later, one day the Count of Monte Cristo pretended to be the representative of Thomson-French firm, paid Mr. Powell 20 francs, and then quietly obtained the letter from Edmond. The letter was extracted from Dantès' file.Mercedes tremblingly picked up the letter and read:
ぜ觳旃笕笕笕镜：
I support the royal family and love religion, and the disclosure is as follows:
There is Edmond Dantès, the first mate of the "King of Egypt", who returned to Hong Kong from Smyrna this morning, and stopped at Naples and Portoferraio on the way.This person was ordered by Mira to deliver a letter to the rebel usurper, and was ordered by the rebel to carry a secret letter to the Napoleonic Party in Paris.

If he is arrested and brought to justice, he can obtain criminal evidence.If the secret letter is not with him, it must be in his father's house, or in the cabin of the "King of Egypt".

"Oh, my God!" said Mercedes, touching her sweaty brow with one hand, "this letter..."

"I bought it for 20 francs, Madame," said Monte Cristo, "but it was worth it, because today with this letter I can prove to you that I am worthy of God."

"What are the consequences of this letter?"

"You know the consequences, ma'am, I was arrested and imprisoned, but there is something you don't know, how long I spent in prison. You don't know, I am only a quarter of a mile away from you One, I was imprisoned in a dark cell in the Château d'If for 14 years. From the first day, I swore to take revenge, and I thought about revenge every day for 14 years, but I didn't know that you had falsely accused me My Fernand is married, and I don’t know that my father is dead and starved to death!”

"Just God!" cried Mercedes, almost unable to stand.

"After 14 years in prison, I finally came out, knowing these things, so I swear on the honor of Mercedes who is still alive, and on the honor of my father who is dead, to tell Phil Nan's revenge... Now is the time for me to take my revenge."

"Are you sure that all this is caused by this unfortunate Fernand?"

"I swear on my soul, ma'am, what I tell you is his work. And he is guilty of many crimes, and what is more heinous, he has become a French citizen, but he has defected to the English; his ancestral home He was a Spaniard, and he went to attack the Spaniards. He was paid by Ali, but he betrayed Ali and killed Ali. Compared with such a shameful act, what is the letter you just read? This is just a love affair. A sleight of hand, I admit, and I understand, that a woman who is married to this man may forgive such a sleight of hand, but a lover who should have married this woman will never forgive it. Ah! the French did not punish the traitor , the Spaniards did not shoot the traitor, and Ali, who lay in his tomb, let the traitor escape, but I, I was betrayed, I was killed, I was thrown into the grave, and by the grace of God, I came out of the grave Come out, I got a revelation from God, I must take revenge. So God sent me, and I really came.”

The poor woman's head hung down, buried deep in her hands, her legs bent, and she fell to her knees with a thud. "Forgive, Edmond," she said, "forgive for me, for I still love you!"

The wife's self-esteem finally suppresses the lover's and mother's passion.Mercedes' forehead drooped, almost touching the carpet.The count hurried over to help her up.Mercedes sat down on a chair, and looked with tears at the pale face of Monte Cristo, on which grief and rage had carved a forbidding expression.

(End of this chapter)