World Literature Classics Library: The Count of Monte Cristo

Chapter 2 Father and Son

Putting Tangla aside for the time being, let's not talk about how he held a grudge, and how he tried to speak ill of his colleague in the captain's ear, let's just talk about Dantès.He walked the entire length of the Rue de Carnabier, up the Rue Noailles, and came to a small building on the left side of the Lane Maihang.The stairs in the building were dark, he held on to the railing with one hand, pressed his beating heart with the other, hurried up the stairs to the fifth floor, and stopped in front of a half-open door.Through the gap in the door, one can see the depths of the hut at a glance.

Dantès' father lived in this room. The news of the arrival of the "King of Egypt" had not yet reached the old man's ears.At this moment he was standing on a chair, with trembling hands, tying up the nasturtiums and clematis flowers that were wrapped around the window grille in front of the window.Suddenly he felt someone hugging him, a familiar voice shouted behind him: "Dad, dear dad!"

The old man screamed, turned around, saw that it was his son, his face turned pale immediately, and he fell tremblingly into his son's arms.

"Father, what's the matter with you? Are you sick?" the young man asked anxiously.

"No, no, my dear Edmund, my dear son, no, I did not expect you to come back now. I am glad that you come home so suddenly that it startles me. . . . Oh, God, I think I'm about to die myself!"

"Relax, father! It's me, it's really me! They say it won't hurt you to be happy, so I walked in without making a sound. Well, you should smile and stop staring at me like that. Yes I'm back, and we're going to have a good time."

"Oh, that's very good, my boy," said the old man, "but what good life are we living? Won't you go? Come, tell me, what's good for you?"

"God forgive me," said the young man, "a family has died, but I have been blessed, but God knows that this good fortune is not my own. It has happened, and it is too late for me to grieve. Father, kindly Captain Leclerc is dead. With Mr. Morrel taking care of me, I can probably take over the captain's position. Do you understand, father? I am a captain at the age of 20, with a salary of 100 louis and a bonus, isn't it? Was it beyond the imagination of a poor sailor like me?"

"Yes, yes, boy, you are lucky," said the old man.

"So I'm going to buy you a house as soon as I get the first sum of money. If you want to bring a garden, plant your clematis, nasturtium, and honeysuckle... What's the matter with you, Dad, you don't seem to be feeling well?"

"It will be fine in a while, nothing." The old man replied.However, he was still exhausted and collapsed in the chair.

"Come, come," said the young man, "have a drink, and you'll refresh yourself, Father. Where's the wine?"

"No, thank you, you don't need to look for it, I don't want to drink." The old man said while stopping his son.

"I have to drink, I have to drink, Dad, tell me where it is." The son said, opening two or three compartments of the cupboard casually.

"It's no use looking for it," said the old man. "There's no more wine."

"Why, there is no wine?" Dantès turned pale, looking first at the old man's sunken pale cheeks, then at the empty cupboard, and said: "Why, there is no wine? Father, are you short of money? up?"

"With you, I don't need anything." The old man replied.

"But," murmured Dantès, wiping the cold sweat from his brow, "I left you two hundred francs when I left three months ago."

"Yes, yes, Edmond, there is nothing wrong. But you went away forgetting to owe our neighbor Cuderos a small sum. He mentioned it to me, and said that if I did not pay it for you, He went to Mr. Morrel to ask for it. So, you are a sensible person, I am afraid I will do you some harm..."

"so?"

"So, I paid back the money."

"But," cried Dantès, "I owe Cudeross 140 francs!"

"Yes." The old man whispered.

"And you paid it back from the 200 francs I set aside for you?"

The old man nodded.

"So you'll be living on sixty francs for three months!" murmured Dantès.

"You know I really can't spend much," said the old man.

"Oh, God, forgive me!" cried Edmund, kneeling at the old man's knee.

"What are you doing?"

"You make my heart hurt!"

"Nonsense!" said the old man, "you have come back, and the past has been forgotten, and everything is all right now."

"Yes, I'm back," said the young man, "with a bright future and a little money. Here you go, Father," he went on, "here, here, and send for something." After speaking, he dumped the money in the purse on the table. There were a dozen gold coins in total, and five or six pieces of ancient French currency of 5 francs in écu. There were many types and different values.and some small money.Old Dantès smiled.

"Whose money?" he asked.

"Mine, yours, ours! Take it, go buy something to eat, be happy, there's more money tomorrow!"

"Don't worry, don't worry," the old man said with a smile, "With your words, I have to spend your money leisurely, otherwise people will think that I have to wait for you to come home when they see me buying too many things at once." to afford it."

"Do as you like, but you'll have to hire a maid anyway, father, and I don't want you to be alone at home all the time. I've got some bootleg coffee and fine tobacco in the ship's locker, and I'll give it to you tomorrow." You bring it. Shhh, someone's coming."

"It's Caderos. He probably knew you were back, so he must have come to say something nice for you to go home safely."

"Hmph, another duplicity." Edmund said softly, "But forget it, he is a neighbor and has helped us, so come when he comes."

As soon as Edmond finished whispering, Cuderos' black head with a big beard appeared at the door of the corridor.He was about 25 and six years old, and he held a piece of material in his hand.He was a tailor, and he had material he was going to use for lining.

"Why, you're back, Edmond," he said in a thick Marseilles accent, showing his ivory teeth in a grin.

"Yes, I'm back. I just want to serve you, and I can do anything." Dantès said, the words of service on his mouth still couldn't conceal the indifference on his face.

"Thank you, thank you, but I'm lucky, I don't need help, and sometimes others need my help." Dantès shook his body, "I'm not talking about you, brother. I'll lend you money, and you can pay me back." Well, good neighbors are easy to borrow and pay back, we don’t owe anyone anything.”

"Someone has helped us, and that affection will never be repaid," Dantès replied, "The money can be repaid, but the heart is not enough."

"What's the point of all that! The past is over, and let's talk about your happy return, boy. I was on the wharf trying to get some brown stuff, and I happened to run into Brother Tanglar. 'Well, you Back to Marseilles?' I said. 'Yeah, good or bad.' He replied, and I said, 'I thought you were in Smyrna.' 'Went there, but I'm back.' And so I asked him: 'Where is my little brother Edmond?' Tangra replied: 'To his father's, of course.' So I came," Cuderos went on, "come and be happy Shake hands with friends."

"Cadros is good," said the old man. "He is a real friend to us."

"Of course, I love and respect you, but it's a pity that there are not many honest people. Brother, you seem to be rich, don't you?" continued the tailor, squinting at the handful of gold coins and coins that Dantès had placed on the table. silver.

Dantès saw the greedy look in the neighbor's dark eyes. "Oh, God!" he said casually, "it's not my money at all. I said to my father just now that I was worried that he would be short of money to buy things while I was away, and my father told me to rest assured that the money in his wallet Pour it all out on the table and show me. Come, father," he went on, "put this money in your piggy bank. Of course, our neighbor Cuderos will use it, and he will give it to him."

"No, my boy," said Cuderos, "I don't want anything, and thank God I have something to eat. Put your money away, put it away, money is never too much. I appreciate your kindness." , even if I use it.”

"I mean it sincerely," said Dantès.

"That goes without saying! Well, you and Mr. Morrel are on good terms, aren't you? You're a good fellow."

"Monsieur Morrel has always been very kind to me," replied Dantès.

"Then it's your fault that you don't want to eat with him."

"What, he refused the invitation to dinner?" Old Dantès asked, "Did he invite you to dinner?"

"Yes, father," replied Edmund.He smiled slightly, and the old man was too surprised by the honor he received.

"Why do you refuse, son?" asked the old man.

"I want to come back to see you as soon as possible, father," the young man replied, "I'm eager to see you!"

"Good Monsieur Morrel may be offended," continued Cudeross; "he who wants to be a captain should not offend his master."

"I told him why I could not go," said Dantès. "He will understand, I hope."

"Well, the problem is that since you want to be the captain, you have to cater to the owner of the ship."

"I want to be the captain, but I don't cater to anyone." Dantès said.

"That's better, that's better! Old friends will be glad to hear that. And I know there's one behind St. Nicholas who won't be offended if he finds out."

"Mercedes?"

"By the way, father," said Dantès, "I have something to ask of you. Now that I have seen you and know that you are well and have everything, let me go to the village of Catalonia." Let's go."

"Go, boy," said the old man. "May God bless your wife and my son."

"His wife?" said Cuderosse. "You're in a hurry, Father Dantès! I don't think so yet."

"No," said Edmund, "but from all odds it won't be long before she does."

"It's true, it's true," said Caderos, "you must hurry, my boy."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Because Mercedes is a beautiful girl, and a beautiful girl is always loved, especially this one, who has been pursued by a dozen."

"Really?" said Edmund, with a smile on his lips, but also a hint of uneasiness.

"No!" Cuderos went on, "and they are all distinguished men. But you know that you are going to be the captain soon, and no one will refuse you."

Dantès' smile couldn't conceal the anxiety in his heart, and he asked, "You mean, if I don't become the captain..."

"Alas, alas!" said Cuderosse.

"Well," said Edmund, "I see women better than you, and Mercedes in particular. I am sure that Mercedes will always be true to me, whether I be captain or not. "

"That's better, that's better!" said Caderousse. "It's always good not to be paranoid when it comes to marriage. But it's not a big deal. Listen to me, my boy, and don't delay. Come on." Go post a letter, tell her you're back, and tell her your hope."

"Here we go," said Edmund.He hugged his father, waved to Cuderos and left.

Cuderos stayed for a while, then said goodbye to old Dantès, and went downstairs to find Tangra who was waiting for him at the corner of Senac Street.

"How, have you seen him?" Tangla asked.

"I just came down from there," said Cuderos.

"Did he mention to you that he's waiting to be captain?"

"Say it, say it as if it were true."

"Just wait," said Tang Gela, "I think he's a little too impatient."

"My God! It seems that M. Morrel has promised him that."

"So he is complacent?"

"He's just so cocky, like a big shot, and says he's going to do me a favor and lend me money, like he's rich enough to be a banker."

"Did you refuse?"

"Of course I refused. In fact, it's reasonable for me to take it. I put the shiny coin in his hand for the first time. But now that Mr. Dantès is about to become the captain of the ship, he doesn't need other people's help." gone."

"Bah!" Tangla said, "he is not yet!"

"Good fellow, if he doesn't make it," said Cudeross, "or else he won't be able to talk to him."

"It's fine as long as we think," Tangla said, "he should stay in his current seat, maybe it's not as good as it is now."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing, I was talking nonsense to myself. Is he still in love with that pretty Catalan girl?"

"Crazy in love. He's gone to the village of Catalonia. But, unless I'm mistaken, he's going to be in trouble for that."

"Please explain clearly."

"Why bother?"

"It's more serious than you think. You don't like Dantès, do you?"

"I don't like people who are arrogant."

"Well, then, tell me everything you know about that girl from Catalonia."

"I don't know exactly. It's just that I saw something and felt, as I told you, what trouble the future captain would have around the Old Clinic Road."

"What do you see? Come, tell me."

"Well, I found that Mercedes was always accompanied by a young man from Catalunya when she entered the city. He was a tall man with dark eyes and a reddish-brown complexion. He was very enthusiastic. The girl said it was Her cousin."

"Really? Do you think this cousin is after her?"

"I guess so. What else can a 21-year-old do to a 17-year-old beautiful girl?"

"You say Dantès has gone to the village of Catalonia?"

"He got down before me."

"Come on, let's go this way too, go to Reserve Bay to have a glass of Marguerite, and wait for news by the way."

"Who sent us the news?"

"We happened to be on the way Dantès passed by, so we can see how he looks."

"Come on," said Caderos, "but you will have to pay the bill."

"Of course." Tangra replied.

The two hurried towards the place they were talking about, and when they got there, they asked for a bottle of wine and two glasses.The old man named Bonferr saw Dantès passing by 10 minutes ago.They were sure that Dantès was in the village of Catalunya, and they sat down under the young plane-trees and fig-trees, among which a flock of birds was singing joyfully about the coming of the bright spring.

(End of this chapter)