World Literature Classics Library: The Count of Monte Cristo

Chapter 64 Hammer punishment (2)
"Since that's what you mean, let's go," said Franz, "but not to the Place de la Résidence. I'd like to take the Rue de la Kuhl. I don't know if that's okay, Monsieur Count?"

"It's okay to go on foot, not if you go by car."

"Well, I'll go on foot."

"Are you sure to take the Rue de Culle?"

"Yes, I'm going to see something."

"Well, let's go from the Rue de la Queue, and let the carriage wait for us at the intersection of the Babineaux in the National Square. I don't think there is anything wrong with going from the Rue de la Queue, just in case I can go and see what I have ordered. Is it all right?"

"Your Excellency," said the servant, opening the door, "a man in the clothes of a monk wants to speak to you."

"Ah, yes," the count said, "I know about this. You two, please go back to the living room and wait a while. There are high-quality Havana cigars on the table in the middle of the living room. Please feel free to use them. I will come right away."

The two young men got up and walked out of the dining room through one door. The count apologized to them again, and then went out through the other door.Albert was a reclusive gentleman. Since he came from Italy, he had never smoked cigars in Parisian cafes. He felt that such a sacrifice was very important. Now when he approached the table and saw the pure and high-quality cigars, he couldn't help shouting with joy.

"Well?" asked Franz, "what do you think of the Count of Monte Cristo?"

"It seems to me," said Albert, apparently astonished that Franz would ask such a question, "that he seems to me amiable, courteous, and a master. He has seen and learned a great deal. , good at thinking, Brutus-like ascetics." He concentratingly raised his head and took a long puff of smoke, which drifted towards the ceiling in circles, and then continued, "He still has good cigars. "

These were Albert's views on the count. Franz knew that Albert was pretentious and would not express opinions easily without careful consideration, so he did not want to change the impression Albert said now. "But," said he, "there is one thing so peculiar that I wonder if you have noticed it."

"what's up?"

"He looks at you with great attention."

"Look at me?"

"Yes, look at you."

Albert thought for a moment. "Ah," he said with a sigh, "it's nothing to be surprised at. I've been away from Paris for nearly a year, and my clothes may be outdated, and the Count may have taken me for a provincial. Do correct him, my dear." I beg you, my friend, to explain to him at the first opportunity that I am not from the provinces."

Franz smiled, and after a while the count entered. "Gentlemen, I can now take my orders. I have already arranged the carriage to the Place de la National, and we will go our way, and if you like, the Rue de Cuhl. Take some cigars and go, Mr. Mocerf." Bar."

"You must take it, I like it very much," said Albert. "The Italian cigars here are worse than those from the French Tobacco Monopoly. When you come to Paris, I will definitely pay back."

"I will never refuse. I am planning to go to Paris soon. Since I am honored to accept Yu Yun, I will definitely pay a visit. Let's go, gentlemen, we have no time to delay. It is already 12:[-], let's go."

The three went downstairs together.After listening to the master's last instructions, the coachman drove up the Via Barbino, and the three of them walked, first to the Plaza de España, and then along the Via Fratina to the place between the Fiano Palace and the Rospoli Palace. intersection.Franz looked straight at the windows of the Rospoli Palace.For he always remembered the signs of the cloak and the Transstevere in the arena. "Which windows are yours?" he asked the count, speaking as casually as possible.

"The last three," replied the count, in a nonchalant way, certainly not at all pretending, for it never occurred to him what Franz was asking him for.Franz looked at the last three windows at once, and saw that the two on either side had yellow damask curtains, and the middle one had white damask curtains with a red cross on them.The man who wore the cloak fulfilled his promise to the people of Transstevere, and there was no doubt that the man who wore the cloak was the Earl himself.Those three windows are still empty.And they are still busy preparing all around, some are arranging chairs, some are building shelves, and some are hanging curtains on the windows.Before the bell rang, the masks could not be taken out and the carriages could not be dispatched, but everyone could feel that the masks were placed behind the windows and the carriages were waiting behind the gate.Franz, Albert, and the count walked all the way along the Rue de Cour.The closer they got to the National Square, the denser the crowds on the road. Above the crowds of people, there were only two things standing upright. One was a monument with a cross on the top, indicating that it was the center of the square; The two upper beams of the guillotine erected at the confluence of Rue Binot, Rue de Cours, and Rue Ripata, between which the gleaming scimitar of the guillotine.

They met the butler on the corner of the street, where the butler was waiting for his master. The window was rented at a high price, but the count did not want to tell his two guests how much it cost. The window was on the third floor of the magnificent Rospoli Palace. , located between Via Babino and Monte Pancio, as we have said, this is a toilet room, with a door to a bedroom, and once the bedroom door is closed, the people in the apartment are very quiet and at ease.On the chairs in the room were set after set of clown costumes, all made of blue and white silk and satin, very elegant.

"Since you two asked me to choose the clothes," the earl said to the two friends, "I asked them to prepare these, because there are many people wearing these clothes this year. If you only throw plaster balls instead of flour stuffed Eggshells (Italian carnival consists of throwing small plaster balls, flour-stuffed eggshells and bouquets.), it is more convenient to wear.”

These few words of the count, Franz only entered one ear and exited the other. Perhaps he did not understand the count's other good intentions, because his attention had already turned to the scenery of the National Square and the main embellishments on the square at this moment. , That is, the terrible thing went up.For the first time in his life Franz saw the guillotine.We say the guillotine because the Roman guillotine was modeled almost exactly on the French killing machine.The knife is crescent-shaped, with the edge protruding outwards, and the position of the knife is not so high, it's just such a difference.There were two people sitting on the movable plank where the prisoner lay on his back. They were waiting for lunch. Franz saw that they were eating bread like sausages. One of them lifted the plank and took out a bottle from under it. Wine, took a sip, and handed it to his companion.These two men were the executioner's assistants.Seeing this scene, Franz felt cold sweat dripping down his head.

The prisoners were escorted from Novo Prison to St. Mary's Chapel in Place de la Nationale the evening before, each prisoner accompanied by two priests.Spend the night at the partial altar with candles, and there is an iron gate in front of the altar, and there are sentries pacing back and forth in front of the altar, and they change their guards every hour.On the left and right sides of the church gate, two rows of gendarmes were deployed, from the gate to the guillotine.The guillotine was surrounded by a circle of gendarmes, leaving only a passage about ten feet wide, and an open space with a circumference of about one hundred paces was left around the guillotine.The rest of the place was crowded with the heads of men and women, and many of the women let their children ride on their shoulders, so that they were above the heads and saw best.Mount Pancio was like an amphitheater, with spectators packed to every level.There are two churches on the corner of Via Babino and Via Ripata, and the balconies of each of them are already crowded. It is very lucky to be able to crowd there to watch the excitement.On the steps of the colonnade of the church, there seems to be a rising tide, setting off colorful waves, and gradually rushing towards the colonnade.Wherever there is a recess or protrusion on the wall, as long as a person can stand, there are statues made of living people hanging there.The count was right in saying that one of the greatest pleasures in life is to see people die.

However, although such a scene is very solemn, it seems that it should be solemn and quiet, but the crowd is full of laughter and cheers.Apparently, as the Count said, executions were only the beginning of the carnival.Suddenly, as if possessed, the noise ceased and the church door opened.The first to come out was a group of ascetic monks. Each of them wore a big gray bag, but two small holes were dug for the eyes. They all held a large lighted candle in their hands. The leader was their master.Behind the ascetic came a tall man. He was naked except for a pair of cloth shorts. On the left waist of the shorts was a large knife with a sheath, and a heavy hammer was carried on his right shoulder. executioner.He wore fencing shoes with long laces wrapped around his calves.After the executioner, in order of execution, Pepino came first, followed by Andra, each accompanied by two priests.Neither of them had anything blindfolded, and Pepino walked quite resolutely, he must have had a firm idea of ​​what he was going to do, but Andra walked with the arm of a priest.Both of them kissed now and then the crucifix that the priest in charge of the confession brought to him.

Franz felt his legs go weak at this sight, and he looked at Albert.Albert's face was as white as the shirt he was wearing, and the cigar was only half smoked, but he mechanically threw it away.It's just that the earl is like a wooden sculpture of clay, but this is more than indifferent, a faint blush seems to be about to burst out from his pale cheeks.His nostrils were wide open like a beast smelling blood, and his lips were slightly parted, revealing his snow-white, thin and sharp, jackal-like teeth.But there was a gentle smile on his face, such as Franz had never seen on his face, and the kindness and tenderness of his dark eyes were even more wonderful.

The two prisoners walked slowly towards the guillotine, and as they got closer, the contours of their faces could gradually be seen.Pepino was a handsome young man, about twenty-four or five years old, with sunburnt skin and aggressive, rough eyes.He held his head up, as if he was watching the wind, trying to figure out which side the rescuers would come from.Andra was a dumpy, mean-looking man of indeterminate age, probably in her thirties.His beard had never been trimmed since he was in prison. At this time, his head was resting on his shoulders, his legs could no longer stand up straight, and his whole body seemed to be out of his wits, driven only by a mechanical movement.

"I seem to remember," said Franz to the count, "that you told me that only one person was executed."

"I am telling you the truth," replied the count coldly.

"But there are two prisoners here."

"Yes, but of the two, only one will die, and the other will live a long time."

"I feel like if any probation order comes down, there's no time to delay."

"Yes, that's not coming, you see!" said the count.

Sure enough, when Pepino reached the foot of the guillotine, an ascetic monk who seemed to be late came through the crowd, but no soldiers came out to stop him along the way. He walked up to the head of the ascetic monk and handed him a Paper folded in four.The eager Pepino saw it all.The master ascetic opened the note, read it, and then raised his hands high. "Praise be to my lord! Praise be to His Majesty the Pope!"

"Amnesty!" There were shouts in the square, "An amnesty order has come down!"

As soon as she heard the word amnesty, Andra seemed to jump suddenly, and raised her head high. "Forgive whom?" he cried.

Pepino remained silent like a wooden man, but he was panting heavily.

"Rocca Parioli, that is, Pepino, dies with a pardon," said the ascetic master, and he handed the pardon to the captain of the gendarmerie, who read it and handed it back to the master.

"Forgive Peppino!" cried Andra, who had come out of the stupor-like stupor just now, "why did he not forgive me? We should die together, because we had promised him that he would be ahead of me." Die first. I can’t just let me die alone, I don’t want to die alone, I won’t agree!” He broke free from the arms of the two priests holding him, struggling and twisting his body while roaring like crazy He tried his best to break the rope that bound his hands.The executioner made a gesture, and two assistants jumped down from the guillotine, holding the prisoner tightly.

"What's the matter?" Franz asked the count.What was said just now was in Roman dialect, so Franz didn't fully understand it.

"What's the matter?" said the count, "you don't understand? The man is dying, and now he is furious because his fellow sufferers have not died with him. Had he been left to his own devices, he would have used Nail-picking, teeth-gnashing, tearing the man to pieces, refusing to let the man go on enjoying life when he should have died. Ah, man, man, as Karl Moore said, man You are no different from a crocodile." The count stretched his hands into fists towards the crowd, and said loudly, "I know you all too well, no matter what time you are, you are never ashamed of yourself."

At this time, Andra had rolled into the ashes on the ground, twisted into a ball with the executioner's two assistants, and kept shouting: "He must die too, I want him to die! I can't just kill me."

"Look," continued the count, taking the hands of the two young men, "look at it, and to be honest, I think it's a very strange thing. This man has resigned himself to the guillotine, is about to die a disgraceful death, really. , he would have died obediently and without complaint. Do you know what gave him strength? Do you know what made him feel at ease? Do you know what made him regard the punishment as a disaster? That's because There was one who feared with him, because another will die with him, because another will die before him. Take two sheep or two cows to the slaughterhouse, and let one know its companion You can not die, the sheep will bleat for joy, and the cow will moo and growl for joy. But man, the man created by God in his own image, the first and only supreme creed prescribed by God, To love all men, God gave him a voice to express his thoughts, when he learned that his companions could not die, what was the first sound he yelled? It was a curse. How glorious, man, this masterpiece of nature, The spirit of all things!" The count then laughed out loud, but the laughter was terrifying, and it could be seen that he must have suffered very painfully, so he laughed like this.

The fighting on the field has not stopped, it is really scary to watch.The executioner's two assistants were carrying Andra up to the guillotine. No one in the crowd was facing him, and they could only hear the crowd shouting: "Smash him to death! Smash him to death!"

Franz leaned back in fright, but the count grabbed him and prevented him from leaving the window.

"Why are you doing this?" said the count to Franz. "Pity? Of course, that's all right. But if you hear someone shouting to hit a mad dog, you'll take your gun and run down the street without mercy." shot the poor brute, who was only guilty of being bitten by another mad dog, and now bitten. But your poor man, who never bit him, killed his benefactor, just His hands were bound so that he could not kill again. Yet he struggled to see his fellow prisoner, his friend in prison, perish with him! No, no pity. See, Read on."

In fact, there was no need to say anything more at this time, because Franz seemed overwhelmed by the terrifying image.The executioner's two assistants had already dragged Andra to the guillotine. No matter how he struggled, how he bit, how he yelled, they held him down and knelt down.At this time, the executioner had already stood aside, holding the hammer, and then he gave a signal, and the two assistants moved aside.The prisoner wanted to struggle to stand up, but it was too late, the hammer had already hit the temple on his left cheek, and there was only a heavy and muffled thump, and the prisoner fell face-to-face like a cow, and then bounced back. lying on the stage.The executioner dropped the hammer, pulled out the knife hanging from his waist, and slit his throat open. He immediately jumped on the man's stomach and stepped on it with his feet. Once he stepped on the man's neck, a stream of blood spurted out from the prisoner's neck.

At this moment Franz could not hold on any longer, and he drew back and sank drowsily on a chair.Albert's eyes were closed, and although he was still standing, his hands were firmly grasped by the window curtain.The count was still standing there triumphantly like a rebellious god.

(End of this chapter)