World Literature Classics Library: The Count of Monte Cristo

Chapter 115 Dinner Party (1)
When the guests entered the restaurant, it was evident that they were all in the same mood, and everyone was asking themselves what strange force had brought them to this small building.However, no matter how surprised they were when they came here, and how disturbed some people were, they definitely didn't want to leave.His association with the count was only recent, and he was eccentric and aloof, and his fortune was unknown.He is so amazing that gentlemen should proceed with caution, and ladies should also remember the commandment that one should not step into the house without the hostess coming out to entertain him.However, whether it is prudence or etiquette, men and women can't take care of them all.Curiosity overwhelms everything, and with its irresistible little needle, it has made them all unable to control themselves.However, Cavalcanti and his son were different. Although one was rigid and the other was casual, they seemed to be wondering what the master's purpose was for them to come here to gather with these people who had only met for the first time.

At the request of Monte Cristo, M. de Villefort walked towards Mrs. Tanglars. When Mrs. Tangeras saw him stretching out his arm, she couldn't help being at a loss. The eyes under the glasses are uncomfortable.None of their expressions escaped the earl's eyes. This kind of contact between the two was ordinary, but to a person who pays attention to it, there is already a profound meaning in it.M. de Villefort has Madame Tangra on his right and Morrel on his left. The count sits between Madame de Villefort and Tangra.The rest of the seats were arranged in such a way that Debray sat between the Cavalle-Conti and his son, and Chateau-Renoir between Madame de Villefort and Morrel.

The banquet was very rich.Monte Cristo deliberately disturbed the symmetry of the Parisian banquet, and although the food was equally heavy, his intention was more to arouse the curiosity of the guests.He entertained his guests with an oriental banquet, but it was only a feast in Arabic mythology.The luscious and fresh fruits from all over the world that can be found in Europe are piled high in Chinese porcelain plates and Japanese porcelain cups. Some of the silver plates are filled with colorful and delicious rare poultry meat, and some feathers are specially decorated with them when they are placed in the pots. Then lie the whole big fish horizontally.All kinds of fine wines, some from the Aegean Islands, some from Asia Minor, and some from Cape Town, are held in strange and delicate glass bottles with thin necks, and it seems that the elegant appearance makes the bottles even more The fine nectar and jade liquid are rich and delicious.This bottle of fine wine was passed around one by one in front of Paris visitors, as if Appius was a gourmet in ancient Rome (25-?).A big banquet is held, and the delicacies are delivered one by one in front of the guests.These visitors from Paris know very well that if a banquet for ten people costs a thousand louis, it must be like Cleopater, one of the seven queens of Egypt, who treats people to eat pearls, or like Laurent Medici, a rich Florentine. Laurent I of the Medici family, poet, known for his extravagance and generosity (1449-1492).In that way, invite people to drink golden water.

Monte Cristo, seeing how amazed the guests were by the feast, smiled brightly, and spoke aloud in a teasing tone.

"Gentlemen," said he, "you will all agree that beyond a certain point of property only unnecessary things are necessary, and likewise, presumably ladies, that up to a certain point of fanaticism only idealized things are necessary." Is it the most practical, isn't it, gentlemen? So, according to this reasoning, what is the most wonderful thing? It should be something we don't understand. What is the wealth that we really want? It should be a kind of wealth that we can't have. I have therefore devoted my life to seeing what I cannot comprehend, and to acquiring wealth that I cannot attain. To this end I use two means, money and will. I pursue a whim, In fact, it is as persistent as your pursuit. For example, you, M. Tangra, want to build a railway; you, M. Villefort, want to sentence someone to death; —Monsieur Renaud, wanting to please a certain lady; you, Monsieur Morrel, wanting to subdue a fiery horse that no one dares to ride. Now, for example, please look at these two fish. One is fifty miles from St. Petersburg and the other from five miles away near Naples, isn't it funny that two fish are on the same table?"

"What kind of fish are these?" Tangra asked.

"Mr. Chateau-Renaud has lived in Russia, and he will tell you what one of them is. Mr. Major Cavalle-Conti is an Italian, and he will tell you what the other is."

"This one," said Chateau-Renoir, "is a sturgeon, I think."

"great."

"That one," said Cavalle-Conti, "is, if I read it correctly, a lamprey."

"Exactly. Now, Mr. Tanglar, you might as well ask these gentlemen where they can be caught."

"Sturgeon is only caught on the Volga," says Chateau-Lenaud.

"All I know," said Cavalleconti, "is that there are lampreys of this size in Lake Fujaro."

"Yes, that's true. One is from the Volga River and the other is from Lake Fujaro."

"Impossible!" the guests shouted in unison.

"Well, that's what I find interesting," said Monte Cristo, "I'm like Nero: I can't seek (the original is in Latin.), and you're the same. What's interesting to you at this moment is precisely this. A little. All in all, because of this, these fish are actually no better than sea bass or salmon, but after a while you will taste very delicious, because you thought it was impossible to get this fish, but the fish It's right here."

"But how did these two fish get to Paris?"

"Oh, my God! It couldn't be easier. Put the two fish in separate big wooden buckets, stuff one bucket with reeds and water plants, and the other bucket with rushes and duckweed, and then fill it with a special shipping container. Truck. In this way, the fish can survive, the sturgeon lives for 12 days, and the lamprey lives for [-] days. My chef made these two fish, one choked to death with milk, and the other died with wine, but the fish was in his hands They are still alive and kicking. You don't believe it, Mr. Tanglar?"

"At least half-believed." Tang La replied with a clumsy smile on his lips.

"Battistan!" said Monte Cristo, "send for another sturgeon and a lamprey, you know, the two fish that were brought in in another barrel and are still alive."

Tang La was very surprised and couldn't help widening his eyes, while the rest of the guests applauded one after another.Four servants came over carrying two wooden barrels, each containing aquatic plants and a flopping fish.It is exactly the same as the fish on the banquet.

"But why two of each kind?" Tangra asked.

"Because one might die," replied Monte Cristo straightforwardly.

"You are really a strange person," Tangla said, "The words of philosophers are useless, and you can do whatever you want if you have money."

"Especially brains." Mrs. Tangla said.

"Oh, such a compliment, I dare not take it, madam. This idea was very popular in the former Roman times. The book of Pulina, an ancient Roman naturalist and writer (23-79), said that at that time the slaves were allowed Wooden barrels, transporting live fish from Ostia to Rome city by section. Plina called this fish the melus fish. According to his drawing, it is probably a sea bream. At that time, I got a fish like this Live fish is also a luxury, and it is very interesting to watch this fish slowly die, because the fish will change three or four colors when it dies, and it will gradually change from one color to another like a rainbow that is about to disappear. A kind of color, the fish is sent to the kitchen after it is completely dead. This fish can change color when it is dying, so it has its merits. If this fish is not seen by people when it is alive, then no one will be seen when it is dead. Go pay attention."

"Yes," said Debray, "but it is only fifty or sixty leagues from Ostia to Rome."

"Ah, that's true," said Monte Cristo, "but we are 117 years away from Ruculus, the Roman commander (56-1800 BC). If we still can't beat him, what can we do? "

Both Cavallecanti and his son opened their eyes wide, but they were also considered smart and said nothing.

"It's all very well," said Chateau-Renaud, "but what I admire most, to be honest, is that your servants can do it as soon as you ask for it. Monsieur Count, you have bought this house. The house is only five or six days old, right?"

"Yes, five or six days at most," said Monte Cristo.

"That's right! I can say with certainty that in just over a week, the house has completely changed. If I remember correctly, the gate of this small building is not the current gate, and the courtyard was originally paved with stone slabs, empty , but today the courtyard is a large green lawn, surrounded by trees that seem to have grown for 100 years."

"It can't be changed, because I like green branches and green leaves, and the trees are full of shade." Monte Cristo said.

"That's right," said Madame de Villefort, "the original gate was on the road. I remember that day after I escaped miraculously, you took me into this small building from the road."

"Yes, Madame," said Monte Cristo, "but then I thought it better to change the gate, so that the Bois de Boulogne could be seen at a glance."

"It's a miracle to change the gate in four days," said Morrel.

"That's true," said Chateau-Renoir. "It is a marvel that an old house should have been transformed into a new one. It was in disrepair, and even eeriely desolate. Remember Two or three years ago, my mother asked me to look at this house, and Mr. Saint-Meran was planning to sell this small building at that time."

"Monsieur de Saint-Méran?" said Madame de Villefort. "So you bought this house which formerly belonged to Monsieur de Saint-Meran?"

"It seems so."

"What 'like'! You don't know who the seller of the house is?"

"I really don't know, the specific things are all handled by my housekeeper."

"The house hasn't been lived in for at least 10 years, really," Chateau-Renaud said. "The shutters are closed, the gate is locked, and the yard is full of weeds. It's eerie. To be honest, the real estate is not mainly the prosecutor's old man, and people have long said that this building is a murderous house where there have been some murders."

Villefort did not touch the three or four glasses of sweet wine which were placed before him, which he happened to take up with a sudden gulp.Monte Cristo waited a moment in silence, before breaking the silence which followed Chateau-Renaud's voice. "It is very strange," said he, "Monsieur Baron, when I first entered the building, I had exactly the same impression as you describe. I found the house to be so dreadful that I would never want it myself, but The housekeeper has already bought it for me, it is very likely that this guy has received some kind of favor from the middleman."

"It is possible," stammered Villefort, with a forced smile, "and I have nothing to do with what they do. M. de Saint-Méran wonders if this house is part of his granddaughter's dowry, or whether it is for sale." Well, if it is kept empty like this, it will become a pile of ruins in three or four years."

This time it was Morrel's face that instantly turned white.

"The most extraordinary thing," went on Monte Cristo, "is a room, O my God! It looks ordinary on the surface, just like the other rooms, with red satin curtains, but I don't know why, but I always think of it as a room." I feel that this room looks like a dreary wind and rain."

"Why?" asked Debray, "and why the storm?"

(End of this chapter)