World Literature Classics Library: The Count of Monte Cristo

Chapter 117 The Beggar (1)
As the night grew darker, Madame de Villefort expressed that she wanted to hurry back to Paris, which was exactly what Madame Tangra meant, but although she was very uncomfortable, she dared not say this.As soon as M. de Villefort heard his wife's intention to go, he immediately said that they would take their leave and go first.He asked Mrs. Tanglar to go back in his open four-wheeled carriage, and he could get his wife's care along the way.As for Mr. Tangra who was engrossed in discussing some very interesting industrial topic with Mr. Cavalleconti, he didn't pay attention to what happened just now.

Just now when Monte Cristo asked Madame de Villefort for the bottle, he had already noticed that Mr. de Villefort was standing beside Madame Tangra.Villefort's voice was so soft that even Mrs. Tangra could barely hear it. However, according to the situation of Villefort at this moment, Monte Cristo had already guessed what he said to Mrs. Tangra.Monte Cristo now let himself be, and completely obeyed his guest's own arrangements.So Morrel, Debray, and Chateau-Renoir rode back, while the two ladies got into M. de Villefort's carriage.Tangra talked more and more speculatively with old Cavalle-Conti, so he invited him to take his two-seater carriage back to Paris together.

As for Andra Cavalcanti, he made his way to the door, where his buggy was waiting for him.The little servant boy imitated the English gentleman in a ridiculous manner, standing on tiptoe with leather boots, and holding tightly to his master's tall iron-gray horse.Andra didn't say much at the dinner. He was a very clever young man. He was naturally cautious when he ate with these rich and powerful guests. He was afraid that he would say something stupid, and he saw that one of the guests was a prosecutor. , his eyes couldn't help but widen, and he couldn't help feeling terrified, and then he was entangled by Mr. Tanglar again.At first Tangra glanced quickly at the father and son, seeing only the old major with his neck straight, and the son still a little shy, but he thought of Monte Cristo's kindness to the father and son, and he felt that he had met him. Fell in love with some rich man who had come back from India with a fortune, and the rich man must have come to Paris to give his only son a little experience in high society.

Tang La put on an indescribable smiling face, flatteringly staring at the big shiny diamond ring that the major wore on his little finger.The Major, a man of prudence and worldliness, feared what might happen to him with so much money, and immediately spent it on something of value.After dinner, Tangla asked about the living conditions of the father and son under the pretext of talking about business and travel.And the father and son have already known that their money is drawn from Tangra, one has 4.8 francs, paid in one lump sum, and the other can draw 5 livres a year, so both of them smiled at the banker , Like-minded look.They were full of gratitude to Tangra, and they really couldn't complain. If they hadn't had to sit upright at this time, they would really go to shake hands with Tangra's servants.

There is one thing that makes Tangra respect Cavalle-Conti all the more—and we might almost say reverence.Cavalle-Conti, true to Horace's dictum that nothing should be touched, so, as we have just seen, he made a statement about the lake from which the lampreys were produced, as we have just seen, went on Finished his portion of the lamprey without another word.Tangra concluded from this that such a delicacy must have been frequent at the table of this famous heir of the Cavalle-Conti family, who ate in Lucca mostly trout brought from Switzerland, from Brasserie. Nitania is the name of a region in northwestern France.The lobsters were shipped in the same way that the count sent lampreys from Lake Fujaro and sturgeons from the Volga.Therefore, when Tangra heard that Cavallekanti was going to see him, he immediately agreed enthusiastically and happily.

"Sir, tomorrow I will pay a visit to discuss business."

"Sir," Tangra replied, "it is a great honor for me to wait for you." Then he proposed to Cavalle Conti that if Mr. Major felt that it would not be wrong to be separated from Xianzi for a while, he would send him in his own carriage. The major returned to the Prince Hotel.Cavalleconti replied that his son had already lived alone by himself, as was the custom of youth, so he had his own horse and carriage, and since father and son were not together when they came, it was not uncommon for them to go their separate ways when they returned.So the major got into Tanglar's carriage, and the banker sat beside him.Tangra admired this man more and more. He has brains, is not only well-organized, but also pays attention to frugality. However, he gives his son 5 francs a year. According to this calculation, his property should have an annual income of 60 million livres.

As for Andra, he played a bit of prestige first, reprimanding the servant boy for only knowing to wait at the gate and not driving the carriage to the steps in front of the building to pick him up, so that he had to walk 30 steps to get on his own carriage .The servant boy respectfully listened to the scolding, but the horse was already impatient and kicked the ground with its hooves. The servant boy held the bit tightly with his left hand, while stretching out his right hand, handed the reins to Andra.Andra took the reins, raised his shiny leather boot, and stepped lightly on the running boards of the carriage.At this moment, a hand was placed on his shoulder, and the young man turned his head away, thinking that Tangra or Monte Cristo had forgotten to tell him something, so he rushed to tell him when he saw him.

But what he saw was neither Tangra nor Monte Cristo, but only a strange face--a suntanned face with a thick beard, eyes shining like rubies, and a grinning mouth. , showing a mouth full of neat teeth, 32 of which are not missing, all white and sharp, like the greedy teeth of jackals.The man had gray and dusty hair, and a red checked handkerchief wrapped around it; he wore short overalls, which were stained and torn; Every bone in his body creaked like the bones of a skeleton.In addition, before Andra saw the man's face, the first thing he saw was the hand on his shoulder, and he only felt that this hand was simply huge.Did the young man recognize the face in the dim light of the headlights, or did the man's ferocious appearance startle him?We can't explain it clearly, but in short, the young man couldn't help but shuddered and stepped back abruptly. "What do you want from me?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, son," said the man, raising his hand to the red handkerchief covering his head, "maybe I disturbed you. But I have something to tell you."

"There is no one who wants to ask for money at night." The servant boy said while waving his hands, wanting to help the master drive away this annoying guy.

"I'm not begging for money, pretty little brother," the stranger said to the servant boy, with a sneer on his lips, but the smile was so terrible that the servant boy immediately ducked away, "I just want to talk to your young master." In a few words, he sent me to do something, and it took about half a month."

"Okay," Andra said, he was able to steady himself, and didn't let the servant see the panic in his heart. "What's the matter? Tell me, my friend."

"I want to... I want to..." whispered the man with the red handkerchief on his head, "please do me a favor and don't make me walk back to Paris. I'm too tired and haven't eaten as much as you have." After a while, I couldn't stand it anymore."

When he heard that the man was so casual that he changed his mouth and said "you", the young man couldn't help being startled. "Come on," he said, "tell me what you want to do?"

"Well, I think you'll have to get me into your pretty carriage and take me home."

Andra's face turned pale, but she didn't say anything.

"Oh, my God! Yes," said the man in the red handkerchief, with his hands in his pockets, staring straight at the young man with a fussy air, "that's what I thought, you Do you hear me, my little brother Benedetto?"

Hearing this name, the young man must have thought about it, because he immediately went to the servant boy and said, "I did order this man to do something for me, and he will report to me how it is going. You should go back first." , you can hire a carriage when you arrive at the city gate, and it’s not too late to go back.” The servant boy was surprised at once, but he still left. "You must at least let me find a place to hide." Andra continued.

"Oh! Well, I'll take you to a good place, just wait." The man with the red handkerchief on his head said.So he took the horse by the bit and pulled the buggy to a secluded place, where no one would have seen Andra's respect for this man. "Well, me," he said to Andra, "I don't want to show off in this beautiful carriage, I'm just tired, and more or less because I want to talk to you."

"Okay, let's get in the car." The young man said.

It's a pity that it was not broad daylight at that time, because the scene was simply a spectacle. I saw a scoundrel sitting in a carriage covered with carved cushions. The young man next to him was handsome and elegant, but he was also the driver of this carriage.Before the car passed the last house in the village, Andra drove the car silently, not saying a word to his companion, but the companion just grinned and did not speak, as if he was really sweet in his heart, actually You can also go for a ride in such a beautiful carriage.Once out of Auteuil, Andra glanced back and forth, left and right, sure that no one could see them or hear them.So he reined in the horse, turned to face the man with the red handkerchief, and clasped his hands. "Well!" said he, "what are you doing to disturb my peace?"

(End of this chapter)