World Literature Classics Library: The Count of Monte Cristo

Chapter 142 The Progress of Little Cavalle-Conti (2)
"But, you see," said the baroness, "you're asking for trouble. If Mr. Mocerf happened to come over, wouldn't he see Mr. Cavalle-Conti in the piano room? Although Mr. Mercerf said He is Eugenie's fiancé, but we have never let him go to the piano room!"

"You're right when you say it's a coincidence," said the banker, "for, in truth, we seldom see him coming, and if he does come now, it's really a coincidence."

"Anyway, if he comes, he won't be pleased to see that young man with your daughter."

"He's not happy? Oh, my God! You're mistaken. M. Albert wouldn't flatter us like that, be jealous of his fiancée, he doesn't love Eugenie so much. Besides, he doesn't care if he's happy or not. I don't even care."

"However, we have reached this point now..."

"Yes, we have reached that point now, but do you want to know what point we have reached now? At the ball given by his mother, he danced with my daughter only once, and Cavallecam Mr. Dee danced three times with my daughter, and Albert himself did not take it seriously."

"Viscount Albert Mocerf is visiting!" the servant announced.

The baroness hurriedly stood up, thinking of going to the piano room to tell her daughter, but Tangra stopped her immediately. "Don't worry about it," he said.

Mrs Tanglar looked at her husband in amazement.Monte Cristo pretended not to see what the couple was up to.Albert came to the drawing room, well dressed and in high spirits, bowing to the three persons in the drawing room one by one, being generous to the baroness, friendly to Tangra, and warm to Monte Cristo. "Don't dare to ask, ma'am," he said to Madam Tangla, "How is Miss Tangla?"

"She is in good health, sir," Tangra replied hastily, "and she is singing in the piano room with Mr. Cavalle-Conti."

Albert's demeanor was still so calm and indifferent. Perhaps he was unhappy, but he knew that Monte Cristo's eyes were fixed on him. "Monsieur Cavalle-Conti has a fine tenor voice," he said, "Mademoiselle Eugenie has a fine soprano, and she plays the piano very well, just like Tarbe 1812-1871).), the two of them must sing together wonderfully."

"That's true," Tangla said, "they sang and harmonized very well."

This double entendre of Tanglar was very lame, and Albert seemed not to notice it, but Mrs. Tanglar couldn't help but blushed.

"As for me," said Albert, "I can sing, at least my masters say so. But, strange to say, I can't get along with anyone, and it's even worse when I sing with a soprano. "

Tangra smiled slightly, as if saying that you should just be angry with yourself. "So," said he, evidently wishing to take advantage of the situation, "the Prince and my daughter won the admiration of the house yesterday. You were not there yesterday, Mr. Moserf?"

"Which prince?" asked Albert.

"Prince Cavallekanti." Tangla said, he must give the young man this title.

"Ah! Excuse me," said Albert, "I did not know that he was a prince. Ah! Did Prince Cavalle-Conti and Mademoiselle Eugenie sing together yesterday? To tell you the truth, they must have sung very well." Brilliant, very interesting, I regret that I didn't come to hear it. Thank you for your invitation, but I didn't go, because I had to accompany my mother to the old lady Marquise de Chateau-Lenault, and there were several German singers at their house. Concert." Then, as if a stone had been cast into the water, no one in the living room spoke. "Excuse me," Mosef said again, "may I go over and ask Miss Tangla?"

"Oh, wait, wait, I beg you to wait a moment," said the banker, stopping Albert, "how beautiful the aria is, ta, ta, ta, ta, ta, Tick, tick, tick, that's great, it's over soon, wait, wait. It's really good, it's great! It's wonderful! It's great!" The banker clapped wildly.

"It's so beautiful," said Albert. "No one can compare with Prince Cavalle-Conti in his understanding of Italian songs. You say he is a prince, don't you? Besides, even if he is not a prince, he can be named." , it's a joke in Italy. But let's listen to our two lovely singers here, you must give us, Mr. Tangra, you let Miss Tangra and Mr. Cavalle Conti sing again A song, but don't let them know that others are listening to them. Listening to songs is very particular, you must keep a distance, hide in a half-light place, don't be seen by the singer, and don't look at the singer. It will disturb the singer, and the singer will sing entirely from inspiration, expressing the passion in his heart."

This time it was Tangra who was taken aback by Albert's nonchalance, and he took Monte Cristo aside. "Well," said he, "what do you think of our beau?"

"My God! He seems to me to be on the sidelines, but what can you do? You promised first."

"Of course, I agreed, but I promised to marry my daughter to a man who loves her, not to marry a man who doesn't love her. You see, this one in front of you is very hard-hearted. Look, like his father is very arrogant, if he has more money, if he owns the property of the Cavalle-Conti family, it will be a big deal. Oh, I haven't asked my daughter what is up to it, but If she can judge..."

"Oh!" said Monte Cristo, "perhaps my friendship with him blinds me to such a question, but I can assure you that Monsieur Mocerf is a very lovely young man, and he will certainly make you wonder." Yuan is happy, and sooner or later he will achieve something, because in short, his father's position is very great."

"Hmph!" Tangra said.

"Then what's suspicious?"

"You can't ignore the past...but you can't explain the past clearly."

"But the father's past cannot involve the son."

"No, it's related!"

"Oh, don't be impulsive. A month ago, you thought it was very happy for you to have two surnames. . . I'm there, and I don't know him, really, I repeat to you."

"I know him well," Tangla said, "that's enough."

"You know him? So you have made inquiries about him?" asked Monte Cristo.

"Is it necessary to investigate? Isn't it clear who he is at a glance? First of all, he is very rich."

"I'm not sure."

"But you are his surety."

"Only guaranteeing 5 livres is a trifle."

"He had an excellent education."

"Hmph!" came Monte Cristo's turn.

"He's a musician."

"All Italians are musicians."

"Attention, Count, you have been unfair to this young man."

"Uh, yes, I don't want to hide it either. I don't quite understand. This young man knows that your family has already made an appointment with the Mosev family. Why did he want to intervene because of his own money?"

Tang Gela laughed. "Oh! what a Puritan you are!" said he. "It happens every day in society."

"But you can't break the contract like this, my dear Mr. Tanglar, the Mosef family attaches great importance to this marriage."

"is it?"

"real."

"Then they should speak clearly. You may say a word to his father, my dear count, that you know the family very well."

"Me? How the hell did you know that?"

"I can see it from their ball. Good fellow! That countess, the proud Mercedes, the proud Catalan, she is hard to say even to the most familiar old acquaintance. , but she took your arm, accompanied you to the garden, walked with you on the path, and returned to the living room after half an hour."

"Ah, Baron, Baron," said Albert, "you are so noisy that we cannot hear you. How can a man who loves music like you be so loud!"

"Well, well, Mr. Nipper!" said Tangra, and turning to Monte Cristo, "then please be kind enough to mention this to his father."

"Since you mean it, I will do it."

"But this time, we must speak clearly and clearly, and make a decision. The father over there must explain that their family wants to marry my daughter, set a date, and explain their family's financial situation. In short, it’s best for the two parties to come to an agreement, and if they can’t agree, we have to tear each other apart. But, you also know that, don’t delay any longer.”

"Well, we must run for it."

"Am I waiting for your news with pleasure? I can't tell you now, but anyway, I am waiting for your news. You know, if you are a banker, you must know how to say what you say, and it is hard to follow. At this moment, Tangra sighed just like Cavalle Conti did half an hour ago.

"It's great! It's great! It's great!" Just as a song was being sung, Mosef applauded and shouted like the banker just now.

Tangra had already started to squint at Albert, when a servant came over and whispered something to Tangra. "I'll be right back," said the banker to Monte Cristo, "wait for me, I may have something to say to you in a moment." And he went out.

Taking advantage of her husband's absence, the baroness pushed open the door of her daughter's piano room, and Andra stood up like a spring. It turned out that he and Mademoiselle Eugenie were sitting side by side at the piano.With a smile on his lips, Albert saluted Miss Tanglar. Miss Tanglar showed no panic, and returned the salute coldly as usual.Cavalle-Conti looked very embarrassed and bowed to Moserf, while Moserf bowed to Cavalle-Conti with a frown.Then, Albert even claimed how sweet Miss Tanglar's singing voice was, and said that after hearing this beautiful singing voice just now, he felt deeply regretful that he could not attend Miss Tanglar's singing evening last night...

Cavalle-Conti was brushed aside, and went to speak to Monte Cristo.

"Okay," said Mrs. Tangera, "enough singing and compliments, let's all have tea."

"You come too, Louise." Miss Tangera said to her girlfriend.

Everyone came to the large living room next to it, and the tea was indeed ready.When everyone followed the British tea drinking rules and left the teaspoon in the teacup after drinking the tea, the door of the living room opened again, and Tangla couldn't hold back the excitement in her heart, and hurried in.Monte Cristo paid special attention to Tangra's excitement, and cast him a questioning look.

"Uh!" Tangra said, "I just received an echo from the Greek side."

"Ah, ah!" said the count, "is that why you were sent out just now?"

"Yes."

"How is King Otto's body?" Albert asked playfully.

Tangra didn't answer, just squinted at Albert.There was a look of sympathy in Monte Cristo's face, which he immediately turned away so as not to be seen, but which disappeared in an instant.

"Let's go together when we go back, shall we?" Albert asked the count.

"Of course you can, if you like," replied the count.

Albert did not understand the meaning of the banker's look, and turned his face towards Monte Cristo, as Monte Cristo knew very well. "Have you seen," said Albert, "what he thinks of me?"

"Yes," replied the count, "but do you see something special in his eyes?"

"I suppose so, but what does he mean by the letter from Greece?"

"How do you say I know?"

"Because I suppose you have eyes and ears in Greece."

Monte Cristo only smiled.People are like this, when they want to avoid an answer, they always smile like this.

"You see," said Albert, "he's coming to see you, and I'm going to compliment Miss Tanglars on her own monochrome, so that her father will have time to talk to you.

"If you want to compliment Miss Tanglar, you must at least compliment her voice," said Monte Cristo.

"No, anyone would say that kind of compliment."

"My dear vicomte," said Monte Cristo, "you are so conceited that you will be offended."

Albert walked towards Eugenie with a smile on his lips. At this moment, Tangra leaned into the Earl's ear and said, "You have given me a wonderful idea. Behind the two names Fernand and Ioannina The story is truly horrifying.”

"Ah!" said Monte Cristo.

"Indeed, I could tell you about it, but first you must take the young man away, for it gives me a headache to be here now."

"I was going with him, and he was going to accompany me. Now do you want me to message his father?"

"It's more needed now."

"Ok."

Monte Cristo made a sign to Albert, and they bowed to Madame and Mademoiselle.Albert seemed completely indifferent to Miss Tanglar's disdain, and Monte Cristo reminded Mrs Tanglar once again that a banker's wife should be more careful for her own future, while Mr. Like using soldiers, the initiative is completely in his hands.

(End of this chapter)