World Literature Classics Library: The Count of Monte Cristo

Chapter 143 The Governor's Daughter (1)
No sooner had the count's carriage rounded the corner of the avenue than Albert turned to the count and laughed so loudly that it was evident that he was smirking. "Oh!" he said, "St. Barthelemy's Night On the night of August 1572, 8, under the plan of Queen Catherine Medici, the mother of King Charles IX of France, Protestants were massacred in Paris and other places." This day is St. Barthelemy's Day, so this tragedy is also called "St. Barthelemy's Night". Afterwards, Catherine Medici asked Charles IX a word, and I will use this sentence to ask You: What do you think of my little role?"

"Where do these words come from?" asked Monte Cristo.

"My rival in love is at ease in the Tangla mansion..."

"Who is your rival in love?"

"Oh, who is my rival in love? It is Mr. Andra Cavalcanti under your protection!"

"Oh, please don't play tricks, Viscount. I am not Mr. Andra's protector at all, at least I will not speak for him in front of Mr. Tanglar."

"If the boy really needs your protection in this respect, I will blame you. Fortunately, it was me that he met, and you don't need to protect him."

"What? Do you think he is courting Miss Tangla?"

"I can tell you that there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. His fiery eyes are rolling back and forth, Xiyu Lianxiang is sending glances frequently, and the proud hand of Eugenie is begging for him. Oh, I start to write poetry! I want to By honour, it was never my fault. Leave it alone, and I will say it again: the hand of proud Eugenie is for him."

"As long as someone thinks of you, what does it matter if he begs or not?"

"You can't say that, my dear count, I'm at the mercy of both ends."

"Why are you getting angry at both ends?"

"Of course, Mademoiselle Eugenie hardly answered me, and her close friend Mademoiselle Amelie ignored me at all."

"Yes, but her father is fond of you," said Monte Cristo.

"Him? On the contrary, he has stabbed me a thousand times in my heart, but to be honest, every stab is like a tragedy, and the knife retracts as soon as it is stabbed, but he still thinks it's real. It's stuck in my heart."

"Jealousy just shows love."

"Yes, but I'm not jealous."

"But he's jealous."

"Jealous of whom? Debray?"

"No, jealous of you."

"Me? I'll bet you he'll shut me up in a week."

"You are mistaken, my dear Viscount."

"Is there any evidence?"

"Do you want to know?"

"Please speak."

"I was asked to ask Mr. Earl Mosef to go to the baron and settle the matter together."

"Who entrusted you?"

"The Baron himself."

"Oh!" said Albert, with an air of the most meekness, "you won't do that, will you, my dear count?"

"You are mistaken again, Albert. I will help, because I have promised."

"Well," said Albert, with a sigh, "it appears that you insist on my marriage."

"I must agree with everyone. But speaking of Debray, why haven't I seen him at the Baroness's lately?"

"They're kind of at odds."

"With the Baroness?"

"No, with the Baron."

"So, what did he notice?"

"Ah, this question is humorous and thought-provoking!"

"You think he already knows it, don't you?" asked Monte Cristo, with an air of bewilderment.

"My fellow! But where do you come from, my dear count?"

"You might as well say I'm from the Congo."

"It's not far enough away."

"And how can I know how you Parisians make husbands?"

"Hey! My dear count, all husbands in the world look the same. If you have studied the general people in a certain country, then you will know the nature of this nation, don't you know?"

"However, what is the reason for the discord between Tangra and Debray? It turns out that they seem to get along very well." Monte Cristo said, he seemed to be in a fog again.

"Ah, that's the point! We met Isis, the ancient Egyptian goddess of fertility and reproduction. According to legend, she is not only a good wife and mother, but also able to know other people's privacy and predict the future. Sacrifice The god is mysterious and has strict rules. It’s a pity that this goddess didn’t tell me the secret. Afterwards, Mr. Cavalle-Conti came to be their son-in-law, so you can ask him.”

At this moment the carriage stopped.

"Here we are," said Monte Cristo. "It's only half-past ten. Come in and sit down."

"As much as you want."

"You can use my carriage when you go back."

"Thank you, no need, my carriage is probably following us."

"Indeed, there is the carriage," said Monte Cristo, jumping down from the carriage.

The two walked into the building and came to the brightly lit living room.

"Go and make us tea, Baptistan," said Monte Cristo.

Baptistan backed out without saying a word, and in a blink of an eye he returned to the living room with the tea tray in his hand. There was everything that should be needed for the tea set, and they were all on the tray, as if this was the tea in a fairy tale. It's like coming out of the ground.

"In truth," said Mecerf, "my admiration for you, my dear count, does not lie in your richness, which may be richer than yours; nor in your intelligence, though Beaumarchais is not more Smart, but also on par with you. What I admire is the way your servants serve you, they don't have to say a word, everything you want is done in a minute, in a second, as if They can guess what you have ordered from the way you ring the copper bell, as if everything you ordered is ready at any time."

"There is some truth in what you say. They know my habits. For example—you might as well read it first. Don't you want something else with your tea?"

"Of course I want to smoke."

Monte Cristo approached his brass bell, and struck it once.A second later a secret door opened and Ali entered with two long Turkish pipes, each filled with the names of the Syrian places of Latakia.fine cut tobacco.

"It's amazing," Mosef said.

"No, no, it's nothing," said Monte Cristo. "Ali knew that I generally smoked with tea or coffee, he knew that I ordered tea, and he knew that I was coming back with you, he Hearing me calling him, and knowing why, and more importantly, his hometown entertains visitors with pipes, so he brought me not one pipe, but two."

"Of course, your explanation makes perfect sense, but only you can... Heh, what sound am I hearing now?" Mosef bowed towards the door, and sure enough there was a guitar-like sound coming from the door. Instrumental sound.

"Very well, my dear Viscount, you must listen to music tonight. You have escaped Miss Tanglar's piano, but now you have to listen to Eddie's monochord violin."

"Ede! What a lovely name! So besides the names in Byron's poems, there really are women named Ede in the world?"

"Of course there is. The name Ede is indeed rare in France, but it is a very common name in Albania and Epirus, as you say chaste, demure, innocent, according to you Parisians, it is a name." Christian name."

"Oh, it's so beautiful!" said Albert. "I really wish our French women were called Miss Mercy, Miss Tranquility, and Miss Chastity! You say, if Miss Tanglar doesn't call her present Claire-Marie-Eugénie, Instead, it was named Chaste-demure-innocent Miss Tanglar, oh, how interesting it is to have such a name in the church wedding announcement!"

"Look at your madness!" said the count. "Stop talking and laughing so loudly, perhaps Eddie will hear."

"Will she be angry?"

"No." The count said, his tone full of arrogance.

"Is she very kind?" asked Albert.

"It's not kindness, it's duty. A slave girl must never be angry with her master."

"Forget it, don't be joking, are there still slaves now?"

"Of course, Edai is my slave girl."

"If so, what you have done, what you have, is indeed extraordinary. The slave of the Count of Monte Cristo is a status in France. Considering the way you spend a lot of money, this status is probably worth 10 crowns a year."

"Ten crowns? Back then, this poor girl was worth more than that! She was born in a place full of gold and jade. Compared with this wealth, the treasures in "Arabian Nights" are just a drop in the bucket."

"So she's really a princess?"

"You are right, and in their country, she is still a very noble princess."

"I expected it, but how did such a prominent princess become a slave?"

"Dionysios was the king of Syracuse on the island of Sicily in ancient Italy (before 395-340). Syracuse is now Syracuse. How did this tyrant become a primary school teacher? It was caused by the war Changes, my dear Viscount, time is in danger!"

"Is her name also secret?"

"To others, but not to you, my dear Viscount, because you are my friend, but you must promise to keep it private, and you will keep it to yourself, will you not?"

"Oh, I swear on my honor."

"Do you know the life experience of Governor Ionina?"

"Ali-Tuberlan? Of course I know. My father made his fortune under his command."

"It happened, I forgot."

"Then who is Ede from Ali-Tuberland?"

"It's very simple, it's his daughter."

"What? Governor Ali's daughter?"

"Yes, her mother is Vasiliki."

"Now she is your slave girl?"

"Oh yes, my God!"

"How is this going?"

"It's very simple. One day I passed by the market in Constantinople and I bought her."

"What a wonder! With you, my dear Count, it seems to me that I am not in the world, but in a dream. Now, listen to me, I think I must be presumptuous in asking."

"Just say it."

"Since you took her out with you, since you went to the opera with her..."

"how?"

"Maybe it's too rash of me to make such a request?"

"You can tell me what you want."

"Eh! My dear count, please introduce me to your princess."

"Okay, but on two conditions."

"You don't need to say it, I accept it."

"First of all, you must not tell anyone that I introduced you to her."

"Okay," Mosef said, throwing up his hands, "I swear."

"Secondly, you must not tell her that your father served under her father."

"I swear again."

"Very well, Viscount, you will definitely remember these two oaths, won't you?"

"Certainly!" said Albert.

"Very well, I know you are a man of credit." The count rang the brass bell again, and Ali came to the living room. "Go and tell Eddie," said the count to Ali, "I'll go to her for coffee at once, and you tell her that I hope she will promise me to introduce her to one of my friends." Ali bowed and left the drawing room. "It has been agreed," continued the count to Albert, "that you do not ask directly, my dear vicomte. If you want to know anything, please ask me first, and I will ask her."

"I agree."

Ali came into the drawing-room for the third time, and drew up the curtain to signify that his master and Albert could now pass.

"Let us go in," said Monte Cristo.

Albert smoothed his hair with his hands, and curled his beard again. The count put on his hat and gloves again, and led Albert into the inner suite.The front of the apartment was guarded by Ali like a sentinel, and three French maids served as guards under the command of Mirto.Eddie was waiting in the first room of the suite, which was the living room.Ede's large eyes were wide open, and she was astonished, for this was the first time a man had come to her, except Monte Cristo.She sat cross-legged on a sofa in the living room corner, which can be said to be her comfort zone, a comfortable and comfortable resting place paved with the most luxurious oriental silk and satin.She was leaning against a qin, and the sound she heard just now was the sound of the qin.Edai has a well-groomed appearance and is really charming.As soon as Monte Cristo came in, she rose and smiled, in her own way, very sincere and very sweet.Monte Cristo came up to her and held out his hand, which Ede, as usual, took Monte Cristo's hand and kissed it.Albert just stood by the door in a daze. It was the first time in his life that he had seen such a beautiful figure, and he was completely fascinated by such a beauty that he could not even imagine in France.

"Who is this man you have brought me?" the girl asked Monte Cristo in modern Greek. "A brother, a friend, a common acquaintance, or an enemy?"

"A friend," replied Monte Cristo, also in Modern Greek.

"What's his name?"

"Count Albert, he is the one I rescued from Roman robbers."

"What language do you think I speak to him?"

Monte Cristo turned to Albert and asked: "Do you speak modern Greek?"

"What a pity!" Albert said, "I don't even understand ancient Greek. Back then, Homer and Plato, the ancient Greek philosophers (427-347 BC), founded an academy in Athens and accepted students to give lectures. Among the disciples, There is no student more ignorant, I dare say, no student more arrogant and ignorant than I am."

"Then," said Ede, who seemed to understand the questions and answers between Monte Cristo and Albert, "I may speak French or Italian, if my master agrees."

After thinking for a moment, Monte Cristo said: "You speak Italian." Then he turned to Albert and said: "Unfortunately, you don't know modern Greek, nor ancient Greek. In fact, Ede speaks very well. Now the poor girl will have to speak Italian to you, which may give you some illusions about her." Then he gestured again to Eddie.

"You are a friend with my lord and master, and I welcome you," said the girl in her fine Tuscan dialect, and with a soft Roman accent.Make Dante's language as pleasing to the ear as Homer's.The girl went on: "Ali! Coffee and pipe."

Ali left the drawing-room at the beck and call of his young mistress, and Ede beckoned to Albert, beckoning him to come towards her.Monte Cristo pointed to the two folding chairs on the side to Albert, and they each took one and moved it to a small round table with one leg.In the center of the small round table is a Turkish hookah, and the table is covered with flowers, pictures and music scores.Ali returned to the drawing room with his coffee and Turkish pipe, and as for Mr. Baptistan, he was not allowed in this part of Eddie's apartment.The Nubian slave offered Albert his pipe, but Albert refused to take it.

"Oh, take it, take it," said Monte Cristo, "Ede's upbringing is almost the same as that of a Parisian girl, and she doesn't like Havana cigars, because she can't smell the bad smoke, but you know, Oriental tobacco leaves are actually a kind of spice."

At this moment Ali exited the living room.The cups were filled with coffee, and Albert's cup was preceded by a cup of sugar. Monte Cristo and Ede drank the Arab drink exactly as the Arabs did, that is to say, without sugar.Edai reached out to pick up the Japanese fine porcelain coffee cup with her slender ruddy fingers, and lifted the cup to her lips innocently and cheerfully, like a child drinking what he likes, or eating what he likes to eat.At this time, two maids walked in, each carrying a tray, and they put the tray full of ice cream and juice drinks on two special small tables.

"My dear master, and you, madame," said Albert in Italian, "forgive me for my stupor, which is only natural, since I am in a state of mist. Now I am back Orient—the real Orient, not the Orient I saw in the past, but the Orient I dreamed of in downtown Paris, but just now I heard the rumble of a public carriage passing by, and the drink peddler Ding Ling The clang of the bell. Oh, ma'am! It's a pity I don't speak Greek, otherwise I would never forget your talk this evening, and the fairy-like surroundings."

"I can speak Italian, and I can talk to you, sir," said Ede calmly. "If you like the Orient, I will try my best to make you feel like it here."

"What shall I speak of?" Albert asked Monte Cristo in a low voice.

"You can talk about her country, her childhood, her past, Rome, Naples, or Florence if you like."

"Oh!" said Albert, "you don't need to talk to the Greek girls when you can talk to the ladies and ladies in Paris. Let me talk to her about the Orient."

"Please, my dear Albert, it is her favorite subject."

Albert then turned to Ede and asked: "How old were you when you left Greece, Madame?"

"Five years old," Eddie replied.

"Do you remember your country?" asked Albert.

"When I close my eyes, the things I saw in the past will reappear in front of my eyes. People have two sets of eyes, one for the body and the other for the mind. Sometimes the things seen by the physical eyes are forgotten, and the mind What you see is always in your heart.”

"When did you start remembering things?"

"When I was just walking. My mother's name was Vasiliki," the girl continued, looking up. "The name Vasiliki means noble. My mother used to pour our mother and daughter's money into the purse, and then we both We all put on veils, and my mother took me by the hand and took me out to collect donations for the prisoners. As we walked, we said: 'Giving alms to the poor is worshiping God.' When our purses were full, we went back to the palace , and told my father nothing, we sent all the money that was given to us as poor women to the monastery and distributed it to the prisoners."

"How old were you at that time?"

"Three years old." Eddie said.

"So, do you still remember everything after the age of 3?"

"I remember all of them."

"Count," said Mocerf in a low voice to Monte Cristo, "you will allow my lady to tell us about her life. You won't let me tell her about my father, but perhaps she will tell me about it. You don't know how glad I am to hear my father's name come out of that sweet little mouth."

Monte Cristo turned to Ede, frowned, and beckoned to Ede to listen carefully to his orders, and then he said to Ede in Greek: "Tell about your father, but only what happened to him, and what happened to the traitor. Don’t say his name or how he betrayed, okay, just say it.”

Edai let out a long sigh, and a dark cloud passed over her clear forehead.

(End of this chapter)