World Literature Classics Library: The Count of Monte Cristo

Chapter 145 The Governor's Daughter (3)
"Mother and I went down to the basement, where Selim, who had been on guard at his post, gave us a melancholy smile. We went to the other end of the crypt to get our cushions, and returned to Selim Sit down next to Tom. When disaster strikes, a loyal heart will stand together. Although I was only a child at the time, I already instinctively felt that disaster was coming."

Regarding the martyrdom of the governor of Ioannina, Albert often heard it from people, but not from his father, because Count Mosef kept silent about this history, and those who talked about this history were outsiders.Albert, too, had read several different accounts of the Governor's death.The girl in front of him has personally experienced this history, and now she is telling it in person, which sounds even more touching, and the girl's voice is so touching, so touching. Albert can't help but feel that this history is both tragic and moving. There is also a sad and sad place that is difficult to express clearly in words.As for Eddie, she was once again completely immersed in the horror of the past, and could not continue for a while.Her forehead, like a drooping flower in a storm, hangs down on her hand.Her bewildered eyes seemed to be still looking at the boundless green Pindus Mountain and the sparkling blue Ioannina Lake. The azure blue lake was like a huge magic mirror, reflecting the scene she described. That sad picture.Monte Cristo looked at her with indescribable concern and pity. "Go on, girl," said the count in Modern Greek.

Ede raised her head, as if the sonorous voice of Monte Cristo had awakened her from a dream, and she continued: "It was four o'clock in the afternoon, and although the weather was bright and sunny outside, it was dark in the basement where we were staying. There was only a dim light in the cave, like a faint star in the dark night sky, it was the fire from the matchlock on the tip of Selim's spear. My mother was a Christian, and she did When I got up to pray, Selim inserted a consecration from time to time: 'God is great!' At this time, my mother still had a glimmer of hope. When she came down just now, she felt as if she saw that she was sent to Constantinople. The European who went to Dinburgh. My father had great confidence in this European, because he knew that the soldiers of the French monarchy were generally good-hearted and generous. Mother took a few steps towards the stairs and listened. 'They're coming,' The mother said, 'May they bring us peace and life.'

"'What are you afraid of, Vaziliki?' said Selim in his melodious and passionate voice, 'and if they bring us not peace, we shall pay them back with death.' Then he slapped the tip of his spear Looking at the flames on the fire, he looks like Dionysus of ancient Greece (the god of wine in ancient Greek mythology.).

"But I was only a very naive child, and such bravery frightened me. I thought it was too cruel and unreasonable, and I was scared out of my wits by the death that wandered in the air and in the firelight. My mother was as terrified as I was, for I thought she was trembling. 'My God, my God!' I cried, 'Mother, are we dying?' As soon as the slaves heard me shouted, and all whimpered and murmured prayers.

"'Son,' my mother said to me, 'you are afraid that you will die today, but God bids you not think so.' Then she whispered to Selim again: 'Selim, what is the master's order?'

"'If he sends me his dagger, it means that the Sultan has refused to pardon our master, and I light the powder; if the master sends me his ring, it means that the Sultan has pardoned our master, I'll turn off the fire and not light the explosives.'

"'Friend,' continued the mother, 'when the master's order comes, if he sends a dagger, please don't let us mother and daughter die in despair, we will stick our necks to you, and you will Kill us with that dagger.'

"'Yes, Vaziliki,' Selim replied calmly.

"Suddenly we heard shouts from above, and we hurried to listen carefully. It turned out that there was a loud cheer from above, and the guards shouted over and over again the name of the European who had been ordered to Constantinople. The situation was very clear. He brought an answer from the Sultan, and it was in our favour."

"Don't you remember the name?" Mosef really wanted to help Eddie think again, so he said.

Monte Cristo gestured to Ede.

"I can't remember." Eddie continued, "The voices from above are getting louder, and the footsteps are gradually approaching us. Someone is coming down the stairs towards the basement. Selim holds the spear tightly in one hand. In the basement, only We only saw a little light coming in from outside at the entrance, but it was also glowing blue. Not long after we heard the sound of footsteps, we saw a figure coming from the faint blue light.

"'Who are you?' cried Selim, 'but whoever you are, don't go one step further.'

"'Glory to the Sultan!' said the figure. 'Governor Ali was graciously pardoned, and not only was he pardoned to die, but all his property was allowed to be returned in full.'

"My mother cried out with joy, and held me tightly in her arms again.

"'Stop!' Selim said to my mother, seeing my mother get up to go out. 'You know, I'll take the ring.'

"'You're right,' said my mother, and she plopped on her knees and lifted me up as if she could only deliver me to God by lifting me up when she was praying for me .”

Once again Edai was too excited to speak any more, beads of sweat dripped from her pale forehead, her voice seemed to be choked in her dry throat and she could no longer speak.Monte Cristo poured some ice water into a glass, and passed it to her, saying softly and somewhat commandingly: "Keep on, girl!"

Edai wiped her eyes and forehead, and continued: "Although the basement is dark and dark, our eyes are used to it. At this time, we also recognized the man sent by the governor. He is a friend of ours. Selim He also recognized the person coming, but this honest young man only knew one thing - obey orders!
"'Who sent you?' he asked.

"'Our master, Ali-Tuberan, sent me.'

"'If Ali sent you, do you know what you should give me?'

"'Yes,' said the man, 'I brought you his ring.' He said, raising his hand above his head, but he was too far away from us, and the cellar light was not bright enough for Se Lim looked over from where we were standing and couldn't see or recognize what the man was showing him.

"'I can't see what you're holding,' said Selim.

"'Come here,' said the visitor, 'or I will.'

"'Neither you nor I,' replied the young warrior, 'just where you are standing, put down what you are going to show me, where there is light, and then you step back and keep Back off until I can see the token clearly.'

"'Okay,' the man said, and then he put the token in the place Selim had just designated, and then stepped back.

"Our hearts were pounding because what we were looking at seemed to be a real ring, but was it my father's ring? Selim was holding the matchlocked spear all the time. , he walked towards the entrance of the basement, and stooped excitedly in the place of light, and picked up the token from the ground. 'It's the master's ring,' he said, kissing the ring, 'very good!' And he Throw the fire rope to the ground and stamp out the fire with your feet.

"At this moment, the sent man yelled and clapped loudly with joy. It turned out that this was a signal. Four Turkish soldiers under Commander Kurshi rushed into the basement immediately after hearing the sound. Five of them stabbed Selim one by one. Selim was stabbed five times in a row and fell to the ground. Although these guys were still terrified and their faces were ashen, they were very arrogant when they saw that Selim had been killed by them. They ran around in the basement. There was no fire, and they climbed up the purse full of gold coins and rolled back and forth.

"While these guys were scurrying around, my mother carried me, and nimbly walked through the winding and winding dark passage known only to us, and came to a dark staircase leading to the upper water pavilion. The few rooms on the ground floor of the waterside pavilion were filled with Kurshi's Turkish soldiers, which means that the houses were all occupied by our enemies. Mother was about to open the small door at the dark staircase when we heard the governor's voice There was a thunderous shout. My mother leaned against the crack of the plank and looked over there, and there happened to be a small crack in front of me, so I also looked over there.

"'What do you want to do?' asked my father.

"Father stood facing several persons, holding a sheet of paper with gold letters on it. 'What we mean,' replied one of them, "is only to read to you the will of His Majesty the Sultan. Have you seen the edict?"

"'I see.' said my father.'

"'Well, read it yourself. His Majesty wants your head.'

"Father laughed out loud. He said he was laughing, but it was actually more terrifying than his face. Before he could stop laughing, he fired twice with the pistol in his hand, killing two people immediately. My father was lying on the floor all around. The guards stood up suddenly and fired one after another. There was a loud gunshot in the room, flames were everywhere, and gunpowder smoke filled the room. At this moment, the other party also fired immediately, and the bullets pierced the wooden boards and flew past us. Oh, Ali —Governor Taberland, my father, how heroic and tall he is! Under the hail of bullets, his face was blackened by gunpowder smoke, but he held a machete, scaring his enemies to flee.' Selim! Selim!' he cried aloud, 'you are guarding the fire, do your duty!'

"'Selim is dead!' cried a voice that seemed to come from under the waterside pavilion, 'you, my lord Ali, you are finished!'

"At that moment there was a dull explosion, and the roof of the floor around my father was instantly shattered. Turkish soldiers fired from the crypt on the floor above, and three or four of our guards were pierced by bullets and fell down. Come down. My father let out a roar, inserted his finger into the bullet hole in the floor, and lifted the whole board. As soon as the board was lifted, 20 rounds of bullets were fired immediately, and the flames seemed to be erupted from the crater, and they rushed up the hanging curtain. , the blazing fire immediately engulfed all the curtains. In this terrible melee, amidst this frightening whistling, there were two particularly sharp and clear gunshots, followed by two gut-wrenching cries. It made me feel cold all over. The two fatal shots were hitting my father, and the shrill cry was exactly the scream he made when he was shot. But he didn't fall, and he held on to a window tightly with both hands. My mother Shaking the little door desperately, she wanted to die with my father in the past, but the door was locked from the inside.

"My father's guards were down all around him, all dying, convulsing convulsively. Two or three of them, unhurt or only slightly wounded, hurried out of the windows. The whole floor cracked from below Open, rattled, my father just knelt down on one leg with a plop, 20 arms stretched out towards him immediately, some raised machetes, some held pistols, some held daggers, and attacked my father together. People. The demons yelled, even though the fire in the water pavilion grew bigger and bigger, and finally my father disappeared in this billowing fire, as if hell was opening at his feet. I felt myself rolling on the ground-mother had I couldn't hold on, and finally fainted and fell down."

Ede let out a long, whimpering sigh, dropped her arms, and looked at the count as if to ask whether he was satisfied with the story she had told her as she had told her.The count stood up and went to Eddie, held her hand and said to her in modern Greek: "You have a rest, my dear child, you must cheer up, and remember that the traitors in the world will be punished by God."

"It's a horrible story, count," said Albert, who was taken aback by seeing Eda's pale face. "I regret it now. It was too rash and cruel to ask her to tell her story."

"It's nothing," replied Monte Cristo.Putting his hand on the girl's head, he continued, "Ede is a brave girl. Sometimes she feels that it will be easier for her to speak out about the pain in her heart."

"Because, my lord," said the girl passionately, "because my pain reminds me of your kindness."

Albert looked at Eddie curiously, because what he wanted to know most was how she became the count's slave, but the girl didn't say a word.Eddie saw from the count's and Albert's eyes that they both wanted her to speak, and she went on: "When my mother came to her senses, we were both taken to the Turkish commander. before.

"'Kill me,' said my mother, 'the name of Ali's widow shall not be disgraced.'

"'You don't have to tell me that,' said Kursch.

"'And to whom?'

"'Speak to your new master.'

"'Who is he?'"

"'This is the man.'

"So, Kurshi pointed us to a person who committed the worst crime among those who killed my father." The girl said sadly and resentfully.

"So," asked Albert, "are you the man's slave?"

"No," replied Ede, "he dared not keep us, and sold me to a slave trader who was going to Constantinople. We crossed all Greece, and by the time we reached the capital of Turkey, we were very emaciated. City The gate was full of onlookers, and when they saw us, they gave way. My mother followed their gaze and suddenly fell to the ground with a scream. A human head. Below the human head is a line of inscriptions - the head of Ali-Tuberan, governor of Ioannina.

"I cried and tried to help my mother up, but she was dead! I was taken to the market, and a rich Armenian bought me and hired a teacher to teach me to read. When I was 13 years old, he Sell ​​me to Sultan Mehmet (that is, Mehmed II of the Ottoman Empire (1784-1839).)."

"It was from this Sultan that I bought her," said Monte Cristo, "that I gave the Sultan an emerald, the same emerald as the box in which I kept my marijuana pills, as I told you, Albert."

"Oh! how good and great you are, my master," said Ede, kissing Monte Cristo's hand, "how lucky I am to have such a master as you!"

After hearing this story, Albert couldn't help feeling flustered. "Drink your coffee," said the count to him, "the story is over."

(End of this chapter)