World Literature Classics Library: The Count of Monte Cristo

Chapter 146 Ionina Newsletter (1)
Franz came out of Noirquier's room with such a stumbling step and such a bewildered air that even Valentine could not help feeling sorry for him.Villefort faltered a few words incoherently, and then hastily retired to his study, where he received a letter two hours later, which said:
In view of the circumstances revealed this morning, M. Noirquier de Villefort could not have allowed his family to share a second surname with that of Franz d'Épinet.M. de Villefort was not completely ignorant of what was going on today, but his silence from M. Franz d'Epinay puzzled M. d'Epinay.

At this moment, whoever sees the Lord Justice who has been hit by this blow in such a dejected manner, will never believe that such a blow will be expected by M. de Villefort.Indeed, it never occurred to him that his father would be so straightforward, or so inhuman, to tell such a story.It is true that M. Noirquier, with his haughty nature, would not listen to his son's opinion.He never took the trouble to explain the matter to M. de Villefort, so M. de Villefort always thought that General Quennel, or Baron d'Epinay—depending on which name was used to call him, anyway, one was His real name, one is the title given to him - he died in an assassination, not in an aboveboard duel.It was indeed a fatal blow to the haughty Villefort that such a sharp letter should come from a young man who had hitherto held him in high esteem.

Villefort had just returned to his study when his wife followed.Franz was suddenly called out of the drawing-room by M. Noirquier, to the astonishment of all.Madame de Villefort remained alone with the notary and witnesses, and her situation became more and more embarrassing, until at last she had the idea to tell everyone that she was going to see what was going on there, and she herself left the drawing-room.M. de Villefort said to his wife only that after the arguments of himself, M. Noirquier, and M. d'Epinay had been made, the engagement of Valentine and Franz had broken down.Such a thing was so difficult to tell to those who were still waiting in the drawing-room, that Madame de Villefort, returning to the drawing-room, simply told everyone that M. Noirquier was about to begin to say something when he suddenly fell ill as if he had suffered a stroke and signed the contract. Naturally, the ceremony of the engagement had to be postponed for a few days.Although the news was false, but after two similar unfortunate incidents happened, everyone in the living room was shocked. Everyone couldn't help but looked at each other, said nothing more, and left one after another.

At the same time, Valentine, who was full of surprises, hugged the sickly old man, thanked the old man for breaking the chain that the girl had always thought she could not break free, and then told the old man that she wanted to go back to her room to rest quietly , Noirquier told Valentine with her eyes that she could go.But Valentine, coming from her grandfather's room, did not immediately go upstairs to hers, but slipped through the corridor, and slipped quietly through the little door into the garden.The events of the past two days have followed one after another, and Valentine's heart is always agitated, afraid that at any time Morrel will suddenly appear, pale and menacing, as if pulling a horse. Moore's Lucy suddenly appeared like a rich man like Levins Wood (a character in the novel "The Bride of Lamarmore" by British writer Scott in the 19th century) when she signed the marriage contract.

It was indeed a good time for her to come to the garden gate now.Seeing Franz coming out of the cemetery with M. Villefort, Maximilian immediately anticipated what was going to happen, and followed Franz all the way.It seemed obvious to Maximilian when she saw Franz enter, then come out, and re-enter the Villefort with Albert and Chateau-Renaud.So he slipped into the cloverfield, ready for any eventuality, convinced that Valentine would come to him if she could escape.

He was right.He put his eyes on the cracks of the wooden boards nailed to the iron gate, and he saw the girl coming, and saw her running towards the iron gate quickly, her usual cautious look was gone.Maximilian felt relieved at the sight of Valentine, and jumped up for joy as soon as the girl spoke.

"Saved!" said Valentine.

"Saved!" continued Morrel, who could hardly believe his good fortune. "Who saved us?"

"It's my grandfather, oh! You must really love him, Morrel."

Morrel swore to love the old man with all his heart, and he said it with great joy, for he now felt that the old man was worthy of his admiration not only as an elder and friend, but almost as a god.

"How did it work out?" asked Morrel. "What ingenious method did he employ?"

Vanentina wanted to tell the whole story, but just as she was about to open her mouth, it suddenly occurred to her that there was also a terrible secret here, involving more than her grandfather alone, so she said: "These things I'll tell you about it later."

"When do we have to wait?"

"After I become your wife."

As soon as this topic was mentioned, Morrel was very easy-going, and he could listen to everything he had to say. He even felt that there was no need to inquire about other things. It was quite good to know so many things in one day.But he would not leave unless Valentine promised to meet him again tomorrow evening.Valentine agreed to Morrel's request.An hour ago she could not have believed that she could resist marrying Franz, and now she was not quite convinced that she would marry Maximilian, but in any case, the situation seemed to her completely changed.

Just as the lovers were meeting, Madame de Villefort came to Noirquier's room.Noirquier, as usual, cast a gloomy and stern look at the young woman.

"Monsieur," said Madame de Villefort, "you know without me telling you that Valentine's marriage has broken up, because it happened here."

There was no expression on Noirquier's face.

"But," continued Madame de Villefort, "you do not know, sir, that I have always been against this marriage, and that it was settled without regard to my opinion."

Noirquier just looked at his daughter-in-law, as if waiting for an explanation.

"I know that you do not agree with the marriage, and now that the marriage has broken down, I have come to discuss with you a matter which neither M. de Villefort nor Valentine would say. "

Nouakier's eyes motioned to ask what to discuss.

"I have a request, monsieur," continued Madame de Villefort, "which I alone have the right to make, since I alone cannot benefit from it. What I am about to say has nothing to do with your love for Valentine." , because she has always been loved by you, I have come to ask you to return your property to your granddaughter."

For a moment, Nouakier's eyes showed hesitation, obviously he wanted to understand the motive for making this request, but he couldn't see clearly what was going on.

"Monsieur," said Madame de Villefort, "may I not suppose that your considerations coincide with what I have just made?"

"Yes." Nouakiye gestured.

"Then, monsieur," said Madame de Villefort, "with all my gratitude and great pleasure, I take my leave." She bowed to M. Noirquier, and went away.

Sure enough, Noirquier sent for the notary the next day.The original will was torn up, and a new one was made, and Noirquier bequeathed all his property to Valentine, on condition that they could not be separated.Some people calculated according to the legends that Mademoiselle Valentina had inherited the property of the Marquis de Saint-Meran, and now that she had regained her grandfather's favor, her annual income could reach 30 livres in the future.

Just as the marriage of the Villefort family was ups and downs and finally broke down, Count Meusef received Monte Cristo who came to visit.Then, in order to show his enthusiasm for Tangra, Count Mosef put on his major general's coat--all his medals had already been hung on the coat-dress, and ordered his servants to harness the best horses to his carriage, so he went like this Dawglingly drove to Tangla's mansion on Ang Tan Road, when Tangla was copying his monthly accounts.In the past few months, no one would see him when he was in a good mood when they went to visit him at the end of the month, so when he saw his old friend coming, Tang La immediately put on a dignified and dignified appearance, and looked at himself proudly. sit on the chair.Mosef always had a stern face on normal days, but this time he was not. Instead, he was smiling and amiable.He was convinced that since he could be open and honest with each other, he would be welcomed, so he stopped choosing his words and came straight to the point.

"Baron," he said, "I have come to visit you on purpose. We have spoken beforehand, but we have not talked straight to the point for a long time..."

Moserf thought that once he said these words, he would be able to see the banker's face beaming with smiles. This face has always been stern because he has never said these words.But, on the contrary, it can be said that he never expected that this face suddenly became more and more cold, and no expression could be seen, so he stopped halfway through his words.

"What comes first, Monsieur Count?" asked the banker, as if he could not understand what the general meant.

"Oh!" said the count, "you pay attention to etiquette, my dear sir, and you have reminded me that it is necessary to communicate with etiquette. Well, it should be so. Please forgive me, I only have one son, and this is the first time I have considered His marriage, so I don't know much about it. Well, I'll start from the beginning." So Mosef stood up with a smile on his face, bowed deeply to Tang La, and said: "Mr. Baron, I am overwhelmed." It is an honor to propose marriage to my daughter, Miss Eugenie Tangra, for my son, Albert Mocerf."

However, instead of expressing his willingness to agree as Mosef expected, Tangra frowned and refused to ask the standing count to sit down. "Monsieur Count," said he, "I must think it over before I can answer you."

"Consider?" said Moserf, increasingly surprised. "It's been almost eight years since we first talked about this marriage. Haven't you had time to think about it?"

"Mr. Earl," Tangla said, "new things happen every day, so we have to reconsider things that we thought were mature."

"What's the matter?" asked Mosef, "I don't understand what you mean, Baron!"

"I mean, sir, there's been something new in the last fortnight..."

"Excuse me," Mosef said, "are we putting on a show?"

"What? Acting?"

"Yes, if you have something to say, you must make it clear in person."

"I can't ask for more."

"You must have seen M. Monte Cristo!"

"I see him often," Tangra said while brushing off the placket of his jacket, "he is a friend of mine."

"Well, the last time you saw him, you told him that I seemed to be taking things too seriously and not taking this marriage to heart."

"good."

"Well, why don't I come to your door? I didn't take it seriously, and I didn't take it seriously. You saw it too. I came here to remind you to fulfill your promise."

Tang La didn't answer.

"Could it be that you are so volatile, changing your mind as soon as you say it?" Mosef continued, "Could it be that you urged me to propose marriage just to insult me, so you can please me for a while?"

Tang La knew that if he continued to talk like this, things would be unfavorable to him. "Monsieur," said he, "you are quite right to be shocked at my reservation, and I can understand your feelings. But you must also know that I am the first to be distressed by such a thing, and you will You know, the reason why I have scruples is because some situations are really compelling, and I have to do it as a last resort."

"These are empty words, my dear sir," said the count, "and a common man might give up on them, but Count Messerf is not. When a man like him goes out of his way to call on another man, to remind him that he should If he kept his word, but the man kept his word, he has the right to ask the other party to at least give a full explanation on the spot.”

Tang La was very guilty, but he still pretended not to be seen by others, so it hurt him when Mosef said this about him.

"To give full reason, I have plenty," he retorted.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I have a good reason, but I can't explain it clearly."

"But you must understand," said Moserf, "that I will not rest on your laurels. In any case, I think it is obvious that you refuse to marry my family."

"No, sir," Tangla said, "I just don't make a decision for the time being, there is no other meaning."

"But I don't think you are so conceited, thinking that I will let you go back and forth, and I will be honest and low-key, waiting for you to change your mind before giving us favors?"

"Well, Monsieur Count, if you won't wait any longer, we might as well pretend we haven't talked about it."

The count bit his lip tightly until it bled, and then suppressed his arrogant and violent temperament, and did not show any anger.But he knew that it was he who would lose face on such occasions, so he changed his mind as soon as he was about to go to the drawing-room door, and retreated to his original place.A dark cloud drifted over his forehead, the hurt arrogance had disappeared, leaving only a few faint traces of uneasiness on his forehead. "Okay," he said, "my dear Tangla, we are old acquaintances who have known each other for many years, so we should not be against each other. You have to explain it to me, at least let me know what scandal caused my son to suffer You are coldly received."

"This is by no means the viscount's business. All I can tell you now is this, sir." Tangra replied, and when he saw Mosef softened, his expression became arrogant again.

"Then whose business is it?" Mosef asked, his face turning pale and his voice changing.

Moserf's expression did not escape Tangla's eyes, and Tangra's eyes became firm and confident, and his eyes were fixed on Moserf's uncharacteristically. "You'd better thank me, because I don't want to say more."

Mosef must have been burning with anger at this moment, and he was shaking with anger. "I have that right," he said, trying to restrain himself. "I have a right to ask you to explain. Do you have any old grudge against Mrs. Moserf? Is my property not enough? Is it because you and I are politically incompatible?"

"That's not the reason, sir," Tangla said, "otherwise I'd be sorry, because I knew all these things when I promised. No, you don't have to ask any more questions. If you ask yourself like this, I really do I can't bear it. Let's stop here, and I mean it. Let's be flexible about the timing, neither breaking up nor contracting. It's not urgent, my god. My daughter is only 17 I am 21 years old and my son is only [-] years old. We stand still, but the time goes by, and the stars move, and one thing after another happens. Sometimes I feel blurred when I look at things at night, and I look at them the next day But it is clear at a glance. Similarly, sometimes, it can be falsely accused of being a thief within a day."

"False, is that what you say, sir?" cried Mosef, turning pale. "Will I be slandered?"

"Monsieur Count, I say we'd better not talk about it."

"So, sir, after I have been rejected, do I have to swallow it?"

"I am particularly saddened, sir. Yes, I am more saddened than you, because I have always been proud of marrying your family, and after repenting, the woman always suffers more than the man."

"Very well, sir, we don't have to talk any more," said Moserf, and, furiously, he crumpled up his gloves and left the living room.

Tang Gela noticed it, and from the beginning to the end, Moserf dared not ask whether it was because of Moserf himself that Tangra retracted his promise.That evening Tangra had a long conversation with several friends, while Mr. Cavallecanti was in the ladies' parlour, and he was the last to leave the banker's mansion.The next day Tangla wanted to read the newspaper as soon as he woke up, and the servant immediately delivered the newspaper to him.Putting the other three or four aside, he picked up The Fair, the paper edited by Beauchamp.He hastily tore off the cover, opened the paper hastily, glanced contemptuously at the "Paris News," turned to the social news column, and fixed his eyes on a framed paragraph beginning with "The Ionina Letter." News, at this moment a wicked smile appeared on his mouth.

"Okay," he said after reading the short note, "this little article is about Colonel Fernand, so I don't think I need to explain it to Count Messef."

At this moment, that is to say, at nine o'clock in the morning, Albert Mocerf, dressed in black and buttoned up, came hurriedly to the apartment of Monte Cristo on the Champs-Elysées, and said in a rough voice: asked roughly whether Monte Cristo was at the apartment.

"Monsieur the count has been out for nearly half an hour," answered the porter.

"Did he take Baptistan out?" Moshef asked.

"No, Monsieur Viscount."

"Please call Baptistan, I have something to say to him."

The porter went in to find the count's valet, and in a short while they came together.

"My friend," said Albert, "forgive me for calling you out so presumptuously, but I think I must ask you yourself whether your master has really gone out?"

"Yes, sir," said Baptistan.

"Did you say the same to me?"

"I know my master always welcomes you, sir, and I would never treat you like a human being myself."

"That's right, I have something to talk to him seriously now, do you think he won't come back for a while?"

"No, because he ordered breakfast at ten o'clock."

"Well, then, I'll walk around the Champs-Elysées first, and I'll be back at ten o'clock. If the count comes back before I come, just tell him and I'll ask him to wait for me. "

"I will definitely convey it, sir, you can rest assured."

(End of this chapter)