World Literature Classics Library: The Count of Monte Cristo

Chapter 149 Lemonade (1)
Morrel was very fortunate indeed.

M. Noirquier sent someone to look for him just now. He was anxious to know what he wanted to do with him. He didn't even want to sit in the carriage. He felt that his legs were more reliable than the horse's legs of a taxi, so he hurried away from Mélay. Street to Saint-Honoré.Morrel trotted along, leaving poor Barois in hot pursuit.Morrel was 31 years old, but Barois was 60 years old; Morrel, who was in love, was ecstatic, as if he was dripping with joy, while Barois was running dry in this hot summer.These two people have different interests and ages, like two sides of a triangle, separated at the base and joined at the apex.The tip of this horn was Noirquier, and he sent Baroy to tell Morrel to look for him hastily, and Morrel kept on walking so fast that Baroy complained.When he arrived at the end of the journey, Morrel was breathless. Love had made him even stronger than a tiger, but Baroy was already past the time of love, and by this time he was dripping with sweat. up.

The old servant led Morrel into the house through a secret door, and closed the study door behind him. A moment later, the sound of a long skirt being dragged on the parquet floor could tell Valentine was coming. up.Valentina looked very elegant in her mourning dress, and Morrel could not help falling into a sweet dream, almost forgetting for a moment that he had come to talk with Noirquier, but after a while, the old man's wheelchair sounded on the parquet floor. The voice, and then the old man came to the study.Morrel began to speak eloquently, thanking the old man for having intervened so skillfully in the marriage, which had rescued him and Valentine from their despair.Noirquier listened, looking benevolently at Morrel.Then Morrel looked towards the girl, as if to ask what kindness the old man had in mind for him, and the girl looked a little shy, and sat at a distance from Morrel, waiting to be called to her.Noirquier also glanced at the girl.

"What you want me to say, will you say it now?" asked Valentine.

"Yes." Nouakiye gestured.

"Monsieur Morrel," said Valentine, turning to Morrel, who was gazing at her intently, "my grandfather has a lot to say to you, and he has told me all he has to say for three days, and today he sent When you are invited, that is to say, let me repeat his words to you. Since my grandfather asked me to speak for him, I will tell you now, and he will never change a word from his meaning."

"Oh, I will be all ears," said Morrel; "go ahead, madam, please go ahead."

Valentine's eyes were lowered, which seemed to Morrel a good omen; Valentine was only so delicate and delicate when she was happy. "My grandfather wants to leave the house," she said. "Baluwa is looking for a suitable house for him."

"And you, Mademoiselle?" said Morrel. "Monsieur Noirquier loves you the most, and is absolutely inseparable from you!"

"I," went on the girl, "I will never leave my grandfather. My grandfather and I have already agreed. I will live in the flat next to my grandfather. M. de Villefort may allow me to live with my grandfather, or he may Don't let me go. If he agrees, I will leave now. If he doesn't agree, I will wait ten months until I reach the age of majority and leave. At that time, I will be able to make my own decisions and have my own independent property. and……"

"And what?" asked Morrel.

"And, if grandpa agrees, I will fulfill my promise to you."

Vanentina spoke the last words in such a small voice that he would not have heard them clearly had Morrel not listened with all his attention.

"Did I mean you, Grandpa?" Valentine asked Noirquier next.

"Yes." The old man motioned.

"As long as I live with my grandfather," continued Valentine, "when Monsieur Morrel visits me, we shall be with our kind and venerable protector. Our hearts may still be Childish and ignorant, maybe it’s just a dream without trace. Alas, people often say that when encountering difficulties, the heart is a fire, and when the weather is calm, the heart is cold. When the relationship between our two hearts is established, it seems reasonable , when it is enough to ensure our happy life in the future, Mr. Morrel can propose to me, and I am waiting for this day."

"Oh!" cried Morrel, who was about to kneel down before them, making the old man a god and Valentine an angel, "oh! what good thing have I done in my life to be so happy?"

"But at present," said the girl, with the same simple and serious voice, "not only must we respect the etiquette, but as long as my parents don't come to break us up, we must respect their wishes. In short, I still say that, because I want to say All meanings are included, that is, we must be good at waiting."

"This sentence requires me to do it, Monsieur," said Morrel to Noirquier, "I swear to you that I will do it with joy and without compulsion."

"So," continued Valentine, and Maximilian looked into her eyes with sweetness in his heart, "don't be rash, my friend. There is a girl who from today thinks she must be innocent." Use your surname with dignity, and you can't do her honor any harm."

Morrel pressed his hands to his chest.At this time, Noirquier had been looking at the two of them, his eyes were full of love, and he had nothing to hide from an old servant like Baroy. He stayed behind and wiped his bald head with a smile. Beads of sweat dripping down.

"Oh, my God, he's so hot, our good Barois." Valanti
"Ah!" said Barois, "I was running too fast just now, miss, but I should do him justice, Monsieur Morrel, he ran faster than I."

Noirquier glanced at a tray.On the tray was a large bottle of lemonade and a glass. The lemonade bottle was not full, because Noirquier had drunk a little half an hour before.

"Oh, Barois," said the girl, "I see you're staring at the unfinished bottle of lemonade, so take it and drink it."

"Honestly," said Baluwa, "I'm dying of thirst, and I should like to have a drink for your health."

"Go ahead and drink," said Valentine, "and come back when you're done."

Baroy left with the tray. He forgot to close the door. He saw through the open door that he had just reached the corridor, and he looked up and drank the glass of lemonade that Valentine had poured for him. .Valentine and Morrel were saying good-bye to each other beside Noirquier, when they heard a bell ringing on the stairs in front of Villefort's study.Listening to the sound of the bell as if someone was visiting, Valentine looked at the wall clock.

"Twelve o'clock," she said, "it's Saturday, Grandpa. The doctor must be here."

Nouakier signaled that the girl was right, she should be the doctor.

"He'll be here in a moment, and Mr. Morrel must go away at once, won't he, grandpa?"

"Yes." The old man gestured and replied.

"Baruis!" cried Valentine, "Baruis, come here."

Only the voice of the old servant replied, "I'll come, miss."

"Barois will see you to the door at once," said Valentine to Morrel; "now please remember, Monsieur officer, that my grandfather enjoins you not to act rashly, as that would ruin our lives." Happiness is delayed."

"If I have promised to wait," said Morrel, "I shall wait."

At this moment Baruwa came in.

"Who pulled the bell just now?" asked Valentine.

"It's Mr. Affini, the doctor," said Barois, whose legs seemed weak and unable to stand up┳×pardon*
"Oh! what is the matter with you, Baroy?" asked Valentine.

The old servant made no answer, but looked at his master in dismay, as he stretched out his convulsive hands to grasp something for support.

"He can barely stand!" cried Morrel.

Sure enough, Baluwa's body trembled more and more violently, and his whole face was completely changed due to the twitching of his facial muscles, as if a severe epileptic attack was about to occur.Seeing Baroy in such pain, Noirquier looked at him intently, with all the stirring emotions in those eyes, which were really touching.Baruwa took a few steps towards his master. "Oh! my God! my God! Lord!" said Barois, "what's the matter with me? I'm so sick that I can't see anything. Thousands of gold stars are flying around in my head Go. Oh! Don't touch me, don't touch me!"

At this moment, Baluwa looked panic-stricken, his eyes bulged, his head was thrown back, and his whole body stiffened.Valentine screamed in terror, and Morrel embraced her, as if in some sudden danger, and hastened to protect her.

"Monsieur Avrini! Monsieur Avrini!" cried Valentine at the top of her lungs. "Come on! Help!"

Barois turned around abruptly, took three steps backwards, then staggered and fell down at Noirquier's feet, with one hand on Noirquier's knee, and just shouted: "I My good master! My good master!"

At this moment M. de Villefort rushed to the door of the room.Morrel hastily let go of Valentine, who was about to faint, and then, dodging backwards, retreated to the corner of the room, barely concealing herself behind the curtains.He seemed to see a snake raise its body before him, and his face was pale with fright, and his horrified eyes were fixed on the poor man who was about to die.Noirquier was very anxious and worried, how he wanted to save the poor old man-this is not just a servant, but his friend!At this moment, the veins on Nouakie's forehead were bulging, and the muscles that were still active around the eye sockets were twitching, and a terrible contest between life and death could be clearly seen on the immobile face.At this moment, Baluwa's face was still twitching, his eyes were bloodshot, his neck was thrown back, he was lying flat, his hands were beating straight on the floor, and his bent legs were tense. Tight, it doesn't look like a bent leg at all, it looks like it's been broken.He was foaming at the mouth and gasping in pain.When Villefort came in, he looked only at Baroy, who, already stupefied with terror, only stared.He did not see Morrel.

Villefort, pale and bristling with hair, looked for a moment in silence, then ran to the door, calling: "Doctor! Doctor! Come here, come here!"

"Madame! Madame!" cried Valentine, meeting her stepmother on the stairs in the corridor, "come here, come quickly! Bring your scenting bottle!"

"What's the matter!" Madame de Villefort pretended in her crisp voice┪Report*
"Oh, come on, come on!"

"But where is the doctor?" cried Villefort. "Where has he been?"

Madame de Villefort descended slowly, rattling the planks of the stairs.She wiped her face with a handkerchief in one hand and an English sniffing bottle in the other.When she walked to the door, she first glanced at Nouakier, and saw that there was no sign of discomfort on Noirquier's face except for the excitement that would inevitably appear at this time, and then her eyes turned It fell on Baluwa who was dying.Her face turned pale, and her eyes could be said to flick from the servant to the master's face.

"For heaven's sake, ma'am, do you know where the doctor is? Didn't he come into your room just now? You see, it's a stroke, and a bloodletting will save him."

"Has he eaten just now?" Madame de Villefort asked herself, ignoring her question.

(End of this chapter)