World Literature Classics Library: The Count of Monte Cristo

Chapter 165 Insult (2)
"We don't come here to talk of duplicity, nor of friendship," said Albert. "We've come to ask for your explanation, Monsieur Count." This trembling voice.

"Explaining at the opera house?" said the count, his tone was so calm, and his eyes were so sharp. If a person has these two characteristics, he must be a strong man who is always full of self-confidence, "although I don't know much about Parisian manners, but I don't think, monsieur, I need an explanation at the theater."

"However, there are people who are evasive," said Albert, "trying to avoid being found, and who say they want to bathe, eat, or sleep, so they have to talk wherever they meet."

"It was not difficult to find me," said Monte Cristo, "because, if my memory is not bad, you were with me yesterday."

"Yesterday, sir," said Albert, flustered, "I was at your place yesterday only because I didn't know who you were at the time." People in the hall and people walking in the corridor heard his shout, so those sitting in the box turned to look here, and people in the corridor crowded around when they heard the quarrel here. Beauchamp and Chateau—behind Lenoir.

"Where do you come from, monsieur?" said Monte Cristo, without any emotion on his face. "You seem to have lost your mind."

"If only I could see through your ulterior motives, sir, if only I could let you know that I want to settle accounts with you and avenge me, I would be sensible enough," said Albert angrily.

"Monsieur, I do not understand what you mean," said Monte Cristo, "and even if I could understand you, you speak too loudly! This is my box, sir, and I alone have the right, You can speak louder than others. Come out, sir!" Then Monte Cristo waved his hand majestically, and pointed towards the door as if giving an order to Albert.

"Hmph! I want you to come out, and leave your box!" said Albert, rubbing and rubbing with convulsive hands one of his gloves, which Monte Cristo gazed intently at.

"Well, well!" said Monte Cristo calmly, "you have come to quarrel with me, sir, I think so. But I advise you, Viscount, please also remember to make a noise and find someone It's a bad habit to provoke. Shouts don't go to everyone, Mr. Moserf."

Upon hearing this name, all the spectators were shocked, and then there was a buzz of whispering in the crowd.Since yesterday, the name Mosef has been on everyone's lips.Albert was more sensitive than anyone else, and before anyone could react, he immediately understood what the insinuation was about.So he raised his hand, but when he was about to throw the glove on the Count's face, Morrel grabbed his wrist, and Beauchamp and Chateau-Renaud were also worried that the matter would be too big for provocation. They pulled Albert together from behind.But the Monte Cristo man, though sitting, tilted his chair to one side, and, taking advantage of his momentum, stretched out his hand to grab the wrinkled, damp glove from between Albert's clenched fingers.

"Monsieur," said Monte Cristo, in a tone of appalling sternness, "this glove, I suppose it was thrown, I will return it to you with the bullets in it. Now leave my box, or I will order the servant. throw you out the door."

Albert suddenly panicked, his eyes were red, and he took two steps back in a daze.Morrel took advantage of the momentum and closed the door.Monte Cristo took up his glasses again, and, as if nothing serious had happened, resumed his viewing.He was a man with a heart of bronze and a face of marble.Morrel leaned into his ear and said, "What have you done to him?"

"Me? Didn't mess with anything, at least personally."

"Although what happened just now is inexplicable, there must always be a reason for it?"

"The story of Earl Mercerf blew the wretched young man off."

"Have you anything to do with it?"

"His father's treachery, the Noble House finally learned about it through Edai."

"Yes," said Morrel, "it has been told to me, but I never believe it, and I have also seen this Greek slave girl in this box with you, and she is the daughter of Governor Ali. "

"That's what happened."

"Oh! my God!" said Morrel, "I see it all now, that what has just happened was premeditated."

"how could be?"

"Yes, Albert wrote to invite me to come to the Opera in the evening. He wanted me to be a witness when he provoked you."

"Perhaps," said Monte Cristo, calmly, whose self-possession was never disturbed by anything.

"How do you deal with him?"

"To whom?"

"Deal with Albert!"

"What to do with Albert?" said Monte Cristo, still very calmly. "What shall I do with him, Maximilian? It is a living fact that you are in this box and I am holding your hand. Then to-morrow Before 10 o'clock in the morning, I will let him die by my hands, and it will be a living fact. I will deal with him like this."

Morrel immediately stretched out both his hands to take Monte Cristo's, and he shivered, noticing that it was cold and numb. "Ah, count," said he, "his father loved him very much."

"Don't come to me with such words," Monte Cristo shouted, he seemed to be really angry, only to see his face sullen for the first time, "I just want to make him hurt to the bone!"

Surprised, Morrel let go of Monte Cristo's hand. "Count! Count!" he said.

"My dear Maximilian," said the count, interrupting Morrel, "this is Dupres, a French opera singer (1806-1896). How wonderful it is:

Oh Mathilde!The idol in my heart!
"Hey, Duprey came to Naples to perform. I was the first to recognize him, and I was the first to applaud him. Good! Good!"

Morrel knew it was useless to say more, so he had to wait until later.When Albert left the box after making a noise just now, the curtain on the stage just opened, and now it's time for the curtain to fall again.After a while, someone knocked on the door of the box.

"Come in," said Monte Cristo, without any emotion in his voice.

The person who came was Beauchamp. "Good evening, Monsieur Beauchamp," said Monte Cristo, as if he had just seen the reporter this evening, "please sit down."

Beauchamp bowed first, then went into the box and sat down. "Sir," he said to Monte Cristo, "you also saw that I just came with Mr. Mocerf."

"That is to say," said Monte Cristo, laughing, "that you probably had dinner together just now. M. Beauchamp, I am glad to see that you have more sense than he."

"Monsieur," said Beauchamp, "I admit that Albert should not have been so harsh, and I have come to apologize to you only for myself. My apology has now been expressed, and please note, Monsieur Count, it is only my apology, and now I want to say to you that I think you are too noble and refined to refuse to explain to me your connection with Ioannina, and then I want to say a few more words about the Greek girl."

Monte Cristo moved his lips and eyes a little, signaling Beauchamp to stop talking. "Oh!" said Monte Cristo, laughing, "all my hopes are in vain."

"What's the matter?" Beauchamp asked.

"Of course, you're too busy trying to give me a good name, and say I'm a queer. I'm a Lera, a Manfred, a Lord Rothman in your eyes. And then, when everyone calls me a queer When I'm alone, you're going to spoil your eccentric again. You try to reduce me to mediocrity. You want me to be a common man, and then you come to me for an explanation. It's unreasonable! Monsieur Beauchamp, you really know joke."

"However," Beauchamp said arrogantly, "sometimes, if you want to be upright, you should..."

"Monsieur Beauchamp," interrupted the eccentric, "it is the Count of Monte Cristo who can tell what should be done to the Count of Monte Cristo. So please don't waste your time on this matter. What I have done What I do depends entirely on my own wishes, Mr. Beauchamp, please believe me, I can always do what I want in everything I do."

"Sir," Beauchamp said, "you can't be so perfunctory with respectable people. Any issues involving honor must be guaranteed."

"Monsieur, I am a living proof," said Monte Cristo, with no expression on his face, but his eyes were blazing with eagerness, "we are both willing to pour the blood in our veins, that is Our mutual assurance. Please answer the viscount for me, and tell him that before ten o'clock tomorrow, I will definitely see the color of his blood."

"Now then," said Beauchamp, "I should arrange the specific matters concerning the duel."

"I don't care what the arrangement is, sir," said the count, "so it is quite unnecessary to disturb me while I am watching the play for such a trivial matter. In France duels are used with swords as well as with pistols, and in Carbines are used in the colonies, daggers are used in Arabia. Please tell your client that although I am the one who is insulted, I am willing to see this weirdo to the end. I will give him the right to choose weapons, and I will accept all arrangements. There is absolutely no intention of arguing, and I will never hold objections temporarily. What I am talking about is all arrangements. It’s a different story for me, because I’m sure I’m going to win.”

"There is no doubt of victory?" Beauchamp looked at the count in surprise and said.

"Yes, sure," said Monte Cristo, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "Without even this self-confidence, I would not have dueled Mr. Mocerf. I would kill him, I must kill him, and I would. Kill him. But be sure to call me back tonight with what weapon and when. I don't like waiting."

"With a pistol, at 8 o'clock in the morning, Vincennes (a forest park located in the southeastern suburbs of Paris.)." Beauchamp said, he was at a loss, not sure whether the person he was dealing with in front of him was a lunatic or a shameless man. The Impossible Superman.

"Well, monsieur," said Monte Cristo, "everything is now settled, please allow me to watch the play at ease, and tell your friend Albert not to come to me to-night, who is wild and rude, Can only hurt himself. He should go back to sleep."

Bo Shang was shocked, and finally left the box.

"And now," said Monte Cristo, turning to Morrel, "I can count on you as a witness?"

"Of course," said Morrel, "at your convenience, count, but—"

"what?"

"It is very important, count, that I must know that the real reason for this is..."

"That is to say, you refuse to agree?"

"that's not what it means."

"The real reason? Morrel, that young man is so reckless that he doesn't even know the real reason. Only I and God know the real reason. But I can swear to you, Morrel, since God knows the real reason." cause, and therefore must be on our side."

"That will do, count," said Morrel; "and who is the other witness?"

"The only people I know in Paris who deserve this honor are you, Morrel, and your brother-in-law Emmanuel. Do you think Emmanuel will do me this favor?"

"As I promised you myself, I may as well promise for him, Count."

"Good! That's exactly what I mean. Come to my apartment at seven o'clock tomorrow morning, will you?"

"We will definitely go."

"Hush! It's opening, let's listen to the music. I usually don't want to miss a note in this opera. The music in William Tell is wonderful!"

(End of this chapter)