World Literature Classics Library: The Count of Monte Cristo

Chapter 178 Marriage (1)
Three days after what was said above, that is, at about 5 o'clock in the afternoon on the day when Miss Eugenie Tangra signed the marriage contract with Andra Cavallecanti, whom the bankers insisted on calling the prince, a cool breeze blew The leaves in the small garden in front of the residence of the Count of Monte Cristo rustled. The Count of Monte Cristo was about to go out. The shaft horse was already waiting, kicking impatiently on the road. The coachman held the reins tightly with one hand. Just sit in his seat and wait.Just at this moment, an elegant and beautiful open carriage, which we had seen at the dinner at Auteuil and many times since, turned the corner by the gate, and Andra Cavallecanti Mr. muttered, it could be said that he did not step up, but flew up the steps in front of the building.He was well-dressed and ecstatic, as if he were going to marry a princess.As usual, he first asked how the count was doing kindly and casually, and then went upstairs with light steps, and happened to meet the count at the top of the stairs on the second floor.The count stopped at the sight of the young man, but Andra Cavallecanti could not hold back, and if he rushed out, nothing could stop him.

"Oh! hello, my dear Monsieur Monte Cristo," said he.

"Ah! Monsieur Andra!" said the count, half solemnly, half ironically, "how have you been?"

"As you see it now, very well. I have a lot to talk to you about, but first, are you going out or have you just come back?"

"I was going out, sir."

"Well, I won't delay you from going out. If you think it's okay, I'll go with you in your carriage, and Tom will follow behind in my carriage."

"No," said the count, with an imperceptible smile of contempt on his face, he did not want to accompany the young man, "no, I think it is better to talk to you here, my dear Monsieur Andra. , it is better to talk in the room, and there will be no coachman to eavesdrop."

So the count went back to a living room on the second floor, sat down first, and while crossing his legs, asked the young man to sit down too.

Andra had a beaming smile all over her face.

"You know, my dear Count," said Andra, "that the ceremony will take place tonight, and the marriage contract will be signed at my father-in-law's place at nine o'clock."

"Ah! is it?" said Monte Cristo.

"What? Do you think my words are news? Didn't Mr. Tangla inform you about the ceremony?"

"Informed," said the count, "I had a letter from him yesterday, though I don't remember saying when."

"Possibly, my father-in-law probably thought that everyone already knew."

"Well," said Monte Cristo, "you are very lucky now, Monsieur Cavalle-Conti, your marriage is indeed well-matched, and, besides, Mademoiselle Tangra is pretty."

"That's right." Cavalle Conti said, speaking in an unassuming tone.

"Especially she is very rich, at least I think so," said Monte Cristo.

"Very rich, do you think so?"

"Of course it is. People say that half of Mr. Tanglar's property is hidden."

"But he disclosed 1500 million or 2000 million." Andra said, with sparks of joy shining in his eyes.

"There is one thing that has not yet been settled," continued Monte Cristo. "He is about to try another kind of speculative business, which is somewhat out of date in America and England, but is just in its infancy in France."

"Yes, yes, I know what you're talking about, you mean the railroad, and he just won the stock right a while ago, didn't he?"

"Exactly! At least, everyone thinks so, at least he can earn 1000 million from this business."

"Ten million? Do you think it's true? It's so beautiful." Cavalle Conti said, he was already a little ecstatic, as if the beautiful words were the jingling sound of the gold coins.

"Besides," continued Monte Cristo, "the property will come to you sooner or later, which is justified, since Mademoiselle Tangra is an only child. Besides, your own property, at least according to what your father told me, is not the same as that of your fiancée. The property is about the same. But let's leave the money thing aside for the moment. You know, Monsieur Andra, you have a little bit of shrewdness in this matter."

"Not bad," said Andra, "I was born to be a diplomat."

"Okay! I can recommend you to engage in diplomacy in the future. Diplomacy, you know, you can't learn diplomacy. It's an instinct... Your soul has been ticked off, right?"

"To be honest, I'm afraid so." Andra imitated the characters in Alceste Molière's play "The Cynic" imitating Dorante or Valaire heard at the Opera de France.Said in that tone.

"People still like you?"

"Of course," Andra said triumphantly, "but there is one very important point that must not be forgotten."

"what?"

"I have had an extraordinary kind of help throughout in this matter."

"what!"

"real!"

"Is it the right time and place to help you?"

"No, it's you."

"It's me? Don't be silly, Prince," said Monte Cristo, adding the title to Andra on purpose. "What can I help you? By your name, by your social position, by your Strengths, isn't that enough?"

"Not enough," said Andra, "not enough, you can say that, Monsieur Count, but I always think that a status like you is more important than my family name, social position and advantages."

"You are very much mistaken, Monsieur," said Monte Cristo, knowing the young man's eloquence and evil intentions, and hearing the implication of his words, "that you are protected by me. It is only because I have known your father's prestige and property beforehand. Besides, I did not know you before, nor did you know your eminent biological father. Who gave me the honor to know you? It was my two friends, Weimar My lord and Elder Buzzoni. And what made me not your guarantor, but your protector? It is because your father's name is so famous in Italy that it is almost admired. As for myself, I Don't know much about you."

Speaking so calmly and with such ease, Andra realized that at this moment he was being held tightly by a hand stronger than his own, and it would not be easy to break free from this hand. "Oh, so it is! But," said he, "does my father really have a very large fortune?"

"It seems so, monsieur," replied Monte Cristo.

"Did you know that the money he promised to give me as a bride price has come?"

"I have received the money order."

"But what about the 300 million?"

"It's likely that 300 million has already been sent and is on its way."

"So, I can definitely get it?"

"Oh, of course!" said Monte Cristo. "I don't think so far, monsieur, you are not short of money?"

Andra was shocked and had to think for a while. "Well," he said after a moment of thought, "I only ask you one thing in the end, sir. Even if this matter makes you unhappy, you will be able to forgive me."

"Speak, please," said Monte Cristo.

"I'm lucky now, I've got a lot of famous people, I've got a whole bunch of friends, at least for the time being. But now that I'm going to have a wedding, the whole Parisian society is invited, and I've got to find someone famous. The mountain will do. The hand that led me to the altar for my wedding blessing must have been a strong hand, if not my father's. But my father can't come to Paris, can he?"

"He is old and has injuries all over his body. He said that every time he goes out for a long journey, he feels pain to death."

"I know. Well! I have a request."

"beg me?"

"Yes, please."

"What is it? My God!"

"Well, please replace him."

"Ah, my dear sir! What? You, who are still strangers to me after such frequent acquaintances as I have had the honor of making such a request to me? You might as well ask me to lend you half a million dollars, although such a loan It's rare, and to be honest, you don't necessarily embarrass me. You should know that I remember what I told you once. The Count of Monte Cristo was very particular about the taboos of the Orientals in his conduct, especially in ethics and morals. I can even say , very particular about Oriental superstitions. I can have a bunch of concubines in Cairo, or in Smyrna, or in Constantinople, but I'm going to preside over the wedding! That's absolutely impossible."

"So you refused my request?"

"Definitely refuse, even if you are my son, my brother, I still refuse."

"Ah! Really!" exclaimed Andra despondently, "how can this be done?"

"You have plenty of friends. You just said it yourself."

"Yes, but it was you who introduced me to Mr. Tanglar's family."

"Absolutely not! Just look at the facts of the matter. I was the one who invited you to dine with him at Auteuil, and you were the one who came to him. Oh! It's quite irrelevant."

"Yes, but you helped me with my marriage..."

"Me? Absolutely nothing, please remember. You can recall how I answered you when you came to ask me to say goodbye to you? Oh! I never get involved in marriage, my dear prince. It’s my consistent principle.”

Andra bit her lip. "But all in all," he said, "you will at least go?"

"Is the whole Parisian society here?"

"Oh! Of course i!

"Well, since the Parisian society is going, I will go too," said the count.

"Can you sign the marriage contract?"

"Oh! I don't think so. I'm not talking about taboos to this extent."

"Since you don't want to be rewarded with more face, I have no choice but to take what you get. But there is one last thing, count."

"what?"

"An idea please."

"You will notice that advice is worse than help."

"Oh! You can come up with this idea, and it won't hurt you."

"Just tell me."

"Was my wife's dowry half a million livres?"

"Mr. Tangla told me this number."

"Should I take this sum, or should it remain in the hands of the notary?"

"Usually, if things are to be done beautifully, this is how it works: when you sign the marriage contract, your notaries agree to meet on the second or third day, and then on the second or third day they exchange dowries. With the dowry, they will issue receipts to each other, and after the wedding, they will transfer these millions of dollars to your name as the joint property of the husband and wife.”

"The reason why I asked about this," said Andra, although he wanted to hide it, but there was still a trace of uneasiness on his face, "I seem to have heard from my father-in-law that he intends to invest our funds in the investment you mentioned just now. to the booming railroad business."

"Well!" said Monte Cristo, "according to the general opinion at present, your capital will triple in value in a year. The Baron Don Glaser is a good father, and he is very calculating."

"So be it, then," said Andra, "everything is going well, it's just your refusal that hurts me."

"But you can only attribute it to the fact that certain taboos are justified in this case."

"Well," said Andra, "do as you please. See you tonight at nine o'clock."

"See you tonight."

Then Andra took the count's hand and shook it, jumped into his open carriage, and drove off in a hurry.Monte Cristo shook hands with some reluctance, his lips turned white, but he still had his courteous smile on his face.

It was still four or five hours before nine o'clock, and Andra was running around calling, telling the friends he had just mentioned that when he went to the banker's house, he should wear their best clothes and blow them all the hype. After a while, he said that the stock business that Tangla is currently planning has already made people dizzy, and what will happen in the future.

(End of this chapter)