World Literature Classics Library: The Count of Monte Cristo

Chapter 196 Sharing (3)
"Yes, it is agreed that you will live in Marseilles in the future, and I will leave for Africa. I will completely discard my original surname, and let the surname I just changed now ring loudly."

Mercedes sighed.

"Oh, mother, yesterday I signed up for the North African Cavalry Regiment," said the young man, lowering his eyes and feeling a little guilty because he himself did not realize how noble it was to humiliate himself in this way, "or so to speak, I feel that my body is my own, and I can sell it, so yesterday I joined the army in place of someone else. In ordinary people's terms, I sold myself," the young man said with a forced smile. Better than I thought, that is, got 2000 francs. "

"So the thousand francs are..." said Mercedes with a shudder.

"It's only half the money, mother, and the other half is due in a year."

Mercedes raised her eyes to the sky with an indescribable expression, with mixed feelings in her heart, and two teardrops hanging from the corners of her eyes quietly flowed down her cheeks. "Money in blood!" she murmured.

"If I die in battle, that's true," said Moserf with a slight smile, "but I beg you, dear mother, that on the contrary, I will never risk my life for my life, and I feel that my desire to live has never As strong as it is now."

"My God! my God!" said Mercedes.

"Besides, why do you think I will die in battle, mother? Could it be that La Mauricier (French general (1806-1865), who participated in the French conquest of Algeria.), this southern Ney (French general) (1769-1815), participated in the invasion of Russia and the Battle of Waterloo.), was he killed? Could it be that Changanier, a French general and statesman (1793-1877), served as Governor of Algeria in 1848. Was killed Is it? Is Bedeaux, the French general (1804-1863), killed? Is Morrel, whom we all know, killed? So, think that you will be happy in the future, mother, you will see I've come back in my gold-embroidered uniform! I'll tell you, I'm going to do a good job in my uniform, and I think I've chosen the regiment I like."

Mercedes tried to put on a smile, but she could not help sighing, for the holy mother knew that she could not leave her child alone to bear the burden of sacrifice.

"Well," continued Albert, "you understand, mother, that you must have more than 4000 francs. With these 4000 francs, you can live at least two years."

"Do you think so?" said Mercedes.

The countess's words blurted out, but the sorrow in them was so real, and when Albert fully understood the true meaning of the words, he felt as if a knife was piercing his heart, so he took his mother's hand and held it tenderly in his own. . "Yes, you will live!" he said.

"I will live," cried Mercedes, "but you cannot go, can you, my son?"

"Mother, I must go," said Albert calmly and firmly. "You love me very much, and you will never let me stay by your side all the time, and waste your time with nothing to do. Besides, I have signed a contract. "

"You will do as you will, my son, and I will do as God wills."

"It's not my will, mother, it's reason, it's need. We're both desperate, aren't we? What's life to you today? It's meaningless. What's life to me What? It doesn't mean much without you. Mother, you should believe me, because without you, my life, I can swear to you, after I doubted my father's character and abandoned him. That day is over! In short, if you can keep me hopeful, I will live, and if you can let me carry far for your future happiness, you will multiply my strength. In this way, when I get there, I will go to see the Governor of Algeria. He has a sincere heart, and more importantly, he maintains the true qualities of a soldier. I will tell him my miserable life experience, and I will ask him to pay attention to me often. I keep my word, and if he really cared about my performance, I'd be an officer or die in the field in six months. If I'm an officer, you'll be safe for the rest of your life, mother, because My money was enough for both you and me, and I took a new name that we both could be proud of, because it was yours. If I die On the battlefield... Oh! If I die on the battlefield, then, dear mother, if you don't want to live anymore, you can die forever, and our misfortune will reach its limit and end."

"Very well," replied Mercedes, with a noble gleam in her expressive eyes, "you are right, my son, that there are people who are looking at us and trying to judge us by our actions. , we want to prove to them that we are at least human beings worthy of sympathy."

"But don't be sad, mother dear!" cried the young man. "I can swear to you that we are very happy, or at least we can be. You are sensible and untroubled, and I, I have learned Be content with indifference and stop doing what you want, I suppose. I will have money when I enlist, and you will be quiet as soon as you step into M. Dantès's house. Try it all! Listen, mother. In one word, everyone, try it!"

"Yes, let's try, my son, because you deserve to live, because you deserve to be happy," replied Mercedes.

"Then, mother, let's divide our money like this," said the young man with an air of ease. "We can start today. Well, I'll go and make a reservation for you as I just said."

"But yourself, my son?"

"I, I have to stay here for another two or three days, mother. The parting is about to begin, we have to get used to it first, and I also need to ask someone to write me a few letters of recommendation, to learn about the situation in Africa, and then I will go to Marseilles to find you."

"All right! That's it, let's go!" said Mercedes, throwing on her shawl, the only one she had brought out, which happened to be a very precious black cashmere shawl, " Let's go!"

Albert then hastily gathered his papers, rang the bell to call the innkeeper, paid the thirty francs rent, put his arm on his mother's, and they went down the stairs together.A man descending before them heard the rustle of a silk skirt on the banister and turned his head away.

"Debray!" cried Albert softly.

"It's you, Mosef!" said the minister's secretary, stopping on the stairs.Debray was so astonished that he could no longer conceal his identity, and besides, he had already been recognized.Albert's misfortune caused a sensation in the Paris social circles, and seeing this young man again in this little-known little hotel at this time seemed to really tickle Debray's heart. "Mercerf!" Debray called again.Then he saw Mrs. Mercerf's still youthful charm and her black shawl in the dim light, and said again, "Oh! Excuse me," he smiled, "I'll go first, Al cowry."

Albert knew what Debray was thinking. "Mother," he said, turning to Mercedes, "this is Mr. Debray, secretary to the Home Secretary, an old friend of mine."

"What? Former friend?" murmured Debray. "What do you mean?"

"I say this, Monsieur de Bray," continued Albert, "because I have no friends today, and because I should have no friends. I am obliged to you for knowing me, sir."

Debray took two steps up the stairs, and firmly grasped Albert's hand. "Believe me, my dear Albert," said he, with an air of great emotion, "I sympathize with your misfortune, and believe me that I will do my best when there is need for it. "

"Thank you, monsieur," said Albert, with a slight smile; "but, in spite of our misfortune, we have enough money and need no one. We are leaving Paris, and we have five thousand francs left, except for the expenses of the journey."

Debray's face turned red involuntarily, and there was 100 million in his wallet.Although his precise mind lacked imagination, at this moment he couldn't help but think of the two women who were staying in the same small building just now, one of them fell to the point of notoriety, and it was his own fault. At one time the man felt poor with 150 million francs tucked under his cloak, while the other, though unjustly struck, was honorable in the face of misfortune, with only a few dollars left, but still thought himself rich.The thought of such a contrast made him flustered, and he could no longer care about those polite manners. Facing the philosophy revealed by this example, he only felt that he was at a loss, so he said a few words vaguely. General polite words, then hurried downstairs and left.On this day, he was depressed. The staff of the Ministry of the Interior and his subordinates suffered from the uselessness of the day.But in the evening, he had become the buyer of a very beautiful small house on the Boulevard de la Madeleine, and he had received an annuity of 5 livres.

The next day, when Debray signed the deed, at five o'clock in the evening, Mrs. Murcerf embraced her son affectionately, and the son embraced her affectionately, and then she got into the front compartment of the stagecoach, The door then closed.The office building in the vestibule of the Lafayette Transportation Company, like all office buildings, has a mezzanine called the second floor between the ground floor and the second floor. At this time, a person is hiding behind a window on the second floor. Watching Mercedes board the carriage, watching the carriage drive away from the vestibule, he also watched Albert walk away at last.The man put his hand on his forehead full of doubts, and said alone: ​​"Oh! I have taken away the happiness of these two innocent people. How can I give them back their happiness? May God help me." .”

(End of this chapter)